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Jennifer Childminding best practice

25 Childminding Topics to Explore in the Summer

A good way of using topics to plan your work is to plan topics that help reflect the changing of the seasons. Are you looking for some good topics to explore with children in Summer? Here are some ideas:

Well-loved Themes

  1. At the Seaside. Children can explore traditional seaside activities such as sandcastle making, or take a more scientific approach and learn about the natural environment of the seaside. Have a look at the Forest Childcare Association A-Z of the Seashore for loads of inspiration.

2. Going on Holiday. Children can be fascinated by the idea of going on holiday, especially if it involves a ride on an aeroplane! For lots of ‘Going on Holiday’ ideas and resources check out this Childminding Best Practice ‘Going on Holiday’ Toolkit

3. Teddy Bear’s Picnic. Pack sandwiches and your teddies and have a picnic!

Science base themes

4. Butterflies. Butterflies like warm sunny days so Summer is an ideal time to explore this topic.

5. Sunflowers. Explore the life cycle of this cheerful flower.

6.. Summer Wild Flowers. You do not necessarily have to go far to find wild flowers in summer. If you have a lawn simply leave part of it uncut and see what grows. Common Summer wild flowers include buttercups, honeysuckle, poppies and clover.

7. Seashells. This links in well with an ‘At the Seaside,’ but can give it a more scientific or maths based slant. Why not borrow books from the library and see how many different types of shell you can find and identify.

8. Fruits and Vegetables. It can be great fun growing fruits and vegetables with your children. Have a look at this post to help get you started:

10 easy vegetables, fruits and herbs for childminders to grow with children

9. Sharks. Have you ever been to the seaside and found a mermaid’s purse? These are the egg cases laid by different types of sharks, skates and chimaeras (a type of fish). One of the common ones to find belong to dog-fish, a small type of shark which is native to Britain. Why not learn about sharks, how they are threatened by humans and what we can do to protect them. Shark Awareness Day is on the 14th of July each year.

10. Desert Animals. No, not dessert animals (that is a whole different theme!) Learn about animals that live in hot deserts, like camels, dingoes and rattlesnakes.

11. Tropical Rainforests. All sorts of exciting creatures live in tropical rainforests making them a fun topic to explore. World Rainforest Day is on the 22nd of June which makes it a good day to explore this topic.

12. Freezing and Melting. Explore how different things freeze and melt. This is also a good topic to revisit in the winter.

Some different ideas

13. Ice-cream. Why not set up an ice-cream shop role play corner, have a go at making ice-cream and make ice-cream inspired art work!

14. Pirates. Children can build pirate ships in the garden, dress up and re-enact pirate themed stories. This theme is a great one to help children use their imaginations.

15. At the Zoo. Even if you normally only do small, local outings, it can be fun to hold an larger annual outing for the children. You can even invite the children’s families along and make it a properly big event. Visiting a zoo and seeing all the animals always goes down well with the children and makes a fantastic basis for a topic to explore later in your setting too.

16. Camping. Make ‘tents’ in the garden using a clothes horse and sheets. Children can learn about what they might need to pack for a camping trip and have a go at making some camping food.

17. Harvest. This is a nice food based topic to explore at the end of summer. Learn about different foods and maybe arrange a collection for your local food bank to help celebrate harvest.

18. Little Red Hen. The Little Red Hen grows wheat and makes bread in this traditional tale. It is a good story to explore at the end of summer when you can see harvesters in the fields gathering wheat.

19. Sports Day. This is a great physical development topic. Why not practise for and then hold a special sports day of your own.

20. Under the Sea. There are so many directions you could explore with an ‘Under the Sea’ theme. You can explore in a scientific way and learn about sea creatures or will you decide to let your imaginations run free and come up with stories of sea monsters and mermaids!

21. Australia. Older children are often fascinated by the idea of it being Winter somewhere when it is Summer at home in our country. Why not look for Australia using a map or globe and then learn all about the different animals that live there.

Some fun events to explore in Summer:

22. 29th of June: International Mud Day

23. The first Sunday of July: Build a Scarecrow Day

24. 20th of July: World Jump Day

25. 16th of August: International Geocaching Day

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Jennifer Childminding best practice

Are you an ‘old fashioned’ childminder? (and how can this be a good thing?)

Did anyone else have a friend that posted toast into their families beloved VHS player?!
Did anyone else have a friend that posted toast into their families beloved VHS player?!

The ‘average’ childminder is now most likely to be in their late forties or early fifties, placing them in what is popularly known as Generation X. (Sounds like something out of a Bond film, doesn’t it!) There is something unique about this generation, especially people born between 1977 and 1983, who belong to a micro generation called Xennials. People born in these years, including myself, spent most of their childhood without digital technology. For example we had landlines, we watched movies on VHS tapes rented from blockbuster and maybe, if we were lucky, had a basic computer – does anyone else remember the Sinclair Spectrum?

There was no internet or mobile phones. If you wanted to meet up with friends you had to make plans about where and when to meet and stick to them. However, this generation is also young enough remember the change from analog to digital technology. For example, I remember that in my first year of university only one person had a mobile phone and you could still submit handwritten essays. By my third year everyone had a mobile phone and essays had to be typed and printed out on the university computers.

What on earth has this got to do with childminding? . . .

I think it is important because it means the ‘average’ childminder is of an age where they can see the benefits of new technology whilst also being old enough to remember the old ways of doing things. This means they recognise that using new technology is not always necessary or even the best solution to a problem. This is especially relevant now that the effects of too much screen time and the negative impact that some technologies can have on children is becoming more apparent. If you are old enough to remember the analog age and to have seen technology trends come and go I think you are also less likely to adopt new technologies just for the sake of it, as, why reinvent something if the old way still works perfectly well, if not better?

‘Old fashioned’ childminders support ‘slow but more meaningful learning’.

The EYFS is about building foundations for learning. In my mind that means helping children gain a deep understanding of the core principles rather than rushing them quickly through tick lists of developmental achievements. When it comes to helping children explore a new subject they are interested in, being an ‘old fashioned’ childminder has its benefits. The internet is a wonderful way of finding out lots of information quickly at the touch of a button but there are advantages to teaching children to also use ‘old fashioned’ methods such as looking for information in a book at the library. This teaches them that there are different ways to solve a problem and to learn how to have patience when learning something new rather than expecting an instant solution. Using printed books also helps children concentrate better, meaning they are more likely to remember what they have learned.

‘Old fashioned’ childminders read real books to their children instead of relying solely on stories kept on digital devices.

Reading actual physical books to children has so many benefits:

Sharing printed books is essential for helping children develop good early literacy habits. According to recent reports around a third of children starting Reception do not know how to use a book properly and some even try to swipe or tap the text in the same way they would interact with a screen. By providing books your children begin to understand how they work: how to turn pages, that English is read front to back, left to right, page by page. These basic concepts are important foundations for learning to read independently.

Physical books help children build stronger focus and attention. Unlike screens, printed pages do not contain pop-ups, animations, or other distractions, which allows children to concentrate more fully on the story and the person reading with them.

Physical books can also support better comprehension and memory. Children often find it easier to remember events in a story when they can connect them to the physical layout of the book, such as where something appeared on a page or how far they were through the story.

Another important benefit is sensory engagement. Young children learn through touch as well as sight and sound, and handling a book—feeling the pages, opening the cover, and turning each page—adds a tactile experience that supports early learning.

