Happy Kids at Home - Happy Kids Childcare

We work with you to give your child the best start in life and our help and support doesn't stop as soon as you wave us goodbye at the end of the day. It's not always easy being a parent so we have provided some links to helpful parenting tips and advice and some ideas for activities you may want to try at home with your child.

Remember your Key Person is a great person to talk to and will always be happy to share their experiences. They will also be able to show you where to go for support in your local area.

Ding Dong

Helps develop Communication and Language skills and their Understanding of the World.

Finger Painting

Expressive Art and Design skills, children can be imaginative and explore using media and materials.

Look What's Outside

This helps develop early science skills and their understanding of the world.

Splash!

This activity helps develop children's understanding of the world.

Socks Off

This activity uses children's physical development skills including balance and co-ordination and introduces some early mathematics.

Find the Shoes

Children will benefit from improving their physical development, communication and language and early mathematics skills.

Button Up

This activity will help hand eye co-ordination and will develop a grip that is needed for handwriting as well as physical development and early mathematics skills.

Front and Back

Mastering this activity will help your child gain confidence developing their personal, social and emotional skills as well as physical development and communication and language skills.

Folding Clothes

Early mathematics skills are developed by learning the concepts of "quarter" and "half" as well as physical development skills.

Board Game

Children learn to take turns developing personal, social and emotional development skills. Logic and problem solving skills are developed for early mathematics learning.

Which Hand

This activity encourages children to count a small number of objects and think logically. Their personal, social and communication skills are developed as they learn to take turns.

Going Shopping

This is good for mathematical skills as your child counts and associates number with quantity. Your child's communication, personal, social and emotional skills will also increase.

Step by Step

Climbing steps is good for strengthening leg muscles. You child can co-ordinate their large movements and counting helps you child hear and feel the pattern of numbers.

Knock Down Play

This is a practical introduction to gravity and early science skills. They also learn about shapes and linking names to numbers as well as co-ordinated movement for physical development.

Table Mat

Many children enjoy drawing and writing and making table mats is a great way to practice these skills.

Knife and Fork

This activity develops children's hand-eye co-ordination so is useful preparation for early writing. It also develops social skills.

Laying the table

Laying the table helps children's hand-eye co-ordination and taking part in a grown up task helps them grow in confidence.

Gourmet dipping

You can help your child with communication and language skills and help them develop their mathematics skills as they recognise shape and size.

Stacking up

Stacking up activities help your toddler with language development, physical skills and gaining confidence.

On a plate

Mealtimes can be a useful opportunity for children to learn about size and shape. This activity is also good to help your toddler's hand co-ordination.

In the post

Perfect for helping 2 year olds with their hand-eye co-ordination, vocabulary and mathematics.

Puzzling

Jigsaw puzzles help pre-schoolers with problem solving, mathematics and literacy skills.

Bits and pieces

This activity helps preschool children with their hand-eye co-ordination, problem solving and emotional development skills.

Christmas Tree

Children love decorating a Christmas Tree. Use this special time to help them with their learning too!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

This activity teaches children about healthy eating.

Jack and the Beanstalk sunflower activity

This is great activity to start in March and watch the beans grow into beautiful sunflowers by July.

Move with me - 2 to 3 years

Activities to encourage to toddler's physical development

Move with Me - 3 to 4 years

Activities to encourage your preschooler's Physical Development.

Move with Me - 4 plus

Activities to helps your preschooler's physical development

Happy Kids Challenge - week 1 - rainbows

Each week during the shutdown we will send you a new Happy Kids Challenge. These will designed to cover some aspects of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and be great to keep your child engaged with a new activity that all their friends at nursery are doing too.

Happy Kids Challenge - week 2 - Bubbles

Happy Kids Challenge- Week 3 - Easter

Happy Kids Challenges - Week 4 - Ice

The Great Happy Kids Bake Off - week 5

Visit our star baker gallery and try some recipes for yourself!

Happy Kids Challenge - Week 6 - growing and spring

Happy Kids Challenge - Week 7 - colours

Happy Kids Challenge - Week 8 - Healthy me

Happy Kids Challenge - Week 9 - Read with me the Gruffalo

Happy Kids - the final challenge -our world

Shared Book Reading

At Happy Kids we have a passion for reading. Shared Book Reading (or dialogic reading) is a way of having a conversation with your child while enjoying a book together. Here a some helpful prompts to help you do this at home with your child.

Having conversations with children

There are lots of fantastic ways to develop your child's skills at home. Please talk to your child's key person about what you are observing at home, this can help them plan experiences that develop your child based on your child's interests.

Finger Breathing

Try teaching your child this technique of finger breathing, it gives them an opportunity to help them manage their own emotions and promote positive mental health.

Universally Speaking

Great resource from the Communication Trust called Universally Speaking which shows the ages and stages of children's communication development for children ages 0 - 5.

It includes some useful tips to develop your child's communication skills

Copy Me!

Brilliant activity to encourage your baby with learning to talk.

