How You Can Support at Home

In the Autumn 2026 half term, our theme is “Sports.” The children will be enjoying a wide range of active, sensory, and engaging experiences inspired by sport, movement, and physical play. From rolling and kicking balls to exploring different equipment, joining in with action songs, and developing confidence through movement, the focus is on participation, enjoyment, communication, and active learning.

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There are lots of simple and enjoyable ways to continue this learning at home and throughout the summer holidays.

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Sensory and Practical Activities

Explore Different Sports Equipment

• Provide opportunities for your child to investigate a variety of balls and sports equipment. Soft balls, textured balls, beanbags, bats, hoops, and cones all offer exciting sensory experiences.

Water Bottle and Sports Kit Routine

• Encourage your child to carry their water bottle, help pack a small sports bag, or choose equipment for an activity. These everyday routines help build independence and confidence.

Cause and Effect with Balls

• Roll, bounce, spin, squeeze, or kick different balls and watch what happens. Repeating actions helps children learn about cause and effect while developing coordination and attention.

 

Movement and Play

Family Ball Games

• Roll, throw, or gently kick a ball back and forth with your child. Simple turn-taking games can help develop interaction, attention, and anticipation.

Obstacle Courses

• Create a mini sports challenge using cushions, cones, garden toys, or household objects. Encourage your child to move around, over, or between obstacles in their own way.

Active Movement Fun

• Try moving in different ways together—running, jumping, marching, stretching, balancing, or crawling. Follow your child's interests and celebrate every effort.

 

Communication Opportunities

Sports activities provide many natural opportunities for communication.

Use simple words, sounds, signs, or symbols such as:

"Go" • "Stop" • "Ball" • "Kick" • "Roll" • "More" • "Again" • "Ready"

Offer simple choices to encourage interaction:

• "Do you want the red ball or the blue ball?"

• "Kick or throw?"

• "More or finished?"

You can also build communication through sports songs, action games, and copying each other's movements or sounds.

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Music and Rhythm

Sports Action Songs

• Enjoy songs with movement, clapping, marching, or sports-themed actions. Pause occasionally to encourage anticipation and participation.

Create a Sporting Beat

• Use drums, saucepans, shakers, or table tapping to make simple rhythms together. Encourage your child to copy sounds or take turns leading.

Move to Music

• Dance, jump, stretch, or march to favourite songs. Music can be a wonderful way to motivate movement and support emotional regulation.

 

Community Ideas

If possible, you might try:

• Visiting a local park or playground

• Watching a local sports match or community event

• Visiting a leisure centre or sports facility

• Playing with balls or outdoor equipment in the garden

• Going for family walks and noticing opportunities for active play

• Taking part in simple community activities such as parkruns, fun walks, or family sports events

Remember that participation can look different for every child. Watching, exploring equipment, listening to sounds, or joining in for a short time are all valuable experiences.

 

Building Independence

Sport and physical activity offer many opportunities to practise everyday skills. You could encourage your child to:

• Carry their own water bottle

• Put equipment away when finished

• Wash and dry their hands after activities

• Help choose what game to play

• Take turns with siblings or family members

These small routines help develop confidence, self-help skills, and independence.

 

These activities are designed to be active, sensory-rich, playful, and flexible, helping to support your child's communication, physical development, independence, social interaction, and emotional regulation in ways that feel natural and enjoyable.

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We hope you enjoy exploring our Sports theme together over the summer holidays and into the autumn term. Whether your child is rolling a ball, completing an obstacle course, joining in with an action song, or simply enjoying movement with family members, every experience is an opportunity to learn, connect, and have fun. ⚽🏃‍♀️🏅🏀🎾