Exciting your child’s mind

Each playroom is filled with apparatus and resources to excite children’s learning. We aim to support children’s gross and fine motor skills, communication skills, and social and emotional development – through fun-filled, age-appropriate activities! In the baby room (Halos), practitioners encourage lots of ‘tummy time’ – which helps to strengthen the babies’ core muscles. Staff then support the children in reaching their physical milestones (such as crawling, rolling, and walking). There is also a huge focus on communication and language – practitioners work to support children with their listening and attention skills through play and home learning methods. Staff converse with children, using eye contact, modulated voice and appropriate words and sentences for each age range, to support children in understanding and using language. For children whom are delayed in their communication and language development – we have skilled practitioners to support with this, through intervention programmes such as ‘Chatterbox’.

Forming Relationships

As your child will be adapting to entering this new chapter in their life, forming relationships is something we aim to encourage throughout their time here. It’s very important with their age group, that the child’s self-esteem and confidence is monitored and reassured in order to help them form relationships with adults, as well as long lasting friendships. We will involve the children in group activities daily and hold circle times at the start and end of each day. This will help inspire and spark their positive, social behavior.

Prime & Specific Areas of Development

Children are given the chance and encouragement of looking at different forms of literature and text within their environment. Practitioners also use language to help children develop and use different letters and sounds through phonics sessions and games, which lead to their future reading skills.

As well as Literacy, the children also learn about Shape, Space and Measure – with numbers, counting, sorting and matching. Children also begin to understand sequencing when it comes to learning days of the week and the months of the year. They start to see patterns emerge and be able to follow them easier within their local environment. This also includes counting regularly throughout the day for example, having to count their peers in a line at the end of play time. This helps encourage them to use mathematical language regularly through their everyday life. To help evolve their learning process, they will be practicing their skill within number rhymes, stories and games and even during water play and sand play.

We will be implementing Communication with your child whether that be verbally, through actions, gestures or expressions. This vital early skill which will contribute and improve throughout your child’s life. We will be extending the children’s vocabulary by asking them to talk openly in front of their peers and adults about any activities they have participated in especially after the weekend or holidays.

We also make sure that physical development is involved in the child’s everyday play, as it’s important to grow and strengthen their motor skills. This includes things for the children to learn how to hold and apply small movements when writing or developing scissor techniques. It will also involve big movements for physical activity during indoor or outdoor play, where they will be able to exercise and help stay healthy through running or climbing. There will also be a variety of opportunities for the children to explore and experience music, movement or ball abilities.