Activities - and the EYFS

Activities in the local community

We are a very active house, I am constantly looking for new places to go to explore and play, below are just a few of the places we visit. Most of the activities and places we go will be covered in your normal fees, however some may incur an additional charge, such as a trip to Chessington World of Adventures, Bowling, Surrey Hills Llamas etc, however I will give you plenty of notice if I wish to do a trip that will incur an extra cost.

Early Years Foundation Seven Areas of Learning

Communication & Language

All children learn best through activities and experiences that engage the senses. For example, music, dance, rhymes and songs play a key role in language development.

I will give children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

The children will be given the chance to imagine and recreate their experiences. As they explore different situations they improve their language skills through social interaction, repetition and consolidation

Expressive Arts & Design

Your children will explore colours and shapes, trying out dance, making things, telling stories and making music using media and materials such as crayons, paints, scissors, words, sounds, movement, props and make believe. Creativity is about taking risks and making connections and is strongly linked to play.

Children will be encouraged to explore and share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of art, music, movement, dance, imaginative and role play activities.

Children will be encouraged to join in with and respond to music and a variety of resources will be provided to encourage both individual and group imaginative role play.

Literacy

Through children’s play they will develop the skills needed for reading and writing. The children will be given daily opportunity to capture their experiences in drawing, early writing, painting and by re-telling events of personal significance to friends and family. A love of books, stories, rhymes and poems will be encouraged through regular and varied story sessions and related activities.

My book corner contains a range of books both reference and stories/pictures to encourage children to become familiar with reading materials, aware of their uses and how to handle them appropriately.

Mathematics

By providing a range of adult supported and child led activities the children will become familiar with the sorting, matching, ordering, sequencing and counting activities which form the basis for early mathematical development.

The children will learn about mathematical language, identifying objects by shape, position, size, volume and number.

A range of songs, games and books will also be used to help the children’s awareness of number sequences and the use of simple mathematical operations such as addition and subtraction. They will become comfortable with numbers and ideas such as “heavier” or “bigger than”.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

I will provide an environment where children can feel safe, secure and I will gain their trust.

The children will learn to develop a positive sense of themselves and of others; social skills to include the difference between right and wrong; and a positive attitude to learning.

The children will learn about relationships and how to respect themselves and others and the value of friendships.

I aim to develop a positive self image by acknowledging and respecting the child’s culture and reflecting this where possible in the activities provided. They will be encouraged to manage their own hygiene by washing hands, independently using the toilet, dressing and taking turns.

The children are given control and freedom to choose activities to encourage a positive disposition to learning and opportunities to think about and practise ways of solving problems.

As I care for younger children within the setting, I encourage the older children to be good role models for the younger ones.

Physical Development

Your children will learn to move confidently, controlling their bodies and handling equipment. They will become spatially aware ie moving in a crowded room without bumping into each other. Body movements will be encouraged by use of music, dance and action rhymes and the use of props such as streamers, scarves and balloons.

They will learn to feel the positive benefits of being healthy and active in an indoor and an outdoor environment. The children will be encouraged to learn about the effects of activity on their bodies and the need for a healthy lifestyle.

A range of equipment both indoors and outdoors will be available on a daily basis and the children will have access to the garden at all times provided appropriate clothing is supplied.

The vocabulary of movement will be introduced by using words such as ‘slither’, jump’, bend’, stretch’ ’follow’, and ‘lead’.

Fine motor skills will be developed through the provision of a range of objects: ‘small world’ toys, construction sets, threading, manipulation of material such as play dough and the availability of pens, pencils, paintbrushes and other marking equipment.

Understanding the World

Your children will explore and find out about the world around them, asking questions about it.

The children will learn the skills necessary for the area of learning by using a range of tools such as torches, magnifiers, scissors and gardening tools, and by observing creatures, people, plants and objects in their natural environment and in real life situations.

They will work with a range of materials, wet/dry sand, coloured/clear liquids, compost, clay etc and will learn about the past by seeing pictures of or examining artifacts such as toys which their parents/grandparents used.

They will learn about design from opportunities to create using a variety of materials and joining methods.

The children will learn about information gathering using a range of media such as books, audio and visual reference material, pictures, maps, photographs and by talking to visitors or on group outings.

They will find out about past events in their lives and their families’ lives. They will find out about their own cultures and beliefs and those of others.