In addition, physical books reduce screen exposure. For many families, reading printed books is a simple way to create calm, screen-free time, especially before bed, when reducing blue light and digital stimulation can support better sleep.

Finally, having plenty of accessible books in your setting helps create a reading culture. When children see books around them and can easily pick them up, they are more likely to view reading as a normal, enjoyable part of everyday life.

Playing with a traditional train set helps children develop skills such as fine motor skills, problem solving, creativity, role play, imagination and co-operation skills.

‘Old fashioned’ childminders know the value that traditional toys bring and are not afraid to use them.

Old fashioned childminders do not rely on ‘exciting’ technology that instantly captures children’s attention but used unwisely is actually very harmful in the long term. Instead they use physical resources such as blocks, jigsaw puzzles, crayons, playdough, and books. Young children learn best through touching, moving, and exploring, so these methods support natural development.

‘Old fashioned’ childminders know to take beautiful images on social media with a pinch of salt.

If you consider yourself an ‘old fashioned’ childminder you may be less pressured by beautiful images on social media to feel that you constantly have to provide visually appealing but time-consuming set ups and activities for your children. Of course, it is fun to occasionally go all out, for example, spending time creating beautiful tuff trays for your children to play with. However, ‘old fashioned’ childminders look at these images and realise that a beautiful activity may not have any more learning value than a much simpler set up, and in some cases, less. For example, I myself enjoy occasionally setting up themed tuff trays such as a land of dinosaurs complete with dyed chick peas as rocks, tin foil rivers and playdough volcanos, complete with gloopy lava. However, these take a long time to set up and the children get just as much fun and learning from taking the toy dinosaurs outside and exploring, using their dinosaurs to create prehistoric stories in the mud and sand readily available in the garden!

‘Old fashioned’ childminders know that less is often more.

Sometimes less really is more. Old fashioned childminders limit the amount of resources they provide children at any one time. They also dislike closed end toys with things like buttons that children press that mean a toy performs a special action (but not a lot else.) They prefer to provide more open-ended resources and activities, activities which support imagination and problem-solving. For example activities like drawing, story telling and pretend play as well as creative games and role play.

Old fashioned childminders writing reports using their own words instead of relying completely on AI.

I admit, if I get stuck when writing I use AI writing tools to help me think how to phrase something or make something easier to understand. However, I treat it like a clever assistant who can come up with ideas to inspire my own writing, rather than just cutting and pasting AI suggestions straight into my newsletters or blogs. When you read what I have written you are getting a little piece of me, not a computer. I think this personal touch is really important. This includes times when you have to use writing to communicate with your childminding families.

I remember back in the dark ages when I was teaching that I had to write a class full of reports using a report writing system the school had invested in. To create the reports you had to choose from a selection of statements on each subject, choosing whichever statement best fitted the child you were writing about. However, this meant that, a lot of the time, the statement didn’t really accurately describe the child. The resulting reports felt impersonal, and in some cases, not entirely accurate. If you use AI unwisely to help you write things like your Progress Check at Age Two there is a danger that you will get the same effect but to a much greater degree. Yes, use technology to help if you get stuck with how to phrase something, but remember, apart from the child’s parents, you are the one that knows the child best and parents will want to hear the real you.

‘Old fashioned’ and effective childminders know that maintaining a balance is important:

Although I talked about childminders from Generation X at the start of this article being an ‘old fashioned’ childminder is actually a state of mind. It doesn’t really matter what age you are. It is also important to not be too old fashioned and completely reject modern technology or research.  Old fashioned methods work best when they are combined and adapted according to the latest research on child development and used alongside well thought out approaches to technology. Don’t throw away your computer or mobile phone away just yet, but next time you feel like you are not doing enough when you ‘just’ offer your children traditional activities, remember, this is probably a lot more beneficial than you give yourself credit for!

Do you consider yourself an ‘old fashioned’ childminder?

Is there anything that you do that people may consider ‘old fashioned’ but is actually extremely beneficial for the children – and yourself. Let me know in the comments below.

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If you enjoyed this you may also like:

My Childminding Curriculum Part One – Continuous Provision.

I think a lot about the curriculum I am providing my childminding children. As an Ofsted registered childminder I am bound by the statutory learning requirements of the EYFS to offer learning experiences and opportunities under the seven areas of learning. However, I feel it is both my duty and privilege to to explore the world with each individual child I care for, seeing it through their eyes, providing experiences that excite them, truly help them grow and go further than the short descriptions in the EYFS bind us to.

Read the full blog here:

The Role of CONTINUOUS PROVISION

Jennifer Childminding best practice

The Four Stages of the Graduated Approach Explained for Childminders

If you have read the Early Years Inspection Toolkit you may have noticed that something called the ‘graduated approach’ is mentioned in the ‘Inclusion’ section.

‘Leaders and practitioners use the ‘graduated approach’ (a continuous cycle of ‘assess, plan, do and review’), which helps to ensure that children receive an appropriate level of support and meets children’s needs, and practitioners receive suitable training and support to implement it.’ Early Years Inspection Toolkit 2025 Page 12.

But, what is the ‘graduated approach?’

The graduated approach is a four stage cycle designed to help support children with special needs. It consists of four stages:

  • Assess
  • Plan
  • Do
  • Review

Assess:

This part of the cycle is the stage when a child’s development is assessed to find where they are experiencing difficulties or barriers to learning. This assessment involves gathering information from different sources, including:

  • observations completed by the childminder,
  • information shared by parents,
  • information and opinions from other professionals who work with the child, such as health visitors or practitioners in a shared setting,
  • other sources of information such as records held about the child.

The gathered information is then used to plan the right support for the child so that it matches their needs.

For example:

A child’s childminder notices that they appear to have trouble saying certain words. She observes carefully, writing down exactly how the child speaks. She then talks to the parents to see if they have noticed anything at home. The parents have noticed that the child’s speech is sometimes unclear but have thought no further about it. Once the information is gathered it is clearer that the child is struggling identifying and pronouncing ‘s’ and ‘t’ sounds. The childminder compares this information to information held on the speech sounds children are expected to be able to use at the child’s age and this shows that child has a delay in this area.

Plan:

The planning part of the cycle involves planning what support will be put in place to benefit the child. It involves everyone involved with the child, such as the SENCO (in childminding settings this is, by default, the childminder), parents, specialists, and, of course, the child themselves. The plan includes what support will be put in place in the setting and what parents agree to do with the child at home. It also includes the outcomes the support is expected to achieve and timescales for assessing whether the support has been effective.

For example:

Following the observations done by the child’s childminder during the ‘assess’ part of the approach, a child appears to be struggling with the pronunciation of the ‘s’ sound. The childminder, parents and child’s key worker get together and agree to some simple exercises for the child to take part in in the setting and for the parents to support by repeating at home.  It is agreed that the first target should be for the child to listen carefully and be able to start identifying the ‘s’ sound in words they hear. The childminder also works with the parents to get the child referred for a hearing test to rule out any hearing problems. A timetable of six weeks is put in place to review whether the support has had any effect.

Do:

This stage of the process involves putting the planned support into practice. It is down to the childminder or the childminders assistants if they are the child’s key worker, and the parents to implement the support on a day-to-day basis with the child. The childminder and any specialists involved help by tracking the child’s progress to check that the support being provided is appropriate.

For example:

The childminder reads special stories with lots of ‘s’ words in with the child and asks them to listen carefully for the ‘s’ at the beginning of the words. The stories are also sent home for parents to share with the child there.

