This is where our 1-3 year olds learn.

 

​Our Curriculum: The Toddle Hut

Our aim is for every child to feel safe, loved, confident and excited to explore. We want children to develop secure relationships, growing independence, strong communication skills and a positive sense of themselves.

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Our curriculum focuses particularly on the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage:

·  Communication and Language

·  Personal, Social and Emotional Development

·  Physical Development

 

These areas provide the essential foundations for children’s future learning.

 

Nurturing relationships

Every child has a key person who takes time to understand their individual personality, interests, routines and needs. We work closely with parents and carers because they know their child best.

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Regular conversations help us share achievements, discuss development and provide consistent, sensitive support between home and nursery. Settling is approached gently and at each child’s own pace.

 

Learning through free-flow play

Children can access our outdoor garden throughout the session. This free-flow approach allows them to choose where they feel most comfortable and follow their natural desire to move, investigate and explore.

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Outdoor play supports children’s physical development, confidence, curiosity and emotional wellbeing. Children have opportunities to climb, balance, transport, dig, pour, splash and experience the changing seasons.

 

Purposeful provision

Our environment is carefully planned so that every area has a purpose. Resources are selected to encourage exploration, communication, physical development, creativity and independence.

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Adults observe how children use the provision and adapt it in response to their interests and developmental needs. We allow children time to repeat experiences, develop their own ideas and become deeply involved in their play.

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Communication, stories and singing

Stories, songs, rhymes and conversations are woven throughout every day. Children hear language modelled by attentive adults who name objects, describe actions, repeat and extend children’s words, and introduce new vocabulary naturally through play.

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We use familiar songs and rhymes to encourage listening, anticipation, joining in and enjoyment. Children have endless opportunities to share books, both individually and in small groups.

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Sensory exploration

Sensory play is a central part of our curriculum. Children explore through touch, sound, movement, sight and smell using experiences such as water, sand, dough, paint, natural materials, music and messy play.

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These experiences help children make connections, regulate their emotions, develop coordination and discover how the world works.

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Celebrating every child

We celebrate the cultures, traditions and festivals represented within our nursery community. We work with families to understand the celebrations that are meaningful to their children and introduce them through stories, music, food, creative experiences and play.

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This helps children develop a positive sense of identity while learning that families, cultures and traditions may be different and equally valued.

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Understanding children’s development

Practitioners observe children as they play and use their knowledge of child development to recognise progress and identify what each child may need next. We look at the whole child rather than using development as a checklist.

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When a child is aged between two and three, their key person completes the statutory two-year progress check in partnership with their parents or carers. This celebrates the child’s strengths and identifies where additional support may be helpful.

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Any concerns are discussed sensitively with families, and early support is provided where needed.

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What we want for our Toddles

·  Feel happy, safe and secure

·  Form trusting relationships with adults and other children

·  Communicate their needs, interests and ideas

·  Enjoy stories, songs, rhymes and conversation

·  Explore confidently using all their senses

·  Develop physical confidence and coordination

·  Begin to manage their feelings with adult support

·  Make choices and become increasingly independent

·  Feel proud of themselves, their family and their identity

·  Approach new experiences with curiosity and joy