Epic October at Tots Play!

October has started out to be a fantastic month and will surly end the same way. Not only because I have started my Christmas shopping (feeling a bit smug) but because of all of the wonderful news we have to bring you.

WE WON!!!!!

Thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts for all of the support that you gave to us and are still showing us, which enabled us to win the What's On 4 Kids, Best Franchised Baby and Toddler Activity for 2018. We received the award at a wonderful and inspiring ceremony in London earlier in the month.

This award means so much to all of us at Tots Play as the reason we won is because you voted to show us how much you like what we do. Tots Play was created, and our franchisees choose to join, in order to help, support and have fun with wonderful families in our communities, and we are delighted that you give us the opportunity to do that each week.

If you would like to read more about the awards and what happened during the day, we wrote a separate blog post all about it that you can read HERE, but once again a HUGE thank you to all.

Tots Play Launched in Loughborough

After a busy summer of training new franchisees for you, October brought us the launch of classes in another brand new area, Loughborough in Leicestershire. Anne-Marie and Lehanne welcomed nearly 30 families to their launch sessions, and can't wait to continue the fun with you in the weeks to come. If you haven't already booked your place you can do so HERE.

Halloween Sessions

Lots of babies, toddlers and mums have already been enjoying the Halloween themed sessions that some of our franchisees have been offering. Halloween offer some fantastic sensory opportunities from pumpkins, spaghetti and Halloween objects to lights and sounds of Halloween toys. Want to join in the fun? Click HERE to view classes in your area or contact your local class leader to see what they to offer. Here are a few of our favourite pictures from the parties so far...

This Month Our Tots are loving ……… Sensory bottles!

Many children are easily over stimulated by tactile input or are too young to play with some materials (in fear that they might choke or get injured). This is where sensory bottles come in.

These versatile sensory items allow children to use their senses to make sense of their world, while keeping them safe. Sensory bottles come in many forms, and can stimulate the sense of sight, hearing and smell.

Sensory calm down bottles are another great tool. When a sensory bottle has items such as glitter in it that moves slowly, children (and adults) are often mesmerised by watching their slow descent and this calms their breathing and helps them regulate themselves and their emotions.

Sensory bottles also continue to have many developmental benefits as the children get older and develop their skills, for example:

Fine and Gross Motor Skills – motor skills are improved by manipulating small objects, rolling the bottles, passing from hand to hand even throwing or dropping them and chasing/ crawling after them

Language Skills – Children are able to expand their vocabulary and language skills as they describe their play experience and talk about what they can see in the bottles.

Social Skills – Social skills are worked on by learning about sharing, playing and communicating with others while engaged in their sensory play.

Science and Maths Skills – Children are also using skills useful for science and maths when using certain sensory bottles. You can talk about the different shapes you see or how many of…? Which items are heavy and sink, which float? The possibilities are endless all while meeting their sensory needs in a safe way.

You will find lots of examples of sensory bottles at our classes, but they are easy to make at home too. Which kind might you have a go at to share with your child this week?

Featured Blog - What if My Toddler Doesn't Like Joining In?

We all have the same fears and worries through every stage of our children’s development and we can often feel like we are the only ones who are experiencing difficulties. Rest assured every parent feels pretty much the same way at some point, some just cover their anxieties better than others or don’t share their difficulties. Now we all think the baby stage is pretty hard at times and we worry about them constantly, when they get that little bit older we assume they will be happy to go off and play but what if they don’t? They could be very shy and not want to leave you for a second (this was my experience) Will they enjoy going to a class? Is there any point if they don’t join in? The answer is yes!

Have a read of the blog we wrote all about this topic HERE and hopefully some of your questions can be answered and your anxieties alleviated.

What You Tell Us

We love hearing all about your experiences at Tots Play and how you and your little one have enjoyed and benefited from the classes. This month it is the turn of Emma Louise who gave franchisee Kate, in Cardiff North this 5* review:

“A friend told me about Tots Play and I’m so glad she did. I took my son along to a few of the Discovery Tots sessions and we both absolutely loved it. I love the mix of song, sign and sensory play. It’s great that it changes every week to allow for variation and yet keeps the same basic structure like the welcome song etc. I think this is great. The classes are so much fun and yet you feel like your baby is learning too. Kate is possibly the most enthusiastic person I’ve ever met, which is perfectly matched to a class like this! …….. I would say that these classes are a cut above the rest. If you are thinking of giving them a go then go for it. They are amazing! Thanks Kate for all your hard work and enthusiasm”

Picture of the Month

How could I not choose this adorable picture! They look so happy and cosy having fun during sensory play time. Move up little ones, I want to join in!

So that's our round up of just some of the epic events that October has brought us. We hope you have had a great month too and look forward to seeing you for more fun throughout November.

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