Your Childs First Year at Old Sarum Primary

What is the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)? The EYFS is a curriculum for children from birth to five. It is separated into 3 prime areas and supported by 4 more specific areas.

Becoming school ready… In order to become ‘school ready’ children need to develop skills within the 3 prime areas of: Communication and Language Physical development Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Communication and Language Skills we will be working on Talking with others informally, in groups, partner work Explaining and describing Understanding and responding to simple instructions Listening with concentration, responding with relevant comments Speaking clearly and audibly Listen with enjoyment, to stories, songs, rhymes and poems, making comments and answering questions and joining in. Make up their own stories, songs, and rhymes When with others, negotiating plans and activities and taking turns in conversation. Extend vocabulary, and attempt to use new words. Question why things happen and give explanations. Communication and Language Skills we will be working on

What can you do to help? Communication and Language: *Read stories regularly with your child. *Sing songs and rhymes and encourage your child to join in. *Talk about the sounds you can hear in the environment. *Play listening games and praise good listening. *Listen to your child’s thoughts, ideas and concerns. *Encourage them to be curious, ask questions and investigate objects and their purposes when playing. *Teach them to recognise their name.

Physical Development Skills we will be working on Managing dressing and undressing and personal hygiene Holding pencils correctly and gaining good control Using scissors and other one handed tools. Beginning to use anticlockwise movement, retrace vertical lines and copy some letters. Moving on to form recognisable letters, then to form most of their letters correctly. Catching large and then smaller balls. Showing increasing control over catching and kicking . Traveling with confidence and skill around, under, over and through balancing and climbing equipment. Negotiate space successfully when playing racing and chasing games with other children. Physical Development Skills we will be working on

Physical Development: *Get outside! *Provide opportunities for them to run, jump, climb, kick, catch and throw a ball. *Encourage the children to hold a pencil, crayon or pen correctly and make marks, shapes and lines. *Help children to use one handed tools appropriately such as scissors, spoons, knives and forks. *Teach children motor skills to help them learn to write through activities which require picking up small objects with their fingers/tweezers or other gripping tools, threading laces and buttons, squeezing water from washing up liquid bottles to make big shapes on the ground. *Practise putting on gloves, doing up zips and buttons to help children become more independent dressing themselves. What can you do to help?

Personal and social development Skills we will be working on Demonstrate friendly behaviour, playing co-operatively, taking turns and begin to plan play ideas with others. Initiate conversations and take account of what others say Takes steps to resolve conflicts with other children without aggression, e.g. finding a compromise Understands a range of feelings and shows sensitivity to others,’knowing that some actions and words can hurt others’ feelings. Enjoys responsibility of carrying out small tasks. Confident to talk to adults and other children when playing, communicating freely about own home and community. Being confident to speak in a familiar group Follow the boundaries and behavioural expectations set Personal and social development Skills we will be working on

Personal, Social and Emotional Development: *Encourage your child to take on small roles of responsibility at home (help tidy a room, helping with the cooking/cleaning). *Spend time with other children of a similar age and praise good behaviour choices such as turn taking, sharing and compromise. *Keep structured routines at home and ensure a good bedtime routine. *Please come and speak to us if you have problems at home with behaviour. What can you do to help?

The 4 specific areas of learning… Literacy (Reading and Writing): Children learn to write their name. They will learn 4 letters sounds weekly and then start to write words using phonic knowledge. Gradually they will then learn to write sentences. They also learn to use their phonic knowledge to help them decode and read words and then sentences. Mathematics (Number and Shape, Space and Measure): Children learn to count to 10 then 20 and recognise the numbers, matching them to amounts. They will learn to place the numbers in order, write numbers, solve problems using simple, practical addition, subtraction, doubling and halving. They will experience measuring, recognising, naming and describing shapes. The 4 specific areas of learning…

The 4 specific areas of learning… Understanding The World: Understanding people and communities and see similarities and differences between themselves and others. Talking about past and present events in their own lives and in the lives of family members. Showing an interest and talking about our location and the world around them. Learning about change such as growth of animals and plants. Talk about their observations and use what they know to make sense of the world. Using a range of different technologies for their learning and start to select and use technology for particular purposes. Expressive Arts and Design: Being imaginative by exploring and using media and materials to create for e.g. pictures, music, stories. Introduce a storyline or narrative into their play and work with others to act out. Creating models, art and music, having their own ideas and choosing particular colours or materials for a purpose. Using and exploring a range of processes and materials. Build a repertoire of songs and dances and explore musical instruments. The 4 specific areas of learning…

Please do use the overview sent out as a guide for adding your own comments and photos on your child’s learning from home. Your views really count!

Thank you for coming and for taking an active role in your child’s education. Please do come to our next session: