January at Footsteps: Winter Wonderlands & New Beginnings
January has been a wonderfully busy and enriching month across our Footsteps settings, full of seasonal exploration, creativity, and exciting new learning opportunities. Embracing the opportunities provided by the winter months, the children have loved wrapping up warm and heading outdoors to make the most of our outside spaces. From energetic games like rugby and running freely in the fresh air, to mud kitchens and slowing down to notice the subtle changes in the seasons, outdoor play has been a real highlight.
The children have enjoyed mark making in frost, crunching across icy grass, and even playing in a little bit of snow which is always a magical experience that sparked lots of curiosity and conversation. Alongside this, we’ve begun to spot the first signs of spring arriving, with bulbs starting to sprout and new life peeking through the soil. Regular walks to local shops and visits to nearby wildlife areas have supported children’s understanding of their community and the natural world around them.
Indoors, we’ve been truly spoilt by our incredible and creative teams with some fantastic winter-themed tuff tray set-ups. Ice, frozen objects, and messy play resources have created irresistible opportunities to explore, investigate, and learn through hands-on play. These activities have supported early science skills, problem solving, and rich sensory experiences.
January is also a time for fresh thinking around healthy habits. We’ve been exploring healthy eating through play, introducing fun activities that promote oral hygiene and self-care. Our role play areas have been buzzing with imagination, as children stepped into roles within restaurants, post offices, doctors’ surgeries, and vets – building communication skills, confidence, and real-world understanding.
Our learning themes this month have been wonderfully varied, including space, winter animals, colours, vehicles, energy saving, simple science experiments, nursery rhymes, and learning about other countries such as Australia. We’ve also been lucky to welcome our regular external visitors who have inspired the children through singing, dancing, languages, and sports – bringing new experiences and excitement into our days.
Fine motor skills have been carefully supported through a wide range of activities and crafts, including painting, threading, puzzles, and building with blocks. These experiences help strengthen muscles needed for new skills like writing, while encouraging concentration, creativity, and independence.
January has been a month full of discovery, and imagination and has been a perfect start to the year as we continue to build curiosity and confidence for all our children at Footsteps. We can’t wait for the LOVEly things to come in February!
