Below are some suggested choosing time activities that cover all areas of the Early Years curriculum. As always though, these are simply ideas and I know you all have fantastic games and toys at home that you might prefer to play with instead. Have a super afternoon whatever you choose to do!

• Personal, Social & Emotional Development – Sign Language. Visit the Sign Along With Us YouTube channel and learn how to sign some new words with Jade and Christian.

• Communication & Language – Charades. Play the classic game of charades with your family.

• Physical Development – Threading. Make a necklace using string and beads, macaroni or Cheerios. Carefully thread them on to the string. Can you do this with both hands?

• Literacy – Secret Messages. Write some letters, words or sentences in white crayon on a sheet of white paper. Then dip a brush in some paint and sweep it over the paper. Keep going until you reveal the message. Or ask an adult to write a message for you, sweep over the letters and read what they have said.   

• Maths – Race against time. Use a stopwatch, egg timer or online timer to record. Choose a set time e.g. 1 minute, 2 minutes or 30 seconds. See how many of different exercises you can do in that time. Star jumps, bunny hops, toe taps on a football, shuttle runs, etc. Try this activity every few days. Can you beat your previous best times?

• Understanding the World – Where in the world?  Collect labels from food packets/stickers from fruit and vegetables. Use a map, globe, atlas or the internet to locate the different places. What are these places like? How far are they from the UK?

• Expressive Arts & Design – I am the music man! Make your own musical instruments e.g. - pots and pans, rice in an empty bottle, elastic bands over a tissue box, water in bottles. Use these to make a band and play along to your favourite songs or make up your own. Have a good sing-a-long too!