Pyjama Picnic by the Lights

What you need

• their PJs
• a picnic blanket or an old sheet
• a simple dinner on plastic plates, like sandwiches, soft cooked veg and grapes cut into quarters lengthways
• plug-in fairy lights, already up high

How to do it

1. Change into PJs before dinner, then spread the blanket on the floor together.
2. Turn the big light down low, keeping enough light to see their plate, switch the fairy lights on, and carry the plates to the blanket together.
3. Sit down for a picnic dinner and look at the twinkly lights while you eat.
4. Talk softly about the day: what you saw, what you played, and which light is their favourite.
5. Carry the plates back together and keep the lights on for a quiet story before bed.

Why it matters

A slow, special dinner in soft light helps a busy December day wind down, and carrying their own plate makes them part of it.

What they're learning

Helping

Carrying their own plate to the blanket is a real job at mealtimes.

Talking about the day

A quiet dinner in soft light is a good time to chat about what happened.

Settling

Soft light and a slow meal start the wind-down before bed.

What to look for

Watch for them pointing at the lights between bites, and telling you about the day in their own way.

A tip

Cut grapes into quarters lengthways and keep the food simple, with nothing sugary. Fairy lights and their cable stay up high and out of reach, for looking at, not touching. Plug-in lights, or a battery pack with a screw-shut cover, only.

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