HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES

This unit invites children to express their thinking, feelings, and ideas in many different ways—through art, music, movement, storytelling, construction, and dramatic play. Children will be encouraged to explore different materials and modes of expression, discovering their unique voices and creative potential. This unit supports the development of communication, imagination, and confidence in self-expression.

ON-GOING UNIT

Students will explore language, symbols, and stories through play, talk, and creativity. They will engage in rich conversations, enjoy songs and rhymes, and notice sounds and patterns in words. They will experiment with drawing, mark-making, and writing for real purposes, including their own names. They will use art, role play, and dramatic play to share ideas and feelings. They will enjoy books, ask questions, retell stories, and connect print with meaning, building strong foundations for literacy.

ON-GOING UNIT

Students will understand that numbers, shapes, patterns, and symbols help us make sense of the world. They will use mathematical language to describe ideas, solve problems, and explain their thinking. They will explore symbols, marks, and materials to represent quantities, patterns, and relationships. They will enjoy stories, songs, and play as opportunities for rich numeracy learning. Through inquiry, real-life experiences, and collaborative conversations, they will connect mathematics to their lives, express ideas in many ways, and build joyful confidence in numeracy.

EXPRESSING THROUGH MOVEMENT

Students will develop their physical skills through Gymnastics, Dance, and Aquatics, with a focus on movement, creativity, expression, and communication. Integrated with the EY4 How We Express Ourselves Unit of Inquiry, children will explore how movements, shapes, gestures, rhythms, and actions can work like symbols to communicate ideas, stories, and feelings. Through gymnastics and dance, they will experiment with using their bodies to represent different ideas and emotions, while in Aquatics they will explore how floating, gliding, kicking, and other water movements can also be used creatively. As part of their stand-alone PE learning, children will copy shapes, animals, and rhythms, create and share simple movement routines, use movement to express feelings, and confidently explore new ways of moving with and without equipment.