Prime Area: Communication & Language
Communication &
Language (C&L)
Helping your child to listen carefully, understand and process what they hear and see – and speak confidently in a range of play-based experiences with their friends and the adults around them.
Our children are provided with a range of stimulating opportunities to develop their language skills. Our children learn to listen and talk lots about what they do and see. Our children are always encouraged to share their thinking with us.
Prime Area – Physical Development
Physical Development (PD)
Improving your child’s fine (small movements) and gross (large movements) motor skills and physical capabilities; developing their awareness of self-care and being healthy.
Our children have opportunities in rooms, in our large garden and in specialist Gym sessions to develop spatial awareness, control and key physical skills. Our children also make use of our ball pit and soft play area. Our children are encouraged to take risks in order to develop confidence and resilience.
Prime Area – Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Personal & Social Development (PSED)
Building relationships and self-awareness; understanding and controlling feelings and emotions.
Our children develop independence and confidence as they play alongside their friends and in small or groups; independently or with adult support. Our children learn to co-operate, take turns and share. Our children talk about how they feel and learn to manage their feelings.
Specific Area – Literacy
Literacy (Lit)
Helping your child to become aware of letters and more importantly the sounds they make. Do help them notice print around them and develop a love of reading stories. It is also about encouraging mark making (painting, drawing, scribing in sand/mud/anything) in preparation for later writing.
Our children are exposed to lots of stories; in the Book Corner and through shared stories linked to learning across the curriculum. We promote reading and work hard to develop your child’s love of stories, firmly believing that as this is key to their future success.
Specific Area – Mathematics
Maths (MAT)
Helping your child to develop an interest in numbers, shapes and measures around them. Learning this through practical play-based experiences that embed basic Maths concepts for future learning.
Our children are provided lots of opportunities to learn about Maths through play. These activates will develop an understanding of the VALUE of numbers (as well as number recognition), an awareness of 2D & 3D shapes and all aspect of measurement (length, capacity etc) – all through practical games, songs, rhymes and targeted teaching.
Specific Area – Understanding the World
Understanding the World (UW)
Helping your child to understand the world in which they live; people, communities, cultures, nature, the way we live and the tools we use to live our daily lives.
Our children are encouraged to explore the world around them, through play; both indoors and outdoors. They are encouraged to share experiences and festivals with us and to respect and celebrate each other’s’ differences. To develop ICT skills our children use a range of electronic devices in play and learn using ipads and playroom computers (that reinforce all areas of the curriculum through online games – for example phonics, stories, maths games etc).
Specific Area – Expressive Arts & Design
Expressive Arts & Design (EAD)
Helping your child to develop their imagination using a range of materials to develop their creativity and expression.
Our children are exposed to a range of creative opportunities daily (painting, printing, collaging, sticking, cutting, gluing, singing, role play, dancing, making music etc). We offer preschool a wide range of subjects taught by specialist teachers: dance, drama, jumping gym, French and swimming – all of which develop confidence and raise self-esteem and encourage self-expression. We give our children so many ways to express their feelings in different ways – and they love it!
Our extended Curriculum
Music
In our dedicated Music sessions children use a range of tuned and untuned percussion instruments including maracas, castanets, glockenspiel, bells, guiros, and claves. Our specialist teacher brings in either violins or recorders and also has use of our electric keyboard to enhance sessions further.
If our children are working towards a specific concert performance, such as for Easter or Christmas, the specialist staff support the non-specialist staff in learning those songs. There is a strong emphasis on listening, participating, and becoming familiar with the concept of beat, rhythm, and melody.
At this very early stage in their musical life our aim is to nurture a love of music and an appreciation of the many benefits it provides, such as self-expression, creativity and confidence; whilst enhancing social skills and language development.
Dance
In Dance we begin by taking 3 deep breaths in and out. Once settled we then begin to warm up the body by doing our own unique set of stretches and exercises including one called "The Rocket" and another favourite called "Butterfly knees".
We learn how to do dance moves such as "kicks" by imagining that we are on the beach and pushing the sand up in the air with our toes! By creating a scenario around a dance move, it helps children to really focus on what they are doing. Each half term we learn a new dance in a different style. These are fun and upbeat dances and in every session the children have the chance to perform what they have learnt so far in groups to the rest of the class.
By dancing in front of your peers regularly it develops confidence and self-esteem and is excellent preparation for a performance. Children love to express themselves by dancing and these sessions provide an opportunity for them to do just that!
Drama
In Drama, our children first learn how to warm up their bodies, brains, and voices in a creative way. As part of this the children are challenged with fun diction exercises, physical stretches, and tongue twisters! Drama games, such as Traffic Lights and Mirror, help children to develop their listening, speaking, responding, and focusing skills.
In the main body of our classes our specialist Drama teacher takes the children on adventures, engages them in role play scenarios, giving them the chance to create and play different characters. Adventures include going on a trip to climb a mountain, sleeping overnight in a tent and role play scenarios include being a shop keeper/customer.
Taking part in Drama from a young age helps to develop confidence, teamwork and imagination; essential life skills for the future.
French
Our Preschool children thrive and literally ‘soak up’ the excitement of learning French through a series of fun games, role play, rhymes, songs and music.
Throughout the year they cover basic greetings, actions, counting, colours, family and weather/seasons. Their French voices develop quickly and sound wonderful. We consider this to be a great foundation for future language acquisition.
Gym
Jumping Jim offers our Preschool children a variety of classes, covering Gymnastics, Sports and Musical Movement which are designed specifically for our Preschool children.
All children experience this vital physical aspect of EYFS learning through fun and participation, and this develops basic movements such as action, balance and co-ordination. In the summer term there is also a focus on races, which are practiced during these sessions in preparation for our end of term Sports Day.
Swimming
In swimming, all of our Preschool children are offered the chance to swim at Langley Hall Primary Academy Lower School indoor heated pool and many of our children take up this opportunity.
We believe that swimming has many benefits for young children, and we are lucky enough to be able to make full use of these facilities. Along with providing children with the tools to keep themselves safe in the water, the benefits of children swimming are improved co-ordination, larger lung capacity and function, greater stamina, improved joint mobility and cardiovascular exercise.
We are delighted to be able to offer this essential lesson to our Preschool children.
Healthy Eating
Here at Wellingtons Nursery we pride ourself in the delivery of freshly cooked meals daily; prepared and made by our chef and her assistant to suit all children’s dietary and religious requirements.
Our menus are updated regularly and the views of parents and children are very much part of this process. The option of three meals a day and a healthy snack in each session are provided.
We source our fruit and vegetables locally to support our community. Our mealtimes are an important part of our day-to-day learning for the children and are a pleasure to observe as the children eat heartily and enjoy these sessions.
