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The Secret Life of Bugs: Fun Learning Ideas for Children

Posted on August 28, 2024

Exploring the world of insects and bugs with young children opens a door to a wealth of learning opportunities. From fostering curiosity and a love for nature to developing critical thinking and fine motor skills, the benefits are endless!

Continue reading…

About Us

Play is at the heart of everything we do.

At Yellow Door we believe that helping you to offer language rich play environments is the best thing we can do together to enhance children’s learning, their well-being and their future success.

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🌟Exploring Patterns🌟 Curved, wiggly, bumpy, 🌟Exploring Patterns🌟
Curved, wiggly, bumpy, straight! Combining resources is a fantastic way for children to create and explore patterns and textures. Playdough and Sensory Stones, as shown in these gorgeous pictures from @four.little.beans, is a classic pairing. 

Available from little_acornsuk 

#playdoughactivities #playdoughfun #playdough #yellowdooreducation #sensorystones #playdoughplayactivities #playdoughstamps #myeasyplay #sensoryplayideas #allaboutearlyyears #invitationtoplay #openendedplay #meaningfulplayideas #eyfsideas #playactivitiesforfun
How delightful is this cosy afternoon tea setup by How delightful is this cosy afternoon tea setup by • @teachingbythemountains? 🫖🍃

Freshly “baked” with love in the mud kitchen, the Breads of the World Sensory Stones are served alongside our Mud Kitchen Activity Cards — turning outdoor play into a rich, imaginative feast! 🥐🥖

 #breadsoftheworld #outdoorplayideas #yellowdooreducation #sensoryplay #earlyyearsplay #imaginativeplay #waterplay #outdoorlearning #toddleractivitiesً #playtolearn #invitationstoplay
How bright and beachy is this calming seashore dou How bright and beachy is this calming seashore dough invitation by the wonderful @steambasedplay? 🐚🦞🌊

This setup is the perfect way to ease back into slow, mindful play. Creating a sensory-rich environment for storytelling, squeezing, pressing, and imagining waves and sea creatures galore.

We love seeing our stones used in meaningful, open-ended ways like this 💛

Let’s Investigate- Seashore, Ocean Life Rollers and Feel Calm Roll Arounds available from hippiehooray. 

#yellowdooreducation  #sensoryplay  #playdoughfun  #finemotordevelopment  #summerplay  #invitationtolearn  #creativeplay  #openendedplay  #mindfulmoment  #childledlearning  #learningthroughplay #tactileplay  #natureinspiredplay
What a brilliant idea from • @life.with.the.holm What a brilliant idea from • @life.with.the.holmes 🙌

Using children’s interests — like a love for diggers 🚜 — is such a powerful way to engage them in early learning. This simple but effective setup encourages little ones to explore sounds through play, sparking curiosity while developing early phonological awareness.

Alphabet pebbles available from @kcsearlyyears

#yellowdooreducation  #phonics  #simpleplayideas  #toddlerplaytoday  #eyfs #playislearning  #openendedplay  #childledlearning  #outdoorlearning  #playtolearn  #playmatters
We’re bringing an extra layer of calm to our sen We’re bringing an extra layer of calm to our sensory play with a soft, squishy twist! Pairing our nature-themed tactile boards with playdough for a soothing, therapeutic experience. Children can roll small coils of playdough and gently press them into the recessed trails — whether they’re following the Slow Snail’s spiral path or tracing the Cheerful Sunflower’s sunny rays 🌻🐌🦋

This gentle, repetitive action not only enhances fine motor skills and strengthens little fingers, but also helps to focus the mind, slow the breath, and restore emotional balance. The sensory feedback from the playdough adds a grounding, calming dimension that supports mindfulness and self-regulation.

#sensoryplay #mindfulmoments  #playdoughtherapy #tactileplay #emotionalwellbeing #finemotorfun #selfregulation #soothingplay #montessoriinspired #prewritingskills #mindfulnessforkids #playdoughplay #naturethemedplay #slowdownandplay
🖤 Discover the magic of shape, pattern, and sym 🖤 Discover the magic of shape, pattern, and symmetry with our bold, chunky Pentagon Stones! 🤍

Designed with high-contrast black and white tones, these tactile shapes are perfect for little hands to stack, sort, and explore. Whether it’s creating striking patterns or boosting early spatial reasoning, these stones make learning hands-on and fun.

#yellowdooreducation #earlyyearsresources #stemplay #shapeandpattern #learningthroughplay #spatialskills #loosepartsplay #tactilelearning #eyfs #openendedplay
🌟 New • New • New 🌟 Patterning Pentago 🌟 New • New • New 🌟 

Patterning Pentagons 

Explore shape, pattern and symmetry with this set of chunky, high-contrast pentagon stones. Ideal for developing early spatial reasoning skills, children can sort, stack and create patterns with these striking black and white shapes.

With 12 white and 12 black pentagons, children will enjoy exploring repeating patterns, symmetry and tessellation – discovering how shapes fit together and how negative spaces can form part of the design. These tactile stones are perfect for developing early maths skills and mathematical language to describe properties, positions and patterns.

Please note - unfortunately, Patterning Pentagons are not currently available in the US.

#patterningpentagons
#earlymaths
#spatialreasoning 
#patternplay
#symmetryplay
#geometryforkids
#mathsthroughplay
#blackandwhiteplay
#highcontrastlearning
#eyfsactivities
#earlyyearsmaths
#playbasedlearning
#handsonlearning
#toddlerdevelopment
#openendedplay
#finemotorskills
#educationalresources
#yellowdooreducation
#learningthroughplay
We’ve Launched Our New Website! 🌟 We’re thr We’ve Launched Our New Website! 🌟
We’re thrilled to announce the launch of the brand-new Yellow Door Education website! 🥳 

Take a look and let us know what you think!
💛 Link in stories 💛

#yellowdooreducation #newwebsite #yellowdoorplay
🌟 New • New • New 🌟 🍃Stack, Build, 🌟 New • New • New 🌟 

🍃Stack, Build, and Learn! 🧱

While children explore colour and shape, the real magic happens when they start to build and balance.

From towers to bridges, these stones challenge children to think creatively and critically as they construct, test, and problem-solve — all through playful exploration. 

An engaging, open-ended resource that turns early learning into hands-on fun!

#earlyyears #stemplay #buildingskills #yellowdooreducation #yellowdoorplay #openendedplay #shapeandcolour #loosepartsplay
🌟 New • New • New 🌟 Shape and Colour S 🌟 New • New • New 🌟 

Shape and Colour Stones 

This appealing set of tactile, chunky shape stones encourages playful exploration of shape, pattern and colour. Children will enjoy matching and sorting the six different coloured shapes as they build imaginative patterns, pictures and sequences.

Please note - unfortunately, shape and colour stones are not currently available in the US.

#shapeplay
#colourrecognition
#earlymaths
#learningthroughplay
#playbasedlearning
#handsonlearning
#finemotorskills
#eyfsactivities
#earlyyearsideas
#preschoolactivities
#toddlerlearning
#openendedplay
#sensorylearning
#mathsthroughplay
#invitationtoplay
#loosepartsplay
#educationalresources
#yellowdooreducation
#playandlearn
#earlyyearsmaths
🐸 Five Frogs on a Log 🍃🌸 Bring a favouri 🐸 Five Frogs on a Log 🍃🌸

Bring a favourite rhyme to life with this hands-on, playful resource! Perfect for extending mathematical learning and language development, children will love singing Five Little Speckled Frogs while physically moving the frogs from the log into the “cool pool” below. 🎶💦

It’s a fun and active way to support early counting, one-to-one correspondence, taking away, and rhythm—while also encouraging imaginative play and social interaction.

How many frogs are left on the log? Let’s count together! 🐸💚

#fivelittlespeckledfrogs #mathsthroughplay #earlymaths #countingfun #rhymeplay #nurseryrhymes #songandplay #eyfsactivities #playbasedlearning #tufftrayideas #invitationtoplay #yellowdooreducation  #earlyyearsresources
🦕 Bringing a Book to Life! 🦕 We’re absolu 🦕 Bringing a Book to Life! 🦕

We’re absolutely loving this fantastic sensory play tray by • @tufftray_adventures — The World of Dinosaurs has never looked so engaging! 🦴🌋

From exploring dinosaur bones and engaging in small world storytelling, to sparking imaginative play and fact-finding adventures, this setup is a brilliant example of how to bring a book—and a topic—to life through hands-on discovery. 📚✨

Featuring our Wooden Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Bones, both available from @kcsearlyyears, this tray invites children to explore textures, develop language, and dive into the prehistoric world through sensory and small world play.

Roarsome work, @tufftray_adventures! 💛

##playtray #inspiremyplay #sensorytray #sensoryplay #sensoryactivity #dinosauractivities #eyfs #earlyyears #earlyyearsideas #inspiretheirearlyyears #playactivitiesforfun #simpleplay #playideas #playinspiration #playactivities #simpleplayideas #yellowdooreducation
Unboxing Let’s Roll - Seasons ❄️🌸🌻🍁 Unboxing Let’s Roll - Seasons ❄️🌸🌻🍁

Let’s Roll into the Summer Season 🌻🌞
We’re giving you all the summer vibes with these 🤩

Seasonal Details - includes 
Summer – sunflower & garden, strawberry & strawberry patch, seedhead & dandelions, swallow & rooftops, baby owl & mother owl, and butterfly & flowers.

Please note: this is a bumper pack, seasons not sold separately! 

#yellowdooreducation #unboxing #unboxingvideo #letsroll #handeyecoordination #summer #exploringnaturethroughplay #summerplay #earlyearsoutdoors #natureplay #nature  #ecofriendlyearlyyears #sustainableresources #sustainable #sustainableplay
Tumbledown Tower 🍃 Who could be lurking in the Tumbledown Tower 🍃

Who could be lurking in the tower? You could use an ogre, a dragon, a wolf or a group of goblins. Or maybe some forgotten treasure is hidden inside waiting to be discovered. 

#tumbledowntower #imaginativeplay #storytellingplay #eyfsresources #playinspiration #loosepartsplay #fantasyplay #earlyyearsplay #playbasedlearning #openendedplay #creativekids #yellowdooreducation #magicalmoments #invitationtoplay #earlylearningfun #dramaticplay #playmatters
We’re absolutely loving this beautiful invitatio We’re absolutely loving this beautiful invitation to play by • @lottie_makes! 🍃🍂 The way our Sensory Leaf Tiles have been used in this nature-inspired playdough tray is just stunning. It’s the perfect mix of sensory exploration and creative learning — encouraging little hands to press, print, and discover the textures and patterns of nature. 🌿

Such a calming and engaging setup for curious minds to connect with the world around them. Thank you for sharing your inspiring play, @lottie_makes! 💛

#playbasedlearning #sensoryplay #leafprints #natureplay #playdoughtray #earlyyears #eyfs #openendedplay #invitationtoplay #finemotorskills #creativelearning #playinspiredbynature #yellowdooreducation
🍃 Alphabet Pebbles 🍃 Take a hands-on approa 🍃 Alphabet Pebbles 🍃 
Take a hands-on approach to learning letters with our tactile Alphabet Pebbles. Each pebble is engraved and hand painted with a letter, and will not fade over time 💛

#sensoryplay #alphabet #yellowdooreducation #learningthroughplay #sensoryplay #eyfsideas #yellowdoorplay #finemotorfun #EducationalToys #outdoorplay #lettersandsounds
These wonderful rollers will support children to b These wonderful rollers will support children to become friends with their feelings. Supporting them with all those big changes they face with moving rooms or starting school. They will help children to recognise and talk about six key emotions: happy, excited, sad, worried, calm and angry. 

