At The Butterfly Path, we understand the importance of supporting learning both inside and outside of the nursery environment.
That’s why we’re excited to launch a series of blog posts exploring ways to foster development in the home, focusing on the key areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS).
This post will highlight broad categories of home learning that create enriching experiences for your child. By incorporating small, meaningful activities into your daily routine, you can enhance their growth in fun and engaging ways. Each idea is designed to support creativity, curiosity, and the natural joy of learning!
Let’s jump straight into our guide to supporting development at home!
Why Home Learning Matters
Supporting development at home is essential to complement the experiences your child has at nursery.
It strengthens the bond between you and your little one while fostering curiosity, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning.
Home activities provide a unique opportunity to tailor learning experiences to your child’s interests and pace, ensuring they feel supported and valued.
By creating a positive and stimulating environment, you are laying the foundation for your child’s future learning and well-being.
Whether through storytelling, playful activities, or exploring nature, your involvement makes a profound impact to their development.
Fostering a Learning Environment at Home
Children thrive in spaces that encourage exploration and curiosity.
A well-thought-out environment can act as the third teacher, complementing your role as caregiver and their nursery experiences.
This isn’t about buying the best toys or latest learning resources but more so ensuring that they have a space where books, toys, learning games etc. are all within reach anytime.
Providing accessible and inviting areas for play and discovery supports independence and self-motivation.
Some ideas you can incorporate:
Set Up a Creative Corner: Provide paper, crayons, child-safe scissors, glue sticks, and stickers for spontaneous art projects that spark creativity.
Sensory Stations: Use items like rice, dried beans, or playdough for tactile exploration. You can even add scents like vanilla or lavender for extra sensory stimulation.
Natural Materials Basket: Include items like pinecones, shells, leaves, and small sticks to inspire curiosity about the natural world.
Display Learning Tools: Have books, puzzles, and educational toys within easy reach to invite regular engagement.
Everyday Learning
It might not seem it but learning opportunities are everywhere! Everyday activities like cooking, cleaning and shopping can provide meaningful and spontaneous moments of discovery, teaching your child important life skills while nurturing their natural curiosity.
Some ideas you can incorporate:
Cooking Together: Encourage measuring, stirring, pouring, and naming ingredients to build fine motor skills, early math concepts, and language development.
Sorting Laundry: Match socks by size or colour, helping to develop math skills like one-to-one correspondence (one sock equals the number one) and subitising (knowing the amount in small groups without counting).
Shopping Trips: Talk about numbers, letters, and colours while picking out items at the store, and discuss the importance of the shops within your local community to help them understand the world around them. Encourage your child to help create a shopping list.
Daily Routines: Count steps as you climb, discuss the weather during morning routines, or talk about time and sequence while preparing meals.
Meal Planning: Let your child help choose ingredients or create a simple menu, building decision-making skills and creativity.
Reading and Storytelling
Sharing stories and reading together supports language development, creativity, and a lifelong love of books. It also strengthens your bond, offering some cosy one-to-one time.
Some ideas you can incorporate:
Daily Storytime: Dedicate time each day to read a book suited to your little one's interests and age.
Act It Out: Use props, voices, and actions to bring favourite stories to life, encouraging imaginative play.
Interactive Reading: Ask questions like, “What do you think will happen next?” or, “How does this character feel?” to engage critical thinking.
Library Visits: Borrow books together and let your child pick out their own stories, fostering independence.
Games and Activities
Playtime fosters problem-solving, collaboration, and creativity while being a fantastic way to bond with your little one. Simple games can also introduce foundational skills in math, science, literacy and more!
Some ideas you can incorporate:
Puzzles and Board Games: Choose age-appropriate options to promote patience, turn-taking and problem-solving.
Scavenger Hunts: Create a list of items to find indoors or outdoors, encouraging observation and focus. This is a great activity for walks in the park or shopping trips!
DIY Instruments: Make shakers, drums, or guitars from household items and explore rhythm, sound, and movement. Click here for a how-to guide.
Obstacle Courses: Use cushions to set up an indoor course that promotes physical development and coordination.
Building Challenges: Use blocks or recycled or natural materials to construct towers, bridges, or creative designs.
Outings and Adventures
Exploring the world beyond your home is a wonderful way to expand your child’s understanding, confidence, and connection to their community. Adventures big and small can create lasting memories and meaningful learning experiences.
Some ideas you can incorporate:
Walks in Nature: Collect leaves, stones, or flowers, and discuss their textures, shapes, and colours. Bring along a magnifying glass for close observation. You can also collect these for memory boxes or natural crafts!
Visit Libraries: Encourage a love for books and provide a quiet space where you can read together. Many libraries also offer storytime sessions and activities. Click here to find one near you.
Local Attractions: Explore parks, museums, or community events to help your little one better understand the world around them.
Gardening: Plant seeds together and watch them grow. Discuss the steps needed to care for plants, teaching responsibility and patience.
Extending Nursery Activities
Your child’s nursery experiences don’t have to end at pick-up time. When your little one comes home discussing an activity or topic they found exciting, it’s a wonderful opportunity to extend their learning.
Some ideas you can incorporate:
Expand on Topics: If your child mentions learning about a certain animal for example, look for books, videos, or craft ideas to dive deeper into the topic.
Ask Questions: Engage in conversations about what they’ve learned. For example, “What did you like about that activity?” or “What can we do together to learn more?”
Field Trips: Plan outings related to their interests, such as visiting a zoo if they’re excited about animals or a garden centre if they loved planting seeds at nursery.
Story Sharing: Encourage your child to teach you or a sibling what they did, reinforcing their understanding and building confidence.
If you’d like more specific ideas tailored to your child’s interests, speak to their key person. They’ll be happy to provide suggestions and insights to help you continue the learning journey at home.
Additional Resources
Thanks for reading!
We’ll be delving deeper into each area of EYFS development in our upcoming blog posts, so stay tuned for more specific tips and ideas.
And don’t forget to let us know your favourite at home learning activities in the comments below.
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