Why?

We would like children to use the language of learning and to be resilient when faced with learning challenges. This supports children in being confident to ask for help when they start
School.

First milestone: Children are confident to explore the environment. They demonstrate and express a range of emotions.

Children have photographs of all staff, including the lunch club support team and office team.  Information is shared with the children and parents during their induction. Children meet their key person prior to starting nursery and visit the setting. Group time activities explore all of the environments and activities to help the children access the whole environment. Stories such as Owl Babies are shared.

Component

Access environment and manage emotions with support.

Second milestone: Children are confident to have a go and try new things. They are able to label emotions such as happy, sad and cross. Children are able to tell a person when they do not like something and to stop. 

Children are well versed in the rules ‘ready, respectful, safe.’ Children showing effort and going above and beyond are praised. Books and stories about trying new things are shared.

Component

Make choices and express emotions.

Third milestone: Children are able to be confident to ask for help when they are stuck. They persevere at learning that is difficult.

The language of learning is shared and peer to peer learning and asking a friend is supported and encouraged. Children are given responsibilities such as counting the children in the group, delivering messages. Positive relationships are modelled and positive behaviour strategies used consistently with the children. In the moment planning, learning journeys and displays are shared with the children to help build their self-esteem.

Component

Talk about what they are doing using the language of learning.

Final milestone (Composite):

Children reflect on their learning. They are able to reflect on what helps them to persevere through difficulties and what helps them when they find things hard. They show pleasure and pride in what they have done. Children are able to ask for help.

Vocabulary: confident, emotions, choices, persevere, language of learning, achievement

Why?

We nurture children towards having a high self-esteem and an appreciation of diversity and the wider world.

First milestone: Children can make a choice based on their interests, likes and dislikes and know that they can say no. They can identify their family.

Children are encouraged to bring in a photograph of their family from home to display in their group corners. Learning map planning enables adults to plan from the individual children’s interests. Adults demonstrate how to manage conflict and resolutions and support the children positively with this. The children are encouraged to make their own choices from a range of high-quality activities and resources.

Component

Make own choices and recognise family.

Second milestone: Children can act out family experiences that are familiar to them.

Resources that reflect the children’s home lives are shared in nursery. Dressing up materials are generic drapes rather than set costumes to allow for different interpretations. Festivals and celebrations are shared and explored such as Diwali, Eid, Hanukkah, weddings, christenings and Christmas.

Component

Role-play familiar experiences.

Third milestone: Children can notice differences and similarities such as skin colour, gender, types of hair, special needs and disabilities in picture books and within the setting and wider community.

A Persona doll is used with the children to help them to explore the feelings and issues it experiences such as gender bias.
A wide range of children’s books which better reflect our diverse society are an integral part of nursery and are available for the children to take home.
Our diverse community is shared through multicultural activities and visiting parents and groups such as drummers and dancers.

Component

Be aware of differences between people.

Final milestone (composite):

Children can recognise the difference and similarities between themselves and their peers. Children care for others and know how to make them feel better. They can talk about what they are good at, what they are an expert in and what makes them unique.

Vocabulary: choice, festivals, differences, expert, unique

Why?

We want children to become confident in working independently and following instructions left to right.

First milestone: with adult support, children mix different ingredients, including; sand and water and flour and water to make simple playdough. They use the following tools; wooden spoons, sieves, scoop, rolling pins, cookie cutters and knives. They follow simple recipes in areas such as the mud kitchen.

As children take part in these activities they become more precise in using scoops (filling the scoop carefully to the top); they count the scoops as they tip them out; they use a wide range of different-sized buckets, tins and other containers. Children become confident in using tools at the snack table to prepare their own snack e.g. spreading butter on toast.

Component

Mix 2 substances together using tools.

Second milestone: in a small group children follow the steps in making a chapatti with an adult. The adult draws children’s attention to the recipe card. With adult help, children use measures (teaspoon, tablespoon, cup etc.) and tip in the ingredients. With adult help, they knead the flour until it becomes soft and cover it. With adult help, they roll the dough into small balls and flatten. They help to cook these and reflect on the process.

As children become more used to cooking, the adult reduces their support for the group. Children also mix other substances together carefully, with adult guidance, e.g. mixing water and powder paint.

Component

Follow all the steps in the recipe card, with support.

Third milestone: in small group cooking activities, children follow the steps in making a bread roll with an adult. They independently fill measures carefully to the top (teaspoon, tablespoon, cup etc.) They recognise the numerals in the recipe card. When they count out quantities (e.g. 3 teaspoons of salt) they say the numbers in the correct order (1-2-3) and they know the last number they say (3) is the total number of spoonfuls they have added.

As children become more independent, there is minimal adult support as they follow recipe cards and follow paint-mixing cards.

Component

Fill measures accurately to the top.

Final milestone (composite): children follow the steps of a recipe independently. They measure ingredients, mix them and create their own bread roll by placing the mixture onto a greased proof tray ready to be baked.

