Expressive Arts and Design

Activity - Making boats

Words to use with your child: float, sink, make, join, drill, saw, safely, rules, hole, wood, margarine carton, milk bottle, stick, mast, sail, boat, navigate, water, leak, sellotape, glue, try again, idea, scissors.

Make a boat together.  This can be made from a milk carton, a margarine tub or a piece of wood.  If you make a wooden boat, encourage your child to talk about the safety rules that we have at nursery when using the saw and drill. 

They can add a sail if they like and decorate it.  Make sure that they remember to give the boat and name and write it on label or piece of paper and stick it on. If they have paints or felt tips use these if you prefer.

Activity - Teddy tea party

Words to use with your child:  cup, saucer, teapot, plate, dish, blanket, party, full, empty, more, please, thank you, would you like? Can I have?

Gather up your teddy’s and toys, set out a blanket on the floor or in the garden. Find your tea set or some cups and plates form the kitchen, and have a party with your teddy’s and toys. Why not use some pretend food too.

Activity - Land art

Words to use with your child: lines, circles, swirls, zigzag, next to, behind, on top, underneath

Can you gather some twigs, leaves, flowers, clumps if grass from your garden and arrange them to make a picture or a pattern. What will you make?

Activity - Building

Words you can use with your child: high, tall, short, wide, castle, turret, flag, drawbridge, moat, stalk, leaves, on top, next to, building

Can you build something from Jack and the beanstalk, like the castle or Jack’s house, the cow or the beanstalk or maybe make a new bridge for the Billy Goats to cross using some construction bricks of your choice.  If you like you could pretend to be one of the Three Little Pigs and make a brick house.

Activity - Playing cafe

Words to use with your child: play, pretend, friends, serve, food, café, menu, special, waiter, waitress, customer, restaurant, drink, count, how many coffees? Can I take your order? Bill please.

Open a cafe and invite the special people that live in your house to be the customers.  Set out a table with cups, plates and cutlery use food from your cupboards if you want or even bake your own cakes and buns for the café.  Your child can make the menus either by drawing them or designing and printing them out if you have access to a computer.  You can be the waiter/waitress and pretend to write as you take the orders.

 Children can be encouraged to listen to the initial sound in the word of the item being order e.g. b for burger.  If they are able they can write down the b to represent burger or simply make a mark that they can read back later.

Take it in turns to play the different roles e.g. customer, chef, waiter.  Children love to try on being different people and to use the language that is particular to a job or person.

Activity - Instruments

Words you can use with your child: sing, voice, noise, loud, quiet, softly, clap, beat

Have a singing session. Try these songs. If you don’t know the tunes have a look at the on-line versions and join in.  Make your own instruments out of pots and pans.

• I dig my garden song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aVfjAzL1wI
• There’s a worm at the bottom of the garden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqchPrhezxQ

Expressive Arts and Design

Activity - Making boats

Words to use with your child: float, sink, make, join, drill, saw, safely, rules, hole, wood, margarine carton, milk bottle, stick, mast, sail, boat, navigate, water, leak, sellotape, glue, try again, idea, scissors.

Make a boat together.  This can be made from a milk carton, a margarine tub or a piece of wood.  If you make a wooden boat, encourage your child to talk about the safety rules that we have at nursery when using the saw and drill. 

They can add a sail if they like and decorate it.  Make sure that they remember to give the boat and name and write it on label or piece of paper and stick it on. If they have paints or felt tips use these if you prefer.

Activity - Teddy tea party

Words to use with your child:  cup, saucer, teapot, plate, dish, blanket, party, full, empty, more, please, thank you, would you like? Can I have?

Gather up your teddy’s and toys, set out a blanket on the floor or in the garden. Find your tea set or some cups and plates form the kitchen, and have a party with your teddy’s and toys. Why not use some pretend food too.

Activity - Land art

Words to use with your child: lines, circles, swirls, zigzag, next to, behind, on top, underneath

Can you gather some twigs, leaves, flowers, clumps if grass from your garden and arrange them to make a picture or a pattern. What will you make?

