🏡 Childminder Hub

EYFS resources, mixed-age play and practical planning

Find resources and guidance for the children you care for—from babies and toddlers to preschool and school-age children.

Explore everyday play, outdoor discoveries, early learning, routines and family communication, alongside planning and professional support for home-based, mixed-age care.

Start with what would help you today. Choose a few useful resources, and adapt them to your children, your space and your day.

What would you like to find?

Looking for something specific? Use our 🔍site search to find a resource, interest or everyday need, such as “visual timetable”, “outdoor maths” or “feelings”.

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🧺 Play & Provision for Everyday Childminding

Find resources to use alongside familiar toys, everyday materials and the spaces you already have.

Continuous provision means the resources and opportunities children can return to regularly—not a different activity to complete each day. A basket of blocks, accessible drawing materials or familiar pretend-play props can offer starting points.

You do not need a separate area for every type of play. Choose what works for your setting, and adapt the materials, access and adult support for the children taking part.

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🍼 Caring for Babies & Toddlers?

Explore adult prompts for shared moments, movement and investigating suitable objects. Follow what catches the child's attention, allow time to repeat an experience and respond to their cues.

The resources below offer ideas for adults—not printed tasks for babies to complete. Choose materials for the individual child, including their mouthing behaviour, and keep small parts and unsuitable objects away from younger children sharing the space.

🔄 Schematic Play: Noticing Repeated Interests

Does a child keep carrying objects, filling and emptying containers, connecting pieces or exploring how things move?

Explore guidance on noticing repeated patterns in play and responding through materials, space and interaction. Use this to understand children's interests—not to label every action or create another checklist.

Early Years Schemas – Practitioner Toolkit → Professional guidance

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💬 Talking, Stories, Early Reading & Writing

Find resources for shared conversations, songs, stories, listening and meaningful mark making. Choose starting points that fit the child, rather than expecting everyone to take part in the same way.

Talk, Listen & Share Stories

Explore conversation, nursery rhymes, storytelling and playful listening. Share familiar books, pause for children's responses and follow the ideas they bring.

Communication & Language · Nursery rhymes · Books & storytelling

Support Taught Phonics & Reading

For children already learning phonics, choose resources that practise sounds and words they have been taught. Check the approach used by their school or setting, and coordinate with families so that support is consistent.

Our resources complement a school's or setting's phonics programme; they do not replace its teaching sequence.

Explore Phonics & Early Reading →

Make Marks & Write for a Purpose

Invite children to draw a plan, make a shopping list, create a sign or leave a message. Value their marks and explanations, with writing support matched to what they know.

Literacy resources · Writing opportunities within role play

Browse All EYFS Areas of Learning

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📝 Mixed-Age Planning & Professional Support

Plan around the children you know, the experiences you offer and what you notice during everyday care and play.

Explore flexible tools for mixed-age childminding. Choose the guidance and recording formats that help you reflect, make decisions and communicate—not paperwork simply to fill a template.

One Invitation, Different Ways to Join In

A building invitation might involve exploring suitable large pieces with an adult, making an enclosure for toy animals or designing a home and adding a sign.

Children do not need to produce the same outcome—or join the same activity. Offer separate materials, support or spaces where needed.

Looking More Closely at One Age Group?

🍼 Planning for babies 🚼 Planning for toddlers 🎨 Planning for preschool 🎓 Planning for Reception-age children

More childminder professional guidance: Provision rotation & resource selection · Outdoor & community learning · Inspection confidence · Setting policies

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🤝 Everyday Routines, Inclusion & Family Partnerships

Find resources to support everyday care, communication and children's sense of belonging, alongside tools for working with families and supporting changes and transitions.

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🎒 School-Age Children: After School & Holidays

Find starting points for children who come before or after school, or join you during the holidays.

Offer opportunities to talk, play, read, make, investigate and unwind. Choose resources that connect with their interests, alongside optional support for learning already happening at school.

There is no need to turn childminding time into another school day.

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🍂 Seasonal Ideas & Special Dates

Find inspiration from the season, your local environment, children's interests and celebrations meaningful to your families.

Keep what is working, and add something where it will be useful. A change of month does not mean every resource or experience needs to change.

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🎁 Free Childminder Resources

Try a small selection of practical resources and guidance. Open each page for details and download options; sign in or create a Free Access account when prompted.

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Find the Right Access for You

• Free Access includes selected free resources and our Special Dates Calendars.

• Premium includes our EYFS and KS1 Printable Provision library.

• Professional includes everything in Premium, plus the EYFS Curriculum & Pedagogy Suite, including childminder-specific guidance.

Compare Membership Options →

Need help finding a resource or accessing your membership? Contact Little Owls support.

Childminder Inspiration Wall

Featured Time Relevant Themes and Engaging Resources for your childminding setting.

📌 Childminder Insights, Advice & Updates

Stay informed, get expert advice, and find inspiration from our collection of articles and useful external resources, tailored specifically for childminders.

NEW | From Our Blog: Latest Articles & Practical Guides

We regularly publish in-depth articles to support you with current best practices, regulatory changes, and fresh ideas.

Useful Organisations & External Resources

Find support and further information from leading organisations in the early years sector.

• Ofsted: The official body for regulating and inspecting childcare providers in England.

• Website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted

• PACEY (Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years): Comprehensive support, training, and resources for childminders.

• Website: www.pacey.org.uk

• Department for Education (DfE): Access official government guidance and policies related to early years and childcare.

• Website: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-education

• NSPCC Learning: Essential resources and training on safeguarding and child protection.

• Website: learning.nspcc.org.uk

• Early Years Alliance: A large and representative early years membership organisation offering information, advice, specialist publications, and training that supports a wide range of early years providers, including childminders.

  • Website: www.eyalliance.org.uk

• British Association for Early Childhood Education (Early Education): A national charity dedicated to promoting high-quality early childhood education through professional learning, resources, and advocacy for all early years practitioners.

  • Website: early-education.org.uk

We're constantly adding new resources and articles to support you. Have a suggestion or can't find what you're looking for? [Contact Us!]