There is no such thing as a ‘miserable day’. As adults it can be hard to resist saying the classic term, ‘What a miserable rainy day’, young children will pick up on nature been talked about in a negative way. Rain is fun, inviting and educational for children. We can experience all four seasons, what might happen to the trees and the leaves starting up curiosity. This can lead to discussions on clouds, how the rain feels for them, just watch their vocabulary expand and broaden.

Within water play children learn such a lot, filling and emptying buckets can encourage maths while having fun. At our woodland setting we recently had a rainy day, we saw the opportunity to also get the hose pipe out. The children had great fun splashing in puddles, making mud pies and filling up containers. The learning opportunities were endless!

We can discuss with children what might we wear for a raining day to help keep us dry and warm. Take a look at the video for some handy top tips on outdoor waterproof clothing. Thank you to Northern Ireland Forest School Association for a great clip.

We are children’s models, let’s think positive about ALL weathers, ‘Let’s get out in the rain’.

https://fb.watch/2gUlb9jAGF/

“Look at the differences between a typical preschool child’s hand (left) and a typical 7 year old hand (right). Want to know why a preschool aged child isn’t able to write yet? This is why! Their hands are still developing and are not fully formed. So what should they be doing to support this? PLAY!! Playdough, colouring, cutting, gluing, playing outside, digging in dirt, sensory play, dress up play, science experiments, beading, puzzles, throwing balls, etc. All of these things help their hands develop. When they are physically ready to write, they will! No need to rush them, they will show you when they are ready!”        (Facebook: Raising her barefoot)

Children require progressive development in their hands, just like with any other muscle they need to train and strengthen. Children grasp and hold objects which in turn will lead to holding a pencil to write. ‘Funky Finger’ Challenges are a part of our daily activities with Little Owls. We thread beads, use tweezers, build with building blocks and many more. This is through play using the children’s interests at the time. We should not rush children into been able to write using a pencil, it will happen in their own time when they are ready.