Tykes (3-5 Years)

1 staff member to every 8 children

The Tykes playroom is based on the upper floor and is overseen by Charlotte Goodwin (joined 2016), a qualified Early Years Teacher, with over 20 years experience and led by Peggy Monk (re-joined 2022).

The rooms offer a range of areas of continuous provision, which the children have free access to. This includes sand, water, clay, dough, junk modelling, and painting. All manner of activities, ensuring lots of mess but definitely lots of fun!

The unit also provides desktop activities, such as games, jigsaws, mark making area etc. along with the home corner and role-play area, a well stocked book corner and activities such as small world toys and construction.

A separate ‘Exploratory’ room is also available allowing your child to explore different cultures & beliefs, experimenting with technology or investigating and exploring the world around us.

Activities include both structured, adult led learning and unstructured free play, but all are aimed at covering various aspects of the areas of learning and development as laid out by the Government. A brief summary of these areas can be seen below. A more detailed guide can be requested At the office.

• Communication and language development involves giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations.

• 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.

• 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 socia;l skills and learn how to manage their feelings; to understand appropriate behaviour in groups; and to have confidence in their own abilities.

• Literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and 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 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, space and measures.

• 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.

Learning about how recycling helps look after our world 🌿🐳🌍

• 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.