We follow the ‘Early Years Foundation Stage’ statutory curriculum. This sets the standard for learning, development and care for children from birth to 5 years. There are seven areas of learning and below you can see some examples of activities within each area. Each area of learning is experienced by the children inside and as part of outdoor play.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
- Sharing & taking turns
- Making friends
- Independence
- Resilience
- Self-confidence
- Following rules
Physical Development
- Fine motor activities e.g. manipulating playdough and threading
- Gross motor activities e.g. using equipment such as bikes, balls and beanbags, dancing with ribbons and scarves, large scale drawings and mark-making.
- Health and self-care e.g. toileting, hand-washing, dressing in coats/aprons etc.
Communication and Language
- Listening to stories and discussions
- Paying attention and responding to what others say
- Understanding
- Speaking clearly using a good range of vocabulary e.g. sharing their news or likes/dislikes
- Awareness of the listener
- Using different tenses
Literacy
- Sharing stories in the book corner and during story time
- Finding information about our topics from non-fiction books
- Recognising some letter sounds, their names and other important words
- Mark-making and beginning to form some recognisable letters at the drawing table and during outside play
Mathematics
- Saying number names, recognising and ordering numbers, counting sets
- More and less
- Sorting and pattern
- Positional language
- Shape
- Problem solving
Understanding the World
- Exploring, comparing, noticing differences and similarities
- Using technological toys and computers
- Thinking about our own and others’ cultures and traditions
Expressive Arts and Design
- Role play & imaginative play
- Music and singing
- Dance
- Art
- Designing & making
‘Characteristics of Effective Learning’ support children’s learning across all areas:
- Playing and exploring: Will they try new things? Will they ‘have a go’? What do they like to play with?
- Active learning: Do they get involved in a task and concentrate for sustained periods? Will they keep trying? Do they take pleasure in their own achievements?
- Creating and thinking critically: Do they have their own ideas? Do they make links between things they have seen or done? Do they choose their own way to do things?