Welcome to our April Easter edition of our newsletter. 

As spring blooms around us, we welcome the the Easter season. In this issue, we're excited to share tips and ideas to make this Easter memorable for you and your family, from fun activities to thoughtful traditions. Whether you're planning Easter egg hunts, crafting with your little ones, or simply enjoying quality time together, we've got you covered with inspiration and helpful suggestions. So sit back, relax, and let's hop into the joyous festivities of Easter with your children!

Rhymetime - Sleeping Bunnies 

Hop Little Bunnies’ is the perfect rhyme for Easter and is always a favourite in our family hubs and children's centres.  It’s also a great rhyme to play along with – lie on the floor being the sleeping bunny and then jump up and hop like a bunny.  You can change the actions to jump, skip, clap this is a great way to develop listening and physical skills while having fun.

Watch the song with BBC Tiny Happy People. 

Easter Sensory Play 

Have you noticed how young children love filling and emptying? 

Provide a shallow tray and fill it with some dry ingredients such as rice, cereal etc. You can even add different textures like feathers or artificial flowers – whatever you have.   Add some different sized jars, spoons, egg cups, egg cartons etc. Then follow your child's lead as they explore the tray scooping, pouring and filling.  This activity will help develop fine motor skills and co-ordination.  You can add language to your child’s play by commenting on what your child is doing and providing the words such as “filling up the egg box, scoop, pour” and even introduce some early maths concepts like full, empty, more and less.   

Egg Decorating 

Gather around your little artists! It's time to get creative as we transform these plain eggs into colorful masterpieces! Grab your paintbrushes, markers pens, and stickers, and let's dive in whether you want to create a funny face, a vibrant pattern, or a dazzling design.  You could use cut out card shapes, polystyrene eggs or even real eggs.  Why not add some ribbon to them and hang them up over the Easter weekend to decorate your house.

There are so many of our 50 Things that can be enjoyed over the Easter holidays. Here is a few of our favourites –

• Number 2. Visit a Library – There's lots going on our libraries over Easter from egg hunts to crafts find out what on in your local library on their Facebook page.
• Number 5. Visit a Lake or Garden – Our Park Rangers have some Egg-citing Easter hunts for you to join in with.
• Number 19. Go on a Scavenger Hunt – Easter Hunts are a great tradition. We love these clues which can be printed out or copied which you can hide around your house and your child can find their treat from the Easter Bunny!
• Number 30. Explore the Seasons – Springtime things to do with babies and toddlers from BBC Tiny Happy People. 
• Number 24. Grow Something from Seed – Grow carrot tops! This is a simple activity that will take a few days to start growing – perfect for little ones.

This month we are focusing on toilet training.  This can be both a challenging and rewarding experience for parents.

Establishing a consistent routine, such as encouraging regular bathroom breaks and celebrating small successes, can help ease the transition. It's important for parents to remain calm and supportive, even in the face of accidents. Positive reinforcement, like praise or small rewards, can motivate children to continue their efforts. Remember, toilet training is a gradual process, and each milestone achieved is a step closer to independence and confidence for both child and parent alike.

• Find out more about potty training from the Eric website 

If you would like to talk to a health professional or a start for life practitioner come along to Toddlers Together.  Find out when the next session is on the Family Hub webpage.