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Cheswick Green Playgroup - Curriculum

All the activities at Cheswick Green Pre-School Playgroup are intended to be stimulating and enjoyable whilst supporting children working towards the Government's Early Learning Goals for the Foundation Stage. All activities and experiences provided within our group are built on what children already know and can do and take into account their age and stage of development.

The curriculum is divided into six broad areas and below is our long-term aims for the children within our Pre-School. In these areas children are encouraged to: -

PERSONAL AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

• be independent and develop life skills such as dressing and personal hygiene
• persevere with tasks but seek help if necessary
• play co-operatively and as part of a larger group, take turns, share toys and take responsibility for their actions
• respect and show concern for their peers and environment and understand that they can expect the same from others

COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

• use talk to organize, sequence and describe everyday real life experiences and activities and be confident that they will be listened and responded to
• recognise their own name
• interact with others and take turns in conversation
• explore and experiment with sounds, letters and words; using such as pictures, symbols, shapes , music and everyday objects
• use language and emergent writing within role play activities
• listen carefully and join in with stories, songs, music, rhythm and rhyme.
• look at and show respect for books
• develop an awareness that print carries a meaning, and in the English language is read from left to right and top to bottom

MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

• investigate shape, colour, position, space and pattern and develop the appropriate language
• use maths in real life and role play situations
• show an interest in numbers and counting
• recognise and count by rote numerals 1-9
• join in with number rhymes and songs

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

• move with confidence, imagination and in safety
• show an awareness of space, of themselves and others
• use a range of large and small equipment in a variety of ways
• practise skills such as throwing, catching, jumping etc
• take part in activities to develop fine-motor skills such as colouring, drawing, threading, 'Playdough' cutting, construction toys etc
• handle tools, objects, construction and malleable materials safely and with increasing control
• recognise the importance of keeping healthy and those things that contribute to this

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

• take part in singing, role play, drama, dance and movement
• explore colour, form, texture, shape and space in 2D and 3D
• experiment with sounds and music
• represent and communicate their own ideas in their own way
• understand that their 'work' will be valued

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

• talk about their home, families and environment and recall significant events.
• observe, find out about and identify features in the place they live and the world about us
• begin to know about their own cultures and beliefs and those of other people
• find out about themselves, animals and plants and how they grow and change
• investigate objects and materials using all of their senses as appropriate · experience the various uses of technology such as computers, radio, telephones etc and show an interest in how things work

We believe that these aims can be achieved by a close partnership between Playgroup staff, the children and parents/carers all working together in an atmosphere of mutual respect. The activities provided to achieve these aims are both planned and unplanned and are based around our ethos of

"Learning Through Play".

We believe that children learn best when they:

• feel safe, secure and respected
• have the interaction of sensitive adults
• have access to a wide range of materials
• are exposed to an environment rich in language and vocabulary
• have the opportunity to make choices and make their own discoveries
• have a safe, stimulating and spacious environment

It is however, emphasised that all children are individuals, with individual needs. Playgroup's role is to provide for the above experiences whilst meeting the needs of both the group and the individual child.