Little Nippers is a toddler group run by the Holy Redeemer for the local community.
The group is held on Monday mornings from 9:30am to 11:30am during term time (not including public holidays) for children aged 0-4 years old. We meet at the Holy Redeemer Church hall on Churchmore Road, next to the Vicarage (directions). There is a £1 donation per family per session. The group is very friendly and new people are most welcome.
What can I expect?
The mornings are very relaxed and informal. The sessions are mainly a free-play time. Children can play with any of the toys or get involved with the craft activities. Those who bring children often play alongside their children, chat with other carers and have one of the wide range of refreshments. Halfway through the play session, we stop for singing. The children are given drinks and biscuits and we normally have a few songs with plenty of actions.
Niccola and Ruth run the group. They met at Little Nippers when their own children were little. Both will sit and chat to the parents / carers who attend the group throughout the morning.
Toys
We have a good variety of toys to encourage language development and large and fine motor skills. We have a small seesaw and slide on soft mats, and a range of ride on toys. There is plenty of space in the hall, allowing the children to enjoy themselves and run around. We separate the moving around space from the mat area where the children play on the floor, read, or have a go at a craft activity. We also use a soft play area for young babies so they have a little extra protection before they start to crawl and explore the space more.
Some of the toys are available each week. Others change on a four week rotation. This means that children who come along each week have familiar toys but they don’t get bored because there’s always something slightly different each time they come through the month.
Craft activities
The craft table changes each week. Some weeks there are lovely take home ‘stick on the fridge’ crafts to make, and we try to make seasonal cards and crafts too. At other times, we put out resources to encourage experimentation and time to allow the children to extend and develop their fine motor control skills. Covering a piece of paper in swirly chalk marks is really valuable for developing pencil control as they get older. We also use play dough which is great for strengthening little fingers. One week a term we have puzzles on the craft table. These are very popular.
Special events
From time to time we run special events at Little Nippers. Recently we had a Very Hungry Caterpillar story morning, with face painting and a shared lunch together at the end of the morning. At Christmas we heard the Christmas story and shared lunch together.
Safety
To ensure that Little Nippers is a happy place, we try to ensure that it is safe space. Parents and carers are responsible for looking after their children while at the group; we do not have a creche facility to leave children. All of our volunteers have Criminal Record Bureau checks in line with our Safeguarding Children Policy.
New families
New children and families are welcome at Little Nippers. We currently do not have a waiting list; new families can simply turn up and introduce themselves on the day.
Please come to the side door on the right of the Hall, not the front doors which are kept closed during the sessions.
Contact
For more information about Little Nippers toddler group, Sunday School or any of our other activities, contact Denise Gilmour. Families are always welcome at our church services.
