An attractive picture of a ladybird with leaves and flowers, for colouring. Young children will enjoy colouring the spots red, and selecting colours for the other parts of this cheerful, natural picture. Develops fine motor control, colour sense, understanding of mini-beasts and the natural world, and more. I also have a butterfly colouring sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/butterfly-colouring-sheet-12043732

This 5-sheet resource comprises a castle picture-poem, easier/harder, and a castle-characters picture-poem in 3 graded versions. These are attractive sheets with lively, hand-drawn illustrations of old, cobwebby, crumbling castles, the graded ones featuring characters such as a ghost, king and queen. Children have the fun of writing directly onto the castles - a particularly vivid experience in the ‘My castle is’ activity. Describing words are invited on each sheet. These writing frames are self-explanatory, having starter phrases followed by thick lines for writing, with increasing opportunities for imaginative, expressive input on the graded character sheets. For ‘My castle is’, prompt for describing words such as: old, crumbly, tall, spooky, dark, haunted, spidery, cold, windy, grand, royal, huge, hard, rat-infested, ghostly, scary, massive, golden, fine, splendid, stone, rich, ancient, mysterious, creepy, abandoned, damp, shadowy, candle-lit, and ruined. On the Castle Characters graded sheets, encourage a range of personality attributions for the ghost, king and queen, such as kind, mean, cruel, crazy, gentle, friendly, and various colours. The ghost might be see-through, floaty, spooky or dancing. This is principally a Literacy resource, though it also offers scope for expressive art through colouring, and an intriguing window onto the past.

This lively seaside picture has two wavy line spaces for describing words for the sea: “The sea is … and …”, and there’s a whole line below for further ideas. Young children will enjoy thinking up two words or more to describe the sea and having a go at writing them, before colouring in the waves, sea creatures, sand, bucket and spade and more. Children in my poetry workshops use the sheet with enthusiasm, for both writing and colouring. See my two harder versions too, plus Shells writing sheet: - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-frame-r-y1-12099509, https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/seaside-writing-frame-y2-3-12099502 (free) and https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/shells-can-be-illustrated-writing-frame-guide-sheet-12099487 . Video (looking at shells) https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9

These punchy, fun rhymes each celebrate a colour, listing and describing different items of that colour in ways that bring it to life for children. The ‘green’ one is an action rhyme; the others are best read aloud. Invite further item suggestions for extra verses - they don’t need to rhyme, provided you can sustain the rhythm. Pick one of these to start a phonics, poetry or descriptive writing lesson. Children from Early Years to upper KS2 will find them thought-provoking and stimulating.

These 5 simple, rhythmic rhymes focus on everyday concepts. Their titles are: Busy Street, In the Park, Windy Day, Taller and Smaller, and School is for Me. Each rhyme sheet includes guidance notes. Suitable for clapping, enacting, word-swapping and performing with embellishments (such as percussion, a tune, or extra actions). They support the learning areas Understanding the World, Expressive Arts & Design, Literacy, Communication & Language, and Physical Development. The rhymes (and illustrations) are my own.

These 3 punchy rhymes bring the past alive. Their titles are: Who Lived in the Castle?, Bowing and Curtseying, and My Castle is Old. Each contain rhyme and rhythm, while offering scope for alternative words to be slotted in (notes below provide ideas for these). There is also scope for acting-out, adding sound effects and enhancing with percussion. Suggestions for all of these are provided. They serve to prepare children for writing about castles, also enriching their vocabulary, developing their sense of rhyme and rhythm, and providing a window on the past. In addition, they promote physical development: the actions involved are fun and imagination-triggering, encouraging creative expression and physical exertion. The rhymes and illustrations are my own. 3 sheets in total -PDF.

