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ECE Resources

Early years activity ideas

HomeECE resourcesEarly years activity ideas

Topic summary

We have collated a range of engaging activities that can be easily undertaken in an ECE centre or at home. Each activity is designed to promote a range of learning outcomes and can be modified to cater for children of different ages or to provide opportunities for extension.

ACTIVITY SUMMARIES

Get creative with plastic and paint

Combine plastic film with paint for some interesting sensory play!

Search and reveal drawings

Two cool ideas for your drawing inspiration, which involve “hiding” and “searching” a scene of your own imagination

Story time! Great stories available as audiobooks for your children – week 5

A list of stories that are available as audiobooks that we think make for great listening

Make ice cream in a bag!

A sure favourite for all ages: a quick and easy recipe for making ice cream in a plastic bag!

Create a monster and make it talk!

Have fun with modelling materials to create a monster, and then use Chatterpix Kids to make it talk!

Build an unsinkable boat

Use whatever you have to hand at home to build a boat, and see if it can carry different objects across the water

Shadow drawing

An exciting provocations to get your child drawing, which can tempt even the most reluctant artists

Story time! Great stories available as audiobooks for your children – week 4

A list of stories that are available as audiobooks that we think make for great listening

Observational drawing match game

Get outside to collect objects for a match game, and develop your child’s skills in observing and recording

Kitchen science with red cabbage

A fun experiment using red cabbage water as a pH indicator to test the acidity or alkalinity of liquids, with surprising results.

Reading dens

Emphasise the adventure of books by creating a reading den!

Magic reveal drawings – simply with water!

A “magic” drawing trick which will appeal to reluctant and keen artists alike, and which can be adapted for a range of creative and imaginative purposes.

Create a stop motion film with Stop Motion Studio

Learn how to make stop motion animation videos (as easy as taking photos), and there is no end to the fun and creativity you can have!

Story time! Great stories available as audiobooks for your children – week 3

Reading books with your child is an incredibly powerful way of supporting your child’s learning. We’ve put together a list of stories that are available as audiobooks (one for each day of the week) that we think make for great listening - week 3

Ball chute

An engineering challenge involving plenty of design, thinking and problem-solving, limited only by window space and the number of toilet roll tubes you provide!

Cake in a cup experiment

Make simple cakes in a mug and experiment with the recipe to find out what different ingredients do

Shaving foam paint

A soothing, sensory medium for play, with lots of possibility for creativity, imagination and fun for all ages

Design a board game

Challenge your child to design a simple board game, then find out how much fun it is to play!

Reversible change with chocolate!

Observe reversible change by melting and solidifying chocolate, and eat your results!

Story time! Great stories available as audiobooks for your children – Week 2

Reading books with your child is an incredibly powerful way of supporting your child’s learning. We’ve put together a list of stories that are available as audiobooks (one for each day of the week) that we think make for great listening - week 2

Activity ideas for toddlers

A series of fun and easy activities that you can do with your toddler.

Colour swatches from nature

An activity to encourage careful observation, comparison and investigation outdoors, either in your back garden or out on a walk.

Edible constructions

Bring a playful element to snack time by challenging your child’s creativity and construction skills

Scavenger hunt series

This is a simple idea that you can vary in so many ways, and practise lots of different concepts and ideas at the same time

Build a balloon-powered lego car

Build and race lego cars with this idea that invites plenty of design and engineering and encourages a variety of different possible solutions

Story time! Great stories available as audiobooks for your children

Reading books with your child is an incredibly powerful way of supporting your child’s learning. We’ve put together a list of stories that are available as audiobooks (one for each day of the week) that we think make for great listening

Ice sculpture

Playing with ice offers children a lot of potential for exploration, experimentation and physical manipulation and the fun lasts until the ice is all melted

Playdough many different ways!

A staple for play, playdough appeals to a wide range of ages and has unlimited potential for creative expression.

Edible float and sink experiment

A fun activity for predicting and experimenting as well as an opportunity to explore some complex scientific concepts, and afterwards, you get to eat the materials!

I notice, I wonder, it reminds me of…

Get outside and into nature regularly, with nature study ideas to focus your observations and learning.

Scrape painting

A simple idea for applying paint which can inspire lots of experimentation and creativity!

We’re going on a bear hunt!

Take part in a community initiative and get some exercise in the process!

Gloop!

This kind of gloop is a fascinating medium which has a unique texture, a mixture that is part liquid and part solid. Children of all ages enjoy exploring its properties, and playing with gloop is relaxing and calming.

Build a marble run using Lego

A simple activity to get started that can get kids (and adults) fired up for hours of entertainment, with endless possibilities for modification and extension!

"Sometimes we all need a little inspiration. I think that learning from each other's experiences is really helpful, so we can all move forwards together."

Bridget L, kindergarten educator

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