Nursery home learning ideas
Maths
- Collect sticks or similar in your garden and order them from shortest to longest. What other toys can you find in your house that you can order from shortest to longest or from smallest to largest.
- Use a piece of card from a recycled box and draw a long creature on it (Maybe a snake or a caterpillar) colour it in and give it a name. Cut your creature out and then go on a hunt to find things in your house that are longer or shorter than your creature.
- Collect together different containers which can hold water. Which one holds the most and which holds the least? If you have a garden this is a great activity to do outside especially now the weather is getting warmer.
- Build a tower with Lego, Duplo or similar, have an adult time you for one minute. Count how many building blocks you used in a minute. Try again can you beat your score? How many times can you throw and catch a ball in one minute? How many times can you run the length of your garden or your hallway in one minute? What else can you think to do that you can count to do in one minute?
- Go on a shape hunt around your house. Which shape did you find the most of?
- Make a repeated pattern in the garden using natural materials e.g. leaf, stone, leaf, stone or use items found in the house to make a pattern -spoon, pen, book, spoon, pen book. Take a picture of your pattern.
- Make a numberline using groups of objects. Have some cards numbered 1-10. Collect groups of objects such as pebbles, sticks or leaves outside or toys inside. Have a group of 1 object, 2 objects, 3 objects all the way to 10. Match the right number with each group and take a picture. For example, 1 doll, 2 cars, 3 stones.
Literacy
- Put some sand or flour or sugar in a tray (a roasting pan would be ideal) use fingers or a stick to create shapes and letters.
- Use playdough to create letters. Here is a link for a playdough recipe. (https://www.actionforchildren.org.uk/support-for-parents/things-to-do-with-your-child/messy-play/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIpue346qI6QIVia3tCh0etQC9EAAYASAAEgLIovD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds
- Outside you can make letters using pebbles or sticks or leaves. If you have chalk an adult could write the letter first and then you can cover the chalk with leaves sticks etc. Inside you could try making letters using Lego, Duplo or other toys.
- Get an adult to write some letters on cards and hid them around the house or garden. Give your child a sheet with same letters on. When they find a letter, they can tick of the matching letter on their sheet. (this can also be done with numbers, shapes or colours)
- Choose a favourite story and use some of your toys to act out the story.
- Collect some interesting objects and put them in a basket or box for example a button, a key, a ring, a wooden spoon, a scarf. With an adult create a story using the objects. This can also be done by cutting pictures out of magazines (a cottage, a Disney princess, an alien) and putting in a bag.
Science
- Investigate sinking and floating. Collect some vegetables and fruit and have a large bowl/container of water. Drop the fruit or vegetables into the water. Which do you predict will sink and which will float? Was there any that surprised you? What else can you find to use to experiment with floating and sinking?
- Investigate dissolving. Have some clear cups filled with water. Drop different substances (salt, flour, sugar, oil, rice, pasta) into the water. Before a substance is dropped into the water predict whether the substance will dissolve or not.
- Investigate ice. Freeze some ice cubes, put them in cups, what do you think will happen to them? Put the ice cubes in different places- inside, outside, next to a radiator, in the fridge. Keep checking on them. What happens?
- Investigate ice 2. Place water into ice cube trays with toy fish (or other small objects) inside. Add a piece of string to each compartment. Make sure the string doesn’t end up in more than one section. Once frozen, remove carefully and tie each ice cube to a stick. Add warm water to one bowl and cold water to another. Feel the water (get an adult to make sure it’s not too hot first) and predict which will melt the ice the fastest. Place one fishing rod into each tub and start a timer. Observe the changes to the ice every 30 seconds. How soon can you see the difference between the ice in the warm and ice in the cold water?
- Go on a minibeast hunt in your garden. How many did minibeasts can you find? Paint a picture or make a model of your favourite minibeast.
Art
- Collect natural materials in your garden, use them to create a picture on the ground. Make a frame using sticks. Take a photo of your artwork.
- Create your own printing tools by cutting potatoes, carrots, apples, celery etc or cutting into a washing up sponge. You could even use Lego! Can you use them to create patterns or pictures?
- Make a Lego or Duplo monster or animal, draw a picture of your creation. Give it a name.
- Can you make a home for your teddy? This could be outside in the garden using natural materials or inside using recycled boxes and containers and soft materials like scarves. Can you make somewhere soft for teddy to sleep? Can you make teddy a chair?
- Make a stickman. First find a suitable stick (looks like it has arms & legs) and clothe him using scraps of material, wool, paper card etc.
- Make a picture frame out of card- use a recycled piece of card (e.g. cereal box) and cut out the centre square. Decorate your picture frame and then hold it up to create different pictures of what you can see inside the frame.