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50 Fantastic Ideas for Supporting Children's Wellbeing (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Rebecca Gordine50 Fantastic Ideas for Supporting Children's Wellbeing is packed full of easy-to-follow activities to calm busy minds and bodies and develop young children's self-esteem through engagement with their senses, nature and the world around them.With the ever-increasing pressures on children and teachers in schools for results and academic success, the desire for time and space for young children in the Early Years to calm their minds and bodies and tune into the natural environment is growing. Rebecca Gordine presents 50 ideas to address this and nurture young children's concept of self and wellbeing, from playing with warm noodles and making a healthy soup recipe, to tuning into nature by listening to bird songs, and creating a singing show.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Storytelling (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Judit Horvath Alistair Bryce-CleggAmongst many popular activities, listening to and telling stories is fundamental to every early years setting. Apart from being fun and exciting, storytelling has many functions in children's development, helping them to make sense of the world and organize events and experience. Children often retell their adventures as stories, from the simple event of having dinner to major happenings such as falling down the stairs! The story organizes events from the past and as they happen, and both the story and its telling convey important information about relationships, thoughts and feelings and the children's personal life in general.This book contains simple but creative ideas to help practitioners prompt and aid storytelling for and with the children in their setting.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Songs and Rhymes (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Helen BattelleyThere's no better way to get children moving, laughing and learning than with songs and dance, but sometimes it can feel like you've exhausted your rhyme repertoire or simply run out of musical steam. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Songs and Rhymes offers a mixture of traditional favourites, fresh alternatives to well-known rhymes, action songs, original rhythms and funny verse that will have everyone giggling. All activities include suggestions for actions and dances and tips for incorporating songs and rhymes into other areas of children's learning.Adults will feel confident singing and moving to music with children, whether one-to-one or in groups, and children will love the repetition, rhymes and rhythmic movements of these activities. Drawing on developmental research to compile the very best musical activities, this book will boost practitioners' confidence and improve children's cognitive abilities and movement skills.With over 40 books in the 50 Fantastic Ideas series there's something for everyone – whether you're a practitioner looking for new ideas or you want to try out a popular well-loved activity with a new twist. Each book offers a wide range of fun and creative activities to carry out with children aged 0 – 5 years, with lists of resources, step-by-step instructions and information about the benefits for children.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Small World Provocations (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Judit Horvath Alistair Bryce-CleggSmall world play offers a wide range of learning opportunities for young children. Acting out narrative and ideas through the manipulation of small or miniature equipment, tools, toys and objects helps children to respond to their environment. Play becomes representative of real-life situations and is a medium through which children can explore their own feelings about these events and experiences in a safe and productive way. The frequent inclusion of sensory elements in this play also deepens experiences. Small world play is rich in possibilities for specific, thematic, learning, such as gathering information about spaces, positions, colours and cultures. Small world play is entertaining, challenging, motivating and allows children to use their imaginations and decide on their own play choices. Many practitioners find it challenging to continually renew the play environment, but this book suggests ideas for how to ensure a meaningful play content that replicates environments or scenarios that children can connect to, using a large variety of resources from natural materials to specific props. Presented in the accessible, practical and flexible 50 Fantastics format, Judit Horvath's book is a compendium of ideas that will ensure you get the most out of small world play in your setting, without over stimulating and distracting the children involved.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Seasons (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Alistair Bryce-CleggNot only is the changing of the seasons an ideal time for children to focus on their understanding and exploration of the world around them, it is also a fantastic opportunity to encourage them to learn new skills or consolidate existing ones, using 'seasons' as a focus. The activities will support practitioners in exploring and reinforcing key learning around Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter. Although the ideas are linked to specific seasons, the concepts and skills are transferable to other seasons or activities. Suitable for Early Years practitioners and parents, this book is packed full of original ideas to inspire both adults and children.There are activities for both indoor and outdoor inspiration as well as some that can be done in both. Each activity also features guidance on how to extend the learning further as well as an overview of some of the things the children will be learning while they are participating.Regardless of whether you are freezing in the winter snow or melting in summer sun there will be something here to inspire!
