Nursery
2 to 3 years – Teacher and Child group
8 children – 2 children
18 children – 3 teachers

This group develops the young child’s independence and social and emotional skills through free play, crafts and circle time. The children begin to form friendships and learn how to co-operate within a group. The teachers work closely with the young children, guiding and supporting them throughout the day.

The children attend 2 days a week (T,Th), 3 days a week (M,W,F) or 5 days a week. The sessions are up to 3 hours and children come to school unattended. When the children first join the group, the teacher and parent will work together to arrange the best programme for the child to settle quickly and smoothly into the group.

The morning begins with the children arriving and going straight out to the garden. There the teachers are ready to greet the children and begin with the outside activities including gardening, feeding the rabbits and digging in the sand box. This is a wonderful opportunity to practice and develop their gross motor skills, climbing, running, balancing, hoping and skipping.

The children all come inside together, change to indoor shoes and wash hands. We then go to the bathroom together and those who are potty trained will go to the toilet. The children in nappies will be changed when needed. Everyone sits down at the snack table where we say a short blessing and share a healthy snack. We then clear the table and sit together on the carpet for circle time. The circle time includes songs, verses and poems about the current season or festival. The repetition of the songs and verses is a natural way to enhance the child’s vocabulary and language development.

Free, creative play then begins. In the classroom there are a variety of simple toys made from natural materials. There is a ‘home corner’ where children role play with kitchen materials, simple dress up clothes and dolls. There are different building materials including wooden blocks and train tracks to build and play with. At this age, children’s play develops from ‘parallel play’, which occurs when the child plays alongside others to more cooperative play as the child begins to interact and create with others. This is a time for children to really develop their communication, creative and social skills. A teacher is always close by to guide the children through taking turns, sharing equipment and space and having ‘gentle hands’.

There are planned activities for each day of the week, e.g. painting on Monday, baking on Wednesday, craft on Friday. The craft activities vary from water colour painting to gluing and sticking. A teacher will work at the craft alongside the children, encouraging them to be as independent as they can, offering support and guidance when needed. The carefully planned age appropriate activities give children a feeling of satisfaction and self-confidence when they are completed. Baking and craft time is an opportunity for the children to develop their fine motor skills, concentration and co-operation in small groups.

The classroom is then tidied up with everyone helping to put things back where they belong. This is done is a way where children feel it is a natural part of the day, not as a chore. The children then gather in a semi circle and the day finishes with a simple puppet show or short story. The children who travel home by school bus change their shoes and go off to the bus. Meanwhile parents gather outside for home time. Once the door is open, the parents come to the classroom door and collect their children.