Education and Care
Children learn and develop quickly and here at Sunshine we aim to ensure that we provide a range of early experiences, indoors and out, that are both fun and exciting as well as being flexible enough to meet the needs of each individual child.
We follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) curriculum for children from 0 to 5 years to support children’s play and development in order to give them the best start to their learning journey.
Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first. These are:
Communication and language;
This involves the children developing skills in speaking, listening and attention. The children share stories, songs, rhymes and games to build their confidence in communicating with each other through conversations and asking questions alongside the use of Makaton signing.
Physical development; and
The children will practice increasing control in large and small movements, using various play equipment as well as developing the skills to handle tools and equipment effectively. The children also learn about the importance of a healthy diet, exercise and basic personal hygiene.
Personal, social and emotional development.
This area concentrates on the children’s confidence, self-awareness and how they relate to each other and adults as well as how they build friendships. Children become able to manage their own feelings and take account of others feelings as well as learning about rules and boundaries.
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning.
As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas. These are:
Literacy;
This area involves children developing the skills necessary to decipher letters and break down words which later leads to reading. The children practice mark-making and learn that spoken words can be represented as written symbols.
Mathematics;
This involves the children learning to count and use mathematical language such as large, small, full and empty. The children are encouraged to explore shapes and sizes as well as weights and other measures to develop their understanding of mathematical concepts.
Understanding the world; and
The children are encouraged to talk about past and present events and learn about different cultures and communities as well as being given the opportunity to explore ICT equipment such as computers, cameras and bee-bots.
Expressive arts and design.
Within this area the children develop their imaginative play through various experiences that encourage them to represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings in meaningful and appropriate ways. They are also encouraged to get involved in music and movement sessions where they can experiment with different sounds and ways of moving.
As well as their experiences at Sunshine all the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development, and have a really long lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school. Even when your child is very young and is not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. You can speak to your child’s key person who will be able to advise you on activities you can do with your child at home.
For further information please visit: https://foundationyears.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/What-to-expect-in-the-EYFS-complete-FINAL-16.09-compressed.pdf
