Nurturing Bright Futures – Working Together to Give Southend's Children the Best Start in Life

I am curious: How to help at home

Sections

  1. Supporting me to learn through play
  2. Allowing me to explore my world
  3. Encouraging me to have a go
  4. Helping me to solve problems
  5. Story and rhymes
  6. Here to help

Supporting me to learn through play

  • Fun with pretend play

Pretend play helps children explore the world and express themselves. Join in with small toys, teddies, or dress-up clothes. An empty box can become anything, you don’t need expensive toys to make believe!

  • Sharing a love for reading

It’s never too early to start reading to your little one. Talk about pictures and characters, let them turn pages, every moment can be a reading moment.

  • Nursery rhymes for learning

Nursery rhymes build language and maths skills. Try rhymes with actions, repetition and numbers, like “five little ducks” or “1, 2, 3, 4, 5, Once I Caught a Fish Alive.” Singing together boosts memory, rhythm and vocabulary. Your voice is their favourite, even before they’re born!

  • Building skills through play

Daily movement helps your child build body and brain. Use crayons, chalk and sensory experiences like sand to practice fine motor skills. For gross motor skills, encourage activities like crawling, swinging, or yoga. These movements build strength, balance and coordination, aiding skills like writing and dressing.

Allowing me to explore my world

  • Explore, play and get messy

Messy play helps children learn through touch, sight, sound and movement. Use mud, water, sand, or shredded paper with real items like pots and pans. Set up indoors or outdoors, put on old clothes and enjoy the fun. These activities support language, curiosity and brain development. Join in and enjoy the mess together!

  • Adventures in your local area

Children learn from real-world adventures. Visit places like the beach, parks, libraries, or museums. Short trips help them understand their world. Talk, answer questions and explore together. These outings build language, confidence and memories. Southend offers plenty for free-get outside and enjoy!

  • Talking about family traditions and special moments

Celebrating family traditions helps your child feel a sense of identity. Discuss birthdays, festivals and customs. Involve them in planning special times. Share stories, cook, sing, or look at photos. These moments help your child understand who they are.

  • Building confidence and celebrating uniqueness

Help your child feel proud by talking about what makes them special for example, their hair, the colour of their eyes, their hobbies. Read books that celebrate differences and discuss how everyone is unique. Feeling valued builds self-esteem and emotional security.

Encouraging me to have a go

  • Exploring with everyday items

Toys and everyday items without a set purpose spark creativity. Children love playing with things like curtain rings, boxes, or kitchen utensils. These items help them problem-solve, invent and explore. No fancy toys needed – let your child take the lead and see what they create. Just think safety first when your child plays with real things.

  • Learning from each other through play

Playdates help children learn to share, take turns and manage emotions. Short, relaxed playtimes at home, the park, or family centres allow them to negotiate and problem-solve. Stay nearby for support but let them figure things out.

  • Building confidence through practise

Children learn by practising tasks like putting on shoes or zipping up a coat. Give them time and space to try, even if it takes longer. If they get stuck, offer gentle guidance but let them try first. These moments build patience, confidence and independence.

  • Encouraging effort over perfection

Your child may not get it right the first time, but effort matters. Celebrate perseverance with phrases like “You worked hard!” or “I love how you kept trying.” This builds resilience and a love for learning.

Helping me to solve problems

  • Cooking up confidence and skills

Cooking teaches children about measuring, mixing and how things change with heat. Simple tasks like washing vegetables build early maths and science skills. It also boosts confidence, encourages bonding and promotes safety.

  • Endless fun with everyday objects

Natural and household items like flowerpots, utensils, shells and leaves spark creativity. These materials encourage counting, sorting and building in your child’s own way. With no right or wrong, each playtime is a new adventure.

  • Learning through real-life tasks

Daily tasks like shopping, cooking, or folding laundry offer plenty of learning opportunities. Let your child count apples, sort socks, or name colours and objects. These moments build language, memory and confidence while helping them feel included and capable.

  • Problem-solving fun with puzzles

Jigsaw puzzles and matching games boost memory, focus and early problemsolving skills. Start with simple puzzles and gradually increase difficulty as confidence grows. These activities encourage planning, thinking and persistence - while having fun.

Story and rhyme time

Pop along to your local library or browse Southend-on-Sea Libraries’ and reserve books online.

  • ‘Jabari Tries’ by Gaia Cornwall
  • ‘Edward Gets Messy’ by Rita Meade
  • ‘I Hear a Pickle’ by Rachel Isadora
  • ‘Look Up’ by Nathan Byron and Dapo Adeola
  • ‘My Hair’ by Hannah Lee
  • ‘Shark in the Park’ series by Nick Sharatt
  • ‘Sheep in a Jeep’ by Nancy E. Shaw
  • ‘Stuck’ by Oliver Jeffers
  • ‘Ten Black Dots’ by Donald Crews
  • ‘Ten Little Dinosaurs’ by Mike Brownlow
  • ‘That’s Not My ...’ series (Usborne feely books)
  • ‘Tilda Tries Again’ by Tom Percival
  •  ‘What Do You Do with a Problem’ by Kobi Yamada
  • ‘What’s the Time Mr Wolf’ by Debi Gliori
  • ‘You Can’t Win Them All, Rainbow Fish’ by Marcus Pfister

Follow the links to enjoy these for songs and games to enjoy together

Links to explore

Here to help

If you have any worries, concerns or just need to speak to someone, there’s lots of support both in Southend and nationally. You are not alone.

“Being a childminder provides me with the incredible privilege of supporting children to learn, feel valued, communicate, build confidence and resilience, trust and feel safe and respected. Through the provision of bespoke learning opportunities for each child we are always doing our best to stimulate each child’s holistic growth. Being able to observe and participate in each child’s individual progression is extremely rewarding and seeing the joy on the faces of such young children makes every day very special.”

Childminder