The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)

Its aim is that every child deserves the best possible start in life and support to fulfill their potential. A child’s experience in the early years has a major impact on their future life chances. A secure, safe and happy childhood is important in its own right, whilst providing the foundation for children to make the most of their abilities and talents as they grow up. The Early Years Foundation Stage is the framework that provides that assurance. A full and detailed document can be viewed at any time at the nursery.
At St. Sebastian’s we emphasise the importance of ‘Educational Play’ as outlined by OFSTED and offer a wide range of carefully planned activities and equipment, which children can freely access or further explore with adult supervision.
The EYFS are divided into six areas of learning, each important in it’s own right. They are
Communication, Language and Literacy.
Music, stories, action rhymes and poems encourage babies and children to discriminate sounds to listen and to concentrate.
Computers enable children to explore and experiment with sounds, words and text.
Imaginative play develops fine motor skills necessary for writing.
Planned themes, events and activities give practice in using language to recall the past and envisage the future.
Sand, water and interest tables extend vocabulary, discussing objects and shared experiences with adults.
Circle and news time give the children the opportunity to develop confidence in speaking, enabling g them to comment, ask questions and explore.
Recognise and begin to write words using upper and lower case letters.
Puzzle and games assist the skills necessary to discriminate between similar looking shapes.
Role-play gives the children the opportunity to use their imagination and engage in conversation and understand the uses of written language.
The use of labels help children identify; their own work, storage containers and resources. 

Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
In domestic play, children recognise 1:1 correspondence as they match dolls clothes to dolls etc.
A wheeled toy helps children to begin to judge relative speed and distance and involves understanding about space and sequence.
Adventure play develops spatial awareness by moving along beside around and through things.
While painting, gluing and mixing dough children can estimate quantities.
Using sand and water develops the concepts of volume whilst offering a chance to use comparative language such as heavier and lighter.
When handling out milk, children learn to add and subject with real objects.
Compare bears and sets give the opportunity to count up to 10 and use language such as bigger and smaller.
Pegboards, beads and mosaics give practice in copying and sequencing and making patterns.
Puzzles and games establish the ideas of size and sequence comparing and ordering.   
Cooking gives children the opportunity to experience the tastes and food from different countries, while measuring weight and volume, checking ingredients against a recipe and organizing activities in order.
Construction activities involve children in estimating size and units of measurement.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Dressing up and role play involves acting out roles- free or theme led, exploring feelings, learning to dress and undress independently.      
Making music gives babies and children the experience of expressing feelings together.
Books, jigsaw, pictures and stories give children the opportunity to increase concentration and develop resources for their cultural, festival, abilities and interests.
Sand and Water play enable children to progress from solitary play, to observing other children, to joining in with others.
Action rhymes give babies and children opportunities to be close to significant adult and share pleasurable activities.
Outings provide a pleasurable experience with peers and adults whilst learning the appropriate behaviour for such occasions.
Creative activities enable children to learn to try new ideas and motivate them to learn.
During physical play and games children learn to take turns and work as part of a team in a non- competitive manner.
Drinking and eating together provide the opportunity for sharing, taking turn taking and mongering personal hygiene.

Creative Development
Cardboard boxes allow children to use their imagination to make pretend cars, dens, beds, or even to just jump into them.
Domestic play allows children to draw on all available resources, including their own experiences to create a new situation or game.
Gloop enables children to express individual feelings and enjoy a sensory experience.
       Water and sand are materials, which babies can manipulate, and experience without creating an end product.
Using lateral thinking in open-ended play situation children can draw on the available materials for their own purposes e.g. using stickle bricks as food.
Cameras enable children to represent their world in their own way making books and displays with photographs.
Music sessions incorporating instruments, singing and dance gives children the opportunity to explore sound patterns and movement.
Collage and junk modelling involve bringing together unfamiliar and familiar materials in 2 and 3 dimensions.

Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Using a microscope and a magnifying glass enables children to look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change. 
Computers and programmable toys enable children to explore and experiment with sounds, text and cause and effect whilst develop their skills in communication and information technology.
Cooking gives children the opportunity to experience the tastes and food from different countries.
Music helps children develop their senses and experiment with the ways sounds are made by using a range of instruments.
Sand and water using pumps and wheels introduces children to tools and techniques.
Treasure baskets enable children to discover things using all their senses.
Construction activities enable choice and decision-making.
The Interest table can be used to exercise links between home, early years setting and the environment and extend the children’s thoughts and interest beyond the group.
Living and growing things help children learn about conditions needed for maintaining a healthy life.

Physical Development
Music and movement encourages children to use large muscles in a controlled fashion, whilst adding confidence, imagination and monitoring the changes that happen to our bodies.
Opportunities in snack, toileting, meal and circle time are used to recognizing the importance of keeping healthy.
Musical instruments teach children to handle tools in appropriate ways.
Physical skills and hand-eye co-ordination can be developed and exercised with the use of balls, beanbags, hoops and skittles.
Large constructive resources such as cardboard boxes helps children develop a sense of balance and spatial awareness.
Steering wheeled toys mean learning to judge speed and direction.
Opportunities in snack, toileting, meal and circle times are used to recognize the importance of keeping healthy.