In Block 3, the children will explore The Naughty Bus through storytelling. They will listen to and discuss the story, exploring new vocabulary and joining in with repeated phrases to build confidence in speaking. Through roleplay and modelling, children will sequence key events and talk about the bus’s adventures, encouraging them to use familiar language and simple story structures. They will take part in mark-making opportunities such as drawing maps, making signs, and attempting to mark-make labels to build early writing skills. Role-play and small-world play will further support children in retelling the story, developing narrative skills, and using imaginative language linked to the book.

Development Matters:
Use some of their print and letter knowledge in their early writing.

Key Vocabulary:
Story, character, setting, beginning, middle, end, naughty, labels, maps

The children will explore early mathematical concepts in meaningful, play-based contexts. They will have opportunities to track the bus’s journey, count passengers, and sort vehicles by size, colour, and type. Through hands-on activities, they will compare lengths and distances as they design routes and measure tracks using measurable objects found in their environment. These engaging experiences support problem-solving skills and encourage mathematical thinking through storytelling, creativity, and imaginative play.

Development Matters:

Describe a familiar route and discuss routes and locations using words like in front of and behind.

Key Vocabulary:
Measure, route, compare, distance, passengers, count, concepts

As part of our Understanding the World learning, the children will explore ideas inspired by transport. They will investigate different types of vehicles and talk about where they see them in real life, such as on the road, at bus stops, or in their neighbourhood. The children will also recall and discuss the roles of people who help us in transportation, such as bus drivers. Through small-world play and hands-on activities, they will explore a variety of vehicles and observe how they move across different surfaces. These experiences will help them make real-life connections, build vocabulary, and develop curiosity about how things work in the world around them.

Development Matters:

Explore how things work.

Key Vocabulary:

Surfaces, transport, driver, vehicles, fast, traffic, investigation

Through the story Naughty Bus, children can explore a wide range of creative opportunities that will encourage them to express their ideas, imagination, and understanding of the world. They can design and build their own story settings related to the story. They engaged in imaginative role play, acting out the adventures of the story and inventing new storylines together. These activities supported their creativity, problem-solving and ability to communicate their ideas through art, design, and play.

Development Matters:

Create an imaginative, complex small world with blocks and construction kits, such as a city with various buildings and a park.

Key Vocabulary:

Imagine, skyscrapers, built, creative, design

Children will be encouraged to develop their gross motor skills by exploring movement purposefully and imaginatively. They will practise going up steps and stairs using alternate feet, inspired by the bus’s adventurous journey through different levels and obstacles. Children will also have opportunities to climb up and down age-appropriate apparatus, building strength, balance, and coordination.

Development Matters:

Go up steps and stairs, or climb up the apparatus, using alternate feet,

Key Vocabulary:

Imaginative, exploring, climbing steps, railing, safe, apparatus

Through the Jigsaw unit Dreams and Goals, children will explore what they enjoy doing and begin to understand that everyone has different interests and things they are good at. They will learn to talk about their own goals, celebrate their achievements, and recognise the successes of others. These experiences help children develop confidence, perseverance, and early problem-solving skills as they work towards simple tasks. Children will also have opportunities to work together on shared activities, learning to take turns, help each other, and feel proud of what they can achieve as a team. Circle time will provide a safe and supportive environment for children to express their feelings about trying new things, whether they feel excited, unsure, or proud and to listen to and encourage their friends.

Development Matters:

Select and use activities and resources, with help when needed. This helps them to achieve a goal they have chosen, or one which is suggested to them.

Key Vocabulary:

Try, goal, dream, proud, challenge, help, teamwork, share, take turns, friends, practice, keep going, brave, happy, excited.

Children will be encouraged to listen attentively to the story Naughty Bus and take part in group discussions about what the Naughty Bus does on its adventures. They will have opportunities to retell the story in order, describing the Naughty Bus’s actions and the events using their own words. Children will also be supported to use new vocabulary they hear in the story, helping them express ideas clearly and confidently.

Through role play, small-world play with vehicles, storytelling, and shared reading, children will practise listening to others, taking turns in conversation, and asking questions. These activities will support children’s speaking and listening skills, build their confidence in expressing themselves, and deepen their understanding of stories and language in everyday life.

Development Matters:
• Enjoy listening to longer stories and remember what happens.
• Use a wider range of vocabulary.

Key Vocabulary:
Bus, Naughty Bus, driver, road, city, journey, stop, go, splash, stuck, messy, adventure, wheels, map, traffic.

In this block, children explore music through the theme Everyone, linking songs to home, school, and play. They learn to find and keep the pulse, clap and copy simple rhythms, and sing with clear voices and actions. Using untuned percussion, they play along to the beat and create short rhythmic patterns. Listening and movement activities help them recognise contrasts in sound, building confidence, cooperation, and enjoyment of making music together.

Key Vocabulary: pulse, beat, rhythm, pitch, tempo, loud, quiet, pattern, copy, repeat, sing, play, listen, respond, perform

In this block, children explore different forms of transport through creative dance. They use travelling actions, levels, and pathways to represent walking, cycling, sailing, flying, and engines starting and stopping. Using dynamics such as slow/fast and smooth/jerky, they create short sequences that show journeys, traffic jams, and zooming vehicles. Working individually, in pairs, and groups, children build a simple performance sharing their imaginative transport dances.

Key Vocabulary: travel, pathway, level, speed, slow, fast, smooth, jerky, sequence, pattern, journey, traffic, zoom, freeze, performance

We warmly encourage families to continue learning at home through playful activities that link with what we are exploring in Nursery:

Communication and Language (CL)

Share the story Naughty Bus together. Encourage your child to join in with repeated phrases and talk about what the Naughty Bus does. Support them to retell the story using toy buses, cars, or small-world items. You can also create little scenes (e.g., a toy bus on a table, in beans, in water) and ask questions like, “What might the Naughty Bus do next?”

Mathematics

Use everyday objects to explore positional language such as in, on, under, behind, next to, in front of. Create a simple bus route at home and ask questions like, “Where is the bus now?” Count cars, buses, or other vehicles during play or on short walks. Encourage children to compare quantities (more/fewer) and sizes (big/small).

Understanding the World (UW), Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)

Explore different types of vehicles and talk about how they move and what they are used for. Encourage your child to create their own “Naughty Bus adventures” using recyclable materials, toy vehicles, or homemade props. You can also discuss journeys your family takes—How do you travel? Where do buses go?

Physical Development (PD)

Support gross motor skills by creating simple obstacle routes or “roads” for your child to move their body like a vehicle—crawling through tunnels, stepping over lines, or balancing on paths. For fine motor skills, offer chances to draw, paint, cut, and glue to make vehicles, tracks, or maps.

We would love for you to share a short note, photo, or video of your child enjoying these activities on their Tapestry Learning Journey, so that we can celebrate their learning both at home and at school.