How my own children inspire me as a business owner!
How my boys inspire me!
How my boys inspire my classes! It doesn’t seem two minutes since my two were attending Little Learners classes – run by Holly, who owned the Little Learners Southport franchise before I took over.
I am always chatting to families in class about how one of my boys used to go along to classes, avoid all the mess, yet still manage to leave with paint in his hair! He was never one for getting his hands mucky, and so always loved the fine motor toys, painting using a (clean) paintbrush, drawing and exploring the drier trays and the play dough. My youngest, however, was straight into everything and loved anything cold, slimy and hard to clean up.
Interest = Inspiration!
When taking over the franchise, I was inspired to make some additions to the sessions, with both my boys’ interests as a starting point. The water tub is now a huge favourite in class and I felt that as most little ones love water, and all the play opportunities it brings, it would be great to include this in every session. Having lots of dry messy play was also something I was keen to include in my sessions – a ‘safe’ tray for those who aren’t keen on mess, and to ensure that there is something consistent and familiar when they attend.
A messy play tuff tray activity to inspire!
Edible Fun!
Another addition I made was ensuring that as many of the tray contents were edible, with my youngest in mind, and how he loved to try everything out, both with his hands and also his mouth! There are times when I do use non-edible materials, such as Crazy Soap, but on the whole, most things are taste safe – always dairy free and where possible, textures that are suitable for younger babies to mouth and taste, too. If you ever have questions, ask your class leader – we love to talk messy play! Or if you’re after some inspiration for home play, check out our blog.
Your children inspire me too!
When I attended messy play with my boys, I loved the fact that Holly had her own children, of which she also drew inspiration and ideas from to plan our sessions – I could ask her advice on things, I had someone to relate to as well as the other parents there and I know how much I love talking to my own LL families now about my children and the things they love to do! I’d love to know what inspires your children and how you’d like to see that incorporated in to our next class. Don’t forget we do bespoke parties too!
I absolutely LOVE planning sessions for your little ones to enjoy, explore and learn from, and I use the interests of the children within my classes to inspire and plan future sessions, resources and themes. Please feel free to message me if you have a theme idea – I love trying something new and I’d love to include your Little Learner’s favourite things within their classes!
Does messy play inspire you? Ever thought about channelling that into a new career? Click here to find out more on our franchise opportunity!
See you in class!
Beckie,
