Things to do at home: 3-5 years
Nottinghamshire is a great place to bring up your family, where children can get the best possible start in life.
The information below shows all the services available for parents and carers with children, from three years old to five years old, to help you get the support you need.
15 hours funded childcare for 3 and 4-year-olds
All 3 and 4-year-olds are entitled to 15 hours of free early learning and care, over 38 weeks of the year. 30 hours of funded childcare is available for eligible working parents.
For more information please visit:
Activities and support for young children
There are lots of different activities you can try with your child, now they are older, with some funded places available. Extra support is also available, for children who need it, some of which requires a referral.
- Autumn Scavenger Hunt
- Bird Seed Ornaments
- Bug Hotel
- Den Building
- Forest School - Dream Catcher, Pine Cone Spider, Leaf and Bark Rubbings
- Forest School - Mud Dough
- Forest School- Natural Mobile
- Forest School- Natural Paint Brush
- Listening walk
- Nature Crowns or Bracelets Nature Walk Activity
- Nature ice
- Sticky Crowns
- Orange Bird Feeder
- Winter Colour Match
- Stone Art
- Ice Play
- Mud Kitchen
- Stick Flags
- Mini Beast Hotel
- Forest School Ideas
- Cone Pine Bird Feeder
- Wand Making
- Physical Play
- Outdoor Mark Making
- Outdoor play at the Park
- Easy reading - out and about
- Butterfly Feeder
- Creating Creatures
- Flower Petal Suncatchers
- Making potions
- Outdoor Summer Scavenger Hunt
- Autumn Tree Treasure Hunt
- Fruits and seeds spotter
- Summer Petal Pictures
- Box Building
- Creating a jigsaw
- Cooking and Baking with Children from CBeebies
- I Can Cook Recipes from CBeebies
- Valentines Card making
- Imaginary Play
- Sock Bowling
- Musical Pans
- Hoopla Game
- Door Hanger
- Make a 3D Butterfly
- Make your own mini-beast
- Bottle Top Castanets
- To the person I Love Card
- Make your own Rainbow
- Making Shakers
- Den Building
- Making a scrap book
- Matching up, cutting and sticking
- Sensory shell mobile
- Under the Sea
- Playdough
- Leaf Pressing
- Rice Crispy Cakes & playing shops
- Box modelling & indoor treasure hunt
- Lantern Making
- Maths at Home - Numbers and shapes are all around us. There are lots of simple ways to build your child’s confidence and understanding of numbers, shapes, space and measures in your everyday routines.
- Cardboard Tube Shakers
- Bottle Top Castanets
- Dough Disco
- Leaf Painting
- Banana Pancakes
- Sensory Play
- Mini Beasts Exploring Tub
- Taste safe finger paints
- Wool Hearts
- Ice Play
- Bubble Painting
- Play Dough
- Firework Painting
- Marble Heart Card
- Caterpillar potato masher painting
- Hand print a tulip card
- Easter Printing Potato Stamping
- Secret Letter Activity
- Rainbow streamers
- Bubble Recipe
- Super Snow
- Incy Wincy Spider - Sing and Sign
- Old MacDonald Nursery Rhyme and Sign
- Wordless Books .... a great way of sharing books and reading together, using the pictures to talk about and guess what might happen next.…
- 'Mrs Brownng has a box' Listening activity
- Christmas Salt Dough
- Low Cost No Cost Christmas Activities
- Plastic Bottle Christmas Tree
- Pom Pom Christmas Trees
- Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer - Sing and Sign
- Stick the Nose on Rudolph
- Cotton wool Snowman and hot choc
- Decorating your Christmas tree and Reindeers footprints
Preparing for school
Parents need to complete a school entry health needs assessment on behalf of their child, to identify anyone who needs extra support. This also offers advice on lifestyles, to keep your child healthy.
The primary school starting age is between 4-5. Assuming your child is starting in the September after they turn four, you’ll need to apply by January that year. The dates change slightly each year but the deadline for applications is usually early to mid-January.
Apply for a school place
Talking to your child about culture
As your child grows up they may have questions about their own heritage, culture or that of their friends. Family Lives has lots of helpful tips and advice on staying culturally connected.
Children’s centres
Nottinghamshire's Children's Centres offer a range of services for children and families with children under five. Support is available for those who need 1-1 support with their child’s development, environment, health and/or wellbeing.
Any parent to be, or with a child under 5, can use their local children’s centre. Children centres offer:
- Breastfeeding support groups
- Under ones' groups
- Stay and play groups for under 5s
Children’s Centres can also offer one to one and group support with:
- preparing for a baby
- the emotional health of your child
- helping you to play and bond
- children’s behaviour
- your child’s development, including listening and communication
- feeding your child
- increasing confidence of mums, and helping them get back into work
- domestic abuse
Communicating with your child
Get Talking provides some simple suggestions for parents on how to support your child's speech and language development
There are more resources to support parents and practitioners in helping children develop their speech and language in our Start Talking Together section
Language for Life provides advice for everyone in Nottinghamshire, to help children learn to talk and communicate.
Find out more about Language for Life
Hungry Little Minds provides some ideas for simple fun activities, for children from new-born to five, to help your child develop.
Visit the Hungry Little Minds website
Advice for parents with English as a second language
Booktrust Home Time for 4 and 5 year olds:
Looking for something fun as a family? Enjoy storytime with free online books and videos, play games, win prizes, test your knowledge in our book-themed quizzes, or even learn how to draw some of your favourite characters.
Please note: This site sometimes links to third party sites, including YouTube, so children should not use HomeTime unsupervised.
Visit Home Time for 4 and 5 year olds
Words for Life by the National Literacy Trust
Provides parents, children and young people with activities and support to improve their language, literacy and communication skills from home. With age suitable activities to encourage chat, play, read, watch, listen, write and make.
Visit Words for Life for 3-4 years and Visit Words for Life for 5-8 years
Talking to your child about culture
As your child grows up they may have questions about their own heritage, culture or that of their friends. Family Lives has lots of helpful tips and advice on staying culturally connected.
Visit the Start Talking Together section of Notts Help Yourself
Find age appropriate advice and guidance on speech, language and communication needs.
Small Steps: challenging behaviour in children
Small Steps provides support for families with children who may have Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder), or behaviour indicative of these conditions
Notts Help Yourself
Notts Help Yourself is a great place to help you find information about a whole range of organisations and services, including:
- activities, groups and events in your local community
- childcare providers
- support for children and young people aged 0 – 25 with a special educational need and / or a disability
- health and social care information and support for adults and children
- workplace health schemes.
Community groups in your area can support your child through play, development and learning. You can take part in local parent and toddler groups, swimming groups, informal parenting groups, and messy play.
Inspire Libraries
Our Inspire libraries offer a range of activities for parents and children, including rhyme times, singing, storytelling, reading challenges, and more. Our libraries also offer a wide range of books to delight, inspire and encourage a love of reading and learning in children.
Activities and events run throughout the year to promote reading, and children of any age are welcome. It’s free to join the library and borrow books.
Inspire libraries: children and families
Bookstart
The Bookstart Treasure Gift is for children aged 3-4, and contains a picture book, advice on sharing books and gift envelope:
Childcare: nurseries and childminders
Day Nurseries and childminders care for children from 6 weeks old. Day nurseries provide full day care for children aged 0-5 years old.
Each nursery will have separate rooms for different age groups, which contain age appropriate toys, and equipment.
Childminders are self-employed childcare professionals working in their own home. Childminders can usually care for a maximum of six children under 8 years old. They are inspected and regulated by Ofsted.
Each Childminder may offer different opening times, and many can be flexible to cater for your needs by sometimes offering childcare in the evening, or even overnight care. Many childminders can offer funded childcare places for 2, 3, and 4-year-old children.
Find out more about childcare choices on Notts Help Yourself website.
The healthy family team
The healthy family team provide support to mum’s with children under 5, offering them support, where needed, with physical and mental health, feeding, behaviour, toilet training, attachment and relationships.
Some three-year-old children may be offered a review, where this is needed, if the child needs additional support.
Parents are given a record after the birth of their child, often called ‘the Red Book’. This book has important information about the baby’s health and development and includes advice and people to call for support.
You can contact the healthy family team using the advice line
Mental health, domestic abuse, substance misuse, support and advice
Family lives, which used to be known as Parentline, offers a confidential helpline, text message and email service for parents in England and Wales with children under 5.
Visit Family Lives website for contact details
Information and advice for parents of all ages from babies to young adults.
If you're worried about your child's behaviour or mental health and not sure what's normal ? Or wondering whether to see your GP? Or you've been referred to specialist services but there is a long wait ..... or perhaps you've been told the problem isn't quite serious enough to be referred. Then this website can provide you with some support, visit the pages for parents of preschool children and primary school children:
www.happymaps.co.uk/primaryschool
Relationships
Disagreements and arguments are a natural part of relationships, for help take a look at: Nottshelpyourself | Relationships Really Matter:
Free online course available:Nottshelpyourself | Relationships Really Matter: 2. Things to Do
People living with domestic abuse
For many women pregnancy is a time of happiness and anticipation, but pregnancy can also be a risk factor for domestic abuse. One in four women experiences domestic abuse or domestic violence at some point in their lives, this may be physical, sexual, emotional or psychological abuse. For more information see: NHS Domestic abuse in pregnancy.
For local nformation across Nottinghamshire see: Domestic abuse and sexual violence support | Nottinghamshire County Council
Other organisations who offer support and help
Home Start
Home-Start is a local community network of trained volunteers and expert support helping families with young children through challenging times.
https://www.home-start.org.uk/contact
Substance misuse
Alcohol and drugs misuse: help and support
Autism East Midlands
AEM offers support and information for families and individuals, play and leisure services, outreach, and training for parents and carers
Children with Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND)
The Local SEND offer brings together useful information across education, health and social care within one website, for children with special educational needs and disability
- Local SEND offer
- Support for children with SEND in the community
- Schools and families specialist services
TailfeatherTV You tube channel for SEN Early Years Children
It has been co-written and is presented by young adults with learning disabilities especially for babies, toddlers and young children.
TailfeatherTV episodes each have a different theme and are presented in an App-Style format.
Viewers are taken into the 'main screen' to meet 5 lovable characters who represent a different fun area for children to explore:
Dance, Sing, Sign, Learn, and Play....
Co-written and presented by brilliantly talented young adults with learning disabilities including dancer, Andrew Self (The Greatest Dancer 2019, Mencap Boogie-thon 2020, BBC Breakfast 2020, BBC Radio2 Michael Ball Show 2020), TailfeatherTV is UNIQUE and paves the way for inclusion and diversity in broadcasting
The TailfeatherTV team hope to engage, excite and inspire young minds
Click Here for to start watching our episodes