EYFS and The 7 Areas of Learning
This is the statutory curriculum for all children aged between birth and five years old. At the ODN we recognise that this is a very important stage as it helps your child get ready for school as well as preparing them for their future learning and successes. We ensure that from when your child joins us until their final day that their early years’ experience is happy, active, exciting, fun and secure; and we support their development, care and learning needs. Your child will be learning skills, acquiring new knowledge and demonstrating their understanding through 7 areas of learning and development.
Children should mostly develop the 3 prime areas first.
These are:
- Communication and language
- Physical development
- Personal, social and emotional development
These prime areas are those most essential for your child’s healthy development and future learning. As children grow, the prime areas will help them to develop skills in 4 specific areas.
These are:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Expressive arts and design
- Understanding the world
These 7 areas are used to plan your child’s learning and activities. Your child’s key worker will make sure that the activities are suited to your child’s unique needs. This is a little bit like a curriculum in primary and secondary schools, but it’s suitable for very young children, and it’s designed to be flexible so that the practitioners can follow your child’s individual needs and interests. The children at the ODN learn by playing and exploring, being active, and through creative and critical thinking which takes place both indoors and outside.