50 Fantastic Ideas for Outside All Year Round (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Alistair Bryce-CleggOutdoors is a great space to enhance and extend children's learning. There are lots of children who have a natural affinity with the outdoors and use it as their preferred learning space. As adults supporting children's learning, it is important to support the investigation of their outdoor environment, but also that learning is taken into those spaces and delivered to children in the most engaging way that it can be. What you can (almost) always guarantee is children's enthusiasm to take their learning outdoors, what you can't always guarantee is the weather!In 50 Fantastic Ideas for Outdoor All Year Round Alistair has created 50 ideas that will get children and practitioners outside and learning come rain, snow, wind or sunshine! All of the activities have got their own central skill that can then be adapted to fit the interests of the children or each setting's own particular outdoor environment.So, whether your setting's outdoor space is a back garden, a small yard or large playground there will be activities that can be used and that will inspire young learners.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Nursery Gardens (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by June O'Sullivan Clodagh HalseThe outdoor environment is a rich, dynamic and natural space for promoting learning and development in children of all ages. Its value as an essential learning resource has been recognised by many government policies, including the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), particularly within the principle of 'Enabling Environments'. In a survey of schools who had improved their grounds, 65% reported an improved attitude to learning, 73% an improvement in behaviour and 64% a reduction in bullying.50 Fantastic Ideas for Nursery Gardens is packed full of exciting activities, such as making a bird feeder and a garden treasure hunt, that have been tried and tested in the LEYF (London Early Years Foundation) nursery gardens with the children and nursery staff. These are designed to enrich children's skills and knowledge by broadening their horizons and opening up wider opportunities, extend language and contribute to deeper conversations about the great outdoors.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Mindfulness (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Tammie PrinceIntroducing mindfulness in Early Years settings equips young children with life-long skills that develop as they mature. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Mindfulness features a range of activities that enable children to build awareness of their emotions, focus on the present and empathise more easily with others.From ideas to manage distractions to games for independence, this collection of ideas includes colourful photographs and easy-to-follow instructions, making it a fantastic resources to bring mindfulness into the Early Years.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Messy Play (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Sally Featherstone Phill FeatherstoneMessy play is at the heart of the early years curriculum, supporting creativity and imagination, and giving children opportunities to experiment with tactile materials. This book will offer 50 ideas working with natural resources, simple household items and recycled resources for low cost inspiration. Practitioners and teachers in the early years are always looking for new ideas for messy and 'hands-on' play, and this book will give children many opportunities for exploration and investigation through sensory play.
50 Fantastic Ideas For Maths Outdoors (PDF)
by Kirstine Beeley Alistair Bryce-CleggOutdoor learning is not just about taking what we do indoors and moving it out through the door of our setting. It involves equipment and experiences which are both unique and exciting. When planning for maths provision practitioners need to make sure they offer access to these amazing opportunities for learning and integrate them into children's ongoing play and exploration of their natural world. Designed to be used as a dip in dip out collection of easy to use ideas the author has tried to show how exciting outdoor learning can be developed on even the very smallest of budgets. As with all areas of early learning the author acknowledges the way that maths is integrated within play based exploration and linked to many other areas of learning. Offering ways to develop your existing provision as well as building new resources you will enjoy exploring all areas of early maths including number, pattern,shape and measuring.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Mark Making (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Alistair Bryce-CleggChildren are naturally drawn to mark-making. Long before they pick up a pencil or a paintbrush, they will experiment with making marks using their own bodies as well as various found objects that they come across in day-to-day life. By collecting together a whole host of ideas for different mark-making utensils, as well as exploring numerous substances and surfaces that children can mark-make on and in, this book supports both individual and group mark-making.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Making Music (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Judith HarriesMusic is key to early childhood development and contributes to socialisation, speaking, motor skills and more. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Making Music is packed full of fun and accessible ideas for singing, creating instruments from recycled materials, exploring sounds and making music together.From making maracas, tambourines and rainsticks in the music workshop to beatboxing, singing, stomping and even writing rhythms, every activity uses easy-to-source equipment or no equipment at all. Whether you're a specialist music teacher or a non-specialist looking for inspiration, this book is perfect for anyone looking to put the magic back into music in their Early Years setting. Written by Early Years expert Judith Harries, all ideas include step-by-step instructions, tips to understand music terminology and suggestions for further development.With over 40 books in the 50 Fantastic Ideas series there's something for everyone – whether you're a practitioner looking for new ideas or you want to try out a popular well-loved activity with a new twist. Each book offers a wide range of fun and creative activities to carry out with children aged 0–5 years, with lists of resources, step-by-step instructions and information about the benefits for children.