KEEP children busy during lockdown with a free online course jam-packed with activities.

Tiny Toes Ballet, a school for learning through dance, is offering an eight-week course of classes to help support parents and teachers who are home schooling due to lockdown.

The Free Lockdown Programme provides online weekly activities aimed at children aged seven and under.

Activities include dance, drama, cookery and Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) activities, supported by downloadable educational resources for parents.

All classes and resources are free for all children in the UK, with activities focused on themes that children love, such as Three Little Pigs, Under the Sea, Down on the Farm and Superheroes.

Penarth Times: Three-year-old Daisy enjoys a Tiny Toes Class (Picture: Tiny Toes) Three-year-old Daisy enjoys a Tiny Toes Class (Picture: Tiny Toes)

Tiny Toes Ballet founder, Emma Morgan, said: “Every week we’ll provide a learning through dance class, a learning through role play and drama class, and a practical learning activity, including arts and crafts and cooking classes from cook stars.

“The resources will also come with a downloadable activity and a parental letter to explain the purpose of each weekly programme and which EYFS curriculum outcomes the activities will meet.”

Find out more about the Free Lockdown Programme at www.tinytoesballet.co.uk

Tiny Toes Ballet is the UK’s first pre-school ballet programme to be fully integrated with the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum.

Penarth Times: A Tiny Toes online class in action (Picture: Tiny Toes)A Tiny Toes online class in action (Picture: Tiny Toes)

Ms Morgan founded the company in 2011, drawing on her experience as a primary school and ballet teacher, and it now has 14 UK franchises, including in the Vale of Glamorgan.

“Tiny Toes may be a dance class but it’s not all about demi plies,” added Ms Morgan.

“We understand that the first years of life are a vital period for early brain development: 90 per cent of a child's brain development happens before the age of five.

“Movement is the gateway for all learning during the first five years of life because sensory, motor and social development precede language and logic skills. Children learn by playing and doing.

“We’re passionate about the value of our unique programme and wanted to use it to help as many teachers, parents and children as possible during lockdown.”