Hello to all of the families of Little Crickets Nursery. Today would have been our first day back from the Easter Break, but though the ongoing situation with Corona Virus makes our return impossible for now, we all continue to think of the families that make our nursery so special. Please know that all of the Staff at Little Crickets are sending you all their love. We hope you and your families are keeping safe and well.

Initial Sounds & Read, Write, Inc

This term we would have started to introduce initial sounds to our younger  children, whilst the older children would have been looking at the sounds from the Read Write Inc scheme and being helped to recognise words from Phase One. Further information can be found on Twinkl or elsewhere on the internet by searching for ‘Read Write Inc Phase 1‘.

The flexibility these schemes means that they can be taught in a range of different ways to suit the interests of your child;  for example you could use paint, a blackboard or whiteboard, sand, PlayDoh or even ‘gloop’ to form letters (Google for homemade slime recipes if you are after a fun messy activity).

Get Creative With What You Already Have

Learning at all ages should be fun and as free from stress as possible. As nursery age children are still very young it provides a great opportunity to get really creative with exploring different ways for children to start learning and remembering letters and words. The process should also be fun for the parent or carer, and might provide a good escape from current stress factors when being let loose to get creative with a ball of PlayDoh or tray of kinetic sand.

Vocabulary Enrichment

Whether at home, or if you are able to take your daily exercise at home or in the garden, find a moment to introduce your children to different sounds that can be found in the environment: this will help children develop their vocabulary and provide a great conversation starter for you and your child(ren).

Learning Through Song

One of the things that is found to be the greatest reliever of tension is when we can free ourselves of inhibitions and enjoy singing. Children find a great joy at being joined in song, so there is a fantastic reason for your whole family to join in singing song. We recommend songs and rhymes involving alliteration (the repeating of a single initial sound) to your children. Songs you may know include Goosey Goosey Gander, Five Little Peas and Baa Baa Black sheep, but you can search for more (or get a refresher on those ones!) on Youtube.

Enjoying A Story

Another tip we would like to share with you is when sharing a book/story with your child, to speak clearly and slowly so that initial sounds may be heard. Playing flash cards and picture games (plenty of which may be found on Twinkl) will also support both sound recognition and story comprehension.

And Finally…

Although there are quite a few tips and activity ideas above, it is important not to get overwhelmed. Much of a child’s learning comes through play, so please enjoy this precious time with your child. We are facing difficult times at present, so take a moment to reflect on your children’s own enjoyment of your time together, and with this thought in your hearts you will hopefully stay positive for your children.

Take care and God Bless.

Lots of love from Suki and the Little Crickets Nursery team.