Learning through play
“Play is essential for our children if they are to have the best start in life and be ready to succeed as adults. Through play children thrive as they develop self-confidence, social skills and awareness of their impact on others and the world around them.”
The Early Years Framework (2008)
The children develop their knowledge and understanding of the curricular areas through a variety of structured and free play activities as well as a range of other learning experiences.
The importance of the development of early literacy and numeracy is
encouraged and planned primarily through play. During their play children can communicate their thoughts and feelings to each other and the Nursery team.
Literacy skills are vital for learning. Some activities to promote this are:
- Sharing a story; reading them, retelling them and making up new ones
- News time
- Looking at books for enjoyment
- Singing nursery rhymes and listening for words that rhyme
- Recognition of own name or other familiar words in the environment
- Hearing the first sound of own name and matching it to other names and
- words. Emphasis on sound/phonics rather than letter name.
- Writing own name on drawings, even if it is just a squiggly line or shapes
- Drawings and then talking about what is in the picture.
- Playing with Puppets
Numeracy skills are vital for learning. Some activities to promote this are:
- Developing Early Numeracy skills are an important part of learning too:
- Number talk is used and encouraged through number rhymes, stories,
- games, puzzles, block play, role play, sand and water play, construction toys,
music, P.E., craft and snack.
- ¨ Children use appropriate vocabulary to compare sizes, like big, little, taller,
smaller, heavy and light.
¨ Children can use a variety of materials to measure.
- “How long is the caterpillar?” “Is it longer than the ribbon or shorter than the
ribbon”
¨ Children can recognise and name shapes.
¨ Activities can be used to talk about positional language.
“I know where to put the teddy” on the chair, under the chair, beside the chair
¨Children can sort and match objects. They can make patterns.
¨Children can sort money in role play situations
Health and Wellbeing:
Developing children’s awareness and understanding of how to look after themselves is essential.
Children will have opportunities to play indoors and outdoors and to develop their co-ordination and body control.
Energetic play encourages good health and fitness.
They can try and taste a range of different foods, whilst learning how to make healthy choices.
Building with construction materials, working with tools and playing with puzzles promotes good hand-eye co-ordination.
Opportunities for outdoor play involving climbing, pushing, pulling, sliding and cycling develops gross motor control.
Activities to explore emotional health such as recognising feelings and discussing ways to solve problems.
