What Early Years got up to this week

PRE-RECEPTION

What a busy week in Pre-Reception! Although, it was a short week, we managed to squeeze in a lot. For instance, we had a Christmas lunch with all the trimmings, a Christmas party and a Christmas chapel service. 

MATHS

In addition to the festivities, we played lots of fun games in Maths to consolidate the children’s learning. Specifically, we focused on mastering repeating patterns and the skill of subitising.

PHONICS

Meanwhile, in Phonics, we have taught the children to recognise the ‘m’ phoneme (sound) and to pronounce this correctly. To help them remember, we have been using the phrase: “Put your lips together and make the mmm sound.”

Next Term

Our topic next term is a ticket around the world and we will be learning all about the continent of Africa. In our Literacy lessons will also reflect this topic. In Phonics, we will continue to teach the children to pronounce different phonemes (sounds) correctly and identify initial sounds in words. Similarly, our Maths focus will shift as we begin to learn all about the numbers 3 and 4. This will include:

• Subitising these specific amounts
• Understanding the composition of 3 and 4
• Recognising the written numerals
• Exploring three- and four-sided shapes, such as triangles, squares, and rectangles

Finally, our Jigsaw PSHE topic will be dreams and goals. We will work on the children’s resilience and help them to set small set goals to achieve their dreams. 

RECEPTION

What a wonderful, glitter-filled week we have had in Reception! The festive spirit has truly been alive in our classroom and the children have enjoyed every moment. 

Literacy 

Firstly, this week, we explored lots of Christmas-themed activities. The children were fascinated by the nativity story, which we revisited several times. We also learned about Hanukkah and discussed how it is celebrated around the world. 

Maths 

Our Maths lessons have been full of festive fun! We have consolidated everything we have learned this term through Christmas-themed activities and revisited addition to strengthen our skills. 

Expressive Arts and Design 

In addition to our core subjects, the creative area has been buzzing with excitement as the children made beautiful Christmas decorations to take home. The children have worked so hard and should feel very proud of their creations! 

On Tuesday, we all enjoyed a delicious Christmas lunch and the children looked fantastic in their Christmas jumpers – what a cheerful sight! 

Looking Ahead – Next Term 

Our new topic will be: a ticket around the world. During this topic, each week, we will explore a different country. 

Find out more about Early Years here.