At Sunnybank, we believe that all children learn best when parents and practitioners work together in partnership. Home learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) supports children’s development through meaningful, play-based experiences with families.
We aim to:
• Promote strong partnerships between home and nursery
• Encourage a love of learning through plat and exploration
• Support children’s communication and language development
• Develop early reading, maths and independence skills
• Provide opportunities for parents to engage in their children’s learning
• Build children’s confidence and wellbeing
• Support consistency between home and nursery
At Sunnybank our approach to home learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is to ensure that we encourage play-based experiences that are practiced and manageable for the children meeting age-appropriate guidelines, whilst ensuring they are inclusive and accessible to all families that are taking part in the home learning journey with their child/children. Learning links to the children’s interests and experiences within and outside of the nursery setting, as well as focusing on high quality interactions to help promote children’s overall development and introducing them to a range of new vocabulary and experiences.
Activities through home learning may include:
• Sharing stories
• Singing nursery rhymes
• Counting in everyday situations
• Mark making and drawing
• Outdoor exploration
• Fine motor activities
• Talking about experiences and feelings
We recognise that families have different routines, commitments and circumstances, in which home learning is encouraged however remains flexible and supportive.
Reading is an important part of our home learning approach, and we will encourage parents and carers to; share stories regularly, talk about pictures and characters, re-read favourite stories, encourage children to join in with repeated phrases and to celebrate reading as an enjoyable experience.
We encourage families to support language development through experiences such as conversations during daily routines, singing songs and rhymes, storytelling, asking questions and answering questions to support children’s understanding and introducing a range of new vocabulary. Strong communication skills help support children in future learning.
We encourage families to explore maths through everyday activities such as counting objects, comparing sizes, spotting shapes, cooking and measuring, singing a range of number rhymes and exploring patterns.
At Sunnybank we are committed to ensure that home learning is accessible for all families. We will provide activities that are low to no cost. We will use clear and simple language to support families to understand home learning experiences and offer visual support where appropriate. We will consider the needs of children with SEND or EAL and provide flexible opportunities for participation.
We value all parents and carers as the children’s first educators and we encourage parents to share achievements from home, so we can celebrate at nursery.