PRE-RECEPTION
The children have continued to settle well and have been very busy this week. On arrival they have been taking part in various gross and fine motor activities. Specifically, they have enjoyed dancing with scarves, mark making, using scissors and threading, on a rotation. We will continue to do these activities daily to develop both their gross and fine motor skills. These are a precursor to writing.
In addition, they have also enjoyed accessing the stimulating environment, including colour mixing with playdough and painting each hand in a different colour and mixing them together to see what secondary colour they make. It has been wonderful to see the children so engaged in their activities. The children have created some amazing artwork and have been sharing information about their families.
Communication and Language
This week, we have been supporting the children’s communication and language development by introducing our Poem of the Week, Chop, Chop, and the traditional story The Enormous Turnip.
The children have really enjoyed joining in with the actions for both the poem and story, as well as talking about different vegetables and sharing their ideas. Overall, it has been lovely to see their enthusiasm.
Our Top Ten Books
- Dear Zoo – Rod Campbell
- Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Did you see? – Eric Carle & Bill Martin
- Elmer – David Mckee
- Arghh! Spider – Lydia Monks
- Ruby’s Worry – Tom Percival
- Giraffe’s Can’t Dance – Giles Andreae & Guy Parker-Rees
- Oi Frog – Kes Gray & Jim Field
- Rainbow Fish – Marcus Pfister
- Tanka Tanka Skunk – Steve Webb
- Kitchen Disco – Clare Foges & Al Murphy
Personal, Social and Emotional Development
We are encouraging the children to use their manners and say, “Please” and, “Thank you”, as appropriate.
Next Week’s Activities
Next week, we will continue with our baseline assessments and we will use the outcomes of our assessments to determine our planning for the rest of the term.
RECEPTION
We have had another fun and exciting week in Reception, exploring our environment and learning how to access all areas of the classroom. The children have continued to settle beautifully into our daily routines. During this time, we have gradually introduced new areas and activities, focusing on how to complete tasks, access resources independently, and challenge themselves in their learning.
Alongside this, this week, we have been carrying out our baseline assessments, which help us understand each child’s individual starting point in their learning journey. Consequently, these assessments will support us in planning appropriate next steps and ensuring every child receives the support and challenge they need.
We have also been focusing on developing our fine motor skills through small-group activities and continuous provision within the classroom. This has involved daily playdough activities, tracing, cutting and folding tasks. Ultimately, these activities all help strengthen the muscles needed for early writing.
Next Week
Moving forward, we will begin a more structured learning timetable, introducing the children to short whole-class sessions in Literacy, Phonics and Maths.
Find out more about Early Years
