The allocation of duties for safety matters and the particular arrangements which we will make to implement the policy are set out within this policy and sufficient resources will be made available to honour our commitment. The policy will be kept up to date and will be revised annually, or as and when necessary.

EYFS’s Four Guiding Principles to Implement 7 Learning & Development Areas:

• Every child is unique
• Every child can learn to be strong and independent through positive relationships
• Children learn and develop best in enabling environments
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different rates

Importance of Play

Play is vital to children’s all-around development. Play is another way through which children can reach their zone of proximal development. Children benefit from play as it allows them to do things beyond what they can do in real life e.g. pretend to drive a car. Play provides opportunities for children to:

• Develop confidence, self esteem and a sense of security
• Realise their protentional and feel competent
• Use creativity and imagination
• Develop reading, thinking, and problem-solving skills as well as motor skills
• Learn how to control their emotions, and understand and interpret the world around them
• Learn relationship and social skills, and develop values and ethics

1. Communication and Language Development

Communication is the exchange of messages or meanings. It uses all the senses, although we often focus on language and speech because they convey the most complex meanings.

2. Physical Development

Physical development is split into two main skills; gross motor skills- the use of the large muscles in the body , and include walking, running, and climbing; and fine motor skills-the precise use of hands and fingers, for example painting, drawing, writing, or doing up shoelaces. Physical development also includes sensory development, where we receive information through the senses.

3. Personal, Social, and Emotional Development

Personal development focuses on children’s acquisition of knowledge, relationship skills, thinking skills and personal capabilities. It also includes the development of emotional awareness, values and life skills.

Social development includes the growth of the child’s relationships with other people. Socialisation is the process of learning the skills and attitudes that enable the child to live easily with other members of the community.

Emotional development is about feelings and how we deal with them:

• The growth of feelings about, and awareness of, oneself
• The growth of feelings towards other people
• The development of self-esteem and a self-concept

4. Literacy Development

It’s important for children to discover phonemic awareness- the ability to hear and identify different words and sounds and also to start reading and writing.

5. Mathematics

Children need to be guided in developing skills with numbers and calculations; as well as, being able to describe shapes, spaces and measures.

6. Understanding the World

This involves children making sense of things by observing and exploring everything from the places they spend on to the technology and other things they use.

7. Expressive Arts & Design

Activities like drawing, playing with paint, instruments or technology all give children the chance to express themselves and learn new things.