Review:

At the end of the agreed period of support the review process takes place. This involves deciding together, whether the support has had a positive impact with the outcomes being achieved, or if the desired progress has not been made, meaning changes need to be made. The review process should be a positive one involving everyone involved but focussing on the child as an individual. The child should have a voice in the process and the language used should be clear enough for the child and their parents to understand. The child should be able to talk about what they have done, achieved and enjoyed, or, if they are very young, the person that knows them best voices this for them. The review should decide what support needs to be put in place moving forward, for example, another cycle of the graduated approach, a move to sourcing additional support, or if the support has worked, moving back to no additional support needed.

For example:

At the end of six weeks, the child and their parents get together with the childminder to see if the support helping them to recognise ‘s’ sounds has been successful. The parents report that the child enjoyed joining in with the stories at home and the child says they liked the ‘Silly Snake’ story the best. The child’s key worker reports that the child is now able to recognise the ‘s’ sound four times out of five so the support has been a success. However, the child needs further support with the ‘t’ sound so it agreed to put another cycle of support in place with strategies that will build on what had already been achieved, before reviewing it again.

Note: When working with early years children one cycle of the graduated approach should be no longer than six weeks. Working through two or three cycles of the graduated approach should enable you to see if the support you have but in place is enough to help the child, or if you need to approach other professionals for additional support. It also means that if you do have to ask for help from other professionals, you have started to gather some good evidence of the child’s needs.

Welly Wren resources that can help you assess and record children’s development

Development Records

The front cover of the Welly Wren Development Record age Birth - 12 months.

These new Development Record will help you record and celebrate children’s progress and share it with their parents on a regular basis. It allows you to record more detail than a tracker, with space to record comments of notes under different development stages but is not as complicated or as time consuming as creating a learning journal.

Each Development Record is set out with sections for each of the Prime and Specific Areas of Learning as well as sections to record the child’s Characteristics of Effective Learning.

There is an introduction and tips for the childminder and information about the record to share with parents to help encourage effective working in partnership.

GET THE DEVELOPMENT RECORDS

Progress Check at Age Two pack

It is a legal requirement to complete a progress check for any children in your care when they are aged between two and three years old. This pack is an essential childminding resource which guides and supports you through the whole process, ensuring that you are fulfilling all of your statutory duties while getting the most value out of the check or both you and your families.

Completing the check properly is not just a case of copying some development statements onto a piece of paper and giving it to the child’s parents. The pack fully guides you through a five step process making sure you are doing things correctly. From help on how to write a accurate and useful report, to working with parents and other professionals and finally putting into place actions generated by the report.

The pack contains all the resources you need, including templates, report samples for children at different levels of development, and information and information sharing guidance and resources.

This pack is complemented by the new Development Records, in particular the Age 24 – 36 months Development Record.

Get the progress check pack

Jennifer Childminding best practice, Childminding Inspection Tips

How is your childminding curriculum unique to you?

(This blog started life as a segment in one of my weekly Childminding Best Practice Newsletters. If you would like to subscribe to the free newsletters click here.)

I heard an interesting question from an Ofsted Inspector the other day which I thought was useful to share with you: ‘How is your curriculum unique to you?’

By now it is no surprise to hear that you will be asked about your curriculum when you are inspected but I thought this question was a bit different and it made me stop and think. How would you answer this if you were asked? There are lots of things that you might do that makes your curriculum unique to you. For example, you might be a Forest Childcare Association member or even have Forest School training and have a specific focus on learning in a natural, outdoor environment. You might follow a particular pedagogy, for example running a Montessori or Reggio Emilia inspired setting. Maybe you have a passion for music and dance and weave that through the children’s learning. You may do none of these things! Here is what I would say about my own curriculum:

A young child learning about penguins while also developing spatial reasoning while playing with a homemade jigsaw.
Learning about penguins while also developing spatial reasoning and concentration skills while playing with a homemade jigsaw.

I am neither an exclusively child led, nor adult led setting. Instead, I like to think of myself as a child inspired setting. I carefully observe the children to work out what their deep interests are and then use that information to help plan learning opportunities.

By deep interests I do not mean things like a passion for dinosaurs or an interest in unicorns, (although I will certainly plan activities around these interests too!) but rather things like whether a child is exhibiting a certain schema or has reached a stage of development. Which, in my long experience, every child goes through. For example, a child may have schema such as a connecting and disconnecting schema, in which case I might do something like provide lots of jigsaws, including making jigsaws related to a topic we are exploring. Or a child may have reached what I like to think of as the ‘posting’ stage of life, in which case I provide lots of different objects to post into different holes so the child can explore shape.

Think about: Do you consider yourself a child-led or adult-led setting? Or maybe you are a balance of both?

I feel that promoting each child’s characteristics of effective learning is an important part of my curriculum. I want to help each child develop a love of learning and a drive to curiously explore the world around them, something which will hopefully remain with them for life! Therefore, I make sure to provide opportunities and experiences for children to play and explore independently, time and space to become deeply engrossed in their activities and learning, and support and encouragement for children to think carefully and create their own ideas.

A baby playing with loose parts. Seeds and lentils with containers and scoops. This is a great activity to help young children develop the characteristics of effective learning.
A baby playing with loose parts including seeds and lentils with containers and wooden scoops and trays. This is a great activity to help young children develop the characteristics of effective learning.

(Think about: How do you promote the characteristics of effective learning in your setting?)

I have great relationships with the children’s parents, and we share lots of information about what children are learning both at home and in my setting. We do this both informally and formally, for example by using resources such as parent questionnaire’s and ‘All About Me‘ forms which I make sure we update regularly. I plan and share activity ideas with parents based on this shared information which means that my curriculum covers the child’s learning at home too. This does not need to be complicated. For example, the other day I shared some ideas for encouraging a child to take part in more mark making which prompted a parent to remember some of their older child’s old mark making toys which they had in the loft!

I use special development records to enable me to jot notes about each child’s learning and development over all areas of learning as well as the characteristics of essential learning. These records also include additional special things that I want children to learn or experience in my setting so that I can record these too.

The development records also highlight key development markers so I can ensure each child’s development is within the normal range. This enables me to quickly spot any areas of concern and put extra support in place. (If I am concerned about a child, I also use a special ‘Gap Tracker‘ to highlight areas of concern and which contains information about extra sources of support which I can share with parents.)

(Think about: How do you keep track of or record children’s learning? Do you use my new Development Records? If you do, have you added any special things that you want children to learn in your setting? Tip – There is space for you to write these on your development records so that they become unique to your children and setting.)

I hope you found this helpful. Have a think about your own curriculum and how it is unique to you. Then if you get asked by an inspector you will have plenty to talk about!

If you would like to use them too here are some of the resources I have mentioned. I use these in my own setting so have genuinely designed and road tested them to be as helpful as possible!

Characteristics of Effective Learning Pack  

characteristics of effective learning for childminders

The Characteristics of Effective Learning (COEL) are in many ways, more important than many of the Learning and Development goals. They are the characteristics that set children up to become successful learners for life. This affects how well children perform in school and even how successful they will be as adults. But, what does ‘playing and exploring’, ‘active learning’ or ‘creating and thinking critically’ actually mean that you are supposed to do?   This pack contains information about the Characteristics of Effective Learning, broken down in a way that is easy to absorb, as well as business tools, printable posters and activities.  

