Curriculum
Nursery Curriculum
Our planning is based upon the Curricular Guidance for Pre-school Education.
‘Most young children come to pre-school as active, experienced and enthusiastic learners. As all children are different and develop at different rates, pre-school education aims to develop the whole child by:
• promoting emotional, social, physical, creative and intellectual development;
• developing self-esteem, self-control and positive attitudes towards others;
• developing language and communication skills to encourage the sharing of thoughts and feelings;
• creating confident, eager, enthusiastic, independent, curious learners with a positive and problem-solving attitude to learning.’ Curricular Guidance for Pre-school Education.
Learning takes place through play based experiences, indoors and out and centres around six areas of learning.
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Children will build upon their existing personal and social skills, values and attitudes to become independent, curious and confident learners.
For example, they will follow daily routines organising themselves at snack time, making choices about their play, sharing and turn taking, for tidying up and putting on their own coats.
Physical Development and Movement
‘Physical development helps children to gain confidence and self-esteem as they discover what they can do, and it enables them to feel the benefits of being healthy and active.’ Curricular Guidance for Pre-school Education.
Children will have the opportunities to play indoors and out, running, jumping, crawling, stepping, balancing, kicking, throwing and catching. The development of these gross motor skills is vital for developing balance and co-ordination and spatial awareness. Children will also have opportunities to develop their fine motor skills twisting, pulling, pushing, threading, weaving, squeezing and snipping.
Language Development
‘Being able to understand and use language allows children to:
• make their needs, thoughts, feelings and ideas known;
•interact socially as they play together;
• manage their own behaviour and self-regulate their emotions;
• learn independently and collaboratively.’ Curricular Guidance for Pre-school Education.
Children will learn to focus their attention for example, following simple instructions, joining in with songs and rhymes and listening to stories. They will learn how to express their needs, take part in conversation, share their experiences and observations and take part in imaginative play. They will become aware of print and label their own work with symbols and later, their names, and they will be encouraged to make marks to express their ideas – their early writing!
Early Mathematical Experiences
There is so much more to maths than counting. Through their daily play children will develop an understanding of size and volume, begin to use mathematical language, sort, match and sequence. They will investigate pattern and shape and begin to problem solve as they experiment and predict what will happen. Maths is all around us!
The Arts
‘Being creative is about making new things, taking risks, experimenting, coming up with new ideas, solving problems and coping with uncertainty.’ Curricular Guidance for Pre-school Education. Children are encouraged to use and develop their creativity through taking part in messy play, painting and drawing, playing with dough and clay, taking part in imaginative play, singing and playing with loose parts and a variety of resources.
The World Around Us
Children are naturally curious and they will have the opportunity to use their senses as they explore and investigate manmade and natural resources, living things and the seasons. They will ask questions and begin to solve problems. They will show care and respect for living things and their environment and learn about the people who help us in the wider community.
For further curricular guidance see the link below