“Mummy brings me to nursery in the morning, she rings the bell, and my carer opens the door and says hello to us and asks how I have been since I was at nursery last. She offers out her arms to me for a cuddle, I feel a little sad as I don’t want to leave mummy, but I do like my extra cuddles with my carer, and she looks after me when mummy is at work. Mummy kisses me goodbye and says she will see me later, and she always comes back.
When I am ready, I have my breakfast with my friends at the table, my carers sit with us and help to put cereal onto my spoon. I’m learning how to keep the food on my spoon and not let it fall off before I can eat it, my carer says I’m getting better each day. When I have finished, my face is cleaned, and my carer helps me to find activities to do in the room. There is so much to explore and do, but I enjoy looking in the treasure basket, there is always something new to find. Once there were items all made of wood like spoons, egg cups, honey spoons, balls, rings, boxes with lids, and brushes. I can bang them together or put them inside each other and explore how the brushes feel on my skin.
When all my friends have finished their breakfast, we all sit together on the rug, I like to sit on my carer’s lap. They all start to sing a Morning song to welcome us to the nursery, I can choose a song or rhyme to sing by pointing to pictures on the floor, my favourite is ‘Tiny Tim’. My carers clap and smile as they sing, I try to clap too, and I like to bob up and down too.
While we sit on the rug, I can see other carers putting activities out for me to explore, I get very excited and want to play.
My carer tells me I can go and play, she says I can do painting, play in the foam, or water tray, or go outside and play in the sandbox. I sometimes like my carer to come with me, so she holds my hand and reassures me, and then gives me a quick squeeze, this makes me feel better. She shows me how to make a big mountain out of foam, I use my hand and splat it and the foam shot up in the air and landed on my face and head, I found this very funny and giggle, so we do it again.
I can move around the room freely to explore the book area, building blocks, soft toys, home corner, treasure baskets, playdough, and oobleck painting, or I can go outside and use the slide or go in the playhouse. My carer is never far away, if I feel a little sad or tired or sometimes, I might bump myself, she comes to me and cuddles me until I’m ready to play again. She changes my nappy during the day, and she sings and tickles me to make me laugh and giggle. Sometimes I get a bit messy from playing so I have a change of clothes and a quick wash of my arms, hands, and face, I love getting messy at nursery.
During the morning we all come together for our morning snack, I have my hands washed and we sit down for a drink of milk and some yummy fruit or vegetable sticks. The skin of my fruit and vegetables is removed so that it is easier for me to eat. There is always something different to have at snack time, sometimes it is rice cakes or oat cakes and breadsticks. Some of my friends will have a bottle of milk, they sit with their carers in the cosy chairs, and sometimes they fall asleep too. I don’t have a bottle anymore because I’m a big girl and have a beaker.
When I have finished my snack, I can go and play again or my carer will read me stories while I sit on her lap in the book corner, I like to point to the pictures, and she says what they are. She helps me to build tall towers, complete puzzles, play peek-a-boo, show me how to make things work, and encourages me to have a go at new activities.
When it’s time for lunch I get excited to see what we are having, it is always a hot meal, and my carer puts my bib on and cuts up my food for me. I am given my spoon, I like doing it myself, and my carer helps feed me too, but I do get a little messy.
When I have finished my carer will clean my hands and face, so I am ready for my nap.
My carer takes me to have my nappy changed before I go to sleep, I have a cot with my picture and name on it I point to it as I know it’s my cot. She lays me down and covers me with my blanket from home and I cuddle my teddy. Not all my friends sleep at the same time, they might have morning and afternoon sleep.
There is soft music playing in the background to help me settle, my carer gently rubs my back and I slowly drift off to sleep. My carers check on me while I sleep to ensure I am safe and comfortable.
When I wake up my carer is in the room with me, she smiles and says afternoon to me, she allows me to get up when I am ready, and then she cuddles me. It doesn’t take me long before I want to go and play again.
In the afternoon I choose to play outside in the garden, I love being outdoors as I can play on the grass and go down the big slide as the big children do. My carer helps me climb up the steps as I’m a little wobbly. I ride on the small trikes and slowly make my way around the garden on the track, I go through the huge tracker tires, one day I’ll be able to climb them as the big children do, I love to watch them.
Soon it is an afternoon snack, we have it in the garden on a rug, I have my hands washed and I am given my beaker and a bowl with cheese and cucumber sticks in, cheese is my favourite.
My smaller friends might have pureed fruit for their snacks. Once I finished my snack I go to play and find a puddle made from the water tray, I like to splash and sit in it, but I can still make good splashes with my legs. My carer gives me a paintbrush and shows me how to paint with the water on the floor, I can make lots of marks and watch them disappear as they dry.
After playing in the garden and exploring the room some more, it’s teatime. I love all my food and we get to try all sorts of different things from sandwiches, fish finger wraps, carbonara or tomato pasta with cheese, and different fruit for pudding. Once I have finished, I can go and play again.
It’s not long before mummy comes to collect me, my carer changes my nappy and cleans my hands and face.
I know when mummy is here because my carer gets my bag and teddy and then puts her arms out to me and says mummy is here, I can’t wait to have a cuddle with mummy. My carer tells mummy all about my day and what I have been up to, she says goodbye and I wave to her as she says see you tomorrow.
I wonder if mummy had as much fun as I did today?”