PRE-RECEPTION
We would like to begin by wishing you all a happy and healthy 2026! The children have enjoyed sharing stories about their wonderful Christmas holidays. We also want to extend a warm welcome to three new additions to Pre-Reception. We are sure they will be well looked after and welcomed by their new friends.
Phonics
This week in Phonics, we have been teaching the children how to pronounce the ‘d’ phoneme (sound) using the rhyme: “Put your tongue to the top and front of your mouth and make a quick d sound—d, d, d.”
Maths
In Maths, we have been exploring the number 3. The children have been working on recognising when they see 3 dots or objects, without having to count them (this is called subitising).
Next week
Next week, we will continue with our topic ticket around the world, focusing on the continent of Africa. In our literacy lessons, we will be reading Anna Hibiscus’ Song by Atinuke and Lauren Tobia. This beautiful book focuses on happiness and will offer many opportunities for the children to think about what makes them happy. We will also explore some African food, dance and exercise, which ties nicely with our Jigsaw PSHE learning on dreams and goals, where we’ll talk about taking on new challenges in small steps.
In Maths, we will continue practicing subitising up to three objects. This is a key skill that will help the children build mental images for numbers, improve their ability to visualise and learn number facts.
In Phonics, we will be learning how to pronounce the ‘o’ sound. We will also encourage the children to listen carefully to the beginning sounds of words and see if they can identify the initial sound, even if it is not the focus sound of the week.
RECEPTION
What a fantastic first week back! The children have been busy learning and exploring across lots of exciting areas.
Understanding the World
We launched our new topic, ticket around the world, by sharing the children’s wonderful homework posters. They were so proud to talk about the countries they have visited! We then explored maps – starting with our school map to find different buildings using the key and later looking at a world map. We focused on the United Kingdom, learning about its countries, weather and wildlife.
Phonics
We began phase 3 in Little Wandle, introducing the sounds ai, ee, igh and oa. The children practised saying the sounds, blending them to read words like light, and writing the letters cursively. They also worked on reading and writing short captions.
Maths
We started our new topic alive in 5, exploring matching, subitising, and representing numbers within 5. We also used five frames to understand the concept of altogether.
Expressive Arts and Design
The children have been creative, making maps and designing Union Jack flags using different materials – linked to our world topic.
Find out more about Early Years here.
