Here at Shining Stars Nursery, we provide a number of extra-curricular activities in order to support your child’s development and encourage them to enjoy learning. All of our activities are free and inclusive of your child’s place at nursery. Extra-curricular activities are extremely beneficial for young children. Not only do they help to develop confidence, but they are also vital to early-stage development. From yoga classes and baking to trips out in the local community, here are some of the activities we offer at our nursery.
Yoga and group exercise is perfect for sparking creative imagination in your child. Our yoga sessions focus on spontaneous movement and spatial awareness development. They are a fantastic way to increase your child’s confidence and also promote their physical development.
Here at Shining Stars Nursery, we take an active role in promoting creative and educational uses of digital technologies. We believe that technology used appropriately can be used to further enhance children’s learning experiences. For example, interactive storybooks bring a whole new dimension to story-telling!
We have a number of high tech resources within our nursery including tablets, cameras and illuminated light tables that we use to support and develop children’s ICT skills. We recognise that for some children, our nursery may be the only place where they have access to both digital technologies and an interested adult to help them make sense of them. It is therefore vital that we make the most of these opportunities, so that children can learn how to use technology appropriately as they grow older.
Cooking isn’t just for adults! We promote healthy eating habits in all that we do, and use baking as a way to make learning fun! The benefits of cooking with children are so wide-ranging that it is possible to link most of the early years curriculum to this activity. These include:
Numeracy – as children count out spoonful’s, weigh ingredients, calculate how many rolls to make or measure baking trays.
Early science – as they observe the consistency of mixtures change, colours merge and ingredients be transformed by heat or cold. Health– as your child is introduced to new flavours and tastes. Children are more likely to try something new if they have helped to make it.
Physical skills – such as strengthening their grip and practising hand-eye co-ordination, as they handle kitchen implements while helping to peel carrots, chop apples, whisk eggs, sift flour or stir cake mixture.
Language development – as they talk about what they are seeing, such as dough rising, egg mixture fluffing up or soup simmering.
Understanding the world – as they discuss where ingredients come from, such as how vegetables are grown or their country of origin. It also gives children the opportunity to talk about traditional dishes from different cultures.
Emotional development – as they gain confidence from helping with tasks they associate with adults, such as preparing a salad or baking bread. It is also a good way for an adult and child to bond.
We recognise the importance of children’s ‘personal experiences’ and place emphasis on children learning about the local community, and their roles within society. At Shining Stars Nursery, we regularly take groups of children out on local trips to explore different types of public spaces such as the supermarket, post office, children’s library, places of worship, and our local park.
The trips are not one-off outings but regular visits to the same places, designed to encourage sustained interaction with spaces and people within the local community.
We feel that children should be able to see and interact with a variety of local spaces, and learn from an early age that these spaces are for their use as well.
By allowing children to see the world from different perspectives, they are encouraged to grow into cultured and considerate members of today’s society.