Characteristics of effective learning pack

Development Records

These Development Records will help you record and celebrate children’s progress and share it with their parents on a regular basis. It allows you to record more detail than a tracker, with space to record comments of notes under different development stages but is not as complicated or as time consuming as creating a learning journal.   The Development Record is set out with sections for each of the Prime and Specific Areas of Learning as well as sections to record the child’s Characteristics of Effective Learning.   There is an introduction and tips for the childminder and information about the record to share with parents to help encourage effective working in partnership.   There are different Development Records. The link below will take you to the 18 – 24 month record but the other records are connected to this one so you can find them easily.  

Development Record for 18 – 24 months

Forest Childcare Association Membership

Forest Childcare Association Logo

The Forest Childcare Association is a best practice initiative for childcare providers who want to demonstrate their commitment to taking small children outdoors on a regular basis. By making a commitment to regular outdoor outings you can make a discernible difference to your children AND your business. When you join you will receive a Forest Childcare Starter Pack containing training information as well as business tools, a certificate to display and 50 Crafts and Activities to get you started.

Forest Childcare Association Membership

Learning About Frogs Topic Pack:  

This science based topic pack contains:  

Lots of fun and engaging activities aimed at children from one to five years old, all designed to help your children learn the main facts about frogs. Each activity comes with information about what the activity aims at helping children learn, full instructions and ‘I Can’ statements for you to assess each child’s learning.   Learn all about frogs with your children. Learn about:  

A fun resource pack with ideas for exploring a 'frog' topic with young children.

1) What a frog is and what frogs look like.

2) How frogs move.

3) What frogs eat.

4) The frog life cycle.

5) Frog maths!  

With lots of fun ideas, activities and resources aimed at children from one to five years old.  

Learning About Frogs Topic pACK
Jennifer Childminding best practice

2026 Childminding Best Practice Club Toolkit Themes

What are the Childminding Best Practice toolkits?

Part childminding magazine, part activity and resources pack, part training resource the monthly Childminding Best Practice Club toolkits contain something for everyone.

The following will give you a good idea of the main things which will be covered in each toolkit in 2026.

This year I have deliberately not set CPD modules for every month. I have lots of ideas in mind but want to have the flexibility to react to events and provide help when members need it most.

(Please be aware that some themes or content may be subject to change, especially in toolkits published later in the year.)

January 2026

This January Childminding Best Practice Club members will be learning all about ‘Owls‘ with their children. After working for the World Owl Trust for almost ten years this is a topic close to my heart and will be great fun to explore! Children will learn:

  • What is an owl?
  • When are owls active?
  • What do owls eat?
  • Where do owls live?
  • Different species of native owl that live in Britain.

Children will also find out about World Braille Day which is on the 4th of January, and a little bit about what it is like for children who are blind or who cannot see very well.

As part of your CPD, this January we will be looking at ‘What is Montessori?’ and how you can successfully incorporate some Montessori inspired methods in your own setting.

February 2026

2026 is the Chinese Year of the Horse and Club members will be joining in with a ‘Chinese New Year‘ theme. Children will:

  • Explore and learn about some of the things associated with Chinese New Year.
  • Learn a traditional Chinese New Year nursery rhyme.
  • Play some Chinese new year shape games.
  • Chinese New Year messy play!

As well as all the Chinese New Year fun children will learn a special rhyme to help keep them safe on the internet, as part of ‘Safer Internet Day‘ on February the 7th.

Now that the new inspection system is properly up and running the CPD for February will focus on looking at some recent Ofsted inspection recommendations,

March 2026

Spring into March with all things Easter and the Childminding Best Practice Club! This month the toolkit takes on an ‘Easter‘ theme with lots of Easter themed activities crafts and games to help children practice skills like:

  • Fine motor skills such as threading, drawing and mark making.
  • Maths skills such as counting and pattern matching.
  • Creative skills.

March is a very busy month for special celebrations so there will also be activities to help you and your children learn about and celebrate St Patrick’s Day on the 17th of March and Mother’s Day on the the 15th of March.

As well as being a month full of celebrations March is the end of the tax year. With this in mind members will receive CPD with tips and advice about completing their yearly accounts. This is a popular module each year and will be updated with all the necessary 2026 information.

April 2026

St George gallops in on his noble steed to save the day in April! There has never been toolkit fully dedicated to St George’s Day so this year I thought we would change that. Children will learn about the about the story of St George and the dragon, some of the sorts of values St George stands for, and all about being a knight! Activities will include:

  • Re-enact the story with some St George and the Dragon puppets.
  • Make a healthy St George’s Day snack.
  • Make or build a castle fit for a knight!

The 22nd of April is ‘Earth Day‘ so the toolkit will also have a special Earth Day activity to help you and your children mark the occasion, learning about how and why it is important to protect our home – the planet Earth.

The April CPD module will be announced later.

May 2026

As we move properly into Spring, Club members and their children will be learning all about ‘Ladybirds’. Learn all about these cute little garden helpers with activities like:

  • Ladybird arts and crafts.
  • Ladybird themed counting games.
  • Make a ladybird life cycle craft.
  • Help the ladybirds in your garden by making a special ladybird house.

May the 15th is the International Day of Families. To help you explore the different types of families with your children the toolkit will contain special resources for you to print and use.

The May CPD module will be announced later.

June 2026

This month’s toolkit will appeal to footie fans as we explore a FIFA World Cup theme! Children will learn about some of the countries taking part, have a go at designing their own football kit and practise their own football skills!

June the 8th is World Ocean Day. There will be a special ‘ocean animals’ recycled art activity to help children learn about the importance of looking after our oceans.

The June CPD module will be announced later.

July 2026

Hopefully as the days get longer the sun will put in an appearance when we explore a ‘Light and Shadows‘ topic. My own little ones are always fascinated when they realise they have a shadow so this science based topic will hopefully be a hit! We will look at shadows and silhouettes, have a go at making shadow puppets and create colourful creations for the light to shine through.

The July the United States of America is turning 250 years old! Help mark the occasion by making a special, ‘Happy Birthday America,’ card.

The CPD for July will focus on looking at some more recent Ofsted inspection recommendations.

August 2026

What better way to celebrate Summer than a ‘Sunflowers’ theme? If you intend to grown sunflowers in Summer 2026 this toolkit will be the ideal resource to supplement your children’s learning. Children will do things like:

  • Explore the parts of a sunflower and learn new vocabulary like ‘stem,’ seed’ and ‘flower.’
  • Learn about the life cycle of a sunflower – from seed to flower
  • Learn and practice maths skills with resources like sunflower pattern and symmetry activities and sunflower measuring games and challenges.
  • Take part in some sunflower themed arts and crafts.

This August learn a traditional Nigerian Folktale about ‘Why the Sun and Moon Live in the Sky,’ and make some sun and moon crafts to complement the story.

The August CPD module will be announced later.

September 2026

Each year we explore a different ‘traditional tale’ in at least one toolkit. This year we will be looking at the story of ‘The Ugly Duckling.’ Children will learn the basics of the story, taking part in activities and making props to be able to retell the story in their own way. They will learn what a swan is and have a go at a swan craft and will be encouraged to think of the morals of the story – that it is unkind to call people names and that you should value yourself, no matter what you look like.

It is Talk Like a Pirate Day on the 19th of September. To help you join in with this fun and silly occasion the toolkit will have healthy ‘pirate’ themed snacks for you and the children to make and enjoy.

The September CPD module will be announced later.

October 2026

What combines maths, literacy and Halloween? A ‘Five Little Pumpkins’ themed toolkit of course! Children will explore this fun Halloween rhyme while practising their maths skills with activities and resources like pumpkin puppets to make and use to learn the rhyme, pumpkin based sensory play and craft activities and plenty of pumpkin themed resources to complement your children’s learning.

