EYFS activities are what make a child’s time at nursery so enjoyable. However, thinking of new and fresh ideas the children will love can leave you in a scroll hole on your favourite social media platform.
If you’re looking for a big bundle of EYFS activities that are engaging, easy to resource and linked to the seven areas of learning – you’ve found it!
How do you plan EYFS activities?
Choosing an EYFS activity should include more thought than ‘that looks like a nice idea’. Early years activities that are varied and linked explicitly with the seven areas of learning and development help children build a balance of skill and knowledge.
“Think of a child’s development like an old-fashioned Egyptian pyramid. In order for the child to reach the pinnacle, there first must be solid foundational blocks. Each of these blocks should be the same size.”
Clare Stead, Early Years expert and founder of Oliiki
Some children may be more motivated than others to engage in detail-oriented activities (like fine motor skill development). Having a wide range of EYFS activities up your sleeve can help to build a broad range of skills and competency across each of the seven areas of learning.
Before you plan your EYFS activities, you should look at the learning dynamics in your nursery. For example, if your nursery room has a large proportion of children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), this will influence the direction of your planning.
EYFS activities for communication and language development
Communication and language is one of the three prime areas of learning. Understanding others and sharing thoughts and feelings are needed to build friendships, confidence, and interest in the wider world.
Many communication and language activity ideas and games don’t need resourcing (a bonus!) and can be played in a spare 5 minutes or even during an outdoor walk.
Get creative with some EYFS communication and language activities. Here are some of our favourites:
Would you rather?
Ask questions during a walk, car or train journey. You can start with easy options like, would they rather be a lion or a monkey? And expand their imagination further by asking if they would rather be a monster-sized insect or an insect-sized monster.
Can you find me the…?
Great for those children between 12-24 months who understand more than they can verbally communicate. Play the game to help tidy up, or get outside and see what you can notice when out in nature. Sharing these activities via Ovivio’s Parent App can give parents inspiration for games to try at home.
Teddy bear’s picnic
You may not realise how many social cues are involved in a teddy bear’s picnic or a tea party. Encourage your nursery children to serve delicious food and drink indoors or outdoors – you can even read the age-old favourite story, A Tiger Who Came to Tea.
Swing, swing
Outdoor playtime runs smoothly when children can take turns and play together. If your nursery has a swing set, encourage the children to work together to give simple instructions of go, stop, fast or slow.
For more ideas, check out our full list of 19 Activity ideas for outstanding communication and language development in EYFS.
PSED EYFS activity ideas for your nursery
Everyday activities you organise for the children in your care will help to support their Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED). You can play several games with children to help them develop these essential skills further.
Let’s look at some simple EYFS PSED activities you can try.
Emotional regulation activities
Emotional regulation is a skill that most adults haven’t quite nailed yet. Beginning to recognise, accept and then regulate feelings (big or small) at an early age is essential for building a strong understanding of self.
Sensory circuits can help to regulate children’s emotions when they are feeling dysregulated. Record any changes to a child’s behaviour through staff observations — these can be saved for other practitioners to access or shared with parents.
Bunny breathing
Mindfulness activities for EYFS are a great way to build the skill of focusing on the present. It can help settle a child if they are anxious or worried. Try great ideas like bunny, teddy or feather breathing with your child. You might be surprised how much you find it beneficial, too!
Feelings recognition activity
The first step to emotional regulation is to recognise the feeling, big or small. Having faces to show the outward feeling expression can be a handy way to introduce feelings to toddlers. Try mirroring some simple emotional expressions (sad, happy, fearful, etc.).
For 22 PSED EYFS activities and more advice on PSED, take a look at our article PSED EYFS activities: Advice from a Clinical Psychologist.
Physical Development EYFS activities
The physical development prime area in the EYFS curriculum is an umbrella of all things movement. Often thought of as only physical activity, physical development also covers coordination, fine and gross motor skills, strength, and balance.
Remember, some activities can be easier than others to motivate children to participate with!
Let’s jump into some physical development EYFS activities you may not have considered.
Mirror dancing
A no-resource game to play with your key worker children or for toddlers to play together. One person decides the movement and the other copies. You can direct this game to work more on fine motor skills and balance if they are areas the children are least interested in.
Jewellery making
Developing fine and gross motor skills through threading a pasta necklace is an excellent EYFS activity to build the muscles needed for a pincer grip (helpful for writing later on).
Litter picking
This EYFS activity idea builds physical strength and coordination and helps the planet: a triple threat. Wearing gloves for hygiene, take the children to the local park, beach, or forest to clear litter. Encourage parents to join in at home and send in a picture from their weekend litter walk!
