Parent Resources 

Our recourses section includes home cooking activities, small world play info, helpful hints on brushing your child's teeth and more. Scroll down to learn more ​and if you have any questions please do contact us.   Subject quick links:
Cooking activities  |  Small world play  |  Brushing teeth  |  Nappies to toilet  |  Sense of time  |  Bedtime  |  Early Reading  |  Getting dressed  |  Messy Play  |  Biting  |  Technology  
Cooking Activities
Please click on a recipe name to view the cooking instructions, each recipe also includes a pdf file:
Curry and Rice
sweet_root_vegetable_curry_and_rice.pdf
File Size: 94 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Shepherd's pie
shepherds_pie_.pdf
File Size: 52 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Hot Cross Buns
hot_cross_buns.pdf
File Size: 70 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Apple fruit pot
apple_fruit_pot.pdf
File Size: 110 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
Small World Play
This is play with toys such as farm animals, cars, dinosaurs and play people etc...
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This is play with toys such as farm animals, cars, dinosaurs and play people etc.

Small world play is interesting to children because it allows them to create and control a mini world, take the time to listen to your child when they are playing with small world play. The use of language is one of the reasons why small world play is beneficial, as children learn to use language to develop their thoughts and to organise things.
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This type of play offers children the chance to be imaginative and creative. If your child welcomes you to join in their small world play - please remember that your child needs to remain in charge!

To encourage small world play you can offer a range of small resources that your child can help themselves to e.g. everyday objects such as boxes, scarves, tubes etc. Focus on characters and objects e.g. play people or cars rather than a dolls house or garage.

Children who attend Pj's Childcare can borrow one of our small world play bags from our library.
Helpful tips on how to brush your child's teeth at home
Parents should assist with brushing until your child is at least 7 years old...
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Parents should assist with brushing until your child is at least 7 years old, by sitting your child on your knee or standing behind them and cradle their head while brushing.

  • Most 'own brand' supermarket toothpastes are suitable and more affordable.
  • Children under 3 should use a smear of toothpaste containing no less than 1000ppm fluoride.
  • Children aged 3 and over should use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste containing more than 1000ppm fluoride. Use a toothpaste containing 1350-1500ppm fluoride for maximum prevention.
  • Brush all surfaces of the teeth and gumline in small circles for about 2 mins, just before bedtime and another time that fits with your routine.
  • Encourage your child to spit out the toothpaste. DO NOT rinse with water. Rinsing washes away the fluoride so it can't do its job.
  • Allow babies to play with a toothbrush from an early age, they will get used to the feel of it in their mouth.
  • Children with Special Educational Needs and/or Disability may need opportunities to play and explore with a toothbrush to encourage them to use it as described, allow the child to touch their face with it, use different tasting toothpaste to try and find one your child likes.

​(University of Leeds)
Moving from nappies to the toilet
It is normal for children to be closer to or over 3 years old before they are clean and dry....
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It is normal for children to be closer to or over 3 years old before they are clean and dry. Children can be younger when they are ready.

Learning to use the toilet requires two things to have developed:
  • Bladder maturation
  • Awareness and understanding of the process.

Children's bladders have to have developed to hold urine for a period of time, around an hour and half, check how long your child's nappy remains dry after changing to test bladder maturation. 
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Once your child has gained bladder maturation and are aware of passing urine or poo it is time to move from nappies to toilet. If you leave your child in nappies after this they may become used to wetting and soiling in them and lose the motivation to become clean and dry.

Babies were toilet trained very early years ago to save on laundry and this relied on babies learning to urinate as a reflex action when they felt the cold brim of a toilet seat. This is not a guarantee that a child is ready for toileting!

Your child's bladder will send out an 'empty me' signal very late. Adult bladders do this from half full, giving notice, children's bladders are nearly full when the signal is sent out. This is one reason why children may have accidents.

PREPARATION
  • Dressing - make sure that your child's clothes are easy for them to pull up and down.
  • Language - talk to your child e.g. 'Is there a wee/poo coming'. This helps your child to recognise what is happening and to have words to use when they need to go.
  • Getting used to the toilet/potty - encourage your child to sit on it but only if they are interested.
  • Keeping a diary - keep a note of when your child seems to poo. This will help you anticipate when it is likely to happen.

TIPS
  1. Keep calm
  2. Be guided by your child
  3. Avoid constant reminders
  4. Make sure your child is drinking regularly
Sense of time
Children need lots of experiences and conversations to acquire a sense of time....
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​Children need lots of experiences and conversations to acquire a sense of time.

