Free and low cost things to do

We have a range of sessions taking place at our Family Centres which are ideal for babies and toddlers.

• My First Playtime sessions for babies aged 0 to 1 year.
• Messy Play sessions for babies and toddlers aged 0 to 5 years.
• Play and Explore sessions for babies and toddlers aged 0 to 5 years.

Talking to your little one can really help to encourage their language learning.

Some libraries have reading sessions, or you can just go along to choose new books together. Joining the library is free if you live, study or work in Buckinghamshire.

Playing in the water and teaching little ones how to swim is a life-saving skill, and it can be lots of fun too!

There are lots of swimming pools in and around Buckinghamshire, with lots of baby and toddler-specific sessions too.

Depending on where you live and if you are on any benefits, you may be entitled to discounted sessions or memberships.

Singing songs and nursery rhymes is really good for your little ones' development and language learning.

You can sing together at home, attend sing and sign, bounce and rhyme, or other baby and toddler singing groups.

Sensory play is a great way to help your child develop their fine motor skills.

You may already have many different things at home that you can use for an activity. You could try making a sensory box with different things including:

• pasta
• flour
• cereal
• rice

Get some more sensory play ideas from BBC Tiny Happy People.

Making your own shape sorting box at home is a great way to develop your baby or toddlers dexterity skills. To make your own box you need:

• unbreakable objects
• cardboard box
• pencil
• scissors

You can draw around the objects and cut these shapes into your box. Your child can then select each object to find the right holes to fit them into.

There are lots of different creepy crawlies right outside our homes. Going on a bug hunt can be a great way to learn more about different creatures and help your little one develop their language skills.

You can find bugs in lots of places including:

• your garden, if you have one
• parks and playgrounds
• woodlands and nature reserves

You can look up the different bugs on The Wildlife Trusts website to find out even more about them. You can also try making a list of bugs you would like to find on your hunt.

You can set up your own teddy bear hunt to help your little one to get moving.

If your baby is not walking yet you can try playing teddy bear peek-a-boo instead which is great fun and helps them to start learning object permanence.

If you want to try something different you can go outside and see if you can spot any animals near where you live. Or you can take a trip to a farm and count how many different types of animals you see.

Baby sign language is a great way to help your baby or toddler to communicate and can be started from the moment they are born.

BBC Tiny Happy People have lots of information to help to learn more about signing with your little one.

You could also try attending a baby signing class, such as sing and sign.

Going to playgrounds can help your little one to practice their climbing and balancing skills whilst having lots of fun. Parks and playgrounds are perfect for a fun family day out.