Nursery

SUMMER TERM 2024

Personal, Social and Emotional

During learning and playtime children will be encouraged to take steps to resolve conflicts with other children, e.g. finding a compromise when disagreeing on ideas and sharing resources. We will continue to talk about expressing our feelings and clarify that all of them are understandable and acceptable. ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ will help us to use our kind words to ask for help, share equipment and make positive steps to reflect on our mistakes. Our ‘Journeys’ topic will support children with the transition to reception and the help the younger children understand growing and changes.

Physical Development

Fine motor development is another main focus area in Early Years; therefore, we will support the children to increase control using various mark making tools and will support them with the correct pencil grip. We will also support children to use the big playground equipment safely with others and continue to learn about the importance of eating a healthy range of foods to keep us physically fit and well.

Communication and Language

Later in the term, using the book ‘Naughty Bus’, we will share experiences such as using maps, various forms of transport, eating new foods and visiting new and distant destinations. We will focus on using language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences in play situations and play ‘I spy’ to help children become more confident in hearing and saying the initial sound in words.

Literacy

On a daily basis, we will share rhymes, books and stories from many cultures. Our focus stories are going to be: ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’, ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’ and ‘I Could Be, You Could Be’. From these stories, we will continue to recognise familiar letters, words, signs, revisiting rhyming words and sequencing stories. In phonics, we will be sounding out short words and linking sounds to the letters of the alphabet.

Mathematics

We will be continuing to incorporate appropriate positional language within the environment during learning sessions and outdoor play and consolidate comparisons in shape, size, weight and capacity with objects from the ‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears’ story. We have also been promoting confident counting with objects and actions; combined with recognising corresponding numbers. Finally we will be talking and identifying patterns in our environment and using informal language like ‘pointy’, spotty’, ’blobs’, leading onto repeating patterns and symmetry using paints, objects and natural resources.

Understanding the World

In the second half of the term, we be reading our second focused book ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’. We will encourage children to talk about their own experiences and community life, travelling the world and of family occupations. Our work will include many opportunities for the children to raise questions and make links with the world around them.

Expressive Arts and Design

We will be exploring  different media and find out what happens when we mix various materials such as sand, paint and sawdust. We will also use music will help the children initiate new combinations of movement and gestures and become familiar with a number of songs, which will include ‘The Ants Go Marching’ and ‘There’s a Tiny Caterpillar’.

RE

We will find out more about Sikhism through reading the story ‘The Crocodile and the Priest’.

Trips and Special Events

Bridge Building Stay and Play, Sports Day, Teddy Bear Picnic

Reminders

Please bring water bottles, sunhats and apply sunscreen when the weather is hot.

 Why is play so important?

• Article 13 UN Convention of the Rights of the Child – the right to play.
• increases self-awareness, self-esteem, and self-respect
• improves and maintain physical and mental health
• gives opportunities to mix with other children
• allows children to increase their confidence through developing new skills
• promotes imagination, independence and creativity
• offers opportunities for children of all abilities and backgrounds to play together
• provides opportunities for developing social skills and learning
• builds resilience through risk taking and challenge, problem solving, and dealing with new and novel situations
• provides opportunities to learn about the environment and the wider community