And, of course, this book includes lots of five-minute games and activities designed by Daisy to help your child feel confident and excited about taking the big step to big school. Write the words ‘Father Christmas is coming’ as individual letters, and the word TONIGHT as a full word. As per the photo. This is a very simple game for number recognition that I used to play with the kids I taught at nursery years ago. We had a wall of velcro numbers but I’ve simplified it because funnily enough I don’t own either a laminator or a printer! Occasionally I sit down with a pen and paper to write a “To Do List” or shopping list, that I will inevitably leave on the side of the kitchen whilst I visit Aldi, grabbing at snorkels and avocados completely baffled. This game is called Silly Soup and anyone who has worked with children in EYFS will have played it or a version of it I’m sure. But no-one tells the parents!!! Except me. Ha. I’m blowing the top right off all those teacher secrets aren’t I?! 😉

I spent this morning ‘Hinching’ my hallway. It’s been a mess for more months than I care to admit. As always I had watched your stories this morning and had a little giggle. You never fail to raise a smile with your daft and genius antics. Your support for people with anxiety and other mental health issues is hugely admirable. I think you and Jamie are going to make wonderful parents. I just wanted you to know. The army can wait. I really do wish your ALL THE BEST.Getting your child ready to start school can feel overwhelming, can't it? It's a big step for both of you. It’s beginning to look at lot like Christmas…on EVERYONE’S social media accounts…and I bloody LOVE IT! I’m a big fan of Christmas in general however what comes along with the festive cheer and mulled wine and kids going absolutely bonkers giddy is WORK. WERK WERK WERK. It’s a lot isn’t it? Planning, buying, returning, re-buying, doing lists, visiting Father Christmas, regretting that visit to Father Christmas, panic watching your flex account funds crashing past your overdraft. Yep. It’s hard. As well as wonderful. In her first book, she has collected 150+ games that take 5 minutes to set up & 5 minutes to tidy up. That is 24. 23 letters in ‘Father Christmas is coming’, and ‘tonight’ is 24. They are your advent letters. Write a letter to the kids to explain on day one. So the elf is here to deliver a message. That is all. I have prepped all the letters already - which took me five minutes. He just has to be somewhere else with the next letter in his hand. That’s all. No cereal boxes or toilet roll or writing on fruit. Easy.

Unfold the letters and form your silly word. It’s more likely than not going to make a word that isn’t real ZOK, KAM, DOV, PUM etc. That’s OK. I explain why below*We can and will wait. If you don’t “Hinch” for months or a year it doesn’t matter. If you just Hinch in the peace of your own home when you get five minutes and don’t share it with the nearly 2 million of us, please don’t worry. Don’t feel your owe it to us to keep it up. The only person you owe anything to is that baby boy and your own little family. The army can wait. So we have an elf. Oh yes, I added YET ANOTHER thing to think about. Because I just love anything that makes it feel a bit more magical. However last year I spent many a December evening, at 10:45pm on the way up to bed remembering I hadn’t moved the damn elf. I know I’m not alone in this, and so this year I have decided to get ahead of the game with a simple, easy idea. p.s. I tried to do a Christmas pangram but it’s impossible. Partly because it’s 24 days not 26. If you think of one let me know!!! Bestselling author and social media superstar, Daisy Upton, is here to help, and she has finally written a book for children! Daisy has two children in primary school, and used to be a teaching assistant, so she knows her stuff. Now obviously if you LOVE to get creative and messy with your elf, then brilliant. Love it. Go for it and throw the letters into the mix too. But if like me, you don’t want to clear up flour at 9:30pm on a Tuesday night then come join.

gallery ids=“eyJ1cmwiOmZhbHNlLCJ0aXRsZSI6bnVsbCwiY2FwdGlvbiI6ZmFsc2UsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjpudWxsfQ==,eyJ1cmwiOmZhbHNlLCJ0aXRsZSI6bnVsbCwiY2FwdGlvbiI6ZmFsc2UsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjpudWxsfQ==,eyJ1cmwiOmZhbHNlLCJ0aXRsZSI6bnVsbCwiY2FwdGlvbiI6ZmFsc2UsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjpudWxsfQ==” type=“columns”] I hope you don’t mind me writing so openly to you. I doubt very much you’ll actually see this. It’s just, you see I’m a Mum and a devoted member of the Hinch army and I felt compelled to say this. I very much hope you’ll understand why. Having a baby is tough enough. Feeling the pressure of millions of people whilst you try to recover from giving birth to that human and learn how to look after it will be tougher. You often apologise for not Hinching because you’re away for the weekend or out with friends. But please don’t apologise on behalf of your baby boy and you. We will wait. And those that don’t…ah well, you didn’t want them selfish buggers following you anyway! 😉 Now I know a lot of people don’t like the elves. Some find them creepy or menacing. However ours isn’t there as a threat or to only do naughty things, just something fun to increase the excitement really, and like anything, you can do it YOUR way. Personally I love seeing their faces when the elf arrives and moves. I hope that makes sense. I didn’t want this to be some preachy ‘you’re gonna be a mum and this is how it’ll be’ letter. People might tell you that you won’t have time to hinch or won’t want to. And maybe you won’t? But maybe you still will. Maybe the baby will sleep well or you’ll find a way to manage it all with him strapped to you constantly. Maybe it’s the Hinching that’ll get you through those tough few first weeks? Who knows! But I’ll tell you this. When my baby boy was born I felt completely and utterly overwhelmed (like MANY Mums) and I couldn’t even summon the energy to brush my teeth, let alone the loo. And we all survived. He’s now happily at school and I’m at home hinching. It all worked out rather well and I’m certain it will for you too.Help them to blend the sounds together to make the crazy word. Laugh about what it could be. Is it an alien name or a robot word? And as Daisy was a teaching assistant, your little ones will be learning while they play! What could be better? Tell your child to close their eyes because the naughty *insert character name here* is going to steal a number. When you announced over Christmas that you were expecting a wee babba (human one, Henry is obviously your fur one!) I was delighted for you. Although we’ve never met, I, along with thousands of others, feel I know you rather well. Your voice is familiar, and often in my home, like that of a good mate. So when you posted up the photo of you sharing the scan photo I did what I always do when I hear good news like that, and welled up with joy. Each night give the elf a new letter. Move it if you can be bothered. On Christmas Eve it will spell out the sentence. A message for them. He’s coming tonight. Watch them all lose their tiny minds with excitement![gallery ids=“eyJ1cmwiOmZhbHNlLCJ0aXRsZSI6bnVsbCwiY2FwdGlvbiI6ZmFsc2UsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjpudWxsfQ==,eyJ1cmwiOmZhbHNlLCJ0aXRsZSI6bnVsbCwiY2FwdGlvbiI6ZmFsc2UsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjpudWxsfQ==,eyJ1cmwiOmZhbHNlLCJ0aXRsZSI6bnVsbCwiY2FwdGlvbiI6ZmFsc2UsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjpudWxsfQ==,eyJ1cmwiOmZhbHNlLCJ0aXRsZSI6bnVsbCwiY2FwdGlvbiI6ZmFsc2UsImFsdCI6IiIsImRlc2NyaXB0aW9uIjpudWxsfQ==” type=“rectangular”]