Early Years Foundation Stage
What is the Early Years Foundation Stage?
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is how the Government and early year’s professionals describe the time in your child’s life between birth and age 5. This is a very important stage as it helps your child get ready for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. From when your child is born up until the age of 5, their early years experience should be happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and support their development, care and learning needs.
How my child will be learning:
The EYFS Framework which is displayed in the ‘Parent’s Area’ in the entrance hall explains how and what your child will be learning to support their healthy development. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development. Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first.
These are:
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Communication and Language
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Physical Development
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Personal, Social and Emotional Development
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas.
These are:
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Literacy
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Mathematics
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Understanding the World
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Expressive Arts and Design
These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities:
The professionals teaching and supporting your child will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it's suitable for very young children, and it's designed to be really flexible so that staff can follow your child's unique needs and interests. Children in the EYFS learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.
As a mum, dad or carer, how can I help with my child’s learning?
All the fun activities that you do with your child at home are important in supporting their learning and development, and have a really long lasting effect on your child’s learning as they progress through school. Even when your child is very young and is not yet able to talk, talking to them helps them to learn and understand new words and ideas. If you make the time every day to do some of the following things with your child it will make a real difference to your child’s confidence as a young learner.
How can I find out how my child is getting on?
It is important that you and the professionals caring for your child work together. You need to feel comfortable about exchanging information and discussing things that will benefit your child.
These conversations will be with your child’s “key person”. This is the person who:
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Is your main point of contact within the setting
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Helps your child to become settled, happy and safe
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Is responsible for your child’s care, development and learning
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Notes your child’s progress, sharing this with you and providing ideas of how to help your child at home
Try to speak to your child’s key person as often as possible about what your child has been doing, what they have enjoyed, what they need to be doing more of and what you can do at home.
Where can I go for further information?