For more EYFS physical development activities and advice on spotting ‘amber flags’, read our article EYFS physical development activities: How to spot the amber flags.
Early years Literacy ideas for toddlers
Early reading and phonics basics are a large part of Literacy in the early years. There are many EYFS Literacy activities to try that can spark the curiosity of learning involving tabletop tasks and free-flow play.
I-Spy (with my little eye)
Observing and identifying the names of objects around them while outside, walking around the park, or even in the nursery setting boosts vocabulary acquisition.
Story Stones for the early years
A set of story stones can offer endless narrative inspiration. You can create your own together or buy them ready-made. Place the story stones in a dark bag or pillowcase and create a story from scratch, adding a new plot twist every time a stone is chosen.
10-clues game
This works best when a child can see the object somewhere in the room. Begin with more challenging clues and get progressively easier. The aim is to guess what is described before the ten clues are up.
- I am worn on your feet
- I can be fluffy
- I keep your toes warm, etc.
Learn more about making early reading fun, including 18 reading area and literacy ideas, in our full article: How to make early reading fun: EYFS Literacy activities to try.
Early Maths activities for children
Another of the seven areas of learning is early mathematics. EYFS activities that include numbers can be explored from any age. Activities involving numbers, shapes, and space introduce early numeracy concepts for toddlers.
Outdoor shape explorer
Collect natural materials like sticks and leaves on your next outdoor walk. Encourage children to make shapes with the resources they have. Show some 2D shape examples for inspiration.
Money activities for early years
Being able to understand monetary value is a life skill. A basic understanding of money and its use to buy goods and services can be started in the early years. Set up a shop in your nursery. Each item will have its own value (you may want to use counters or pieces of pasta). Children can ‘buy’ items for snacks (e.g., an apple might cost four counters).
Take maths outdoors with our article Learning to teach maths outdoors, or explore 12 great EYFS maths activities.
Easy ‘Understanding the World’ EYFS activities
Understanding the world around us is a valuable topic in the EYFS curriculum. In the nursery, children learn about different cultures, traditions, countries, and climates.
Here are some ‘Understanding the World’ activities for your childcare setting.
Mixing colours
Start with three colours and add more later for experimentation. Children combine two or more colours on a palette or piece of cardboard. Encourage them to identify colour-mixing patterns.
Melting ice
Place ice cubes around the room and observe differences in melting caused by sunlight and shade.
Weather watcher
Monitor the weather online to help children prepare for changes in routine and learn about their environment. Extend to learning about other countries or climates.
Find more ‘Understanding The World’ activities on our blog post.
Early years activity ideas for expressive art and design
Children need no encouragement to be creative and get stuck into art and design activities. Many can include recyclable materials, helping to save the planet while creating masterpieces.
Let’s get recycling
Use cardboard, milk cartons, and toilet roll tubes to make windchimes, telescopes, or binoculars. Recycle plastic bottles and paint their bottoms to create sun catchers.
Vegetable stencils
Use potatoes as stamps by cutting shapes into them and applying non-toxic paint.
Expressive drama
Encourage children to re-enact favourite stories or scenes. Roleplay outfits enhance the experience.
Find more Early Years art ideas in our 15 exciting expressive arts and design EYFS activities blog post.
Sensory activities for early years
There are eight sensory systems. Sensory play helps explore textures and regulate sensory systems, a staple for early years planning.
Messy play ideas
Contained messy play in tuff trays can include slime, water sensory play, or other tactile activities. Ideas here.
Sensory bottles for toddlers
Use water, clear glue, food colouring, glitter, and a bottle. Add small shapes, beads, or tiny toys for visual stimulation. Ensure bottles are securely fastened.
Giant bubbles
Use a wire hanger or hula hoop, plus water and washing-up liquid, to create giant bubbles. Sunlight creates rainbow effects.
Go beyond these three ideas with our 25 amazing sensory play activities.
Seasonal EYFS activity ideas for nurseries
Mother’s and Father’s Day activities
Crafts for Father’s or Mother’s Day are even better when personalised. Use air-drying clay to make handprint paperweights, or share activity ideas via your Parent App.
Christmas EYFS activities
Include Christmas EYFS activities in daily planning. Make recycled paper chains or paper snowflake patterns with toddlers.
Easter EYFS activities
Easter EYFS activities may include craft ideas or themed games like egg rescue, working on strategy, coordination, and balance. Ideas here.
World Earth Day ideas
Raise awareness about caring for the planet from an early age. Use books like 10 Things I Can Do To Help My World to boost literacy and language skills.
Islamic New Year ideas
Teaching children about religious celebrations engages families from different backgrounds. Recognise events like the Islamic New Year through discussions and reflections.
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