Attractive colouring sheet representing a hot air balloon with mum and child waving from basket. Supports fine motor control development, colour sense, floating concept, travel and transport topics, holidays, weather and more. **SEE ALSO: ** - BOAT ON SEA COLOURING SHEET - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/boat-on-sea-colouring-sheet-12096606

Sea life and a scattering of treasure fill this lively picture, with patterned fish, a graceful seahorse, a playful dolphin, various types of shell, seaweed and other details, plus sailing boat, kite, gulls and summer sky. Ideal for bright, varied, detailed colouring, teaching children about the world as they draw. See also my simpler colouring sheet: https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/boat-on-sea-colouring-sheet-12096606 Supporting video: https://photos.app.goo.gl/wkeZ8K6iCfcFQneZ9

Children of all ages will love this inspiring, yet simple creative writing frame. The flowing lines between the gliding, twirling dragonflies offer infinite scope for poetic expression. IDEAS: Some children may like to fill the lines with adjectives (glittery, bright, fast, delicate…), others with verbs (darting, gliding, shooting, dancing…); others again might write phrases (like - dazzling dragonflies hovering in the silky blue), similes (fast as jets, bright as bows…), or rhymes (delicate dragonfly/in the azure sky/lightly, brightly zig-zagging by). PREPARE your class by building ideas and language, perhaps with the help of watching real ones, live or on a video, miming their movements and sharing language ideas. Supports Literacy, including poetry, vocabulary and creativity. Also supports topics: seasons & weather, mini-beasts, flight, animals, forces, travel, symmetry, colour, movement, environment, and more. **SEE ALSO: BUTTERFLY - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/butterfly-picture-poem-frame-eyfs-y1-guidance-notes-11885225 , LADYBIRD - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/ladybird-picture-poem-frame-early-yrs-yr1-guidance-notes-11885212, SPIDER - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/2-spider-picture-poem-frames-guide-11887282 .

Healthy eating (PSHE) support, helping to nurture a love of fresh fruit. The 3-verse rhyme celebrates oranges, encouraging listeners to eat and appreciate them. The lines are rhythmic, rhyming, punchy, accessible and fun. Read it out loud, chant with class, add in actions or clapping, set to music or percussion, and discuss. Ideally, bring in some real oranges or tangerines for children to handle, peel and taste first.

A fun literacy activity, supporting transport, journey and design studies. Recommended for Juniors (7-11 yrs). The illustrated writing sheet invites ideas for colour, name and vehicle features, with wide scope and plenty of writing space for imaginative ideas. Two similes are also invited: as shiny as, and as fast as. Will appeal to boys and girls alike, and to writers of all working levels.

Children love colours, and are always keen to say which their favourite colour is, so they’ll love this writing and colouring sheet. There is one writing line, starting - I like the colour ___ , with a large space for them to write their favourite one. Let them sound it out and have a go at the writing, even if the spelling is wrong, to build confidence in writing. Later, they could repeat the task with a word card to guide their spelling. They can colour in the shapes with that colour, or with a mix for variety and design fun. This resource promotes shape and pattern awareness as well as literacy, colour sense and fine motor control.

As children colour in this star, in their own way, they’ll focus in on the concept of space, also absorbing and perhaps colouring in the other features in the picture. They’ll develop design technique, creativity, colour differentiation and fine motor control, and enjoy discussing the picture too, so this simple resource offers multiple learning and development potential. **SEE ALSO: ROCKET colouring sheet ** - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/rocket-colouring-sheet-11975239 + MY STAR IS - https://www.tes.com/teaching-resource/my-star-is-3-graded-versions-of-a-star-picture-poem-frame-early-yrs-yr-1-yr-2-11886766 .

Young children will enjoy thinking up a word to complete the phrase - This butterfly is…, sounding out their word and having a go at writing it. Colouring the picture could be a reward for their writing effort. Perhaps prompt for words like - pretty, colourful, red, blue, gentle, peaceful, soft, floaty, little, dancing, flappy, happy, beautiful. Let them attempt long words as they wish, building confidence in independent, expressive writing.