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4. Where in the world?


Start by laying out the Continent Playmat. Introduce 3–4 animal figures and name each one. Place them gently on their native continent while giving a short, clear explanation (e.g. “The elephant lives in Africa where it’s hot and has lots of space”). Allow the children to place the remaining animals.


Benefits: Encourages geographical understanding, global citizenship, and vocabulary expansion.


What you’ll need: 306831 – Cosy Outdoor Nature Number Pack


3. Trace the race


Invite the children to select a number board. Slowly trace the numeral with two fingers and say the number aloud. Place one bead in each groove or slot while counting aloud. Encourage the child to repeat the process independently.


Benefits: Supports number recognition, counting skills, hand- eye coordination and left-to-right tracking.


Extension ideas: • Ask the child to match quantities to numeral cards.


• Create addition/subtraction stories using two boards.


• Encourage sorting beads by colour or pattern before counting.


Language enrichment tips: Use mathematical terms like “how many?”, “more”, “less”, “count”, and “same as”. Reinforce number names and positional words like “first”, “next”, and “last”.


Extension ideas: • Use picture cards of habitats to match animals.


• Introduce flags, music or food items from different continents.


• Pair with stories from around the world.


Language enrichment tips: Use words like “habitat”, “continent”, “native”, “wildlife”, “migrate”, and the names of continents and animals. Encourage children to ask questions and describe what they know.


4 What you’ll need:


520081 – Continents Map Vinyl Playmat


832200 – CollectA Wildlife of the South African


831964 – CollectA Wildlife of the Polar Regions


832189 – CollectA Wildlife of the Asian Continent


About Harriett


Harriett is a registered nurse, health visitor, and Montessori-trained educator with a strong foundation in early child development and family health. She founded Nurture Childcare to combine evidence-based care with the proven benefits of the Montessori approach. Her passion lies in creating calm, purposeful environments where children can explore, think independently, and become confident learners. She firmly believes that Montessori education gives children the tools to succeed in school and thrive in life— building resilience, self-motivation and a lifelong love of learning.


Shop Little Learners products and more at ypo.co.uk/earlyyears


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