Learning and Development
Every child is a unique child who is constantly learning and can be resilient, capable, confident and self-assured. Children learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships.
Children develop quickly in the early years. They develop at their own rates, and in their own ways. Children have a right, spelled out in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, to provision which enables them to develop their personalities, talents and abilities irrespective of ethnicity, culture or religion, home language, family background, learning difficulties, disabilities or gender.
Individual development
The Prime areas begin to develop quickly in response to relationships and experiences, and run through and support learning in all other areas. The prime areas continue to be fundamental throughout the EYFS.
The Specific areas include essential skills and knowledge. They grow out of the prime areas, and provide important contexts for learning.
The ways in which the child engages with other people and their environment – playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically – underpin learning and development across all areas and support the child to remain an effective and motivated learner.
Children learn and develop well in enabling environments, in which their experiences respond to their individual needs and there is a strong partnership between practitioners and parents and carers.
Children develop and learn in different ways. The framework covers the education and care of all children in early years provision, including children with special educational needs and disabilities.
The new revised EYFS
(Early Years Foundation Stage) There are seven areas of learning and development that shape educational programmes in early years settings. Three areas are particularly crucial.
Specific areas include essential skills and knowledge for children to participate successfully in society.
• Literacy
• Mathematics
• Understanding the World
• Expressive Arts and Design
Children develop in the context of relationships and the environment around them.
This is unique to each family, and reflects individual communities and cultures.
Physical development
Physical development involves providing opportunities for young children to be active and interactive; and to develop their co-ordination, control, and movement. Children must also be helped to understand the importance of physical activity, and to make healthy choices in relation to food.
Communication and language
Development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others, to form positive relationships and develop respect for others, to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings, to understand appropriate behavior in groups, and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Personal, social and emotional
Personal, social and emotional development involves helping children to develop a positive sense of themselves, and others, to form positive relationships and develop respect for others, to develop social skills and learn how to manage their feelings, to understand appropriate behavior in groups, and to have confidence in their own abilities.
Literacy
Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.
Mathematics
Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces, and measures.
Understanding the world
Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community through opportunities to explore, observe and find out about people, places, technology and the environment.
Expressive arts and design
Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role-play, and design and technology.
The unique child reaches out to relate to people and things through the Characteristics of Effective Learning, which move through all areas of learning.
• Playing and exploring
• Active learning
• Creating and thinking critically
