Feed your Babies Curiosity for Animals and Wildlife

Young children tend to have a natural interest in animals big and small. If you have a pet in the family, quite often your pets name will be the first word your baby will try to sound out. Young children will most likely sound out animal noises as they are easy to make and repeat the sound like “baa baa”, or “woof, woof”.

Young children observe animals very closely, they will watch the way they move and sound. This is fascinating to them! They may even try to imitate the animal. You will often see by taking your child to the local children’s farm if you have one, they will pick up noises and sounds and quite often continue to imitate these, especially if they have a book that associates with an animal they have seen or a nursery rhyme they may know.

These words that a baby will learn and the observations that they are making are important in their learning. They will get to learn about where animals come from, how we after domestic animals and wildlife and how animals communicate with each other.

Remember to point things out to young children when you are with them. For example, if you hear the sound of a bird, always name it, copy it and name it again, this will help your baby to begin to learn which sound goes with which animal.

What Our Parents Say

Our girls are so happy at PlayPlus, we feel very fortunate to have found such a nurturing environment for them. The team are all incredibly kind and caring and know the children really well. The outside space is brilliant and we love it when they bring home all of their art work and show us what they’ve been up to with their friends!

Parent of Child

I love PlayPlus. I visited every single nursery in Hemel Hempstead before I finally decided on PlayPlus. I feel 100% comfortable and happy dropping our daughter here on my working days. Me and my partner liked that PlayPlus feels like a home from home. It is just off the a41 but also feels like it is nestled in countryside. There is a good amount of parking. There is a large garden at the back for the children to play in and a good sized garden in the front. The staff are friendly and welcoming and I particularly liked that the staff were experienced rather than school graduates. Our daughter at 3 years old can already count well, recite the alphabet and is competent with colours and shapes. She was speaking fluently by 2 years old which made our life a lot easier! There is no doubt that PlayPlus have helped our daughter develop and progress. So much so our younger daughter will be joining next month. I have and will continue to recommend PlayPlus to our friends and family

Parent of Child

Our daughter is soon to leave and, despite being keen to start school, she'll really miss coming here. She's been very here and always comes out smiling - especially going back after lockdown! The staff in both the baby unit and Kingsway are excellent and it's clear they really care about the children in their groups. The garden is also fantastic and it's great that the children get to spend so much time outside. Our son will be starting in the baby unit soon and we know we'll be leaving him in good hands.

Parent of Child

Friendly and relaxed atmosphere – it’s a home from home, the staff are brilliant, I couldn’t wish for more.

Parent of Child

Whatever time I drop my child into the nursery the staff are always playing and interacting with the children

Parent of Child

Very talented and caring staff. My son really loved this nursery. He learnt a lot in all aspects from communication, relationship building, being independent, to learning maths, shapes, letters, word, sentences etc. Really pleased with the development. Thanks to all the lovely staff, you are all the best.

Vaibhav H (Father of Child)

My daughter has been in the nursery since the Baby Room. It has been an incredible journey. Now she is in the pre-school and every day she is excited to go to the nursery. She loves the staff, her key worker, the other kids, the setting (especially the garden). She really enjoys all the activities organised through the week/day. She enjoys and has fun while learning. The staff encourage and support multilingual families making the kids feel proud they can speak more than one language. Now the staff are also getting her ready to go to school this September. The staff have always been amazing, very approachable, flexible and caring.

B C (Father of Child)

The staff are so kind and caring, they all know my daughter even those in different rooms. She skips in to see them every day and they are as excited as me when she does new things. It's a home away from home.

H G (Mother of Child)

I can't thank the staff enough for giving me peace of mind when my child is with them. The number and variety of activities each day is amazing and the fact they manage to get in the garden or go on trips - even in winter is fantastic. My child's development is streets ahead of his peers who don't attend nursery.

S H (Mother of Child)

The nursery has a lovely nurturing and vibrant atmosphere which my son loves. There is plenty of space for him to explore and learn via the vast range of toys and equipment they have. I know he is well cared for. I am always well informed and I work together with the nursery staff to give my son the best possible experience.

Claire F (Mother of Child)

The care, consideration and attention my son receives is exemplary. Staff pay attention to his strengths and weaknesses and verbalise them to us and ideas for developing them are implemented. All staff demonstrate an excellent attitude and have excellent relationships with their designated children.

A D (Father of Child)

The staff were warm, caring and professional and the facilities are great. We felt like our daughter was part of a big family. We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all working there.

E S (Mother of Child)

I have been impressed by the level of care given to my son since he started. The daily warm welcome of the staff makes both children and parents alike feel at ease. Seeing the smile on my boy's face as we drive into the car park is proof enough for me that the team are doing something right.

Alexander M (Father of Child)

My little girl has recently started and is absolutely loving her time at nursery. The settling in sessions were brilliant and really helped put my mind at ease, especially with me starting back at work. The ladies in the Baby Room are super friendly and enthusiastic and I can't thank them enough for their support in what could have been quite an emotional rollercoaster.

G W (Mother of Child)

Once I drop my son off into the Baby Room, I feel he's as safe and as well looked after as I do at home.

Laura R (Mother of Child)