Looking for vibrant and engaging early years activities to keep your little ones entertained? Our nursery specialists have put together these creative ideas with step-by-step guides to make learning fun and colourful. Perfect for parents who want to inspire their child’s imagination while supporting their development.
Colourful Ice Activity
Our colourful ice experiment is a great activity for summer. It not only cools children down but also sparks curiosity about colours, science, and the world around them.
What You’ll Need:
- Two or more different paint colours
- An ice cube tray
- A flat tray or tub (deep enough to hold water)
- Water
- Cornflour
- A messy play apron or an old t-shirt
Step-by-Step Guide:
- Prepare the Ice Cubes:
- Mix a few drops of paint with water in different sections of the ice cube tray. Ask your child what they think will happen to the water when it freezes.
- Freeze
- Place the tray in the freezer and let the water freeze completely.
- Set Up the Gloop:
- Mix cornflour and water in a flat tray or tub until you get a thick, sticky consistency. Let your child take the lead—they’ll love mixing it up!
- Ask them questions like, “What does the mixture feel like?” or “What do you think will happen when we add the ice cubes?”
- Add your Frozen Cubes:
- Once the ice cubes are ready, add them to the gloop. Encourage your child to observe what happens as the ice melts.
- Watch as the colours blend together. What new colours do they see forming? This is a great opportunity to talk about colour mixing and the science of melting.
- Discuss and Discover:
- Draw shapes and patterns in the gloop.
- As the ice melts and the colours change, ask your child to describe what they see. You can ask questions like, “Why do you think the ice is melting?” or “What colours can you see now?”
I’m making a pattern with my ice, watch!
child, Brimpton House Nursery
This activity is a fantastic way to combine sensory play with early science and colour exploration, all while keeping cool in the summer heat. Plus, it’s a fun and messy experience your child will love!
Early Years Crafting
Crafting is more than just fun, it’s a wonderful way for young children to learn and grow. By providing your child with a variety of materials in different colours, you can encourage them to think creatively and with purpose. Whether they’re cutting, gluing, or arranging, every step is a chance to enhance their coordination and tactile awareness.
So why not set aside some time for a crafting session? It’s a fun, meaningful way to support your child’s development while creating something special together.
“These are all of my favourite colours! My mummy will love my picture”
child, just imagine day nursery
Seashell Colouring
If you’re heading to the beach this summer, be sure to collect some seashells for a fun and creative activity! Painting seashells is a wonderfully relaxing way to explore colours and let your imagination run wild. Whether you’re crafting vibrant rainbows, blending colours for a unique effect, decorating with polka dots or stars, or even adding funny faces, the possibilities are endless.
Check out this step-by-step guide by One Little Project to learn how to transform your beach treasures into colourful works of art: Seashell Painting by One Little Project.
Colourful Cake Baking
Baking a colourful cake is not only a fun activity but also a fantastic way to introduce your child to early mathematical concepts. Measuring out ingredients helps develop their understanding of quantities, numbers, and mathematical language.
Plus, you can make it even more special by using natural food colouring from fruits and vegetables, like beetroot or blackberries. For more inspiration, check out the DIY icing colours via Spruce Eats.
Bubble Wrap Painting: Sensory Fun for Babies
Allowing babies to express themselves creatively is essential for their development, and bubble wrap painting is a perfect activity for sensory exploration. This activity not only lets your little one feel the texture of the paint and bubble wrap, but it also introduces them to the magic of making marks and patterns.
Lightly wrap bubble wrap around your child’s hands or feet, dip them in paint, and let them press onto paper. Watch as they discover shapes, patterns, and colours while enjoying the unique sensory experience of the bubbles and paint.
It is important for our babies to have the opportunities to express themselves creatively and have opportunities for sensory exploration. Feeling the paint, watching the marks it makes.
Rainbow Fish Book Craft
If your little ones love the Rainbow Fish book, this summer activity is perfect for them! The Rainbow Fish Fine Motor Activity combines the beloved story with a fun, hands-on project. Using cotton buds, children can place them into the holes on the Rainbow Fish’s scales, helping them build fine motor strength and hand-eye coordination while enjoying some colour matching fun. For a detailed guide on how to set up this activity, visit Taming Little Monsters.
Colour Matching on a Walk
Turn your next walk into an exciting adventure with a colour-matching activity! Here’s how:
- Create a Colour Wheel: Print or paint a simple colour wheel with various shades.
- Head Outdoors: Take the colour wheel with you on your walk.
- Match the Colours: Encourage your child to find objects in nature that match the colours on the wheel.
This activity not only enhances colour recognition but also fosters curiosity and a deeper appreciation for the world around them. It’s a wonderful way to explore the outdoors with purpose.
Colour Run Activity: A Burst of Fun and Fitness
This colour run activity is a vibrant, joy-filled event that children absolutely love. Designed to combine the excitement of colour with the benefits of physical activity, this event encourages sensory play, social interaction, and coordination. It’s a fantastic way to promote a love for exercise in a lively and safe environment, where fun and fitness come together in a splash of colour!
Expect to get messy and be sure to use washable, non-toxic paint powder suitable for children.
I threw colour at Anna, she needed to be colourful
Child, kloisters kindergarten
Colour Mixing: Hands-On Sensory Fun
How to:
- Gather Materials: Grab some sandwich bags of any size and your prime colours (red, blue, yellow).
- Add Colours: Pour two different colours into each bag.
- Seal and Mix: Zip up the bag and let your child squish and mix the colours together.
For an extra sensory experience, add clear soap and some glitter or sequins to the bag before sealing it. This activity allows children to explore colour mixing hands-on, watching as primary colours blend into secondary ones. Encourage them to describe the changes they see, building their vocabulary while they engage their senses in a fun and educational way.
These vibrant early years activities blend educational value with endless fun, offering everything from sensory-rich experiments to energetic colour runs. If you’re looking for more ways to engage your child, be sure to check out our early years water play activities. Whatever you choose, enjoy the special moments as your child learns, grows, and develops through play, with you right by their side.