Children's work

Activities

Each term the staff will plan a variety of activities based around a particular topic theme. Recent themes have included transport, food, the weather and animals.  Through these themes we aim to cover relevant areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage.

In between topics we spend time working on other areas where we consider the children need more experience. During the year your child will make models, collage, paintings and drawings which they will bring home. Please be enthusiastic about them and encourage them to talk about what they have done.

How our children learn

Every session at our Pre-School is planned following the guidance of the Early Years Foundation Stage this helps us to achieve the best from our children using national guidelines and standards.  It is recognized that for the pre-schoolers age group, most learning and skills development will be achieved through play. There are lots of activities that we encourage the children to participate in, and if you would like to read on, we will share with you some examples:

 

Project – painting, cutting and gluing

Aims to Encourage: Personal, social and emotional development by:

• Developing concentration and perseverance
• Working independently
• Developing independence in selecting resources
• Expressing ideas
• Expressing feelings
• Solving simple practical problems
• Showing responsibility
• Opportunities for problem solving

Aims to Encourage: Communication, Language and Literacy by:

• Opportunities to speak and listen
• Represent ideas in the activity
• Help children to develop language for communication through interaction and expression
• Following instructions
• Sharing ideas
• Discussing
• Being aware of the environment

Aims to Encourage: Numeracy by:

• Understanding shape and space though 3D and 2D
• Counting
• Using mathematical language intervening in their play such as:-
  How many wheels have cars, trains and buses have?
  Do the wheels go at the top or bottom?

Aims to Encourage: Knowledge and Understanding of the World by:

• Observing, Discussing, Questioning
• Making connections
• Seeing patterns
• Selecting materials such as different leaves
• Developing an appreciation of the wonder of the natural world

Aims to Encourage: Physical Development by:

• Develop spatial awareness
• Developing fine motor skills
• Teaching skills directly such as selecting the correct paint and controlling their fingers and to paint the picture they have chosen a long with selecting collage materials
• Responding to signals
• Learning through their senses

Aims to Encourage: Creative Development by:

• Explore and experiment with materials
• Explore sound, colour, shape, texture and space in 2 and 3 dimensions
• Creating and experimenting with dimensional objects
• Creating pictures with paints and collage materials