The EYFS Framework explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development.  Your child will be learning through play and learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through seven areas of learning and development.

There are three prime areas, these are:

• Communication and Language (Listening and Attention, Understanding, Speaking)

• Physical Development (Moving and Handling, Health and Self-care)

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development (Making Relationships, Self-Confidence and Self-Awareness, Managing Feelings and Behaviour)

As children develop these prime areas they will also develop skills in four specific areas 

• Literacy (Reading, Writing)

• Mathematics (Number, Shape, Space and Measure)

• Understanding the World (People and Communities, The World, Technology)

• Expressive Arts and Design (Exploring and using Media and Materials, Being Imaginative)

These severn areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities.  At Severn View and Brockworth the practitioners (adults working with your child) support your child and make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs and interests. 

Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creating and thinking critically.  Their learning and experiences take place both indoors and outdoors. 

In the summer term of the Reception year the practitioners complete an assessment which is known as the EYFS Profile. This assessment is carried out by the practitioners that work with your child’s class and is based on what they have observed over a period of time.  Alongside this will be your observations of your child’s learning through Home News, WOW stickers and DoFo posts and much more. 

• Dressing up clothes (pieces of material for a range of characters) and props for imaginary games and role play

• Cartons and boxes to build and make models and instruments with

• Large boxes to make into vehicles, dens, whatever they imagine

• Playdough to manipulate

• Small world play e.g. Duplo, Mobilo, Lego, Brio, cars, trains

• Puppets, soft toys, dolls, different size clothes

• Pencils, pens, crayons, paints, chalks, different size paper

• Mark making tools – to encourage children’s own attempts of writing

• Greetings cards, magazines, catalogues for your child to cut up, stick, sort, discuss

• Natural materials, e.g. cones, leaves, pebbles, shells to sort

• Water and sand play with different size buckets, containers, etc.

• Wheeled toys, balls, bats for physical activity

• Cooking together

• Toys in the bath

• Opportunities to plant seeds and bulbs

• Observe the growth of living things 

Encourage your child to talk about what they are doing as you play and chat with them.

• Read 10 minutes every night with your child.

• Discuss the illustrations. What do they think is going on? Why?

• Predict what may happen next? What would be good/bad?

• Make up alternative endings to the story.

• Discuss what your child likes/dislikes about the text.

• What did we learn from the story? Was there a moral, did it give them any information? Was it factual or a fiction story?

• Can you change the characters?

• Be guided by your child’s interest – read your own stories as well as school books.

• Become an explorer – Read fact, fiction, rhymes, poems and picture books.

• Ask questions about the story.

• Discuss the sequence of events, can you recall the events?

• Most importantly keep it short, enjoyable and fun!