At Little Hands Learning, we firmly believe in the power and potential of every child. Our mission is clear: we want children to succeed, not just academically, but in all aspects of their lives. So what can we as parents and carers do to help our children succeed? The answer is surprisingly simple and you will already be doing a lot of it! Read To Them It is never too early to start reading with your child. From the moment they are born, introducing books and stories to their world can have a profound impact on your child’s development. Sharing stories together creates a special bond and hel ..read more

Wash It! and then wash it some more. Most school uniform is built to last and this can make it feel stiff and scratchy. Wash the school uniform with their clothes until it has lost that feeling. The smell is important. Use your regular washing powder to ensure that the uniform smell likes their favourite clothes. If it smells familiar, it may be easier to get your child to wear it. Remove all labels Clothes labels can be uncomfortable, so remove them if needed. The school shirts I have recently bought from Next for my son do not have the label in the collar. There are wonderful name stamps out ..read more

Our children (like us) need to take care of themselves now and then later when they are adults. If they are kind to themselves now when they are young, it will become a habit which will see them through their teenage years and then onto being an adult. Being kind to ourselves is important because it can improve both our physical and mental health. Plus, being full of self-love helps us all overcome life’s challenges. Here are some of our ways that our children can be kind to themselves and fill up their self-love cups. Together draw/write some ideas of what they can do to be kind to themselve ..read more

Here are some of our favourite Easter-themed activities to enjoy with your kids during the holidays! Dying Easter Eggs After hard boiling your eggs, mix your food colouring with water and two or three tablespoons of vinegar. The vinegar helps the food colouring stick to the eggshell. Place your hard-boiled eggs into the coloured water and soak for about 10 minutes before removing them and rinsing them off! Grow an Easter Garden Planting wheatgrass is easy to handle for the smallest of hands and shoots should appear within a week. Easter should bring some warmer weather, so it is a great opport ..read more

Research and experience tell us how reading can make a huge difference to a child’s educational performance but books also offer a great way to support our children’s mental health. In 2008 The National Literacy Trust found that children who enjoy reading and literacy are three times more time likely to have better mental health than children who do not enjoy literacy. Stories can transport us to magical places away from the stresses of daily life and can often teach our children emotional intelligence. As a teacher and a Mum,  and a teacher, I am a huge advocate of using books to teach c ..read more

Children "with more positive attitudes towards reading are more likely to read at or above the expected level for their age." (Clark 2014). Here are our top tips on how can we encourage a love of reading in our children. Start them young Even the youngest babies will find comfort in hearing your voice as you read a story. don’t stop! And please don’t stop reading to your children once they can read themselves. It's not only beneficial for you to read to your older children but it's a lovely way to spend time together. Read daily together Make reading part of your daily routine. By reading to ..read more

“When we talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting and less scary.” Fred Rogers Talking to your child about mental health can be daunting but follow our top tips for talking to your children about mental health and you will be absolutely fine. Teach them to identify their and others’ emotions. The first step in teaching your child to manage strong emotions is to teach them what they physically feel like and to be able to name those emotions. Try to make it a habit to put your child’s emotions into words “I could see you were sad. I know you were upset because you ..read more

Books are a wonderful way for us all to escape from a stressful day and the same is true for our children. After a full-on day at school or nursery, there is nothing more soothing than curling up with a loved one to read a good book for many children. Research and experience tell us how reading can make a huge difference to a child’s educational performance but books also offer a great way to support our children’s mental health. Stories can transport us to magical places away from the stresses of daily life and often teach our children about emotional intelligence. A child can explore and l ..read more

I love visuals. Personally, I use visuals all the time and I have used visuals with my son when a change is coming. Visuals help all children to process verbal information and they are then able to better understand and retain that information. As adults we use visuals all the time; a to-do list, road signs, phone reminders, text messages. These are all visuals that help us understand, process and organise our day. Without these visuals, we would probably not get as much done and our anxiety would be higher. Starting school or nursery can be a worrying time for children. Who will be their teac ..read more

We love setting up loose parts play for our children mainly because the learning that happens during one of these activities is so valuable but also because it is so quick and easy to set up and tidy away. Loose parts play provides experiences for children to be creative, imaginative and curious. My son enjoys loose part play because he loves looking at how things work. Especially anything with wheels. So instead of taking apart the dishwasher, he can now safely build and take apart the loose part resources instead.     So, what is loose parts play? Simply put it is a collection ..read more