Winter Wellbeing Pack

Winter can be a tricky time of the year for early years providers – the cold weather and dark days can make us want to hibernate, but we need to keep going and continue to offer children a balance of inside and outside learning opportunities, with outings into the local community to teach children about where they live and their place in the wider world.
 

Provider Wellbeing

Childcare.co.uk has produced some guidance for winter wellbeing including:

Winter wellbeing guidance for practitioners

Guide to outside play and learning in winter
 

Winter Group Planning

To support providers with winter planning, Childcare.co.uk has commissioned some simple, one-page planners for the winter months which can be shared with parents to support children’s home learning, including:

January Planner – focus on teaching children about winter

February Planner – focus on animals and birds in winter

March Planner – focus on healthy eating in winter
 

Winter Activities

Winter Activity Book

Playing Outside in Winter

Staying Safe in Winter
 

Seasonal Illnesses and Vaccines

Covid-19 does not appear to be going away anytime soon and is likely to be more prevalent, alongside seasonal flu, in winter. Here are some useful posters to share with parents which highlight the NHS campaign to encourage parents to take up the flu vaccine for their child:

NHS Flu Vaccination Poster for Children

NHS Vaccines Poster

NHS Covid-19 Guide to Booster Vaccinations
 

Further guidance on Covid-19

Providers have asked us for more information to share with parents, to keep them updated with changes to Covid-19 guidance. Childcare.co.uk has commissioned leaflets to support you with:

Covid-19 FAQ for Parents

Sending a letter to parents about positive Covid-19 cases in a childminder’s household

Guidance on Self-Isolation from the DfE