The Early Years Foundation Stage is divided into seven areas;
Three prime areas which are
Four specific areas which are
These seven areas will be introduced to your child through play.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development- children who feel secure and well cared for are able to gain confidence and develop skills to form strong attachments to important people in their lives. Self esteem enables children to explore their environments and feel confident to take risks, problem solve and be involved in making decisions. Children will also learn to interact with other children, working in small or large groups and sometimes independently. Children will be encouraged to share and take turns and will learn boundaries within the setting .Children will have the opportunity to discover and express feelings and self control.
Communication and Language - Children will develop existing communication skills through opportunities to engage in spoken language with adults and other children. Adults will allow children to engage in conversations, give them thinking time, listen with respect and help them to interact with others.
Physical Development- Children will develop large and small motor skills. Each child will learn to understand how their body works and discover their own space. Children will learn to travel around, under, over and through equipment using balance and confidence. Climbing, jumping, catching, and throwing activities will support large scale co-ordination whilst small scale equipment will assist children to grasp, twist, turn, insert and separate. Finger Gym activities will help develop wrist bones/muscles which in turn will help children to cut, thread and hold a pencil correctly. Exercise and healthy diets will be promoted with children learning about the importance of a healthy lifestyle. Children will be supported with toilet training, washing and drying their hands and dressing/undressing.
Literacy- Children will be encouraged to mark make with a wide range of materials, they will develop skills to help them recognise, trace and write their own name. The environment reflects children’s interests and is rich in signs, symbols, numbers, letters and pictures; there are daily opportunities to engage in music, stories, books, dance and rhymes
Mathematics- children will discover numbers, shapes, patterns, distance, counting and calculating through a wide range of activities. Children are encouraged to use words, concepts, ideas and language during their own play and with adult led activities. Children will be encouraged to ask questions and develop new skills to help them solve problems.
Understanding of the World- Children will be given opportunities to discover and explore the environment, their community and the natural world. They will engage in experiences that help them to question why things happen and how things work. Children will learn about different ways of life, different cultures, religions, languages, special educational needs and differing abilities. Activities will encourage children to discover time, weather, and seasons; there will be practical experiences relating to planting and growing. There will be opportunities to engage in sensory experiences enabling them to engage in discussions, critical thinking and observation. A range of ICT equipment is available for children to explore and develop their skills, these include: , programmable toys, tablets, metal detectors, microphones
and interactive smartboard(with age/ability appropriate software).
Expressive Arts and Design- Children will have opportunities to express their creative skills through art, music, construction, dance and imaginative play. Art and craft work will allow children to explore paint, glue, crayons, pencils, felt pens, fabric, differing types of paper, natural products and liquids. Modelling dough and clay will encourage moulding and sculpting. Creativity will be developed through all the child’s senses and children will be given opportunities to discuss and respond to how they hear, see, smell and feel materials. Simple construction will pave the way to constructing with a wide range of resources in two or three dimensions either working independently, in pairs or in small/large groups. Each child will learn to move to music, engage in ring games and dance and will be encouraged to join in with songs and rhymes.