The 10th of October is World Mental Health Day. This month’s toolkit will have ideas for how you and your children can make special ‘calm’ jars, to help them understand and regulate their emotions.

The October CPD module will be announced later.

November 2026

Nee naw, nee naw! To complement the November 2025 ‘firefighters’ toolkit this November we will be learning all about, ‘People That Help Us – Police.’ Children will learn about what police officers do and how they help us as well as which number to call in an emergency. There will be fun arts and crafts to do and other police themed resources and activities.

November the 11th is Remembrance Day. To help you and your children mark the occasion in a sensitive, child friendly way the toolkit will feature a special child friendly Remembrance Day poem to decorate as part of a special fine motor activity.

The CPD module this November will help you look forward to the next year and create an action plan for 2027.

December 2026

To help you have a calm and successful December this years toolkit will be full of ‘Christmas Presents‘ themed resources and ideas to help children with lots of different areas of learning.

As well as Christmas the Jewish festival of Hanukkah takes place this December. To help you learn about this important Jewish celebration there is a special activity for you and your children to enjoy.

The December CPD module will be announced later.

If you are not already a member you can join the Club now, making sure that you get all of these great Childminding toolkits. When you join you will also receive a special ‘New Members Welcome Pack,’ AND a special Club account entitling you to 25% off any Welly Wren resources you buy during the course of your membership.*

Membership is amazing value at just £35 a year which is less than £3 a toolkit.

JOIN THE cHILDMINDING BEST PRACTICE CLUB TODAY

(*This offer does not apply to Forest Childcare Association Memberships or any Welly Wren bulk buy deals.)

Jennifer Childminding best practice, Childminding Inspection Tips

Early Years Inspection Changes – Notes from the Ofsted Webinar.

As promised here are my notes from the webinar Ofsted held on the 17th of September to update childminder on the changes happening to inspections. I must admit I left at the end of the webinar feeling quite cross at the way the information was presented. It was very unclear in places and lots of jargon, Ofsted ‘slogans’ and nearly indecipherable English were used. Grrr! However, I have done my best to untangle the useful information for you.

The basics

The new Inspection framework comes into force on the 10th of November 2025. If you have an inspection before this date you will be inspected under the old framework.

Instead of the old style report you will now receive a ‘report card’ about your inspection. Ofsted have published a video example of this report card which you can find here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSupQZyrOkc

There are now six ‘areas of evaluation’ which will be considered during your inspection. They are:

  1. Inclusion. This is going to be a major focus for Ofsted Inspections now. Your inspector will want to know how you support disadvantaged children. That is children experiencing social or economic hardship, children with SEND, children in care or children who have previously been in care, children known to social services and any other children with barriers to their learning and wellbeing. Inclusion will also be a key theme across all the other evaluation areas.
  2. Curriculum and Teaching
  3. Achievement
  4. Behaviour, attitudes and establishing routines
  5. Children’s welfare and well-being
  6. Leadership and Governance

Plus:

  • Safeguarding. This is still graded at met or unmet as it was before.

You will no longer receive one overall grading. Instead, you will receive separate gradings for each of the evaluation areas.

The words used to describe your grades in each area have changed. They are now:

Exceptional. If you are making a ‘sustained impact’ you may be graded as ‘exceptional.’ In one or more of the new evaluation areas. Only a few childminders will get grades at this level.

Expected. As it suggests, this is the standard you are expected to meet.

Strong Standard

Expected Standard

Needs Attention

Urgent Improvement. Not many childminders will get this grade.

Ofsted expect that you will have a variety of different grades across the different evaluation areas. This is different from the old method where you usually got the same grade across all inspection areas.

What are the new inspection toolkits?

This document sets out the sorts evidence your inspector will be looking for to grade you under the different evaluation areas. These requirements are all based on the requirements of the EYFS.

The ‘Expected Standard’ grade is the grade which all inspectors will start with when inspecting you. They then judge whether you meet this standard or are above or below it. The ‘Expected Standard’ for each evaluation area has a list of requirements that you must meet for the inspector to judge you as a secure fit for the grade.

Local Area Context

As well as using the information in the Early Years Inspection toolkit your inspector will also take into account the context of your local area when doing your inspection. This information will include, deprivation data, information about the local take up of the Early Years Pupil Premium, obesity levels and oral health data. Ofsted are going to provide this information on a new ‘explore an area’ platform which will be available for both inspectors and providers to use. The information in the webinar was a bit vague about this but I have managed to find out that this platform has not been published yet.

What happens before your inspection?

No more than five working days before your inspection, and before 10am you will receive a notification call to let you know that your inspector is coming to do your inspection. During this call your inspector will discuss and agree with you when it is an appropriate time to ring you to complete your planning call.

You will get an email to help you receive and share information before your inspection. You will be signposted to some useful inspection information. You will also be asked to prepare some information about the children, such as the number of children you have on roll and the number of children you have that receive early years pupil premium funding. You will also be asked to provide information about any assistants you have, such as the qualifications your assistants have.

The Planning Call

This call is to introduce your inspector and yourself and to plan the practicalities of your inspection.

You will no longer have a five-day window within your inspection may take place. Instead during your planning call your inspector will discuss with you which is the best day to do your inspection so that you know exactly which day to expect them.

During the call your inspector will also talk to you about:

The children in your setting. For example, what ages you have, if you have any disadvantaged children and so on.

An overview of your curriculum. Your inspector will talk to you about what you want the children to learn and know. It may be helpful to have some notes jotted down to help you with this part of the call.

Which things you want to improve. Inspectors are not expecting you to complete a formal evaluation but they do want to know how you assess what you do and what you would like to improve. You can use the new Early Years Inspection toolkit to help you decide this.

The planning call is not recorded but you are allowed to take notes.

Important: You may still be inspected without notice if there are safety concerns.

What happens during your inspection?

There will be no more learning walk! You and your inspector should cover the necessary information in your planning call.

You will do a shared observation, and your inspector will look carefully at the experience of a ‘case sample’ child. If you have any disadvantaged children, this will focus on them. Case sample children will not be any set age and can include babies.

Your inspector will talk to about whether what they have observed on the day is typical for your setting.

At the end of your inspection your inspector will give you next steps to work on to improve.

What happens after your inspection?

There are no changes here.

Your draft report card will normally be sent within 18 working days of your inspection.

You then have 5 working days to check your report for factual accuracy and report any incorrect facts to your inspector.

You can share your inspection findings with anyone you find appropriate, but you must not make your report public or share it with your parents until it is made official.

Your final report card will normally be published within 30 working days after your inspection.

By law, you must show your current childminding parents your final report.

What happens if you get an ‘urgent improvement’ grade?

If you are graded ‘urgent improvement,’ you should be reinspected within 6 months.

What happens if you get an ‘needs attention’ grade?

If you get met in your safeguarding but a needs attention in another area you will be reinspected within 12 months.

What if you have no children present or on roll when you have your inspection?

You will only be inspected on the Leadership and Governance evaluation area. You will only receive an expected standard/needs attention or urgent improvement grade.

What if you only provide childminding before and after school or during the school holidays?

You will not be graded on the learning and development requirements if you only provide before and after school or holiday places for children in Reception. Therefore, you will not be inspected or receive a grading for the Curriculum and Teaching or Achievement areas of evaluation. You will receive a grading for the other evaluations areas and met or unmet for safeguarding.

