Castle themed ideas include:

• Hide some castle themed soft toys around the outdoor/indoor area. Encourage the children to work as a team or individually to find them. If they are struggling offer them clues to help. 

• Use a toy castle or cardboard box to introduce and discuss prepositions, such as ‘in’, ‘on top’, ‘behind’. Hide a toy dragon in different positions such as in the castle, behind the castle and on top of the castle.

• Provide cardboard boxes and packaging in a variety of different shapes. Encourage children to use the materials to build model castles and explore the properties of the shapes.

• CD player outside with ballroom music playing. Encourage the children to operate the equipment in order to choose the music that they would like to dance to.

• Encourage children to try printing techniques to create a brick wall pattern for a castle display. Dip rectangular sponges into grey paint and press onto long strips or sheets of paper.

• Play a movement and directions game with the children. Encourage the children to pretend that they are knights and have to follow the king’s/queen’s (initially an adult) instructions! Give instructions, such as march forwards, take 2 steps backwards, turn around, etc. and encourage children to follow them.

• Discuss what the children would like to do if they were king or queen for the day. Would they like to live in a castle or palace? Would they have knights to fight dragons? Would they hold a big party for all their friends?