UNDER 3's
0-3 YEARS
PLAYROOMS
There are four playrooms at The Bruce Nursery for children under 3 years old: Baby Room, First Steps, Tiny Two’s and Stepping Stones.
These playrooms provide warmth, fun and security for your child. Staff provide appropriate activities for your child’s age group and developmental stage. It is important for children of this age to receive continuity of care between nursery and home therefore the nursery staff will ensure your child’s familiar routine is maintained.
The staff encourage the children to freely explore and enjoy their play activities in a safe, relaxed environment allowing them to develop their confidence, independence and learning.


REALISING THE AMBITION
Realising the Ambition is a national practice guidance document designed to guide and support all those who work with babies and children, in the early learning and childcare sector and beyond, into the early years of primary school in Scotland.
Using the practice guidance, staff create quality interactions, experiences, and environments to help young children to develop and grow.
To provide the quality experiences for children under 3 years old needs: from feeding, cuddles and nappy changing to sensory experiences, outdoor play and music.
Your child will be encouraged to access resources and exercise freedom of choice about the activities they wish to participate in. Stimulating conversation, interactive play and learning to socialise, share and make friends is all part of the day.
The nursery staff will support your child through toilet training and developing independence at mealtimes in a secure, loving environment.
Your child will be able to participate in, and experience many activities, including:
- Extensive selection of books, stories, poems and rhymes to encourage communication and language.
- Treasure Baskets (baskets containing sensory items with different textures, sounds and smells).
- Heuristic Play (play using everyday objects such as wooden spoons and pans which encourages curiosity and exploration and offers opportunities to categorise and compare)
- Multi-cultural musical instruments, singing, action songs, musical games, music and movement.
- Daily opportunities for outdoor play for health, fitness and physical development.
- Sand and water play as a sensory experience for the youngest babies and to introduce early science concepts such as pouring, measuring, wet, dry, full, empty for older babies and toddlers.
- Extensive opportunities for encouraging expressive development through painting, gluing and drawing using a variety of art materials.
- Play dough and clay are sensory experiences which encourage small motor skills in hands and fingers.
- Role play through dressing up, using puppets and ‘let’s pretend’ in the home corner. Children use role play to make sense of the world around them through acting out familiar experiences.
- Cooking and baking help develop science knowledge such as measuring and weighing. Healthy eating habits are also encouraged.
- Planting and growing activities both in the garden and indoors to encourage the children to care for living things and gain knowledge of nature and the world around them.
- An extensive range of construction toys such as bricks and Lego to encourage small motor skills in the fingers and hands.
