Active Learning: Why Doing Beats Watching at Nottingham Nursery

Ever notice how your child lights up when they’re building a tower or sorting colorful blocks? That’s active learning in action – kids learn best when they’re moving, touching, and experimenting. At Nottingham Nursery we turn everyday play into powerful lessons, and you can bring the same ideas home.

What Active Learning Looks Like in a Nursery

Active learning isn’t a buzzword; it’s a set of simple habits. Think of a circle time where children jump to the beat of a story, or a garden corner where they plant seeds and watch them sprout. These activities do three things:

• Hands‑on practice: Kids use their hands to solve problems, which creates stronger memory pathways.
• Immediate feedback: Dropping a block teaches balance right then, not weeks later.
• Social interaction: Working in pairs builds language and cooperation skills.

When children are actively involved, they ask questions, try different ways, and remember what they’ve done much longer than if they just listened.

Easy Ways to Bring Active Learning Into Your Day

You don’t need a fancy lab – just a few everyday items and a playful mindset. Here are three go‑to ideas:

1. Story‑to‑Movement: After reading a short story, ask kids to act out the main events. A tale about a rainy day becomes a chance to splash with pretend raindrops.
2. Math with Toys: Use LEGO bricks or kitchen spoons to count, group, and compare. Ask, “Can you make two towers with the same number of blocks?”
3. Science in the Yard: Plant fast‑growing beans in clear cups. Watch the roots daily and talk about what plants need. Kids love seeing the change.

Each activity links a subject (literacy, numeracy, science) with movement, making the lesson stick.

At Nottingham Nursery we plan a daily “Active Hour” where children rotate through stations – a music corner, a mini‑construction zone, and a nature table. Teachers observe, ask open‑ended questions, and note which approaches spark the most curiosity. The result? Kids become confident problem‑solvers and love coming back for more.

Want to try it at home? Start small. Pick one routine – like cleaning up toys – and turn it into a game. “Who can sort the cars by color the fastest?” adds a learning goal to a chores task.

Remember, the goal isn’t to fill every minute with structured activity. It’s to give children chances to explore, fail, try again, and celebrate what they discover. When you see a child’s face light up after figuring out how to balance a puzzle piece, you know active learning is working.

Ready to see the difference? Join us for a visit at Nottingham Nursery and watch our active learning corners in action. You’ll leave with a toolbox of ideas you can use at home, in the park, or even at the grocery store. Let’s turn everyday moments into unforgettable learning experiences together.