Hello everyone!
Our time in Nursery is soon coming to an end and it will be time for the children to start their new learning adventures in Reception. This story is just about that but there are so many books available about starting school it’s hard to choose just one. Although every school is different, there are a few things you can rely on to be the same. Every class will have somewhere they can paint, dress up, play music and build using blocks. These commonalities are the same from Nursery into Reception, providing a familiar context for the children no matter what setting it is they go to. This is a perfect time to read a story about going to school and all the new and familiar adventures they will have. There will be a lot of information coming your way in the next couple of weeks to help them settle into their new environment. Keep your eyes open for it all and enjoy the new journey with your child.
Spot Goes to School by Eric Hill – YouTube
During Literacy and Communication and Language we have been discussing the changes ahead for the children and we will continue to prepare them. If they haven’t already they will be opportunities to visit your new classrooms, whether here at Merry Hill or at another setting. There will also be opportunities to meet with your new teacher. Talk to your child about what will be familiar and what will be different. Addressing any concerns now will give you ample time to help smooth that transition. Perhaps make a book with your little one to help them prepare. There are ‘social stories’ available on our website which you can download and use to discuss. Talk about the routines at home and at school. The more language they can use to describe their feelings, the better able we will all be to support them. Remember your attitude will make a big difference too. If you’re happy about them going, they’ll be more likely to be happy too. It’s all in the presentation. Whether they are feeling super excited or a little nervous, we all will be there to help.
We are looking at number and amount recognition in Maths . Could you play a game of guess my number? It’s a game the children love and really works on their retrieval skills. Think of a number from 1-10 (you can extend to 20 if your child is ready). Give your child clues about the number, for instance – this number is a ‘little’ number, it is 1 more than 3, to write it you need a lot of straight lines (describe how to write the number), it sits between number 3 and number 5 on the number line. What’s my number?! A different game you could play is to have a group of objects and your child needs to match the amount with the number. As they get more confident with the game you can extend it to use a greater amount or separate the groups and ask how many altogether. There are lots of different ways to play, so find the game that your child engages in and change it whenever they need more challenge.
Until next time, do good looking for adventures, clean your ears out for good listening and turn your noggins (brains) on for good learning.
Take care,
Mrs Howe, Mrs Bain, Mrs Mitzman, Mrs Hill and Mrs Bence