The importance of play and creativity, even on rainy days!
As the wet weather sets in, it’s easy to fall into the habit of increased screen time, whether it’s television or time on the iPad. While these have their place, it’s important to continue encouraging active play and creative exploration, even indoors!
Play is essential to a child’s development. It supports imagination, problem-solving, emotional regulation and social skills. Rainy days provide a great opportunity for children to engage in more open-ended, imaginative activities that they might not normally try. Whether it’s building a fort out of blankets, putting on a puppet show, crafting, baking, or simply making up games with their siblings, these moments build lasting skills and memories.
Creativity also helps children express themselves, especially when they can’t be as active outdoors. Art projects, music, storytelling and even helping to plan indoor treasure hunts are fantastic ways to keep minds active and spirits high.
As parents, your encouragement and involvement can make all the difference. Let’s use this season to nurture curiosity and creativity. After all, a little rain is the perfect excuse to get imaginative!
Madame Pilote Mrs Langley Mrs Andrews
Insights from the Learning Enrichment Team
Why Executive Function Matters
Have you ever met a child who’s bright and chatty, but forgets their hat every day? Or one who knows the right answer, but struggles to get started on their writing? These kinds of challenges are often tied to something called executive function, a set of mental skills that help us manage our thoughts, actions and emotions.
What is executive function?
Think of executive function as the brain’s “air traffic control system.” It helps us to:
- Plan and organise (e.g. remembering a sequence of steps)
- Start and finish tasks
- Manage time
- Stay focused
- Control impulses and emotions
One key component of executive function is working memory, the ability to hold and use information in your mind over short periods. For example, remembering a three-step instruction, solving a maths problem in your head, or recalling the sentence you just read while reading the next one. These skills don’t develop all at once. They grow steadily over childhood and into the early twenties but for some kids, this development is a little bumpier.
So, what does this mean for children with ADHD or learning differences?
Children with ADHD, for example, aren’t being defiant when they struggle to follow instructions or stay on task. Their brains may be wired a little differently when it comes to regulating attention, switching between tasks, or remembering to remember.
In fact, challenges with executive function can also show up in:
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- Specific Learning Disabilities and other learning disorders
- Anxiety and emotional regulation issues
These students often know what they want to do but need extra support to actually do it.
How we help at school
At our school, we use several strategies to support children who need a boost with executive function skills:
- Visual schedules and checklists to break down tasks
- Step-by-step modelling so students can see what success looks like
- Timers and prompts to support time management
- Movement breaks to help with regulation and focus
- Clear routines and transitions to reduce cognitive overload
How parents can help at home
You don’t need fancy tools to help build executive function at home! Here are a few ideas:
- Use a morning or bedtime routine chart
- Break homework into smaller chunks with breaks in between
- Try a visual weekly calendar so your child can see what’s coming up
- Play games like “Simon Says”, “Uno” or “Guess Who” that involve memory and focus
- Keep expectations clear, consistent, and simple
Executive function skills aren’t about intelligence, they’re about how we manage the brain’s many moving parts. Some kids need more scaffolding to develop these skills, but with the right support, they can thrive.
If this topic is of interest to you, you may find the video below useful.
Professor Adele Diamond: How to Help Children Develop Executive Functions
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pRB6gzgFa2s
Diabetes Association Fundraiser
St Stephen’s School Bingo Night
Get your ticket to the St Stephen’s School Bingo Night! Fun for the whole family, book online through – https://events.humanitix.com/bingo2025
2025 Arts & Academic Festival – Entries Now Closed
Thanks so much to students and families for working to make sure all entry forms were submitted complete and on time. We now have around 500 forms to process and entries are now closed. Students will be given an individual sheet detailing all of their entries very soon and a timetable will be made available as soon as possible.
A final reminder for students who have entered the Media Production category – you must hand your USB to Reception before 3.30pm on Wednesday 4 June.
Icy Pole Sales
Due to the cold weather, Captains will not be selling icy poles for the remainder of Term 2. They are, however working on an alternative option in order to continue their fundraising efforts. Stay tuned!
Scholastic Book Club
The last day for ordering will be Tuesday 17 June
Art Department
The art Department are asking for 2, 3.5, or 4kg yogurt containers (or similar) as shown in the below image. Please leave cleaned containers outside the art room.
