10 Fun and Engaging Activities in Childcare

One of the first questions that parents and guardians have when they first visit a My Ohana nursery revolves around the curriculum, i.e., how their child will spend each day at the nursery.

With a balanced approach to learning and play, we believe that the most beneficial activities for early childhood are the ones which juggle learning with fun. It could be using our outside spaces to invite discovery or choosing a book at story time that showcases an underlying message. It could even spread into snack time and lunchtime – both of which offer an opportunity to discuss nutrition and health.

By introducing learning via these indirect routes, we tend to find that messages stick and become more relatable to children. They get to bridge learning with tasks which are messy, and games which are exciting.

And it’s this foundational principle that guides all of our My Ohana activities and day plans – including these 10 popular activities that we know offer value to children in our care.

There’s a reason why bug hotels are so popular. They combine time spent outside with an introduction to the natural world, the concept of different habitats for different creatures, and an appreciation for the smallest creatures in our world.

This is transferable from winter to summer, as during the winter the ball pit can be inside while the summer months allow the pit to be moved outside and filled with water.

This activity introduces colour, counting, and invites children to be brave and dive into the balls without knowing what’s below the surface.

The children in our nurseries recently took inspiration from the Very Hungry Caterpillar – baking some delicious crumbles using the fruits in the story. Not only does baking immerse children in a hands-on activity, but this particular task brought the story to life in a new way (and created a delicious snack!)

We are big fans of movement here at My Ohana and use dance as a way to explore individuality and creativity and ignite a love for movement and exercise. Through dance, we see many children’s confidence growing and can appreciate each child’s approach to self-expression.

It also helps to burn some energy during the day!

Some of our most popular activities involve day trips and visits to various venues and destinations across the local area. We find that by taking young children to different places, we inspire different interests and help them to unlock a wealth of possibility in the world around them.

For us, local libraries, the Cheltenham racecourse, care homes, and local farms are always popular sites to visit.

From music and dance to performing our favourite books and stories, putting children in the spotlight and inviting them to create their own interpretation of something that they know and love, is a great way to build confidence and tap into their creativity.

What’s more, by inviting parents to see these performances, we help to boost the community aspect of nursery life.

Crafting is a big part of nursery life, as it gives children complete freedom to take the materials provided and put their own spin on the creation – whether it’s a piece of art, a drawing, a piece of jewellery, or something else.

From a creative perspective, this is one of the easiest and most effective activities to offer.

Fancy dress and allowing children to dress up and create their own scenarios based on characters and costumes helps to unlock their imagination. While self-expression and embracing individual spirit is a key pillar at My Ohana, we also believe in letting children imagine themselves in different roles and exploring different personas through dress-up and role play.

From fine tuning motor skills to recognising colours and learning more about the safety concerns of spending time around different and often unfamiliar plants, we are lucky to have some wonderful gardens around our nurseries and childcare centres.

We love taking the children outside during the sunny days – and the rainy ones – which is why having wet weather gear and suncream in their bags is so important!

The nursery day can feel quite full-on at times, which is why having quiet time is just as important as active play time. We like to encourage children to experience different levels of quiet time throughout the day, sometimes picking up a book and other times enjoying the peace and quiet of naptime.

Whatever quiet time looks like, making this a part of the nursery day is what helps us to achieve balance and support all personalities and needs.

Find out more about how we blend these activities and support the children in our care, day in and day out, by getting in touch with your local My Ohana nursery.