The Den/ The Nest:

We have had a busy week this week, with a focus on sand exploration and farm animals. We have also been looking at ‘things that go’ on our shelves like balls, cars and sensory bottles.

Communication and language: 

The sand has been a hit again this week as we continue offering schematic opportunities for our children. Some of the older children demonstrated amazing sustained focus as they sat for extended periods exploring the sand with different resources. We also added some farm animals and cars to further extend learning opportunities. The children made marks in the sand with the cars and had lots of fun hiding the animals! 

By continuing to provide sand with metal for the children, we have noticed some using mathematical language without being prompted by an adult. Some of the children spoke “fill, empty and circle” off their own accord which has been amazing to witness. 

Physical development: 

The children have enjoyed exploring our ‘things that go’ area. We have been looking at balls, cars and sensory bottles. These resources have enabled us to extend the children’s learning and communication skills. We have been looking at different ways to move the balls like throwing, rolling and kicking. The children really enjoyed using their physical skills to move the balls in different ways. This was also a great opportunity to add new vocabulary such as “throw, catch, roll, kick, up and down”. 

Staff updates: 

Anna is on annual leave Monday and Tuesday. 

Laney is on annual leave on Friday

Parents as partners: 

Why is repetition important in early years? 

Repeating words, a concept or a skill allows your child to form an understanding and even attempt to imitate it. Children may repeat new words back to you as they learn them and will learn words by repeatedly hearing them. 

Similarly, with physical skills, mathematical concepts and social skills, your child will pick up ideas that are repeated and explained to them.

Children are learning each day through every experience, forming the foundational brain development for all learning later in life. As a parent, your interactions and support in the early years have a great impact on your child’s development.

What can you do as a parent? 

Incorporate repetition into playtime:

Engage in activities like stacking blocks, doing puzzles, or singing familiar songs to reinforce learning through repetition

Make it playful and engaging:

Use songs, stories, or activities with actions or different voices to keep it fun and interesting

Read the same books repeatedly:

This helps children learn new words, sentence structures, and develop an understanding of stories. 

Sing songs, rhymes, and poems:

These can be enjoyed from a very early age and help children with language development