Early years
Play and learn at home: six family games
Build shared talk, noticing, early counting and turn-taking through a short everyday activity.
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Nursery practitioner
Chloe Beaven
I lead outdoor play with natural and sensory materials, watching what holds children’s attention and recording details that help the nursery team decide what to offer next.
Explore the collectionA little about me
I work as a key person in a nursery and lead outdoor play with natural and sensory materials. Children may be ready for different things on different days, so I watch for what holds their attention and what they are prepared to try next.
Observation helps me build a picture over time. A note about how a child uses a material or returns to an activity can be more useful than a broad judgement. I want to record enough detail for the team to plan, while keeping the interpretation open to the wider context.
I look for resources that support outdoor invitations and make it easy to notice what children do. A simple prompt can help me think about whether to offer another material, wait or join the play. I value practical ideas that let children explore in their own way and help adults communicate what they actually observed.
How I approach a lesson
Offer outdoor materials that invite exploration.
Notice readiness and interests without rushing a next step.
Record specific observations that can inform team planning.
Templates I'd use with my class
Explore these templates and decide what fits your own setting.
Science
Picture sequencing sheet
Order a sunflower’s life-cycle pictures and tell the story from seed to new seeds using clear plant vocabulary.
Science
Nature hunt
Notice natural features outdoors, compare textures and record an observation through talk, drawing or a safe rubbing.