 Thank you @edukateinspire for a great reel, it’s a favourite of ours 📸💕

#transition #earlychildhoodeducation #yellowdooreducation #schooltransition #childrensmentalhealth #childrensmentalhealthmatters
🍃 Nature Collection – Recycling an Empty Choc 🍃 Nature Collection – Recycling an Empty Chocolate Tray by @hyggeintheearlyyears 🍫🍃

Instead of tossing that empty chocolate tray, why not give it a second life inspired by nature? Collecting lots of beautiful treasures 🌿

💚

🎥 @hyggeintheearlyyears 

#natureinspired #sustainableliving  #ecofriendlyideas #nature #hyggeintheearlyyears
🍃Nature and learning come together so beautiful 🍃Nature and learning come together so beautifully with our Bird Stones 🐦🌿

Set among leaves, twigs, and feathers, these tactile stones invite children to explore the world of birds through hands-on discovery. Whether it’s matching, storytelling, or simply observing the shapes and textures, little ones are encouraged to slow down, look closer, and connect with the natural world around them. 🍃🪶

#yellowdooreducation  #natureinspiredplay  #outdoorlearning  #learningthroughnature  #tactileplay  #loosepartsplay  #eyfs  #earlyyearsresources  #natureplay  #playtolearn #birdwatching  #curiouslittleexplorers  #montessoriinspired  #sensoryplay
Create your own seashore in a watery, sandy tuff t Create your own seashore in a watery, sandy tuff tray 🐚 Featuring our seashore sensory stones, ocean animals and scenery stones 🪼 

#tufftray #tuffspot #trayfortheday #sandtray #watertray #sensorytray #sensoryplay #seashore #messyplay #outdoorplay #eyfs #earlyyears #playbasedlearning #magicofchildhood #yellowdooreducation
How beautiful is this nature-inspired twist on a c How beautiful is this nature-inspired twist on a classic game by @kerri_and_amys_childminding? 🌼🍃

A simple game of noughts & crosses becomes a sensory-rich experience using dandelions and daisies, all set in our Natural Sorting Tray. It’s a wonderful way to encourage turn-taking, pattern recognition, and fine motor skills—while staying connected to nature. 🌿💛

Sometimes, the simplest ideas bring the most joy ☺️

#natureplay  #learningthroughplaying  #outdoorplay  #yellowdooreducation #tictactoe  #earlyyearsactivities  #toddleractivitiesً  #prekactivities  #handsonlearning  #childledplay  #natureinspiredplay  #montessorıathome  #homeschool  #ecoplay  #simpleplay  #sensoryactivity
🌍 Happy International Mud Day! 🌿💦

There’s no better way to connect with nature than by getting hands-on in the mud - and our resources love a little dirt too!

Whether they are creating muddy meals, bug habitats, or simply feeling the textures between their fingers, every moment is full of discovery and delight.

Mud is more than mess — it’s learning, play, and connection with the world around us. 💚

#internationalmudday #mudplay  #outdoorlearning  #natureplay  #messyplaymagic  #learningthroughplaying  #sensoryexploration  #letthemplay  #earlyyears  #eyfs  #childledlearning  #tactileplay  #natureinspiration
🌿🌸Sorting Stones - Hide and Seek🌸🌿 A 🌿🌸Sorting Stones - Hide and Seek🌸🌿 

As you can see these have a great appeal. These Sorting Stones offer the opportunity to explore colour, shape and pattern in a wide variety of contexts.

Here we’ve used them in dirt and the children have took ownership of their play by playing hide and seek with them ☺️💕

#yellowdooreducation #hideandseek #earlyyearseducation #earlyyearswonder #mathplay #counting #numberrecognition #earlyyearsmaths #shaperecognition #sorting #shapes
Who’s hungry? 🌮🍃 Today’s special: Natur Who’s hungry? 🌮🍃

Today’s special: Nature-Inspired Tacos!
Made with leaves, filled with sand, and topped with stones and petals — the perfect recipe for imaginative outdoor play. No kitchen required, just creativity and a bit of sunshine! ☀️

#natureplay #imaginativeplay #outdoorlearning #yellowdooreducation #yellowdoorplay #learningthroughplay #earlyyears #playmatters #creativekids

© Yellow Door 2025

Yellow Door LLC is a company registered in the US with EIN number 45-1137100.
Registered address: 4600 140th Avenue North, Suite 180, Clearwater, Florida, 33762.