Bury St Edmunds mum and performer Nicki Bragg-Hart launches sessions for children called Pint Sized Playtime

A performer has launched play sessions to build children’s confidence, help them manage their emotions and give them the freedom to express themselves after returning to her roots in Bury St Edmunds.

Nicki Bragg-Hart, 33, mum to Benjamin, seven, and Finley, four, is behind Pint Sized Playtime, which officially started in August and offers sessions for children generally aged two to five at a variety of local venues.

Nicki had a career as a performer, including in shows at the National Theatre in London, but came back home to the Howard estate to raise a family with husband Mitchell.

She put that career on pause, worked on other ventures, like building up her own cleaning business, and then lockdown came along when Benjamin was four – a time when he struggled with not seeing family.

During that time Nicki said she looked into yoga, mindfulness and breath play for little ones so he could better understand his feelings and how to manage that, which she found for him ‘massively helped’ – and helped both of them to connect better with themselves. She also created an affirmations chart for Benjamin.

Nicki said: “I found that during lockdown my joy for mindfulness was sparked and this reignited my passion for creativity and the value it can bring to not just little ones, but grown-ups too.”

She said Benjamin then went off to school, Covid had passed and she had all these resources, adding: “I felt like it would be a beautiful thing to share with other parents and their little ones and so I started to create these sessions that I now call Pint Sized Playtime.

“But the sessions themselves are very much about exploring mindfulness in a creative way so they can really start to understand self-worth, celebrate their bodies, brains and all the brilliant parts of being human; creativity and mindfulness both melted into this lovely expressive pot that is Pint Sized Playtime.”

Nicki, who also plays the ukulele at care homes, said the sessions include songs, a make-and-take-home craft activity, sensory play, storytime, affirmation stars and a fox puppet. She said bookings were ‘slowly but surely’ picking up.

For more information, including venues, visit www.pintsizedplaytime.co.uk. Also find Pint Sized Playtime on Facebook and Instagram.