Over the past few months, my granddaughter Daisy has been encouraged to read each day on her own. She selects her book, settles on the sofa and for 10-15 minutes, she enjoys her reading time. It didn’t take long for the adults in her life to stop what they were doing, select a book and… Continue reading Read your way on World Book Day
Tag: Low-cost activities
Child-led fun in the Great Outdoors
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
Transient art: nature fuels a child’s creativity
Transient art doesn’t require expensive supplies or a prolonged clean up – it’s art made from nature, and it isn’t made to last. It’s always a treat for me to meet Daisy from school. I was lucky enough to enjoy one of those moments last week: Daisy rushed out to hug me and then pressed a… Continue reading Transient art: nature fuels a child’s creativity
World Book Day 2023 – reading for reading fun
World Book Day is a treasured event for our family, as is probably evident from all my previous posts on the topic! This year’s event, which takes place on March 2nd 2023, will be no different. There is a trove of resources for you to take advantage of this year, as I'll outline below. The theme… Continue reading World Book Day 2023 – reading for reading fun
Slicing and sharing takes the cake
Children have the right instincts about cake. They’re usually very excited to have some for dessert, and so they should be. Not only is cake comforting and tasty, but as I’ll explain in this blog, it’s useful too! Serving it is a great way to practise fine motor skills, to learn about sharing and even… Continue reading Slicing and sharing takes the cake
When Paper Dolls meet Number Bonds
Paper dolls, or ‘cut-outs’ have been an inexpensive craft and play option for children for more nearly two centuries. They’ve inspired a lot of play since then and some great stories too. I recently discovered that, as with many toys, it doesn’t take much imagination to build a counting activity into paper-doll play – my… Continue reading When Paper Dolls meet Number Bonds
World Book Day 2022: fun resources and useful links
World Book Day 2022 is drawing closer, and I’ve assembled some useful links and ideas to help you make the most of this special day My granddaughter Daisy has always enjoyed sitting down with a book. While she doesn’t need a special occasion to prompt her to read with me, she always enjoys World Book… Continue reading World Book Day 2022: fun resources and useful links
Fun Fridge Phonics: blending simple sounds and reading sentences
Building early reading skills can be simple and fun for children and carers alike. A set of magnetic letters and a fridge door leads to a lot of phonics blending fun... The kitchen is a great place for young children to learn. But those discoveries don’t have to be limited to fun food science, not… Continue reading Fun Fridge Phonics: blending simple sounds and reading sentences
Children’s books offer more than just a story
Storytime is a special moment for a grandparents and children alike. Sometimes an idea in a book can spark a child’s imagination and shape their play for hours to come... There is no doubt that my granddaughter Daisy loves books. Having a book read to her at bedtime is part of her daily routine, with… Continue reading Children’s books offer more than just a story
Subitising fun with Compare Bears
My granddaughter Daisy has played with my set of Compare Bears on several occasions. By virtue of their varying sizes and colours, Compare Bears allow young children to explore and learn about counting, sorting, patterning, and size and mass comparison in a fun, relaxed way. Now they're supporting Daisy in an important new skill: subitising.… Continue reading Subitising fun with Compare Bears
Granny Smith's Diary 