New Inspection timings – from six years to four years.

From April 2026 Ofsted Inspections will start to move towards a four year inspection window, instead of a six-year window. They could not give any definitive answer as to the date from which the four year window would be completely up and running.

Anything else?

Inspectors are having lots of training to get ready for the new changes. The training they have been given will be available on the Ofsted website towards the end of the year if you want to look at it.

There will be no routine inspections in the week before Christmas 2025. However you may still have an inspection if there are safeguarding concerns.

If you would like to watch a recording of the webinar you can find it on the Ofsted You Tube channel here : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSgASYBEwoM

If you are due an inspection you may find the following Welly Wren resources helpful:

Ultimate Childminding Inspection Preparation Pack

Knowing that your Ofsted Inspection is due can feel stressful, but it doesn’t have to be. Being prepared and knowing that you have everything in place can help massively reduce any stress or worry about your inspection.

This new bundle pack of useful resources has been put together to help you:

  • Check that you have everything in place with the Ultimate Childminding Checklist and the Safeguarding Audit list. 
  • Update and/ or check your Safeguarding Policy so that everything is in place using the Editable Safeguarding Policy.
  • Revise your safeguarding knowledge so that you feel prepared for questions on the day with multiple choice safeguarding questions.
  • Quickly and easily evaluate your own provision and think about how far you have come using Focus Point Questions from the Guided Self-Evaluation Pack.
  • Relax with the puzzles and mindfulness colouring sheets that are also included in your pack, knowing that you have done everything to put things in place for a successful childminding inspection.
get the Ultimate Inspection Preparation pack

Jennifer Childminding best practice, Childminding Inspection Tips, Inspection

Childminding Inspections – a brief guide for childminders

The new Early Years Inspection Toolkit was published in September 2025. This document sets out the guidelines for the new inspection reporting process which came into on the 10th of November 2025. This blog looks at the main things to know and some of the Welly Wren resources that have been designed to support you.

Here are the main ‘headlines’

The New Areas of Inspection

There are six evaluation areas:

Inclusion

This evaluation area assess how you support disadvantaged children, children with special educational needs and disabilities, looked after children or children known to social care and other children that may face barriers to learning or well/being, such as children who have a protected characteristic.

Curriculum and Teaching

This area looks at how you understand child development and how your structure your curriculum so that children can build on what they already know. You will be assessed on how you teach across all seven areas of learning and how you assess children and adapt your teaching in response to this.

Childminding Best Practice Club

There are lots of Welly Wren resources to help you with your curriculum, including the Childminding Best Practice Club and topic and activity packs such as the ‘Under the Sea’ activity pack and the ‘Learning about Frogs’ topic pack.

join the childminding best practice club and get 25% off lots of other welly wren resources, plus a special childminding toolkit every month.

You may also be interested in these two other blogs about curriculum:

‘Continuous provision is all the resources and activities that you continue to provide on a daily basis. In a small early years setting such as a childminders this may look slightly different depending on your children and the sorts of needs they have, but in general your continuous provision should . . .‘ read more by clicking on the link

tHE role of continous provision in effective childminding curriculums

‘In order to offer your children the best learning opportunities it is important to provide opportunities over and above what you provide as part of your continuous curriculum. This is especially important  . . . ‘ read more by clicking the link

enhanced provision in childminding curriculums

Achievement

This area looks at how much progress the children in your care make in comparison to their starting points and whether all children gain appropriate knowledge and skills. It looks at how you help children become ready for their next stage of learning and how you adapt your teaching and offer support to make sure all children can make good progress.

Useful Welly Wren resources to help you with the area include the Summative Assessment System, the Transition to School pack and the new Development Records.

Behaviour, Attitudes and Establishing routines.

This area considers looks at how you support children to manage their own emotions and behaviour. It looks at how you work with parents to establish routines and encourage good attendance. It looks at how you make reasonable adjustments when working with children with additional needs or barriers.

The Welly Wren Personal, Social and Emotional Development Pack.

The Personal, Social and Emotional Development pack had lots of ideas and resources to help you teach children about things like understanding their emotions, following rules and adapting to routines.

You may also like the Contracts, Policies and Forms pack which, as well as a comprehensive childminding contract and plenty of useful forms also contains essential policies such as an Attendance policy (a new requirement of the September 2025 EYFS) an Equal Opportunities and Inclusion policy and a Special Education Needs and Disabilities policy. The longer policies all come with a special ‘Key Features’ section to help your parents understand the most important parts.

Children’s Welfare and Well-being

This area is concerned with how you promote children’s welfare and well-being, including how you create positive relationships, help children learn about how to stay healthy and how you create an inclusive environment.

Welly Wren resources that can help you with this area include the Be Safe Be Healthy and the Diversity MEGA Packs and the ‘Looking After Our Teeth’ topic pack.

Leadership and Governance

The area considers if you understand and meet the statutory requirements set out in the EYFS and looks at your commitment to providing high standards of education and care to improve the lives of all children.

The new Leadership and Governance Self Evaluation Workbook is one of a new series of special workbooks aimed at childminders. The workbooks are designed to help you go through the new Early Years Inspection Toolkit to evaluate your setting and put on place an action plan to help you improve or maintain your existing standards.

The Ultimate Childminding Checklist is an essential resource that will help you with this area of inspection. It lists all the requirements of the EYFS along with sensible guidance and advice about how to fulfil each one. This Welly Wren resource also contains a ‘Countdown to Your Inspection,’ checklist, a ‘Working with Assistants‘ checklist and an ‘Outstanding‘ checklist.

GET THE ‘ESSENTIAL’ ULTIMATE CHILDMINDING CHECKLIST

The ‘Safeguarding’ inspection judgement remains the same and will still be graded as either met or unmet. You will find the 4 in 1 Safeguarding Pack really useful to help you with this area of inspection.

How inspections are graded

You will receive one of the following five judgements:

  • Urgent Improvement
  • Needs Attention
  • Expected Standard
  • Strong Standard
  • Exceptional

You will receive a separate grading for all six of the new inspection evaluation areas.

This is just a very brief overview of the new inspection process, but I hope that this helps you to start to get to grips with everything.

You can find all of the Welly Wren resources mentioned in this article, plus many more in my Welly Wren shop here:

www.wellywren.co.uk

If you have an inspection due soon, I recommend investing in a copy of the Ultimate Childminding Inspection Pack. This includes full versions of the Ultimate Childminding Checklist and the 4 in 1 Safeguarding Pack as well as focus point questions for the Guided Self-Evaluation Pack. Plus, if you are on the mailing list for the free weekly Childminding Best Practice newsletter you are entitled to claim free updates of any of the resources in the pack, meaning you are covered for the next three years.

save £10 withthe ultimate childmindng INSPECTION PREP PACK

Jennifer Childminding best practice

Which Childminding Policies Must You Have?

Do you know which childminding policies you have to have and when they have to be in writing? In this blog I look at which policies you have to have as laid out in the EYFS, as well as when you must have them in writing.

