At Zebedee Pre-school we provide a wide range of activities each day to support children in the Early Years Foundation Stage.

Children are encouraged to share, take turns and make friends, through a wide variety of free-flow and adult-led activities, both indoors and outdoors. They are supported to try, take risks and persevere through the warm relationships the children develop with the staff team, who engage with them through play, making observations and setting next steps.

We encourage children’s early language through interaction with their peers and the adults throughout each session. The staff team support children to use a wide vocabulary, introducing new words and modelling speech where necessary. We support children and families where there is a concern regarding language development and signpost parents to relevant help.

Adult-led activities include snack time, where children are offered a healthy snack of fresh fruit and vegetables, a biscuit and raisins, together with free milk or water. The adults sit with the children to encourage good table manners and interaction with others. We also have a circle time each day, where we take a register, share news or talk about our curriculum topic and sing songs.

Physical play is important for all areas of development and it is provided each day with a mixture of indoor and outdoor activities. Children are encouraged to run, jump, climb and balance using a variety of equipment such as a climbing frame and balancing steps. We have use of the large car park as a playground and children have access to scooters, trikes and balls. Fine motor skills are developed through threading, sorting, scissors and pegs. This is important for pen control as children grow older.

Creative and imaginative play is a large part of children’s learning and they are given the opportunity to experiment with a wide range of craft materials, including paints, glue, playdough, glitter, pens, chalk and crayons to create their own masterpieces. Imagination is developed through role play activities such as dressing-up, a shop, a building site and many others. Children are free to use the props provided to create their own games, with adults joining in if needed, for support. Construction activities provide creative opportunities for children who don’t like to engage in messy play.

Early literacy skills are introduced through stories, puppets and games. Children have a book corner where they can choose to sit quietly to look at a book, often with adults reading stories. There are always a variety of writing materials available for children to create pictures or practice “writing”. Mathematics is introduced through songs and rhymes, games, and sand and water play. Children are encouraged to use numbers during play using money, phones, scales and technology.

Understanding the world and their place within it is introduced through gardening, mini-beast life cycles, visits from fire and police services and the dentist. Children are encouraged to talk about any special times, such as the birth of siblings, holidays and awards they have received, at circle time. Festivals are celebrated and families are welcomed into the pre-school to share events such as Christmas, sports days and graduation.