Early Years Foundation Stage in Pre-school

St Joseph’s Pre-school follows the Early Years Foundation Stage curriculum. 

We believe that children learn best when they are having fun in something they have chosen themselves. You can help your child learn at home with simple fun activities and by encouraging them to become more independent. Here are some ways which you might like to help your child learn at home:

Communication and Language

• Take time to talk to your child about everyday things, what’s on TV, what you can see out of the window etc.
• Allow your child to select books for themselves; ones that interest him/her. Picture books with repetitive and basic language such as those by Julia Donaldson.
• Visit the library.
• Encourage your child to ‘read’ what is happening in the pictures. Prompt them to tell you a sentence about what is happening.
• To increase vocabulary and identify sounds: play word games such as I spy.
• Sing alphabet songs and talk about the names of the letter and the sounds that they make.
• Make shapes of letters out of play dough; write them in sand, write their own name in the air etc.
• Encourage your child to sing/say songs and rhymes and tell you their own stories.
• Ask your child about words that rhyme, e.g. house and mouse, fox, socks and box.
• Practice writing their own name and letters of the alphabet.

Mathematical Development

• Practice counting groups of objects in pictures and stories; ask questions such as how many altogether? Which number is one more?
• Count out loud with your child saying the names of numbers clearly. Count steps, cars, toys, doors, fingers, tins in the cupboard - anything.
• Show numbers to your child, e.g. birthday cards, house numbers, till receipts.
• Sing songs or rhymes with numbers in them; 10 In the Bed, 5 Little Ducks, 10 Fat Sausages etc.
• Read stories with numbers in them, e.g. The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
• Use mathematical language; add, take away, number names.
• Count using fingers.
• Point to and say numbers around the house.
• Encourage children to identify shapes around them; do a circle spotting hunt, cut sandwiches (rectangle – triangle), find 3D shapes etc.
• Apply mathematics to real life; shape, money, amounts of objects, cup full / empty, heavy, etc.

Understanding of the World

• Talk to your child about special times; birthdays, holidays and other key events in their lives and the lives of others they know.
• Talk about their surroundings; particularly in the outdoor area, what they see, hear, feel and smell.
• Allow your child to observe animals and describe them.
• Allow them to use simple tools; such as a small hand trowel, screw driver, tape measure etc.
• Encourage them to feel different textured objects and describe; rough, smooth, soft etc.

Physical Development

• Encourage your child to handle small and large equipment (empty boxes, tiny pebbles)
• Allow your child to use scissors and develop their skills - old birthday cards are a great way to start using scissors.
• Allow your child to run, hop, skip, jump and find different ways of moving.
• Play games such as follow the leader and change actions to develop motor skills and
• Discuss changes to their bodies after exercise; heart beating faster, feeling hot etc. 

Expressive arts and design

• Allow your child to listen to and sing songs and rhymes and make up their own.
• Join in role play games with your child.
• Explore different crafts, messy play, paint, pencils, crayons, dough, cooking.
• Using scissors and glue; encourage cutting and sticking activities.
• Dance to songs and do actions, e.g. Wheels on the Bus, wind bobbin up, Miss Polly had a dolly 

What to expect, when? A parent’s guide:

The purpose of this booklet is to help you as a parent/carer find out more about how your child is learning and developing during their first five years, in relation to the Early Years Foundation Stage. Children develop more rapidly during the first five years of their lives than at any other time. http://www.foundationyears.org.uk/2015/03/what-to-expect-when-a-parents-guide/

Parent's guide to keeping under 5's safe online:

Children love using technology and are learning to navigate websites, online games and consoles, and touch screen technology like iPads and smartphones from a younger and younger age. This advice contains top tips for parents and carers for keeping young children safe online. http://www.childnet.com/resources/keeping-under-fives-safe-online