All children at Monkey Puzzle Day Nurseries are encouraged to learn through play. Our early years education Curriculum covers all the key areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage and is designed to meet the needs of each individual child.

We follow the Government’s Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework which sets the standards for early years education learning, development, and care for children from birth up to 5 years of age.

The principles which guide the work of our Early Years Education Professionals are grouped into four themes:

A unique child – every child is a competent leaner from birth who can be resilient, capable, confident and self assured

Positive Relationships – children learn to be strong and independent from a base of loving and secure relationships with parents and/or key person

Enabling Environments – the environment plays a key role in supporting and extending children’s development and learning

Learning and Development – children develop and learn in different ways and at different times; all areas of learning and development are equally important and inter-connected.

There are three prime areas of learning in which our Early Years Education Professionals support children to learn and develop. These are:

• Personal, social and emotional development
• Communication and  language
• Physical development

Plus four specific areas of learning.  These are:

• Knowledge and understanding of the world
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Expressive arts and design

Each child has their own key person to enable them to feel reassured, safe and cared for within our setting.

This person also keeps a detailed Learning Journey of the child’s progress during their time with us. These records are available to be viewed and discussed at any time by parents, who are always encouraged to add details of their child’s experiences from outside the nursery.

If you have any specific questions about early years education, please get in touch with our manager, who will be happy to answer any questions.

Enriching curriculum:

Spanish – Our Spanish classes are packed with an array of educational games, catchy songs, and captivating storytelling. It is, interactive and fun, allowing children to learn Spanish through play.

Drama and dance club run by Fresh Arts –  https://www.fresharts.co/ Toddlers and Pre School have 15 minutes of Dance and Movement and 15 minutes of Singing and Music each week. We learn and play with our friendly mascot Freddie the Frog. We have original songs and a progressive curriculum which helps children to develop in line with The Early Years and Foundation Stage’ curriculum and child development research.

Letters and Sounds Phonics –

This phonics programme is taught in many schools. We want to help our pre-school children get ready for big school and learning phonics will give them a great understanding of the beginning stages of reading and writing. The aim is to build children’s speaking and listening skills and prepare children for learning to read by developing their phonic knowledge and skills. A trained primary school teacher has planned interactive lessons to keep learning fun. More information can be found through www.letters-and-sounds.com

Shanghai Maths –

Taught through the planning scheme White Rose. Teaching maths to extend and deepen children’s learning through books, songs, props and Interactive White Board resources to support classroom activities. ‘All children can be successful with mathematics, provided that they have opportunities to explore mathematical ideas in ways that make personal sense to them and opportunities to develop mathematical concepts and understanding. Children need to know that practitioners are interested in their thinking, respect their ideas, are sensitive to their feelings and value their contributions.’ DCSF (2008)

Cookery –

Cookery lessons run by our chef. Children will learn many vital skills through practical hands on learning. The EYFS outcomes will be at the forefront when planning fun activities for the children. Cooking provides practical experience with many essential skills such as reading, following directions, and measuring. It helps your child to develop fine motor skills, eye hand coordination, and early concepts of math and science.

Yoga and Mindfulness –

Mental health is precious for every age. Through mindfulness and yoga we will teach children to be able to create calm and reflect. It can also help children’s attention span, it can aid stress management and develop empathy and compassion for others. More information can be found here https://www.firstdiscoverers.co.uk/mindfulness-activities-kids/

Eco club –

Teaching children about the world we live in is vital for their future. There are ten topics that we follow: Biodiversity; Energy; Global Citizenship; Healthy Living; Litter; Marine; School grounds; Transport; Waste; Water. We will take part in nation-wide campaigns such a switch off fortnight, gardening club and waste week. More information can be found here https://www.eco-schools.org.uk

Sensory Sessions –

Daily sensory sessions take place in our sensory areas and in the nursery through creative play. Research shows that sensory play builds nerve connections in the brain’s pathways, which lead to the child’s ability to complete more complex learning tasks. Sensory play supports language development, cognitive growth, fine and gross motor skills, problem solving skills, and social interaction. It can help with calming down and anxious child.

Daily Activities –

Circle Time – A dedicated time to take turns to share our thoughts, feelings, and ideas holding our Monkey Puzzle Bear. It gives children the chance to reflect on their likes and dislikes, their behaviour and use the platform to be heard and show respect to their peers by listening to them.

Messy Play – Who doesn’t like messy play! Playing with a variety of different materials to develop sensory awareness, coordination, and fine motor skills. Exploration of shapes, textures, sounds, and smells encourages a better knowledge and understanding of the surrounding world and it’s defining properties. It also promotes freedom of play, enhancing imagination and creative expression.

Story Time – Did you know Children who listen to one book a day will hear about 290,000 more words by age 5 than those who don’t regularly read books with a parent or caregiver. Children who hear more vocabulary words are going to be better prepared to see those words in print when they enter school.

Facts by the age of 5 years old: Never read to, 4,662 words; 1-2 times per week, 63,570 words; 3-5 times per week, 169,520 words; daily, 296,660 words; and five books a day, 1,483,300 words. Children who are read to at least three times a week by a family member are almost twice as likely to score in the top 25% in reading compared to children who are read to less than 3 times a week.