In no particular order these are the policies and procedures that are mentioned in the EYFS for Childminders November 2024:

  1. Administering Medicines policy. ‘Childminders must have and implement a policy, and procedures, for administering medicines to children.’ EYFS Nov 2024 3.52
  2. Illness and Medical Policy. ‘They must have a procedure, which must be discussed with parents and/or carers, for taking appropriate action if children are ill or infectious.’ EYFS Nov 2024 3.51
  3. Emergency Evacuation Procedure. ‘Childminders must have: • An emergency evacuation procedure.’ EYFS Nov 2025 3.64
  4. Visitors Procedure. ‘have an agreed procedure for checking the identity of visitors.’ EYFS Nov 2024 3.71
  5. Failure to Collect a child and missing child procedures. ‘procedure to be followed in the event of a parent and/or carer failing to collect a child at the appointed time, or in the event of a child going missing at, or away from, the setting.‘ EYFS Nov 2024 3.81
  6. Complaints Procedure: ‘Childminders are not required to have a written procedure for handling complaints, 31 but they must keep a record of any complaints they receive and their outcome.‘ EYFS Nov 2025 3.82
  7. Safeguarding Procedure: ‘Childminders must have and implement policies and procedures to keep children safe and meet EYFS requirements.‘ EYFS Nov 2024 3.6

As party of Safeguarding reforms coming into force in September 2025 you will also be required to have:

An Admissions Policy

Safer Eating Policy

Whistleblowing Policy

When do you have to have policies in writing?

If you are ONLY registered on the Early Years register then you do not need to have any written policies and procedures.

‘Childminders solely registered on the early years register or with an early years CMA are not required to have written policies and procedures. However, they must be able to explain their policies and procedures to parents, carers, and others (for example Ofsted inspectors or the CMA with which they are registered) and ensure any assistants follow them.’ EYFS Nov 2024 3.3

However, BE CAREFUL, if you are registered on the compulsory childcare register you MUST have a written safeguarding policy:

‘have, and follow, a written policy to safeguard children from abuse or neglect.’

You MUST also have a written complaints policy:

‘have a written complaints policy and fully investigate each complaint.’

Source: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/childminders-on-the-compulsory-childcare-register-ofsted-requirements

Even if you are not required to have written policies and procedures it can be helpful to have your main ones written down. This will help you do things like remember what to do in an emergency, share accurate information with parents and tell all families the same thing and make sure you are keeping up to date. Which policies and procedures you have in writing are up to you.

Which policies are useful to have?

There are lots of different policies and procedures that are useful to have and to share with your families. Which ones are most useful will depend on you, but here are some I advise you to have. (Again, these do not have to be in writing.):

Fees Policy. This is really helpful when setting fees and discussing your charges with families.


Food, Nutrition and Safer Eating Policy.* This is an area which I find can be one of the most common sources of friction with families. Having a carefully considered policy and procedures which you share with families can help prevent upset.


Achieving Positive Behaviour Policy. Setting down how you work with your children to achieve positive behaviour can make working with families easier. It will mean you have an agreed way of working from the beginning, so if an issue does arise hopefully everyone will be on the same page from the very start.


Settling in Policy. Settling in times are one of the times that can be the most difficult for parents. Help prevent problems, like parents wanting to stay all day, by sharing your settling in policy. It will also help families see, right from the start of your relationship, that you are a professional.


Working with Parents Policy. Setting out exactly what you expect from parents and what they can expect from you in return will help you build positive working relationship with your families.


Late Collection Policy. Everyone has had that family that seems to think that collection time is more of a loose guideline than the time you need their child to be collected! Having a policy that you share with parents can help prevent families taking advantage of you.

Of course there may be many other policies and procedures you want to have. There are some it is wise to include as, although they are not mentioned in the EYFS, they are a requirement of other pieces of legislation. For example, you must share a Data Protection Policy including a Privacy Policy and a Data Retention Policy as part of your legal data protection requirements.

*From September 2025 the new Nutrition Guidance for the EYFS as well as new Safer Eating regulations coming into force.

You may also find the following useful:

Contracts, Policies and Forms MEGA pack

(This pack includes a comprehensive, editable safeguarding policy and comes with a free three year update guarantee**)

This Contracts, Policies and Forms Pack contains a fully updated contract, complemented and reinforced by twenty-three specially written policies. Also included are lots of useful forms for you to use in your business as well as information about the sort of paperwork you will need.

contracts, policies and forms mega pack

The policies in the Welly Wren pack are different to other policy packs in two important ways:

They help parents understand key details   I think we have to be honest with ourselves and admit that many parents will not completely read all of your longer policies as carefully or as completely as you would like! To ensure that families grasp the essential aspects of your policies, there is a ‘Key Points’ section at the end of many of the longer policies. These lay out the main parts of the policies that you absolutely need parents to understand.

They come with additional information and advice about how to run your setting on a Best Practice basis   Included with the policies is a special section which contains lots more information about lots of the policies, especially the longer policies, such as the legal basis for some of the procedures. This information will help you understand why certain pieces of information have been included and the reasoning behind some of the procedures described. Even if you decide that you do not want policies other than those you have to have this enables you to adjust the policies so they are tailored to your own setting and way of doing things.

The information in the pack also serves as a valuable training guide, empowering you to embrace a Best Practice approach to every aspect of your setting. Whether you’re a pre-reg or recently registered childminder, or simply seeking to refresh and improve your practices, this guidance offers sensible advice and valuable information to support you.

** If this product is updated at any point, within three years of your purchasing your pack and you are on the Childminding Best Practice Mailing list you are entitled to free updated copies.

get the contract, policies and forms mega pack

Jennifer Childminding best practice, Diversity Topics, Themes

25 Childminding Topics to Explore in Winter

Themes are a great way of enhancing your everyday curriculum and introducing children to new ideas and concepts. Here are some ideas to help inspire you!

Well Loved Themes.

  1. Snow, including snowman and snowflakes.
  2. Arctic Animals. Explore the different animals that live in the arctic regions, including snowy owls, arctic foxes, polar bears, seals, whales and penguins.
  3. Ice and Freezing. This is a great science concept to explore in the winter months.
  4. Winter clothes. Provide hats, scarves, mittens and gloves in the dressing up box for children to practice putting on and taking off.

Some different ideas

5. Keeping warm. This is a nice investigative concept to explore with the children. Ask them how do we keep warm in the winter? (Wrapping up warm, eating warm food like soup.) How do animals keep warm in the winter? (Growing thick fur, cosy nests and so on.)

6. ‘Nail/Stone Soup’ Traditional Tale. Winter is a good time to share cosy traditional tales and what better tale then one about making cosy and warming soup! You can make soup yourselves to go with the story.

7. Baking. Keep cosy and bake biscuits, cakes and bread.

8. Space. The darker winter months are ideal for exploring a space theme as it is more likely you will have the children when it is dark so they can look for the moon and the stars.

9. Nocturnal Animals. If you are lucky you might here an owl at the end of the day while it is still dark. Which sorts of other animals are active in the dark?

10. Animals that hibernate. British animals like squirrels and hedgehogs hibernate in the winter. the 21st of January is Red Squirrel Appreciation day which is a nice event to tie in with this theme. (Find a free squirrel activity pack here.)

11. Polar Bears. Learn about these magnificent animals on the 27th of February which is International Polar Bear Day. (Download a polar bear template here.)

12. Light and Dark. Make the darker days feel cosy by decorating with fairy lights and experimenting with torches.

13. Shadows. When the sun is low in the winter children may notice their long tall shadows. This can be a fun mini science topic to explore with your children.

Sample page from a story on the January Childminding Best Practice Club toolkit January 2025
Rhyming story from one of the Childminding Best Practice Club Toolkits

14. Looking after your teeth. January, when everyone is making New Year’s resolutions, is a good time to explore keeping healthy themes such as oral health.

15. Winter Sports. Learn about ice-skating, skiing and sledging! If it is a Olympic year this topic is an even better one to explore.