Bedroom Safari

Babies learn to recognise animals and understanding of the world whilst encouraging communication skills.

Where's my Hat?

This helps babies with language development as they begin to associate words with objects. Physical development is increased because of balance and co-ordination.

Counting Rhymes

This helps introduce names of numbers as they enjoy the sounds of the rhymes.

Tools of the trade

Using a spoon develops baby's arm and hand movements and gives them confidence.

Wash your hands

This activity helps babies develop their communication and language skills, their co-ordination whilst learning to some independence skills.

Just a spoonful

This activity helps your baby learn about texture and mathematics as well as helping with their hand co-ordination.

Move with me - 6 to 12 months

Activities to help encourage your baby's physical development.

Move with me - 12 to 18 months

Activities to encourage your baby's physical development.

Move with me - 18 to 24 months

Activities to encourage your baby's physical development

Sharing Books with your baby

Sharing books is a wonderful way to help your child learn to talk, and it’s the ideal opportunity to share a cuddle at the same time.

12 Top Tops for Parents of Newborns

Information from the Asda website especially for parents of newborns.

Breastfeeding

Breastfeeding has many benefits for you and your baby. Find out more and get support from the NHS website.

Newborn Checklist

This list is especially useful for new parents. Things that come in handy when you have a new baby.

Help Your Baby into a Sleeping Routine

Many parents find this difficult, some help and advice is given on the Netmums website.

Development Games to Play With Your Baby

Some additional ways to help your baby develop those essential skills.

Top Ways for Dad to Bond With Your Baby

Help for dads to increase that important early bond with babies.

Toddler Sleep Problems

This is the latest guide with information from the NHS about how to help tackle common sleep problems.

Help with Tantrums

If you've ever hear the saying "terrible 2's" you will know they are referring to toddler tantrums. Most parents will experience tantrums as toddlers learn to control their emotions. Here's some help and advice from Netmums.

Potty Training

How to help your child with potty training.

Bedwetting

There are many reasons why children wet the bed. If you child is experiencing this, click in this link for help.

Healthy Eating

How to keep your child healthy with some recipe ideas and help with portion sizes.

Oral health

Leaflet about tooth decay and good oral health practices for toddlers.

Toothbrushing chart - blue

Download the chart and help your child complete it at home. Bring it in to preschool nursery to receive a special certificate from your manager.

Toothbrushing chart - pink

Download the chart and help your child complete it at home. Bring it in to preschool nursery to receive a special certificate from your manager.

Parents Guide for first trip to the dentist

Some tips for parents on taking their child for their first dental appointment, and the wider developmental benefits of doing so.

Television time

Too much tv can have a negative impact on development but when managed well it can actually be a valuable addition to children's everyday experiences.

Settling into nursery

A parents guide to settling your child into nursery. Remember to ask your child's key person any questions you may have. They will help make the process and simple and stress free as possible for you and your child.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

A parents guide to Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSE) which is one of the prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage. This guide shows why it is important and how you can help your child in this area.

What to expect in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Parents guide

The purpose of this booklet is to help you as a parent/carer find out more about how your child is learning and developing during their first five years, in relation to the EYFS. This booklet has been written to help you as a parent know what to expect during these vitally important years by focusing on the seven areas of learning and development which are covered in the EYFS.

Parents guide to helping their child get dressed

What to expect from your child's dressing skills and how to encourage them, with some book suggestions on the topic.

Parents guide to starting school

How to help your child prepare for starting school

Online Safety guide for children age 0-5

With so many websites and apps targeting pre-schoolers, find out the simple steps you can take to protect your young children.

Advice about use of dummies

How to wean your child off their dummy to help them improve speech and language skills.

Eye contact

How to get the most of your play time with your child and improve their speech and language skills.

Match and Stretch

How to develop your child's language by copying and extending words.

Rhythm and Sounds

Rhythm and sounds activities to help improve your child's speech and language skills.

Talking tips

Some activities designed to encourage your child to talk more and improve their speech and language skills.

Early maths skills

A guide for parents about how to enhance your child's maths skills in everyday tasks.

Treasure baskets and Heuristic play

Babies, at the age where they can sit up, and toddlers love exploring objects and are fascinated by sounds and textures. Its easy to do this at home with your child, its fun and it helps with their learning and development.

Read this guide to find out more...

Parents guide to play for children with multiple needs.

This toolkit has been designed as a guide for parents of children with multiple needs. It contains useful information on play, as well as simple ideas, suggestions and practical tips on play activities.

Parents guide to small world play

Small world is an important aspect of children's play, aiding many areas of development. Imaginative skills are supported allowing the child to express thoughts and experiences into their play, whilst exploring the world in which they live. Small world also offers the opportunity for children to build on their language skills, expanding their vocabulary and their understanding. This guide helps you to support your child at home.

Coronavirus guide for children

This is a guide from My Happy Mind a program which aims to improve children's mental health and is recommended by the NHS.