The festive season is upon us! Have a go at these wonderful wintery activity ideas at home to make the most of the new season with your little one.
Sharing books and stories
Read or listen to a book in our winter book list, such as Snowball by Sue Hendra. Emphasise the rhyming words and talk about the story. You could play a memory game and see if your child can remember all the things the snowball runs into.
Top tip
When sharing books you don’t always need to read the words. Looking at and talking about picture books is a great way to encourage your child to enjoy stories. If you speak another language at home, talk about the pictures and story in your own language.
Sing songs and rhymes
Singing songs supports children to learn new words and understand sounds all while they're having fun! Watch and sing along to these Christmas songs:
Top tip
Don’t worry if your singing voice is rusty or out of tune, it doesn’t matter, and the more you sing with your child the more confident you will become.
Play together
- Talk to your child about the different clothes we wear for each season and why. Gather a selection of clothes for both you and your little one, then have a race to see who can put their hat, gloves or scarf on first!
- Create a sensory basket of Christmas items such as tinsel, wrapping paper, tree decorations and a pine cone. Allow your child to explore and talk about what each item feels like, looks like, and if it makes a sound.
Top tip
Learning to share, take turns, communicate, be comfortable and become friends with others are life-long skills but take some time to learn! You can help your child practise learning these important skills by playing together.
Play with letters
- Make your own Christmas cards or write a list for Santa and encourage your child to have a go at signing their name.
- Pour some glitter and salt or flour in a tray. Use the end of a pencil or a paintbrush to make marks in the mix. Encourage your child to try letter like shapes including some of the letters in their name.
Top tip
To encourage your child’s early reading, use letter sounds instead of alphabet letter names. Using letter sounds will help them sound out words as they learn to read.
Get out and about
- Go on a winter walk and spot signs of the new season. When you get home you could, draw a picture or use magazines to cut and stick pictures of the things you have seen, for example robins, trees with no leaves, evergreen trees, and winter clothes.
- Talk about the Christmas story and how the three wise men followed the star. Look up at the stars when it gets dark and talk about what you can see.
Top tip
The world is full of exciting words and pictures, things to do, feel and explore; from cereal packets and street signs, to splashy puddles and fallen leaves. Encourage your child to use all of their senses to explore the world around them.
Paint and draw
- Use materials you have at home, such as cotton wool balls and glue, to create a collage snowman picture. Talk about what your child is doing as they create their snowman. You could add materials such as tin foil for the scarf and draw on some eyes and some buttons.
- Paint or draw a Christmas or winter scene using black paper and white paint or chalk. You could label the things that your child has painted or drawn.
Top tip
Painting and drawing help your child develop their concentration, creativity, and the skills they will need for writing. Use different mark-making materials– chunky crayons, pencils, shaving foam and paint.