They can experience frustration and anxiety if they do not understand why certain events are not happening or how long they have to wait, due to not having a sense of time yet.

Tips to help develop a sense of time:
  • Use an egg timer - where your child can see the sand passing through it. We use them in nursery to support taking turns, meditation at the end of the morning yoga session or how long to wash our hands.
  • Use pictures - that show sequences of time, stuck around a clock face. It helps develop routines and is useful for children to see how the hands of a clock move. This will help to make links between seconds, minutes and hours.
  • Using songs/music - with daily routines help children develop how long an activity should take. Remember singing 'Happy Birthday' twice whilst washing hands during the COVID lockdowns, this helped you meet the recommend length of time to wash hands. We play the same music every morning for the tidy up and yoga session, as when the children hear the music they start to tidy up.
  • Talk about and record - longer periods of time. For example; advent calendars help with the countdown to Christmas. You could create calendars to mark off the days before an event e.g. going on holiday and talk about how many are left before the event.
  • Photo albums - the children who attend pj's have their own photo album at nursery. They enjoy finding and looking back at when they first started and what happened, which they then share with each other. You could create small photo albums with your child which they can access at home ​(remember to ensure that the sequence of photos is accurate).
  • Develop the concept - of the seasons and how things change by going for regular walks to familiar places. You could take a photo each time and create a seasons photo album (see the bullet point above). Gardening is also a good way for children to observe slow changes and the opportunity to talk to your child about the changes.
  • Daily calendar - talk to your child about the days of the week, months of the year and seasons.
Bedtime
Getting a good night's sleep supports learning, concentration, productivity and performance....
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Getting a good night's sleep supports learning, concentration, productivity and performance. It can also help improve problem-solving skills and aid memory.

The amount of sleep children need changes as they get older.

The NHS recommends that babies and children have the following approximate hours sleep:
  • 3 months - Daytime 4 to 5 hours | Night time 10 to 11 hours
  • 6 months - Daytime 3 hours | Night time 11 hours
  • 9 months - Daytime 2 1/2 hours | Night time 11 hours
  • 1 year - Daytime 2 1/2 hours | Night time 11 hours
  • 3 years - Daytime none to 45 mins | Night time 11 1/2 hours to 12 hours
  • 4 years - Night time 11 1/2 hours
  • 5 years - Night time 11 hours

​Having a set bedtime helps your child to get a good night's sleep and enables them to function. A bedtime routine will:
  • Signal to your child that it's time to sleep.
  • The familiarity is comforting and can help your child relax and ease separation anxiety.
  • It helps your child to learn how to move from the busy day, soothe themselves and settle to sleep.

Routine tips:
  • Doing the same relaxing things in the same order and at the same time each night can help to promote a good night's sleep.
  • When it's approaching bedtime, an hour before if possible, make the environment as calm as possible. Turn off loud music, TV or other screens and avoid rough and tumble games.
  • Keep bedrooms screen-free zones. The backlighting on screens awakens the brain and can confuse the circadian rhythms, which are responsible for telling us when we need to go to sleep.
  • Avoid giving your child large amounts of food before bed.
  • A warm bath can help soothe a child and signal it's time to rest, followed by cleaning their teeth and putting on nightwear.
  • Ensure your child's room is conducive to sleep by having it dark and at a comfortable temperature.
  • Introduce a bedtime story to help your child relax before bed.
  • Dim the lights and chat to your child about their day or what the plans are for tomorrow to help put any worries to rest.
Early reading
One of the best things that you can do as a parent is to share books regularly with your child....
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​One of the best things that you can do as a parent is to share books regularly with your child.

​Story time
  • Introduces your child to the world of reading.
  • Inspires a love of books, an enthusiasm for reading and learning to read.
  • Makes your child aware that the marks on pages have meaning.
  • Shows them how a book 'works'.
  • Opens up subjects to talk about, developing language skills and vocabulary.
  • Lets them make links to and develop their understanding of their own experiences.

Stories that combine words and pictures or just pictures benefit your child in many ways and makes learning to read easier.

Stories with pictures help your child to:
  • Understand what a story is, its structure and sequencing.
  • Predict what might happen next in a story.
  • Use their imagination.
  • Draw meaning from a text that they cannot yet 'read' by making connections between the words and pictures.
  • Learn the vocabulary of story, such as beginning, end, plot and character.
  • Learn vocabulary
  • Develop communication skills by discussing characters, events and pictures.
  • Develop comprehension skills. Reading is not just about recognising words and letters and linking sounds and other words, but also about your child making sense of everything that has been read to them.

