I was very interested to stumble upon a story listing Children’s Top 10 Outdoor Activities. The results were arrived at by surveying 2,000 UK parents with children aged 6-10, along with their children. For me, one of the most interesting findings of the survey (commissioned by the cheese brand, Dairylea) was that for 57% of… Continue reading Child-led fun in the Great Outdoors
Tag: Gross Motor Skills
Chocolate soup! Food science discoveries to get children cooking
It’s never too soon to involve your child in the basics of food preparation. There are so many safe, messy and yummy activities you can share with to get kids cooking. But when do you start to introduce your child to the science of cooking – with what happens when ingredients are combined, heated and… Continue reading Chocolate soup! Food science discoveries to get children cooking
Best of the Blog 2021: raising a confident, curious grandchild
Here’s a roundup of my best educational content from 2021. It's filled with activities and observations to make learning fun for your child or grandchild... I’ve been reflecting on the many blogs that I’ve written during 2021. A lot has changed in the past year. My granddaughter Daisy started the year in a Nursery class… Continue reading Best of the Blog 2021: raising a confident, curious grandchild
Olympics give children a glimpse of a diverse world
It’s been a momentous couple of weeks in the world of sports – the Games of the XXXII Olympiad finally began in Tokyo and, more importantly, my granddaughter Daisy participated in her first school Sports Day! Although Daisy has always been a physically active child and has been to several sports classes from football to… Continue reading Olympics give children a glimpse of a diverse world
Raising a school-ready child without a nursery
Whether they are an only child or part of a larger family, every preschooler benefits from some nursery provision, which provides a combination of care, early learning and development. Nursery is not a substitute for home. It is a link for a child between home and life outside home. It’s somewhere where a child starts… Continue reading Raising a school-ready child without a nursery
The joy of cooking together with your grandchild
Whenever my granddaughter Daisy comes to stay with me, her visit creates a series of highlights in my day from early morning cuddles to evening bath times. These special moments now regularly happen in the kitchen. As she’s grown older and more independent, Daisy has discovered that, if she drags her little red chair over… Continue reading The joy of cooking together with your grandchild
Helping your grandchildren from a distance
I've realised that I need to change the focus of my blog. It’s hard to accept but soon many grandparents will not be able to have close contact time with their grandchildren. We’re used to being the reliable backstop, not the vulnerable ones aren’t we? I don't expect it to be long before schools, children's… Continue reading Helping your grandchildren from a distance
Preschool Clambering to Climbing
It is a while since I wrote a blog with a focus on physical skills. This isn't the blog that I was going to write but, as any grandparent knows, grandchildren have a knack of changing our plans and Daisy is no exception! Daisy has always liked climbing, but lately it’s something she’ll do at… Continue reading Preschool Clambering to Climbing
Pouring activities for hand-eye coordination using gross and fine motor control
From experience I’ve found that one type of play can often inspire another activity a few days later using the same play equipment but with a different focus and different results. Messy play remains a regular activity for Daisy and since their recent introduction funnels have become a permanent part of her activities. Having watched… Continue reading Pouring activities for hand-eye coordination using gross and fine motor control
The National Children’s Gardening Week: gardening with pre-school children
"What doing Grandpa?" "I'm going to put some plants in the garden." "My help?" (Daisy's preferred personal pronoun is 'my', as in "my do it") Daisy squatted down next to her Grandpa and while he sorted out the small geranium plants; Daisy grabbed Grandpa's trowel and started to randomly dig in the soil. It didn't… Continue reading The National Children’s Gardening Week: gardening with pre-school children
Granny Smith's Diary 