What Will Your Child Learn In Nursery?

Nursery is a fantastic social environment, it is the perfect setting for developing positive relationships with peers and familiar adults. It is also a time for developing a positive outlook towards learning. If a child is confident and comfortable in their surroundings the extent to their level of the learning has no boundaries.

Letters and sounds

Your child will learn the 26 sounds of the alphabet through the literacy program Jolly Phonics. Each sound has a corresponding song that helps the child to sound out the letter correctly. Your child will enhance their listening skills so that they can hear the initial sound in words. Nursery is where written skills develop, and by the end of the year children should be able to recognise and write their own name, as well as form additional letters of the alphabet.

Numbers and counting

At school: Teachers will help your child to learn to recognise and identify numbers form zero to ten, and correctly count 10 or more objects. Learning what numerals 0 to 10 look like, and being able to name them correctly is one of the first math skills preschoolers learn. Counting is a separate skill that usually starts with memorization, children will memorise the order of numbers and say them proudly as they “count” objects. As they advance, they will learn that the numbers and objects correspond to each other.

At home: We see numbers all around us, in books, on food and in in television programs. Try asking your child to identify them, or counting everyday things together; the stairs you walk up, the crayons in a box, or the blocks on the floor. When in a supermarket you can ask your child to count the items in the trolley and to look at signs and labels to see if they recognise any of the numerals.

When reading story books you can ask questions such as “how many objects are in this picture?” or “how many pages are in this book?”

Fine motor skills

At school: Your child will be encouraged to build upon their basic scissor skills by cutting out shapes and following patterns and curved lines. Their fine motor skills will continue to develop, which will enable them to hold a pencil and paintbrush correctly.

At home: Be sure to give your child plenty of jumbo crayons and markers, thick chalk, and ample opportunities to draw. You can use play dough and other malleable materials to help build your child’s fine motor skills.

Socialising and sharing

At school: Britannia school provides many opportunities for your child to socialise and develop positive relationships with their peers. We encourage our pupils to interact with each other during activities, outside play and snack time.

At home: Develop your child’s social skills by arranging play dates with friends and by visiting parks and playgrounds. At home, be consistent about simple rules your child must follow, such as making the bed or putting toys away. If your child has a sibling encourage them to share their toys together.