You Choose!

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For example, have two toys that the children have to choose between and say why they chose the one they did.

Make some hats - make simple cone shaped hats and let the children decorate them however they like, or give them the choice of transforming it into a clown's hat or a princess's.Choosing a book - let the children experience choosing by giving them a choice of books at story time. You could make a cardboard secret door and go through it together using your imaginations to say what's on the other side.

You Choose" is the sort of book you could focus on for a week or two, followed by another couple of weeks on just one aspect of the book that the children really showed an interest in, like animals or transport. If they enjoy doing this, provide clip boards and paper and let the children go around on their own asking who likes what and making marks as part of their play.Ball games - practice ball skills outside with bats and balls - hitting, kicking, throwing, catching. Why not pair this lovely interactive book with our Decision-Making Resources centred around mental and emotional wellbeing. Make a story together about travelling in a hot air balloon - what can you see/how do you feel/what happens when a storm comes/how will you get down? Disco dancing - in the section on what you would choose to put in your house there is a glitter ball and a lava lamp. You Choose" offers lots of starting points for learning and is the perfect book for following the children's lead in the activities you do.

Enjoyable crowded and colourful pictures invite children to think about and discuss the choices they might make about a variety of things, from family and friends to homes, from modes of travel to jobs. Odd one out - Invite the children to make an interactive 'odd one out' display, using all sorts of groups of animals, with an odd one out. Friends - there is another section with pictures of all sorts of people to have as family or friends. Pippa Goodhart's interest in children's books was originally sparked by a Saturday job at Heffers in Cambridge when she was at school.This book is a brilliant way to spark children's creativity and imagination when presented with a range of scenarios to choose from. Take a photo of each child and make a book of them all dressed up, with captions: 'Jordan would wear a bear suit'. Follow their lead and try to get some information on their favourites - a parent/visitor who does that job; books about it; role play resources etc.

You could be outside and find a 'natural' doorway in a hedge/the bars of a climbing frame and do a similar thing. After doing her PGCE, more years ago than she’d care to mention, Juliet taught in Nursery, Reception and Year 1 classes in South London and East Sussex. The children could make some animal tails (fluffy bunny/stripy zebra/swishy horse/curly pig etc) for a 'guess whose tail this is? If you could go anywhere in the world, eat anything, live anywhere and choose absolutely everything about yourself, what would you choose?Collect together all sorts of small world animals (see the pets page) - include wild, safari, farm, domestic, and dragons! there are lots of games available that involve putting together a head, body and legs in different ways to make up different outfits.