Snow Play

Introduce your little one to the magic of snow with some "Sensory Snow Play". Sprinkle some flour onto a shallow tray or use some soft, fluffy material. Let your baby explore the texture with their hands and feet. Incorporate snow-themed toys, like miniature snowmen or snowflakes. This sensory experience helps stimulate your baby's senses and promotes sensory exploration.

Find out more about sensory play and why its great for your baby from BBC Tiny Happy People

What's in the Box

Babies and toddlers love taking things out of boxes (you may have noticed this over Christmas).  Making "What's in the Box" a perfect game with toddlers!

Find a small, non-transparent container or box and place a selection of winter themed object inside, like gloves, toy snowman, snowflake Christmas decoration etc.  Encourage your toddle to reach into the box without looking and feel the mystery items. Ask questions like, "What does it feel like?" or "Can you guess what's in the box?" When your toddler ‘finds’ the item you can name them and talk about the object. 

This video clip of Mila and her dad shows how to play this game. Mila is very curious about the object and her dad names and talks about each item. 

Iceberg Game

Engage your pre-schoolers in a balance game that combines fun and skill development! Inspired by our story set up a "Iceberg Adventure" by cutting out iceberg shapes and placing them on the floor (You could use cushions).  Encourage your children to navigate their way across the room, jump over imaginary puddles, or tiptoe carefully to avoid "hot lava." This activity not only enhances their balance and coordination but also sparks creativity as they navigate through their imaginative journey.

Find out what affects children’s sense of balance and how does it develop? from BBC Tiny Happy People.

Babies and young children love to explore the world with their hands. In Cheshire East Libraries we have lots of lovely (strong!) touchy feely board books for those inquisitive little fingers. These include the ‘That’s not my…’ series with their different textures, bright colours and simple repetitive texts.

These books are fun to explore with your little ones and also help them to develop their sensory and language skills.

From birth every child can have a library card which means they can borrow up to 20 items for FREE. Find out more about how to join your library 

We look forward to welcoming you soon.  

Eating a healthy, balanced diet is essential for children in their early years.  Children need to eat well to establish good eating patterns, to ensure they grow, develop and maintain good health.  This means eating a wide variety of foods in the right proportions:

• Fruit and vegetables - Children should aim for at least 5 portions of fruit and vegetables every day. A portion is equal to a handful! (find out more about 5 A Day)
• Cereals, potatoes, rice and pasta - These carbohydrate foods provide slow release energy. Children should aim to have a carbohydrate source at each meal time plus sometimes as snacks between meals too.
• Meat, fish and alternatives - These are all protein foods which are important for helping children to grow.
• Milk and dairy foods - These are calcium rich foods which support bone and teeth development.
• Foods containing fat and sugar - Fat is an important part of a child’s diet to enable growth and development. Children should ideally be offered healthy fats such as those from vegetable sources e.g. sunflower oil, rapeseed oils and spreads, and not excessive quantities of fats from pastries, crisps and manufactured products. Sugar does not give us any vitamins or minerals, only calories which can lead to excess weight gain if eaten regularly. Sugar can also cause tooth decay.

More information is available from the NHS :

• Healthy food swaps
• Being active
• Healthy Recipes from Henry

If you would like to find out more about a leading a healthy lifestyle contact your local family hub / children's centre and ask about the HENRY course.