August 2021 Parenta magazine

Top 5 holistic
development activities
Holistic learning, together with mindfulness practices, develops children’s memory and focus skills.
The creative practices enable children to exercise their imagination and problem-solving skills.
Here are 5 of our top holistic development activities that you can do with the children in
your setting – we hope you enjoy them!
They can have some fun and explore with
poses such as downward dog, using their
leg to wag their tail and practice their
balance. As children advance their poses
and physical strength towards tree pose,
they can try standing on one leg and using
their arms to create their chosen tree form
and counting their breath to 10.
Congratulations
to all our Parenta learners!
Congratulations to all these Parenta learners who completed their apprenticeship
in June and have now gained their qualifications.
These range from Childcare Level 2, Childcare Level 3 and Team Leading
to Level 3 and Level 5 Management – that’s a huge achievement in the
current climate.
All that hard work has paid off – well done from all of us here at Parenta Training!
1. Sensory play
Using clay (or play doh, or even bread
dough) is a fantastic activity to do for a
sensory experience. Children learn how to
mould and manipulate the mixture, which
has calming effects. As children develop
their fine motor skills and dexterity, they
can go on to form shapes and letters,
and even create clay characters! Children
will explore how to use new tools when
moulding and shaping, which taps into
their lateral thinking.
2. The sound of music
Singing and music, combined with
movement, develops a child’s
self-confidence, and allows them to
express themselves through the sound
of their own voice. Encouraging children
to participate will help them develop mind
and body co-ordination and stimulate
brain development, giving them a strong
sense of self-belief.
3. Mirror, mirror on the wall
Mirroring is a firm favourite with most
children because they can really express
themselves without even realising it! It’s
a music and movement technique which
is also used to grow a child’s self-esteem
and communication skills. With mirroring,
children can lead - or follow - a sequence
of sounds or movements to express an
area of their life and is a wonderful activity
to do with children who otherwise have
difficulty with self-expression.
4. Yoga: not just for adults!
Practicing yoga regularly will help the
children develop their concentration skills,
gross-motor skills, hand-eye coordination
and of course, their balancing skills too!
5. Being at one with nature
Nature is used as an exploration for
learning and is often described as our
‘best teacher’ By discovering everything
they can about nature and the seasons,
children are exposed to change, growth
and the cycle of life. Summer and autumn
are the perfect seasons to explore and
connect with nature. The bright colours of
flowers and fruits around us at this time
of year; and in contrast, when the leaves
start to change their colour before falling
off the trees give children a wonderful
opportunity for exploring different textures
and following the life cycle of the flowers
and plants!
Source: SensationalTutors.co.uk
Did you know?... Parenta has trained over 20,000 apprentices within the early years sector!
Our Level 3 success rate overall is almost 10% higher than the national average.
That’s down to great work from you, our lovely Parenta learners!
If you have a learner with us who has recently completed their apprenticeship, please send in
a picture to hello@parenta.com to be included in the magazine.
A. Sandulescu
A. Thantrige
B. Burdett
C. Faulkner
C. Grimsey
C. Hogue
C. Gibbons
E. O’Loughlin
June’s wall of fame!
E. Stewart
L. Fox
F. Fryett
H. Wilkes
C. Hollinshead
J. Chenot
K. Hilton
K. Lamb
L. Pearce
L. Alexander
L. Ellam
R. Munro
S. Devlin
H. Tum
V. Amos
18 August 2021 | parenta.com
parenta.com | August 2021 19