Below you will find some top tips and fun activities for you and your family. Taking time to have fun and look after yourself and your little ones is so important, so please read through our suggestions and don't forget to let us know any creative ideas that you come up with at home!

Bath tub animals

Another fantastic sensory activity. Collect up every soft toy you can find, throw them into the bathtub and add your children! A safe way to keep them busy for hours on end. To extend their play, think about adding empty shampoo/soap bottles, plastic plates and cutlery for a bathtub tea party, or maybe even using something else entirely – bathtub of baked beans, anyone? You could collect up your toy animals or figures, throw them in a washing up bowl and pretend you are giving them a bath, add bubbles and a scrubbing brush!

Car park numbers

Another very simple activity to engage those little mathematical brains. Draw some parking spaces onto a strip of cardboard, collect a bunch of cars, planes, trains (you name it!), stick some numbers on to each one and support your child to sequence them whilst learning their numerals.

Dinosaur ice eggs

Extremely simple activity, with so many benefits! Simply get an egg-shaped container, fill it with water, chuck a dinosaur (or whatever you want – shapes, glitter paint) into it and leave it in the freezer overnight. Children love to explore their senses using ice, as well as watching it slowly melt as they play!

Flour mark making

A great sensory mark making activity that allows children to get completely stuck in with making hand prints, shapes, squiggles and lines to develop the pre-writing skills they will need later in their schooling. For added fun, chuck some glitter or sequins into the tray!

Hammer and nails

A lot of parents and carers may read this and go straight into a panic, but trust us! Using tools is an amazing way to support children’s coordination and fine motor skills, whilst also letting them engage in some fun risky play! Simply find a hammer (or heavy object), some pins, nails or tacks, and a cardboard box, and let them go wild! If you’re feeling really brave, you could even break out the saw…

Hide 'n' seek

Sometimes, all children want is a little bit of adult interaction. A firm early years favourite is hide ‘n’ seek. This can be played anywhere, with any number of people, and for any amount of time. Great for developing a child’s logical thinking and problem solving skills, as well as being a whole load of fun!

Household chores

This may sound like a complete drag to you, but children love to be little helpers! Allow them to help you sort your laundry, wash dishes, cook, sweep and tidy up. Give them special tasks to do throughout the week, and you’ll be teaching them skills they will need in their later lives (whilst also giving you the chance to grab that cuppa you’re gasping for!).

Magic name cards

The perfect way to help children recognise and write their names, whilst also getting a little messy! Simply help them to spell out their names and using tape on a piece of paper or canvas, paint and decorate it, and then carefully peel the tape off and watch the magic happen!

Sticky spiders

Throw pom poms, cotton wool balls, rolled up socks or anything light and fluffy to see what you can catch in your sticky tape spider webs! Great way to discuss scientific properties such as heavy, light, sticky, soft and hard with your children, as well as working on their physical development and supporting the growth of their gross motor skills!

Thanks to Severndale Specialist Academy for allowing us to share these ideas:  

• Sensory activities
• Messy play activities

Let us know what you're doing at home

The Early Years team would love to know what you are doing at home with your little ones. If you have any activities, links or top tips that you'd like to share with other families, please email us:

Judith Pilkington judith.pilkington@shropshire.gov.uk and/or
Sue Carroll sue.carroll@shropshire.gov.uk