Vocabulary: predict, precise, accurate, instructions, sequence, knead

Why?

We believe that children grow in confidence through reaching physical milestones.

First milestone: Children explore the climbing equipment e.g. bench steps, crates, climbing frame steps, low wall and sandpit low wall.

With advice, support and encouragement children begin to move safely whilst maintaining balance and stability.

Component

Move and balance on equipment.

Second milestone: Children gain confidence in exploring the climbing and balancing equipment.

As children grow in confidence, they begin to challenge themselves on more complex equipment such as the chain bridge. Children respond positively to adults challenging them.

Component

Move safely and with control on equipment

Third milestone: Children repeat physical climbing experiences and show perseverance when difficulties occur. Children show pride in their achievements e.g. when climbing on the floating logs and small cargo net.

Adults encourage children to use the skills they have learnt and encourage them to take part in more challenging climbing activities e.g. the tyre swing and climbing rope. Adults verbally support children to climb the cargo net.

Component

Move with control and confidence.

Final milestone (composite): Children demonstrate strength, balance and co-ordination when climbing the cargo net independently.

Vocabulary: achieve, navigate, challenge, practice, persevere, succeed

Why?

We want the children to use creative resources to express their own ideas.

First milestone: Children experience and explore a variety of media and materials e.g. sensory, painting, potions.

Children begin to explore and access creative activities within the nursery environment, both indoors and outside.

Component

Coordinate movements to explore media.

Second milestone: Children become more familiar with a selection of resources e.g. different brushes, rollers, sponges etc. They are supported in using new techniques and skills.

As children gain confidence in using a range of media and materials, adults model new techniques and skills. Adults provide the materials, explain how to use them and extend the children’s experiences in order to support them in gaining creative skills and understanding.

Component

Use a range of creative tools.

Third milestone: Children become more confident in mark making, independently choosing different art forms with minimal adult support.

Adults ensure that children experience a range of stimuli. Children use their knowledge of media and materials to creatively explore their interests and fascinations.

Component

Make choices to create in response to stimuli.

Final milestone (composite): To produce a painting in response to music, nature, other artist’s work or their imagination using a range of techniques and tools to achieve a desired outcome.

Vocabulary: create, resources, tools, materials, techniques

Why?

We want children to understand where their food comes from and to be confident to try new foods.

First milestone: Children are exposed to a range of fruits and vegetables in Nursery.

Children notice and talk about the different types of fruits available at snack time. Adults encourage children to help with the gardening each day.

Component

Notice and explore a range of fruit and vegetables.

Second milestone: Children explore the differences between a range of fruits and vegetables and how they grow.

Children are able to talk about their favourite fruit and vegetables and compare them. They are familiar with a range of non-fiction books about growing and fruit and vegetables as well as fictional stories such as “Oliver’s Vegetables” and show an interest in helping with the gardening.

Component

Talk about fruit and vegetables.

Third milestone: Children are introduced to the concepts of growth and decay and explore where soil comes from.

Children ask questions about how plants grow and are becoming aware of what they need to survive. They help to recycle the food waste into the compost bin.

Component

Experience the life cycle of a plant.

Final milestone (composite): Children experience planting a seed and watering it and watch it grow. They are able to talk about the changes that take place and know that a seed needs light and water as well as soil to grow. Children experience picking a tomato, raspberry, strawberry, potato, courgette etc. They help to wash it and prepare it, observe it being cooked if needed and then eat it. They help to empty the food waste into the compost bin and understand that the soil is made from decomposed food and plants.

Vocabulary: grow, decay, compost, nurture, recycle, life cycle, change, decompose

Why?

We would like children to learn to explain their ideas and make choices, talking about what they have made and how they have made it.    

First milestone: Children explore using one handed tools such as: one-handed scissors, knives to spread/cut and wooden spoons to stir/pour.

With adult support, children learn how to use these tools correctly and understand their use. Children begin to understand how to use tools safely and are supported to do so by the adults. Children take part in junk modelling and use scissors and Sellotape to join things together.

Component

Grip a tool and control its movement.

Second milestone: Children confidently use one handed tools to create changes in materials e.g. use a peeler during forest school activities to whittle the bark of a stick.

As children grow in confidence they are introduced to the woodwork tools and shown how to use these safely. They access the woodwork bench and explore using some tools with adult support e.g. hammering nails into pieces of soft wood.

Component

Control a tool safely and change a material.

Third milestone: Children have repeated experiences at the woodwork bench. They think about what they are creating and how they want it to look e.g. “I’m making a car, it has four wheels.” They are introduced to more tools and how to use these safely.

With support children use tools such as: hammers, hand drills, screw drivers, saws and the glue gun safely and with increasing confidence. They have an idea of what they want to make and how they want it to look.

Component

Talk about what they plan to make, in advance or during the making.

Final milestone (composite): Children decide on the model they will make. They choose the materials they want to use, shape materials with tools and join materials together.

