What's New at Tots Play this Winter?

A warm welcome to our latest blog updating you on all things Tots Play! We love the start of a new year as it brings along new beginnings and many more of you to welcome to our classes. Something that always makes us smile, even through the freezing weather we've had recently!!

Weather and class updates On the topic of this freezing weather, a quick reminder that any changes to classes because of the weather will be posted on the individual Tots Play page for your area; keep an eye on them for regular updates and if unsure, please contact the class leader. We always want to deliver classes to you, but will always put the safety of you and your little ones first. Don’t forget, if you are lucky enough to have some snow, why not build a Totsy snowman and post the pictures for us to see on your local page!

New Classes As always, our franchisees don’t like to sit still - they love to bring you more classes and variety. This month we have: a new Wednesday Discovery Tots class with Sarah in Ashby and South Derbyshire; a third venue launched in Hatfield, Doncaster with Clare Wimble; a new Monday afternoon venue at Hilton hotel in Cumbernauld; an additional Thursday afternoon Social Tots class in Kirkintilloch and Kilsyth ( Clare Kerr has certainly been busy!); and new venues for Lisa in the Empress Studio and The Ark Methodist Church, both in Colchester. Tamsin will be joining Tracey in delivering her own classes for Tots Play Chesterfield from this month. Have a look on our website for classes in your area so you can join in all of the fun too!

Action Tots Action Tots is one of the newer parts of our programme for children aged 2-4 years old. If your pre-schooler loves being active, having fun and learning new skills, and would like to work towards the exciting milestone of riding a bike, then Action Tots is the place to be! Each 45 minute class includes a number of activities based around 4 skill stations:

Body - working on co-ordination, strength and gross motor skills Brain - helping to develop focus, concentration and fine motor skills Balance - the key skill for all types of movement, especially learning to ride a bike Bikes - exploring, handling and gaining the skills and confidence to start to ride our balance bikes

All that, with songs, games, stretches, parachute play and bubbles to ensure lots of fun - as well as learning!

We have Action Tots available in locations across the country with new locations this term in Torquay with Jenny, Bexleyheath and Dartford with Nicola, Colchester with Lisa and Wolverhampton with Cathryn.

I did warn you that our Franchisees like to be busy! That’s a lot of new classes!!

New and Improved Social Tots Classes If you have been coming along to our Social Tots classes, you will have noticed a few changes to the programme. We love to listen to the input both from you and our franchisees, and in response to these suggestions, we have made a few tweaks. All your favourite activities are still there but we have added in some new elements, along with new songs, yoga poses, sign language games and sensory play topics for your little one and you to enjoy. The feedback has been great! You seem to be loving the new changes and have been fabulous with all of our franchisees, embracing the new programme and joining right in. What else would we expect from you, we have the best Tots and grown-ups at our classes! Look out for more on what you can expect from a Social Tots class in a future blog post, coming soon.

Featured blog of the month Let's face it, being a parent can be a hard and lonely job at times. It is so important to build your own tribe of people that you can chat to, have some fun play dates with or with whom you can go to a class so it isn’t as scary as when you walk in on your own! I don’t think we trust ourselves enough with our instincts and realise how well we are doing raising our little humans.

So... 'high five' to all of you parents out there getting through each day! Have a read of our recent blog all about how to enjoy being a parent, and check out a class near you, it might be the place you meet your tribe. Click here for the blog.

This month our Tots have been loving ….. Colours! We could all do with a bit more colour surrounding us at this time of year so I am on board with the little ones this month. Colour is so powerful in uplifting our mood but is also great for developing and stimulating our senses, our emotional well-being, productivity, learning and behaviour.

Colour is one of the most noticeable attributes of the world around us. For babies and small children, understanding colour is an essential building block they will use for learning in all areas of their life. Colour recognition can provide children with essential learning tools in life. For example, in mathematics, colour recognition is used to categorise, sort, compare and organise. Additionally, as children learn to identify colours and use colour as a language tool to describe things, it develops and strengthens their ability to communicate effectively. On top of that, children will learn to use colour as a visual cue to identify danger (red), and distinguish hot from cold.

What you tell us

We always love to hear your feedback about Tots Play and our classes, it makes us all warm and fuzzy when we can make a difference, see you smile and help you in your journey as a parent.

This month, we would like to say a thank you to Ashleigh Mathieson who gave Clare up in Kilsyth, Kirkintilloch and Cumbernauld a 5* review:

"I cannot recommend Tots Play enough!! Absolutely amazing class! My daughter and I have been attending since she was a few months old at the Baby Development course through to Discovery Tots and she’s now moving on to Social Tots! Tots Play has definitely helped her immensely with all aspects of development! Clare is really amazing and gives 110% at every class!"

Capturing the Fun!

We love to share our favourite pictures of our Tots, but it's always a tough job narrowing them down from all of the gorgeous tots that attend our classes.

We couldn't resist this one from Joanne in Oldham and Saddleworth as the pure joy on his little face is simply perfection.

There is still time to sign up to a Tots Play class in your area, so why not beat those winter blues with a place in one of our Tots Play classes.

Click HERE to find your nearest classes and get your booking in now to join in with all of the fun.

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