The Nursery children are provided with so many engaging activities and opportunities that promote a love of learning.
The children learn through focused and one-to-one sessions, working with the teacher and EYFS practitioners on their individual next steps and challenges. During Continuous Provision (learning) time, the children are encouraged to initiate their own play both indoors and outdoors. With the Little Gems, the play is often modelled.
At the start of each day, the Little Gems ‘run their jiggles off’ on the astro turf. This helps them to develop their Physical Development skills and improves their concentration levels.
For the first half of the week the learning focus is on developing your child’s Mathematical skills through Number and Shape, Space and Measure activities. For the second half, the focus moves into developing their Literacy skills, involving Reading and Writing. The activities are linked to the ‘Book of the Week,’ or in this case, for this half term ‘Nursery Rhyme of the Week.’
Hey, the counting puppet likes us to rote count with him daily, by looking up at the number line and saying the number names one at a time. He even tricks us by stopping on a certain digit to see if we can recognise it, match it to the Numicon shape and even say what ‘one more’ is.
At present the Nursery children have Music specialist sessions, with Mr Westall on Monday, Wednesday and Friday, Spanish with Mr Infante on Tuesday, Dance on Monday with Ms Kendal and PE on Thursday with Mr Sanders.
On a daily basis, the children participate in Phase One Phonics sessions to help develop their listening, understanding and speaking skills.
Each day the Kindergarten children are encouraged to practise their fine motor skills. This helps them to develop the muscles in their hands, which in turn helps them to hold a pencil with control and coordination. On a daily basis, we model how to write the Kindergarten children’s first name, letter by letter. We encourage them to copy it carefully, concentrating on the correct formation and holding the pencil using the tripod grip.
At the moment, the Kindergarten children are learning a ‘letter sound a week,’ during their Phase Two Phonics sessions. However, as the year progresses, they will be learning one letter sound every two days.
Miss Rachel, Nursery Teacher