In the EYFS, play is a very important part of your child’s development and most learning will be introduced through a mixture of carefully planned play and some adult-led focused activities.
Don’t be too concerned if your child says that they have been playing all day – it just means that they have been lucky enough to have experienced staff who have made their learning fun and enjoyable! As the Reception year progresses, the learning may start to become more formal, ready for Primary school and the National British Curriculum.
1. Phonics
Phonics is a big part of Kindergarten. Your child will continue to expand on their knowledge of phonics and will probably surprise you with just how quickly they develop their reading. The Phonic lessons are fun, pacy sessions which involve games and tasks. The KG children will learn tricky words, spelling rules and how to sound out and blend to aid them with their reading and writing.
They will probably be encouraged to ‘have a go’ at spelling when writing independently, by phonetically sounding out words. Their teacher may well ask them to ‘write it like it sounds’ and, as the weeks go by, they will learn the correct sounds to replace those guesses.
3. Maths skills
Maths lessons in KG class tend to be enjoyable, with plenty of hands-on activities. Your Kindergarten child will count with objects and work in groups to explore shapes and pattern. Now that they are using numbers over 20, they will learn to use a 100 square to help with their adding and subtracting. Number bonds will also be reinforced.
They will learn to count forwards, backwards, in 2s, 5s, 10s, 20s, and they will double and halve. They will do maths inside and outdoors and, because we work in a very cross-curricular way in Kindergarten, he/she will be talking about maths during other subjects, for example; while measuring ingredients for cooking (DT), drawing tables to record experiments in science or drawing maps in geography.
4. Beyond literacy and numeracy
There are a wide range of topics covered in Kindergarten, and your child will undoubtedly have their personal favourites. Some of the Kindergarten activities include:
- Experiments (science) product design
- Learning the history of things (history) and about the local area we live in (geography)
- Dancing, playing games and using gym apparatus
- Painting, drawing and more creative processes (art)
- We also develop their social skills and empathy for each other during RE and circle times. Kindergarten is an important year for your child’s increasing independence. The days are so varied and busy, the hours just fly by!
Ready for school – how can you tell?
‘School readiness’ in children includes many different skills and behaviours, such as:
Social skill
Being able to get along with other children, demonstrate basic manners, assert themselves, and being able to play independently as well as with other children.
Emotional maturity
Being able to manage their emotions, cope with minimal adult contact in large groups, focus on tasks, follow directions and instructions from teachers, cope with the stress of the new school environment, and understand the rules.
Language skills
Being able to talk and listen to adults and other children, speak clearly, communicate needs, understand stories, and begin to identify some letters and sounds.
Cognitive Skills
Basic number sense, basic thinking skills, being able to wait and take turns.
Physical health and coordination
Basic health, fine motor skills (such as being able to grip a pencil and turn pages in a book) and physical coordination (being able to run, jump, climb, and play ball).
Independence
Basic skills to manage their needs without adult supervision, such as going to the toilet, dressing, unwrapping their lunch and managing their belongings.
If you are not sure whether your child is ready to start big school, talk to your child’s preschool/ kindergarten teacher or early childhood educator – they will be able to help you with assessing your child’s development and readiness for school.