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Getting Children Active (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Dr Lala Manners50 Fantastic Ideas for Getting Children Active is filled with simple and accessible ideas to make physical activity an enjoyable and meaningful part of daily life in the Early Years.Young children's physical and mental development, health and wellbeing can be significantly improved by regular physical activity, from tummy time that informs crawling to walking, and sitting still that impacts on fluent handwriting. Dr Lala Manners uses her wealth of experience to present 50 ideas to engage with young children physically in a positive way and get them active, from Scrabble and Stand where toddlers lift themselves up to standing as quickly as possible to Duvet Tunnels where children commando crawl under a sheet.Many of the ideas in this book can be used both indoors and outdoors and all of them involve using easily-accessible or free-to-source materials that can be found at home and in Early Years settings.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Forest School (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Jamie Victoria BarnesJamie Victoria Barnes, creator of The Childcare Guru, uses her wealth of knowledge to present an invaluable resource filled with activities that spark creativity and encourage development and learning in a natural environment, perfect for helping young children enjoy a healthy and balanced lifestyle.The benefits of rich outdoor learning experiences are second to none. Outdoor learning offers holistic development for every child and in a fast-paced world heavily focussed on technology, forest schools provide a stimulating and relaxed environment to learn in, away from time pressures and electric devices. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Forest School presents full-colour photographs and easy-to-follow activities from Forest School TV to natural art self-portraits to get young children outside and reconnecting with the natural world, supporting their emotional and spiritual wellbeing.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Fearless Play (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Judit Horvath Alistair Bryce-CleggFearless play is a key element in developing a child's confidence, extending their limits, and helping them learn to assess risks and manage situations. This new edition to the 50 Fantastic series is full of fun and colourful ideas for facilitating fearless play in early years settings. The variety of activities means there's something for every child to enjoy, ranging from basket making to mud racing. Each idea is targeted to help children face new challenges and explore the world around them, as well as helping to establish motor skills, coordination, and body awareness. A perfect resource for busy early years practitioners who want children in their care to play safely and fearlessly.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Farm Activities (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Hannah Jones McVey_______________The 50 Fantastic Ideas series is packed full of fun, original, skills-based activities for Early Years practitioners to use with children aged 0-5. Each activity features step-by-step guidance, a list of resources, and a detailed explanation of the skills children will learn. Creative, simple, and highly effective, this series is a must-have for every Early Years setting._______________A collection of 50 fun and effective activities to help explore and bring to life themes around farming and food production.The ideas in this book will develop a child's confidence, curiosity and connection with the land that sustains them and supports their development within the Early Learning Framework, including new vocabulary, mathematical skills, development of fine motor skills and making healthy food choices. Activities such as 'explore fruit browning,' 'balloon sheep sheering' and 'discover your dinner plate' provide real-life connections to the farm-to-fork journey. The programme, designed by experts from the Country Trust, the UK's leading agricultural education charity, offers a framework through which to explore health, cooking, growing, animals, ethics, care for the environment, nature and much more. The sensory and wide-ranging connections of the farm nurture their relationship with nature and provide benefits for their mental and physical health.50 Fantastic Ideas for Farm Activities can be used to provide inspiration for a farm theme in the classroom, for activities to complement a class growing project, to introduce ways to use food, farming or natural themes to strengthen aspects of the curriculum, or to support a farm visit. This book will show practitioners how to make exploring every aspect of a farm-to-fork journey a fun and foundational part of any setting.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Exploring Shape and Pattern (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Alison Hutchison50 Fantastic Ideas for Exploring Shape and Pattern features activities and games filled with rich contexts for learning and discussion, as well as fun opportunities for consolidation and problem-solving.Alison Hutchison draws on her wealth of experience to present ideas in line with the Early Learning Goals for investigating shape and pattern in the world around us. She focuses on helping young children to make connections and develop language, knowledge and understanding of shape and pattern. Whether children build with fabric blocks to create patterns or explore symmetry while playing with natural materials, the easy-to-prepare activities in this book facilitate engaging learning opportunities for children's ideas and interests to be explored.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Exploring Number (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Alison Hutchison Alistair Bryce-CleggDeveloping a secure understanding of number in the Early Years is key to ensuring number confidence for future stages of learning. A wide variety of meaningful hands-on experiences are required to develop a child's deep understanding of number. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Exploring Number presents ideas that are all about doing – to not only stimulate the senses, but to also provoke thinking and talking, allow questions to be asked, and ensure that links are made between number concepts and the real world. The ideas require little preparation beforehand, can be used by practitioners without any specific expertise in teaching early number, and include easy-to-source materials. Each area of early number sense is covered from adding on and taking away to number stories, identifying and writing numbers.Alison Hutchison draws on her wealth of experience to present 50 ideas and experiences that make numbers fun and accessible so that, as they explore and investigate, children are fully engaged partners in their learning at this crucial early stage of their number journey.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Exploring Nature (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Kate Bass Jane VellaMany practitioners are under pressure to deliver effective outdoor learning experiences for all children. Current resources are aimed at academic studies or families - this book is an inspirational and accessible resource for practitioners. A starting point for outdoor activities that really engage, encourage and develop children.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Exploring Food (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Judit Horvath Alistair Bryce-CleggChildren have a natural curiosity towards real life procedures and being involved in cooking and all of its preparation activities has proven to stimulate young minds throughout history. By preparing simple meals together from scratch, children will naturally develop the love of good, healthy food, whilst it can also tackle the issue of fussy eaters, who are far more likely to try something they've prepared themselves. Based on Judit's sound practice as a qualified teacher and baker, having taken part in local and national conferences, she has gathered together a varied collection of activity ideas around cooking and baking from different cultures, with some added simple recipes too.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Engaging Dads (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by June O'Sullivan Alice Sharp Alistair Bryce-CleggChildren benefit from the sensitive and supportive engagement of both their parents from the earliest of ages, but involving dads can be challenging. This book is designed to provide simple and accessible activities for practitioners looking to engage dads. Both June and Alice work with dads on a daily basis, helping them to understand their contribution to their children's development and longer term educational success. Realising how they can add to what the mums or other carers do in a different but complementary way, and how simple activities can enrich their children's lives, helps strengthen the bond between father and child. Each simple but effective idea in this book has been developed and written with the intention of promoting child and family well being, helping both children and families grow together.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Early Writing Prompts (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Alistair Bryce-CleggIf children are not interested or motivated by what they have been asked to write about, you can be sure that any writing you do get will be rushed, short and a bit half-hearted. In 50 Fantastic Ideas for Early Writing Prompts, Alistair Bryce-Clegg offers a collection of all of his favourite ideas and inspirations that have motivated the children he works with to pick up their pencils and get scribbling!
50 Fantastic Ideas for Early Language Development (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Mary ScanlanSupporting young children's language development has always been an important part of high-quality Early Years practice. Competency in language (written and spoken) is essential in ensuring children can access learning across the whole curriculum and simultaneously supports personal, social and emotional development. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that many children need additional support to meet age-related expectations in this area. 50 Fantastic Ideas for Early Language Development presents a range of flexible and adaptable ideas to help practitioners develop their practice in the area of speaking, listening and communication. The author, Dr Mary Scanlan, is a expert in Early Years education. She puts theory into practice in this dip-in book by introducing accessible activities that are underpinned by research and an understanding of best practice. This book covers all areas of the EYFS, including the needs of children with EAL or SEND.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Developing Emotional Resilience
by Jillian Harrison-LongworthThere has always been emphasis placed on personal, social and emotional education, particularly in the Early Years. Emotionally resilient children are well equipped to deal with the challenges they may face, and this resilience reflects a range of skills, strengths and characteristics acquired and refined throughout one's life. Over the last ten years, Jillian Harrison-Longworth has planned and delivered a wide range of short but focused activities that can be used to develop aspects of emotional resilience across five key areas: confidence, self-image, self-esteem, perseverance and cooperation. This book contains refined activities for each of these crucial sections that most commonly arise in schools and settings.50 Fantastic Ideas for Developing Emotional Resilience provides short but snappy practical activities as starting points for practitioners to develop emotional resilience in the children they work with.
50 Fantastic Ideas for Creative Role Play (50 Fantastic Ideas)
by Hayley HughesRole-play is a fun and creative way to engage with children in EYFS, and is fundamental in developing children's learning and communication skills. This new addition to the 50 Fantastic series is filled with great ways to make the most of play-based learning in your environment. Each activity is linked to children's interests, and is designed to allow the child to learn, create, communicate, and have fun! Many of the scenarios involve an element of problem solving to encourage team work, and the suggested props and locations are both easily sourced and well-suited to Early Years schools and settings. With a whole host of inspirational ideas with photos to match, this book is the perfect starting point for creating an outstanding role-play environment.