Story telling
  • Pick books with characters, themes, story lines and illustrations that will capture their imagination.
  • Appear interested in the books to motivate your child to enjoy stories with you and help them to realise the pleasure that books can offer.
  • Use techniques such as running your finger below the text as you read to help your child understand the structure of the book and make links between the word, its sound and meaning.
  • Make the most of the pictures, it is through pictures that your child will initially draw meaning from the story.
  • Encourage your child to retell the stories or create their own endings or versions.
  • Share the same story again and again.

Let your child see you reading for your own enjoyment; books, magazines or newspapers.
Getting dressed
Your child is naturally driven to become independent and one way of showing independence is by wanting to get dressed on their own.​..
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​Your child is naturally driven to become independent and one way of showing independence is by wanting to get dressed on their own.

This can be slow and frustrating - not to mention unusual clothing combinations - however it is an excellent way for your child to practise a range of skills. Once your child has learnt how to get dressed, it's a step towards being ready for school.

Children remove or put on items of clothing throughout the day. Having to wait for an adult to help while their friends do the task unaided could affect your child's self esteem.

Learning how to get dressed needs patience and practice for both you and your child. Don't be surprised if your child forgets to put on underwear, puts on clothes back to front, summer clothes on a cold day, a jumper on a hot day or shoes on the wrong feet.

Getting your child dressed yourself often feels like the quickest and easiest option. However try to allow children to dress themselves when you can.

Handy tips
  • To begin with, talk to your child as you get them dressed about what is happening and the order of clothing.
  • Choose clothes that are easy for your child to take off and on unaided e.g. elasticated waistbands, shoes with velcro, buttons at the front rather than the back.
  • Start by encouraging your child to undress for bed.
  • Select clothes with logos or pictures on the front to help your child know which way around to wear it.
  • Show them the tags in clothes and explain these often go at the back.
  • Allow time for getting dressed.
  • Don't always jump in to help.
Messy Play
The main feature of messy play is giving children the freedom to investigate materials.....
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​The main feature of messy play is giving children the freedom to investigate materials.
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Benefits of messy play include:
  • Developing prediction skills.
  • Stimulating their senses and imagination.
  • Developing early writing skills by encouraging mark making.
  • Encouraging social interaction such as turn-taking, negotiation and conversation skills.
  • Exploration and independence - it's an opportunity to take responsibility for their own play, rather than being told what to do.
  • Building curiosity and concentration. Children can experiment with different substances and investigate cause and effect through play.
  • Developing early numeracy skills by introducing concepts such as bigger and smaller, heavier and lighter, along with sequencing, patterns and problem solving.
  • Development of co-ordination and body control, it allows them to  practise hand-eye co-ordination and develop motor skills. Big movements can help to build large muscle groups which can enable the smaller muscles in hands to make precise movements.

Play ideas to do at home:
  • Sand pit
  • Playdough
  • Shaving foam
  • Finger painting
  • Funnels and tubs in the bath
  • Let your child dig in a muddy patch of the garden
Biting 
Biting is part of early childhood and understanding its causes can be helpful.​..
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​​Biting is part of early childhood and understanding its causes can be helpful.

Age: not all children will bite others, where biting occurs it's often between 18 months and three years old. Sometimes older children do bite but this is unusual and there are often underlying reasons.

Just exploring: many of a child's first bites are 'accidental' in nature. Children aged from 18 months to three years are still exploring by putting things in their mouths. Some children giving a 'first' bite will not go on and bite again.

Feeling frustrated: some bites are due to frustration as children do not have the language or social skills to negotiate or express how they are feeling. This means that some children will bite in order to get something that another child has. The link between language development and biting is one of the reasons why most children are not biting after the age of three.

Feeling good: nature intended the act of biting to be pleasurable. So, this also means that once a child has bitten, the 'feeling' that they derive can prompt some children to bite again.

Being impulsive: children who bite are by their nature very impulsive and have little self-control. This means that few bites are planned. Instead, children who have bitten before may in the same conditions bite again out of habit.

Interestingly, reprimanding children seems to have very little effect on reducing a child's biting.

How to deal with and prevent biting
  • There can never be any guarantees that a child who has bitten can be stopped from biting again, there are a few things that can help:
  • Give a strong visual message
  • Some children begin biting by kissing and then gently biting. This half-hearted biting needs to be brought to a quick halt. Stand up or move your child away, say 'no' and frown. Keep a serious face for a while rather than using words. This is because children in this age group are more likely to interpret that this behaviour is not acceptable through strong visual messaging.