16. Garden birds in Winter. Learn about which birds can you see in the garden in the winter. Make bird feeders and learn how to help birds when there is less for them to eat.

17. Evergreen trees. Go for nature walks and try and find some evergreen trees. Talk about how they are different from deciduous trees that lose their leaves in winter. Make crafts with pine cones. (Make the most of your outdoor outings and receive lots more outdoor activity ideas by joining the Forest Childcare Association.)

Diversity themes to explore in Winter:

18. Christmas

19. Hanukkah

20. Burns Night (25th of January) (Find out about Burns Night here.)

21. Chinese New Year (Explore Lunar New Year ideas here.)

22. Valentine’s Day (14th of February)

Some more unusual Ideas to explore in Winter

23. What it is like to be blind. This is not necessarily the first thing you think of when thinking of winter themes but World Braille day is on the 4th of January which makes it a good time to explore this concept with children.

24. People That Help Us. Mountain Rescue. Winter is a busy time for Mountain Rescue teams. Find out about this volunteer emergency service. This is a great topic for any childminders who live near fells of mountains!

25. Kites. International Kite Day is held on the 14th of January every year. Why not join in with some kite themed crafts, or even have a go at making or flying your own kites!

If you liked this you might also like:

Enhanced provision

In order to offer your children the best learning opportunities it is important to provide opportunities over and above what you provide as part of your continuous curriculum. This is especially important for children from deprived backgrounds who may not have access to these sorts of opportunities outside your setting.

read more about enhanched provision

The Role of Continuous Provision in Childminding Curriculums

Continuous provision is all the resources and activities that you continue to provide on a daily basis. In a small early years setting such as a childminders this may look slightly different depending on your children and the sorts of needs they have, but in general your continuous provision should cover opportunities for the children to work on skills and learning across all the areas  . . .

continue reading about continous provision

Childminding Best Practice Club

Join the Childminding Best Practice Club and receive a monthly toolkit containing lots of resources to help you develop your curriculum.

Each toolkit contains lots of different activity ideas with full instructions and printable templates and/or resources where required. The activities vary, from craft activities to tuff tray inspiration ideas, games and songs and more. Also included in each toolkit is planning and assessment resources to help you provide suitable activities at the right level and monitor what each child get from the activities and theme.

Each toolkit also contain an interesting and useful CPD module to help you develop and refine your practice.

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    Jennifer Activities for childminders, Childminding best practice, Themes

    25 Childminding Topics to Explore in Autumn

    Are you looking for some ideas to help your planning for Autumn? There are lots of different things you can explore with your early years children at this time of the year that will help your them investigate new ideas and concepts. Here are some ideas:

    Well-loved themes:

    1. Autumn.
    2. Harvest. Harvest festivals tend to be held at the end of Summer/beginning of Autumn and make a fabulous topic to explore with children.
    3. Hedgehogs. These spikey little animals are fun to learn about in the autumn when they are getting ready to hibernate for the winter.
    4. Squirrels – download my free squirrel mini-pack here for lots of ideas.
    5. Nocturnal Animals. As the days start to get shorter in Autumn it is a good time to explore this topic.

    Some slightly different ideas:

    6. All About Me. Lots of children start in new settings in the Autumn so an ‘All About Me’ topic is a good way of helping get to know each other. Use this free downloadable ‘All About Me and You’ playdough activity to get you started.

    7. Fungi. Although you can find lots of different fungi most of the year Autumn is when they really come into their own. Why not take your children on a fungi hunt?

    8. Owls – why not head over to the World Owl Trust (my old workplace!) website for more information about owls.

    9. How about some nursery rhymes or Traditional Tales that tie into an Autumn themed topic such as ‘Incy Wincy Spider’ or ‘The Little Red Hen’?

    10. Hedgerows. Hedgerows can be a fantastic source of biodiversity and can provide plenty of different things to explore – like blackberries and other hedgerow fruits!

    11. Leaves. These are such a fabulous (and free!) resource so make a great theme to explore in Autumn.

    12. Road Safety. This is an important thing to teach children at any time of year but as the nights start to get darker, making it harder to see, it is useful time to reinforce road safety with your children. You can find lots of road safety ideas and resources in the Health and Safety section of the website here.

    13. Apples. Apples are everywhere in the autumn and make a great base to explore lots of different things such as plants and life cycles, baking, painting with apples, trying different types of apples and so on.

    14. Sticks! Another good autumn resource. Explore what you can do with sticks: build a house, draw a picture, play at sword fighting! This topic goes well with Julia Donaldson’s popular story ‘Stickman,’ but there are also other stick themed books that you can explore such as ‘Stick!’ by Irene Dickson, published by the National Trust, which is ideal for younger children.

    15. Weather. This topic can be explored all year round. Autumn weather can be quite changeable, from golden autumn days to wet and windy weather! Explore these changes with your children and talk about what sorts of clothes they need.

    Diversity themes and celebrations to explore in Autumn.

    16. 1st October – World Vegetarian Day. A good time to explore some new recipes with your children and talk about how different people eat different things.

    17. Bonfire Night on the 5th of November each year.

    17. Halloween on the 31st of October each year.

    Simple Remembrance Day craft for childminders

    18. Remembrance Day on the 11th of November each year.

    19. Diwali. The date for this festival moves depending on which year it is but usually falls in either October or November. Find out about this Hindu festival and download a free Diya template here.

    20. St Andrew’s Day. This falls on the 30th of November each year and celebrates the Patron Saint of Scotland.

    Some more unusual (but fun) topics to explore in Autumn:

    21. Pirates. Talk Like a Pirate Day is held on the 19th of September each year so why not join in with a pirate theme!

    22. Space. Space Week is held at the beginning of October each year so why not make it event in your own setting.

    23. Africa. Where do swallows go when they leave at the end of Summer? Investigating this idea with children can lead you into a topic about migration and the continent of Africa where swallows go when it is gets colder here.

    24. Germs and keeping clean! Coughs, colds and other nasties have a habit of spreading more rapidly in the Autumn and Winter months so why not do a germs and keeping clean topic and try and keep them at bay. You can find a handy (pardon the pun!) handwashing song and downloadable poster here.

    25. The International Day of Democracy is held on the 15th of September each year. This is a great time to explore this concept with your children. Find out more about British Values here.

    You may also like:

    Continuous provision is all the resources and activities that you continue to provide on a daily basis. In a small early years setting such as a childminders this may look slightly different depending on your children and the sorts of needs they have, but in general your continuous provision should cover opportunities for the children to work on skills and learning across all the areas of . . . click the link below to read more.

    My Childminding Curriculum Part One – Continous curriculum

    In order to offer your children the best learning opportunities it is important to provide opportunities over and above what you provide as part of your continuous curriculum. This is especially important for children from deprived backgrounds who may not have access to these sorts of opportunities outside your setting. . . . click the link below to read more.

    My childminding Curriculum part two – enhanced provision

    Products that can help you use themes:

    The Childminding Best Practice Club

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    As a member of the Childminding Best Practice Club you will receive a monthly toolkit containing a wealth of resources designed to make your life easier. Each toolkit has two main sections; a ‘My Learning section with training and CPD and a, ‘My Curriculum section’ with planning, activities, tools, and resources based around a theme. The themes covered in your monthly toolkits have been specially chosen to provide you with a careful balance of themes and will help your children acquire skills and knowledge across a range of subjects and learning areas.

    Find out more about the childminding best practice club