Communication and language development in the early years are critical components of a child's overall growth and future success. Effective communication and language skills serve as the foundation for cognitive, social, and emotional development.

During this term, we will:

- Know many rhymes, be able to talk about familiar books, and be able to tell a long story.

- Sing a large repertoire of songs.

Physical Development in the early years is a vital component of a child's holistic development. It encompasses a range of activities and experiences that promote physical fitness, motor skills, and overall well-being.

To develop these skills we will be encouraging the children to:

- Make healthy choices about food, drink, activity and toothbrushing. 

- Increasingly be able to use and remember sequences and patterns of movements which are related to music and rhythm.  

- Collaborate with others to manage large items, such as moving a long plank safely, carrying large hollow blocks.  

Developing PSED in the early years is vital for building a strong foundation for a child's future success in school and in life. By nurturing their personal, social, and emotional development, we help children develop the skills and attitudes that contribute to their overall well-being and positive relationships with others.

We aim to support this skill development by encouraging children to:

- Find solutions to conflicts and rivalries. For example, accepting that not everyone can be Spider-Man in the game, and suggesting other ideas.  

- Understand gradually how others might be feeling. 

Promoting literacy in the early years is essential for setting the stage for reading and writing success in school and beyond. By fostering a love of books and language, providing meaningful literacy experiences, and tailoring instruction to each child's needs, we can help children develop strong literacy skills and a lifelong passion for reading and learning. This half-term we will do this by focusing our literacy sessions on the nursery rhymes ‘Old MacDonald had a farm’ and ‘Dingle Dangle Scarecrow’. We will explore the text ‘Farmyard Hullabaloo’. We will be developing their phonological awareness, so that they can: 

- Write some or all their name

- Use some of their print and letter knowledge in their early writing. For example: writing a pretend shopping list that starts at the top of the page; writing ‘m’ for mummy

Some key questions we will look at include:

- How did the duck feel? 

- Why was the farmer getting fat? 

- What might the animals be talking about? What would it sound like on the farm? 

- What is going to happen to the eggs? 

- What might the eggs need? 

- How have the eggs changed? 

- How does the hatchling look? 

- What might change next? 

- Where should our chicks live? 

- What do the chicks need in their home on a farm? 

- What is it like to live on a farm?

Fostering mathematics in the early years is crucial for building a strong mathematical foundation and fostering a love for math. By providing a rich and engaging mathematical environment, offering opportunities for exploration and problem-solving, and tailoring instruction to children's developmental levels, we can help them develop essential mathematical skills and confidence in their abilities.

During the beginning of the Summer term, in maths, we will be developing our knowledge and understanding of number and numerical patterns. 

Over the half-term we will be:

- Focusing on properties of shapes.

- Ordering events of the day.

- Long, short, and comparing lengths  of shapes.

Understanding the World in the early years helps children develop a broad range of knowledge and skills that are essential for their overall development. It fosters a sense of curiosity, empathy, and a connection to the world around them, which are valuable attributes for lifelong learning and citizenship.

During this half-term, we will:

- Plant seeds and care for growing plants.

- Begin to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things .

- Understand the key features of the life cycle of a plant and an animal.

 - Begin to understand the need to respect and care for the natural environment and all living things.

Expressive Art and Design in the early years is crucial for promoting creativity, self-expression, and imaginative thinking. It allows children to explore and communicate their feelings and ideas in diverse ways, fostering a lifelong love of art and creative expression.

This half-term we will:

- Create closed shapes with continuous lines, and begin to use these shapes to represent objects.  

- Show different emotions in their drawings – happiness, sadness, fear etc .

- Sing the melodic shape (moving melody, such as up and down, down and up) of familiar songs.  

- Play instruments with increasing control to express their feelings and ideas.