Another school year has come to a close for the children at Wilstock Gardens childcare and 10 of our children are ready for school in September!
We do everything we can to ensure the children are prepared for their next step and we strongly believe healthy eating and outdoor play are the best ways to get the children ready for school. There are a lot of activities that are fundamental to a child's development which many can take for granted.
For instance, we have some excellent rope swings that are very popular with the children. Playing on the rope swings significantly supports a childs writing ability. When they grip onto the rope they develop strong stabilising muscles and strengthen their arms and shoulders - these muscles come in handy as they learn to write more and more.
The children also spend hours on our outdoor climbing frame! Swinging upside down helps the children to develop their awareness of the space around them and their sense of direction. This in turn helps them grasp the concept of similar looking letters like p, d, q and b.
In addition we often do baking with the children. Baking and cooking is a great way of developing maths skills. They learn to put 1 teaspoon of salt in the bread dough and 3 table spoons of dried yeast. This is such a fun way to learn to count and understand the meaning of numbers.
The food that children consume also has an incredible impact on their development. Research has shown nutritional food is essential for learning which is why we have been focusing lots on involving the children with making healthy food for them to eat at childcare. It's been so encouraging to see many of them now enjoy broccoli, fish and beetroot when before they were not so keen.
Many are unaware that chewing hard foods like raw carrots help strengthen a child's jaw muscles which consequently helps them to develop clear speech abilities. With so much processed food on the market, is it any wonder why an increasing number of children have delayed speech these days.
More nutrients from healthy food such as essential fatty acids (from fish and green vegetables) is also important for the brain. They assists a child's ability to learn, maintain good relationships and control their feelings.
Here you can see some photos of their learning in action. These wonderful photos were taken by Terrie Riddle, one of the Mums at childcare. I think she did a great job of capturing the children learning new skills through natural play.
We wish our 10 wonderful leavers all the very best as they start their new adventure and we will miss them so much!
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