Vocabulary: estimate, create, design, link, technique, resources

Why?

First milestone: children take part in pretend play, making up or developing a story.

Children may begin by pretend-playing on their own with toys like farm animals, wild animals, dinosaurs or Duplo people. They may put on a costume to become a superhero or another character. Over time, their play becomes more complex. They are able to play with other children, developing the play together (e.g. deciding who will play what role in the home corner, or telling a story with the Duplo people where different Duplo people have different characters).

Component

Play out a simple story with toys.

Second milestone: children take part in interactive reading. They respond to the features of the story. Children engage in number rhymes with props and join in with the actions. They take part in Tales Toolkit shared story telling sessions.

As children become more used to interactive reading, they ask questions and make links between what happens in the story and their own experiences. Children join in with rhymes and songs e.g. repeating words or following actions. Children play with props to retell/make up their own stories. They learn to sequence a story verbally with support using the Tales Toolkit symbol prompts ‘character, setting, problem and solution.’

Component

Third milestone: children take part in telling a story with adult help or can create their own story of their day using a visual timetable. They begin to become familiar with the way stories are structured through using the Tales Toolkit symbol prompts.

Component

Final milestone (composite): Children use the available resources to make up their own story, developing the character, setting, problem and solution for their story. They act out or retell their story to their group alongside their friends.

Vocabulary: resources, create, eventually, beginning, middle, end, character, setting, problem, solution.

Why?

We want the children to see themselves as writers and use mark making and symbols within their play.

First milestone: Children explore using a variety of mark making materials and develop their gross motor skills through e.g. dancing with streamers and using large paintbrushes.

With adult support children learn to mark make using a variety of movements such as circles, lines, dots and zig zags.

Component

Coordinate movements of both hands.

Second milestone: Children confidently develop their fine motor skills through mark making on paper as well as in a range of sensory materials e.g. sand, oblique, playdough.

Alongside adults modelling mark making, children gain confidence in developing marks using a range of materials.

Component

Use hands, fingers and tools to make marks.

Third milestone: Children spontaneously mark make in their play e.g. writing signs for their play, creating maps to share with others.

Children talk about the marks they have written in the context of their play.

Component

Make marks for a purpose within play.

Final milestone (composite): Children write a message to someone forming recognisable letters or marks that they can read back to you with meaning.

Vocabulary: concentration, precise, accurate, practice, control, grip, read, message

 Why?

We want children to develop a deep understanding of the numbers to 5, the relationships between them and the patterns within them. The skill of subitising and 5 Frames builds up children’s knowledge of Number and Number patterns. We want to lay firm foundations in ‘The Five C’s’ – Cardinality and Conservation, Counting, Comparison and Composition. We want children to experience bigger numbers and begin to relate their knowledge to them to build up firm foundations with our number system.

First milestone: Children join in with number rhymes, saying some numbers in sequence. They begin to subitise and can answer the questions ‘what do you see and how do you see it?’

Adults introduce, model and children join in with a range of number rhymes with props e.g. Five Green and Speckled Frogs, Five Little Ducks, One, Two, Three, Four Five…Children learn to subitise up to 3 counters and know that they are ‘subitising’ when they can see how many without counting. Adults do lots of noticing with children – mathematical vocabulary is used.

Component

Join in with a Number rhymes. Can subitise to 3. Children talk about Number.

Second milestone: Children can count objects, actions, and sounds in a short sequence. Children can show the different quantities on a 5-frame using subitising and handle and partition groups of similar objects (part/whole). Children build up an image of what amounts look like (pictorial image)

Children use counters on five frames and begin to understand the concept of one more.  Children explore larger groups of objects – and can talk about what they see within a larger group (part/whole) They build up a picture of what totals look like using a variety of resources including Numicon. Children recite numbers past 5. They count things such as sounds and jumps.

Component

Children explore number within 5 and build up a range of number skills.

Third milestone: Children relate their knowledge to a range of ‘real life’ situations – e.g. getting the right number of cups for the children at snack time.
They can show you numbers to 5 and up to 10 on their fingers, with counters and using Numicon tiles. They know that when you add more objects to a group the total increases.
Children recognise Numicon to find and explore them.

Children are given learning opportunities to see what totals are made up of e.g. 5 is 4 and I and 3 and 2, 2 and 1 and 1 and 1. (Part, whole)  Children experience moving objects in different ways and realise that the number stays the same even though the resources have moved. (Move it to prove it) Children count out amounts from a larger group in real life contexts and use a variety of resources when counting to represent numbers. Numerals are used to represent amounts to 5.

Component

Children start to use their Number knowledge throughout the Nursery, seeing connections with what they have learnt at Group Times.

Final milestone (composite): Use, talk about and apply knowledge of cardinality and conservation, counting, comparison and composition in different play/real life situations.

Vocabulary: pattern, subitise, total, sequence, estimate, accurate