Break the habit
Once your child has bitten another child, there is a higher likelihood that it will reoccur. The sensory feedback from the bite means that it can quickly become a habit. The best way to break any habit is to change the situation or routine in some way.

  • Check sleep patterns
  • Children who bite are more likely to do so when they are tired.
  • Make sure that older siblings do not tease younger ones.
  • Some bites occur as a result of younger children trying to cope with the frustration of having an older sibling tease them.
  • Increase the amount of time you interact with your child.
  • The link between language levels and biting and other challenging behaviours in this age group means that anything you can do to speed up your child's language development is worthwhile.
  • Spending extra time each day talking with your child can make a huge difference to your child.
Technology 
Tablets and mobile phones.....
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Technology is here to stay.

Year on year the number of children under five using tablets and mobile phones to play games and watch programmes is increasing. In 2014, the Childwise survey indicated that 42% of children were using them by 2015 it was up to 73%.

Research into the developmental effects on children lags behind the technology.

No-one fully knows the impact on children's development. In the absence of data, most experts would therefore suggest that parents should err on the cautious side when deciding how much time children spend using computers and tablets. In terms of development, the danger seems to be that time spent engaged in screen activity means that other opportunities for developing other skills are squeezed out.

Screen time might affect children's eyesight.
While myopia (short-sightedness) is partly inherited, the amount of time that children spend fixing their gaze at objects that are close to them, as opposed to objects on the horizon, appears to be a factor in the later development of myopia. Spending plenty of time outdoors seems to be beneficial for children's eyesight, so it seems sensible to balance screen time with opportunities for children to be outdoors.

Levels of physical activity need to be watched.
Screen time is essentially a sedentary activity. Some small hand movements are developed using tablets and computers, but other skills e.g. running, balance and co-ordination are not being practised during this time. These movements are important for children's health because they help to develop children's heart and lung function. There are also thought to be links between physical activity and brain development.

Screen-based activities do not develop communication and interpersonal skills.
Statistics suggest that many children under five are 'self-sufficient' when it come to using mobile phones and tablets. It is good for children to have opportunities to be independent and also to feel competent, but many games and programs do not help children practise the skills of human interaction. This includes making eye-contact, recognising and responding to facial expressions and being involved in two-way conversations. These skills can only be developed through face-to-face interactions.

Maximising technology opportunities.
There are many positive ways in which children can explore and learn from technology.
  • Skype conversations: Using Skype or other systems is a great use of technology when young children are far from other family members or friends. It is particularly useful for children who are bilingual as a way of maintaining the home language.
  • Internet research: With support of an adult, a child could use the internet to find out more about something that has interested them.
  • Google Earth or Instant Street View: With the support of an adult, a child could look at an image and map of their nursery, home or a place or interest. This can be a good tool to use for transitions, so children can see where they will be going to.
  • Children's Tv programmes: You can choose online content carefully to suit your child's interest and stage of development.
  • Educational games: These can help introduce your child to numbers and letters and sounds and shapes. You can look out for games that encourage problem solving, e.g. moving puzzle shapes.
  • Programmable toys: Some toys provide children with early experiences of programming e.g. Bee-Bot or Constructa-Bot.
  • Photographs and video clips: Tablets and mobile phones allow children to take photographs and video clips of their world.

Tips for avoiding the pitfalls of technology
  • Be a role model: Think about how you use technology yourself. Do you turn off or ignore devices or do you look at your mobile phone when you are in the middle of a conversation or during mealtimes? How well you can control your own responses to technology is likely to influence your child's use of it later.
  • Keep control: Unless you want your child to order something online or to download games without your permission, make sure that you use parental controls on mobiles and tablets.
  • Know what your child is doing and when: If your child gets into the habit of using devices without parental supervision or permission, you may find it hard to enforce this when your child is older and potentially more vulnerable. Don't let your child have access to the internet without you being in the room.
  • Make sure bedrooms are free of gadgets: One reason some young children may not fall asleep quickly is the use of technology in the bedroom. The blue light emitted by devices is partly responsible for this.
  • Be selective about games: Choose games carefully and check that they are right for your child's current level of development. Think about what exactly they are teaching your child.

Currently NHS guidelines for screen time are:
  • Nothing for children under two
  • Up to 2 hours a day for two to five years.
  • The health guidelines for children under five are that they should be spending a minimum of three hours a day doing moderate physical activity.

Activities using technology
  • Create a photo album
  • Go for a walk - see if your child can spot the differences between the Google Street view and the real thing.
  • Create an obstacle course for a programmable toy.

In the real world
Developmentally, young children need to be active and to learn from all of their senses. Play is a key way in which this can take place.