Activity - Building

Words you can use with your child: high, tall, short, wide, castle, turret, flag, drawbridge, moat, stalk, leaves, on top, next to, building

Can you build something from Jack and the beanstalk, like the castle or Jack’s house, the cow or the beanstalk or maybe make a new bridge for the Billy Goats to cross using some construction bricks of your choice.  If you like you could pretend to be one of the Three Little Pigs and make a brick house.

Activity - Playing cafe

Words to use with your child: play, pretend, friends, serve, food, café, menu, special, waiter, waitress, customer, restaurant, drink, count, how many coffees? Can I take your order? Bill please.

Open a cafe and invite the special people that live in your house to be the customers.  Set out a table with cups, plates and cutlery use food from your cupboards if you want or even bake your own cakes and buns for the café.  Your child can make the menus either by drawing them or designing and printing them out if you have access to a computer.  You can be the waiter/waitress and pretend to write as you take the orders.

 Children can be encouraged to listen to the initial sound in the word of the item being order e.g. b for burger.  If they are able they can write down the b to represent burger or simply make a mark that they can read back later.

Take it in turns to play the different roles e.g. customer, chef, waiter.  Children love to try on being different people and to use the language that is particular to a job or person.

Activity - Instruments

Words you can use with your child: sing, voice, noise, loud, quiet, softly, clap, beat

Have a singing session. Try these songs. If you don’t know the tunes have a look at the on-line versions and join in.  Make your own instruments out of pots and pans.

• I dig my garden song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aVfjAzL1wI
• There’s a worm at the bottom of the garden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqchPrhezxQ

Expressive Arts and Design

Activity - Making boats

Words to use with your child: float, sink, make, join, drill, saw, safely, rules, hole, wood, margarine carton, milk bottle, stick, mast, sail, boat, navigate, water, leak, sellotape, glue, try again, idea, scissors.

Make a boat together.  This can be made from a milk carton, a margarine tub or a piece of wood.  If you make a wooden boat, encourage your child to talk about the safety rules that we have at nursery when using the saw and drill. 

They can add a sail if they like and decorate it.  Make sure that they remember to give the boat and name and write it on label or piece of paper and stick it on. If they have paints or felt tips use these if you prefer.

Activity - Teddy tea party

Words to use with your child:  cup, saucer, teapot, plate, dish, blanket, party, full, empty, more, please, thank you, would you like? Can I have?

Gather up your teddy’s and toys, set out a blanket on the floor or in the garden. Find your tea set or some cups and plates form the kitchen, and have a party with your teddy’s and toys. Why not use some pretend food too.

Activity - Land art

Words to use with your child: lines, circles, swirls, zigzag, next to, behind, on top, underneath

Can you gather some twigs, leaves, flowers, clumps if grass from your garden and arrange them to make a picture or a pattern. What will you make?

Activity - Building

Words you can use with your child: high, tall, short, wide, castle, turret, flag, drawbridge, moat, stalk, leaves, on top, next to, building

Can you build something from Jack and the beanstalk, like the castle or Jack’s house, the cow or the beanstalk or maybe make a new bridge for the Billy Goats to cross using some construction bricks of your choice.  If you like you could pretend to be one of the Three Little Pigs and make a brick house.

Activity - Playing cafe

Words to use with your child: play, pretend, friends, serve, food, café, menu, special, waiter, waitress, customer, restaurant, drink, count, how many coffees? Can I take your order? Bill please.

Open a cafe and invite the special people that live in your house to be the customers.  Set out a table with cups, plates and cutlery use food from your cupboards if you want or even bake your own cakes and buns for the café.  Your child can make the menus either by drawing them or designing and printing them out if you have access to a computer.  You can be the waiter/waitress and pretend to write as you take the orders.

 Children can be encouraged to listen to the initial sound in the word of the item being order e.g. b for burger.  If they are able they can write down the b to represent burger or simply make a mark that they can read back later.

Take it in turns to play the different roles e.g. customer, chef, waiter.  Children love to try on being different people and to use the language that is particular to a job or person.

Activity - Instruments

Words you can use with your child: sing, voice, noise, loud, quiet, softly, clap, beat

Have a singing session. Try these songs. If you don’t know the tunes have a look at the on-line versions and join in.  Make your own instruments out of pots and pans.

• I dig my garden song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aVfjAzL1wI
• There’s a worm at the bottom of the garden https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqchPrhezxQ