EYR Blog - Early Years Resources

Understanding the core schools budget grant

Posted by EYR Team on 24th Mar 2025

In October of 2024, the government released its Autumn Budget. This detailed, amongst other things, the intended budgets and plans for spending within education. This blog breaks down the key points w … read more

10 Easter Tuff Tray Ideas

Posted by EYR Team on 17th Mar 2025

With Easter springing upon us, what better way to keep your little ones entertained than with Easter tuff tray ideas? In this blog we present a selection of 10 simple yet fun tuff tray activities tha … read more

10 Imaginative Play Activities Your Children Will Love

Posted by EYR Team on 10th Mar 2025

Children growing up in the modern world can so easily be entertained with devices and screens however there are huge benefits associated with organic creative imaginative play. In this blog we share … read more

10 Mother's Day Card Ideas for Kids

Posted by EYR Team on 3rd Mar 2025

Looking for fun and creative Mother's Day Card Ideas for kids? Interested in making one-of-a-kind handmade cards? In this blog, we share 10 easy Mother's Day card ideas to try with your litt … read more

EYFS Pancake Day Activities & Ideas

Posted by EYR Team on 24th Feb 2025

When is Pancake Day? Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Day as it is sometimes known, is a traditional feast day before the start of Lent on Ash Wednesday. Lent - the 40 days leading up … read more

EYR Budget Friendly Series: Cheap Science Activities for Kids

Posted by EYR Team on 17th Feb 2025

School budgets are tight, fact. This budget-friendly blog series will explore cost-effective solutions to teaching and share subject-specific activity ideas. This is to provide educators with simple … read more

5 Simple Activities for World Book Day

Posted by EYR Team on 10th Feb 2025

World Book Day is just around the corner and it’s the biggest celebration of its kind. We celebrate World Book Day to salute authors, books, and illustrators and to give all young children … read more

How to Promote Equality and Diversity in the Classroom

Posted by EYR Team on 3rd Feb 2025

Early childhood is a critical time for shaping a young person’s beliefs, attitudes and values. Therefore, early years settings play a crucial role in promoting equality and diversity among youn … read more

6 Easy Ramadan Crafts for Children

Posted by EYR Team on 27th Jan 2025

Introducing children to different cultures and various festivals is a great way for children to understand more about the world around us. Ramadan is one such festival that is rapidly approaching and … read more

EYR Budget Friendly Series: How to Teach Literacy on a Budget

Posted by EYR Team on 20th Jan 2025

For the second in our budget-friendly blog series, we will be exploring literacy! Specifically, we will be suggesting a variety of cost-effective solutions for you to support children’s learnin … read more

Fun Facts about the Lunar New Year 2025

Posted by EYR Team on 13th Jan 2025

This year Lunar New Year begins on January 29th, 2025, and this time it's the Year of the Snake! There are twelve zodiac animals in total, and the snake is the sixth of them. Zodiac signs are an impor … read more

How to Talk to Children about Periods

Posted by EYR Team on 6th Jan 2025

This blog has been written Hey Girls, an award winning period product social enterprise. Hey Girls have partnered with EYR as part of their longstanding mission to educate others on period poverty an … read more

5 Fun Science Experiments for Kids to Explore STEM at Home

Posted by EYR Team on 16th Dec 2024

Engaging young children in STEM experiments is a great way to explore the links between science, technology, engineering and maths using everyday materials found at home. In this blog, we’ve pu … read more

9 Chinese New Year Ideas & Activities

Posted by EYR Team on 9th Dec 2024

Chinese New Year is one of my favourite festivals and celebrations. There are lots of Chinese New Year activities you can do, and there are different ways to incorporate this festival within the … read more

7 Winter Activity Ideas for Early Years

Posted by EYR Team on 2nd Dec 2024

The changing seasons bring many new and exciting opportunities for children to learn more about the world around them by spending time outdoors in nature. Winter is also a wonderful time to try simpl … read more

DIY Christmas Tree Decorations Using Lolly Sticks

Posted by EYR Team on 25th Nov 2024

Are you looking to make your own Christmas tree decorations? You've come to the right place! Our lightweight craft lolly sticks can be transformed into a collection of seasonal ornaments. Si … read more

Advent Ideas for Children This Christmas

Posted by EYR Team on 18th Nov 2024

What is Advent? Traditionally, Advent marks the beginning of the Christian Year and takes place the four weeks before Christmas. Beginning on November 29 or the nearest Sunday. The word Adve … read more

Personalised Christmas Wrapping Paper - Festive Art and Crafts Activities

Posted by EYR Team on 11th Nov 2024

Add a personal touch to your gifts this year with Christmas wrapping paper designed by your little ones! There really is no right or wrong way of doing this hands-on craft activity and will allow chi … read more

Four Simple Christmas Nativity Wreath Crafts to Try this Year

Posted by EYR Team on 4th Nov 2024

A Christmas wreath is a very commonly recognised symbol of the festive nativity period. They are used in homes and other settings as decorations on doors, walls or tables. With so many different desi … read more

Nativity Ideas: How to Celebrate the Christmas Message with Young Children

Posted by EYR Team on 28th Oct 2024

Christmas is a traditional Christian celebration that marks the birth of Jesus Christ. The Nativity story, also known as the Christmas story, is the tale that recounts this event. In this blog, we su … read more

DIY Diwali Art: How to Create a Flower Garland & Rangoli Picture

Posted by EYR Team on 21st Oct 2024

Celebrate the Festival of Lights by creating Diwali art to display! In this blog, we show you how to make pom pom marigold flowers and colourful rangoli art with a few basic supplies. These Diwali de … read more

Outdoor Learning Benefits for Early Years - an Expert's Perspective

Posted by EYR Team on 14th Oct 2024

This article has been written by early years consultant, Anne Rodgers, from ATR Consultancy. Anne has 36 years’ experience of working in the childcare and education sector. This includes traini … read more

7 Playground Games to Encourage Physical Activity in Children

Posted by EYR Team on 7th Oct 2024

Children don't have long break times, usually between 20-30 minutes. So how can they be encouraged to use this time to do something active? We've put together a list of traditional and engaging playg … read more

Addressing Sensory Needs in the Classroom

Posted by EYR Team on 30th Sep 2024

As early years educators, it is essential to create an environment that caters to the needs of all students. By addressing sensory needs in the classroom through a holistic and whole-classroom approa … read more

What Makes a Good Outdoor Learning Environment?

Posted by EYR Team on 23rd Sep 2024

This blog has been written by Samantha Aumonier, Level 3 Forest School Leader, EYR Brand Ambassador and advocate for outdoor learning and play. To learn more about Samantha, head over to her Instagra … read more

2 Ways To Make DIY Halloween Slime

Posted by EYR Team on 16th Sep 2024

What could be better than concocting your own DIY Halloween slime with just a few ingredients? As well as being gloopy and a fun sensory experience, playing with slime has the added bonus of supporti … read more

5 Fun Gross Motor Activities For Children

Posted by EYR Team on 9th Sep 2024

This blog has been written with the help our industry expert, Helen Gill. An experienced Physiotherapist with a history working in the health, wellness and fitness industry. She has a Bac … read more

How to Improve your Learning Space

Posted by EYR Team on 2nd Sep 2024

Studies have demonstrated that students are less successful without a proper learning space. This includes behavioral or academic performance loss. In this blog we will review the importance of a pro … read more

Getting Back to School Ready - Tips and Advice

Posted by EYR Team on 26th Aug 2024

This blog post has been written by Jeanette Morris our in-house Early Years Specialist who has over 33 years of teaching experience and a real passion for Early Years Education. So, the … read more

Simple Homeschool Ideas To Make Learning Fun

Posted by EYR Team on 12th Aug 2024

Sabrina, mother and teacher from Play of the Wild, shares her favourite homeschool ideas and tips to help parents home school their children and make learning at home more fun! Home school I … read more

15 Autumn Arts and Crafts Ideas for Early Years

Posted by EYR Team on 29th Jul 2024

Get inspired by nature with 15 autumn arts and crafts ideas to try with your little ones to introduce children to the wonders of the changing seasons. Gather colourful leaves and fallen pine cones to … read more

How to Pick the Right Early Years Furniture

Posted by EYR Team on 22nd Jul 2024

The importance of choosing furniture for your nursery or early years classroom Choosing the right classroom furniture or library furniture for your nursery or early years setting … read more

Art and Craft Essentials For Early Years

Posted by EYR Team on 15th Jul 2024

Check out our handy art & craft essentials guide and get ready for fun and messy hands-on activities in your learning setting (perfect for those dreary rainy days!) In this blog, we brea … read more

Simple Storage Solutions & Hacks for your Classroom

Posted by EYR Team on 15th Jul 2024

As we all know, finding storage solutions can be a recurring nightmare for many early years settings. From classrooms and nurseries to childminders and even homeschoolers, there is always the issue o … read more

What are the Benefits of Afterschool Club?

Posted by EYR Team on 8th Jul 2024

Afterschool Club is becoming more and more common in the UK with around 60% of schools offering some form of wraparound care in 2024. Although many people do not know what to expect or understand the … read more

7 Outdoor Loose Parts Play Activity Ideas and Benefits

Posted by EYR Team on 1st Jul 2024

In this blog we are going to delve into loose parts play, specifically outdoor loose parts play. We will be discussing the value and benefits as well as sharing 7 of our favourite ways to use loose p … read more

15 Simple Minibeast Art and Craft Ideas for Early Years

Posted by EYR Team on 24th Jun 2024

Explore the amazing world of minibeasts found in habitats and ecosystems around the world with these 15 simple minibeast art and craft ideas to try in your early years setting. These activities are p … read more

20 Icebreaker Physical Education Games For Children

Posted by EYR Team on 17th Jun 2024

Icebreakers can range from games and questions to creative challenges that bring children together. In this blog, we present 20 icebreaker physical education games that can help bring shy children ou … read more

What are the benefits of Art and Crafts for Children?

Posted by EYR Team on 10th Jun 2024

Art & Crafts have tremendous developmental benefits for young children. They are, of course, great for incorporating the Expressive Arts & Design element of the EYFS, but are also vital in al … read more

How To Spend Your Primary PE and Sport Premium Effectively

Posted by EYR Team on 3rd Jun 2024

This post was last updated in May 2024. In 2023, the Department for Education pledged over £600 million across 2023-2024 & 2024-2025 for the continued Primary PE and Sp … read more

The Importance of Sand and Water Play in Early Childhood

Posted by EYR Team on 27th May 2024

What is Sand & Water Play? Sand and water are the most basic of raw materials and children can use them without being constrained by the ‘right’ way to play with either of th … read more

20 Outdoor Art Ideas for Early Years

Posted by EYR Team on 20th May 2024

Rain or shine, the opportunity to create outdoor art is always at our fingertips and offers a whole host of benefits for children's mental well-being and creativity. In this blog, we share a … read more

20 Nature Activities for Toddlers

Posted by EYR Team on 6th May 2024

If you're looking for nature activities for toddlers and early years, you've come to the right place! As technology usage has increased in our lives and in the lives of our children, it can … read more

14 Best Imaginative Play Toys for Children

Posted by EYR Team on 29th Apr 2024

Encouraging Imaginative Play is not only fun but can be essential for a child's development. In this blog we will be sharing a selection of the best imaginative play toys from various categories of i … read more

Top 30 EYFS Outdoor Activities

Posted by EYR Team on 22nd Apr 2024

As we approach summer and the weather becomes warmer, you might start to hear, “Can we have class outside today?” more and more often. However we can appreciate that it can be difficult t … read more

10 Easy Fine Motor Tuff Tray Ideas

Posted by EYR Team on 15th Apr 2024

Looking to support your little one’s fine motor skills whilst engaging in fun and playful activities? Then why not try one of our 10 fine motor tuff tray ideas? Whether you’re a parent, c … read more

9 Outdoor Classroom Ideas for Preschoolers

Posted by EYR Team on 8th Apr 2024

Outdoor Classroom Day is a global movement to inspire and celebrate outdoor learning and play. It is more than simply moving your traditional classroom lessons outdoors but instead learning from the … read more

10 Windy Day Activities For Early Years

Posted by EYR Team on 1st Apr 2024

Make playtime a breeze with these 10 windy day activities to try in your early years settings. Explore wind power with these simple low-cost activities to entertain children of all ages. Man … read more

After-School Club Ideas: 20 Innovative Activities For 2024

Posted by EYR Team on 25th Mar 2024

After-school clubs are more than just a place to go; they're a chance for children to learn, grow, and have fun outside of regular classes. In this blog, we'll share 20 creative after-school club ide … read more

10 Outstanding Classroom Display Ideas to Create An Engaging Learning Environment

Posted by EYR Team on 18th Mar 2024

Whether transforming blank walls or updating spaces for the new term, classroom display ideas can reinforce a welcoming environment for children. In this blog, we share 10 classroom display … read more

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