Next week, the nursery will be filled with pumpkins, potions and playful giggles as we celebrate Halloween through creative crafts, sensory fun and stories. Both the toddler and baby rooms will be exploring the sights, textures and colours of the season while building fine motor skills and imagination through hands-on activities.
Toddler Room
On Monday, the toddlers will start the week by making their very own paper plate ghosts. Using white paint, tissue paper and glue, they’ll create friendly floating shapes and decorate them with eyes and smiles. This activity will help children practise fine motor skills while chatting about all things Halloween.
On Tuesday, the children will explore light and shadow as they create bat silhouettes. They’ll use dark paper to cut out shapes of bats to decorate the room, learning how to cut folded paper to make a symmetrical shape. This simple craft encourages creativity and helps toddlers begin to understand contrast, shapes and how shadows are formed.
During Wednesday, the toddlers will design and decorate their own witches’ hats using card and themed decorations. Practitioners will support them in decorating their hats, sparking imaginative conversations about potions, flying brooms and friendly witches. It’s a magical way to build confidence through creativity.
On Thursday, the children will enjoy a sweet and squishy cooking session as they decorate Halloween cookies and make vegan jelly jigglers. They’ll practise spreading, pouring and mixing while talking about the ingredients and colours they see. This fun foodie day encourages independence and sensory exploration in a festive setting.
To end the week on Friday, the toddlers will make spooky spiders using a variety of materials. Practitioners will help the children count the spiders’ eight legs and talk about where spiders live. This craft supports counting and shape recognition while keeping the Halloween fun alive.
Baby Room
On Monday, the babies will create cheerful paper plate pumpkins using orange paint, glue and pre-cut shapes. Practitioners will encourage them to notice the round shapes and bright colours as they explore paint with their hands. This activity helps develop sensory awareness and fine motor control through messy, joyful play.
During Tuesday, the babies will explore a sensory pumpkin tuff tray, filled with scooped-out pumpkin. They’ll squeeze, pat and smell the textures while practitioners describe what they feel and see. This autumn-themed sensory experience supports curiosity and early descriptive language.
On Wednesday, the babies will make soft cotton wool ghosts by sticking fluffy pieces onto paper to form ghostly shapes. Practitioners will model new words such as soft, sticky and white as the children explore the materials, encouraging early vocabulary and tactile exploration.
On Thursday, the babies will enjoy bubble painting to make colourful cauldron pictures. Practitioners will help them blow coloured bubbles that leave magical prints on their cauldron templates, creating the effect of bubbling potions. This sensory-rich activity develops observation and coordination while feeling truly magical.
To finish the week on Friday, the babies will enjoy relaxed free play, exploring the toys and activities around their room. Practitioners will follow each child’s interests, supporting their play with gentle conversation and encouragement. This calm and flexible session rounds off a week full of creativity and discovery.