Welcome to F1 – the Nursery

Your teacher this year is Mrs Martin. The teaching assistant helping us with our learning is Mrs Patel.

Communication and Language

Speaking, listening and understanding are central to all aspects of learning in the nursery. Our goal is for all children to confidently explore concepts, events and stories through talk.

 We will be focusing on building confidence in spoken language, listening attentively during story times, and expanding everyday vocabulary through interactive play, songs, and group discussions.

How You Can Help at Home:

• Talk through daily routines: Describe what you are doing together (getting dressed, making lunch, walking to the park) to introduce new words naturally.

• Share stories daily: Read together every day, asking simple questions about the pictures and characters.

• Sing nursery rhymes: Repetitive songs and rhymes are fantastic for developing rhythm, memory, and speech patterns.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development

During the Autumn term the children will be learning the classroom rules and routines and understanding why they are important. During circle time and exploration time we will encourage the children to talk about their feelings using words like ‘happy’, ‘sad’, ‘angry’ or ‘worried’, and also begin to understand how others might be feeling. 

Physical

We will be helping your child build the coordination, strength, and confidence they need to explore the world around them. We will be working on both gross motor skills (large movements like balancing, climbing, and running) and fine motor skills (small movements like holding markers and threading beads).

How You Can Help at Home:

• Encourage outdoor movement: Visit the park to practice climbing, running, and balancing on different surfaces.

• Get creative with fine motor play: Use playdough, building blocks, or large pegs to strengthen small hand muscles needed for future writing.

• Practice independence: Support your child in putting on and removing their own shoes, coats, and washing their hands independently.

Literacy

In literacy, the children will be learning the names of different parts of a book, such as the title, front cover, back cover, and author. We will read a variety of picture books each week and encourage the children to handle the books with care, and talk about the story. We will start the term reading Owl Babies by Martin Waddell. This is a story about three owlets that wake up one night to find their mother has gone, and they feel worried about her absence. The owlets are delighted when she returns. This story is very reassuring for the children, particularly at the beginning of the school year. In phonics we will develop our pre-reading skills by using our ears to listen to different sounds in the environment, sing nursery rhymes and explore different voice sounds.

We will know how to make a variety of shapes and patterns when mark making – circles, spirals, wavy, zigzagged  & straight lines. 

Mathematics

During mathematics lessons and through play, the children will be learning to recite numbers 1-5. We will sing a variety of number songs such as 5 Little Speckled Frogs, 5 Currant Buns, and 5 Little Ducks. The children will be encouraged to show their understanding by using ‘finger numbers’ and be given opportunities to develop their counting skills by using a variety of loose parts such as pine cones and shells. 

Understanding the World

During the Autumn term we will learn about two religious festivals; Diwali and Christmas. The children will begin to develop positive attitudes about the similarities and  differences between people. This is on-going and will be achieved through the use of role play, dressing up, music, cultural stories, cooking and photographs of the children with their families displayed in the classroom.

Expressive Arts & Design

It is important that children have regular opportunities to engage with the arts, enabling them to explore and play with a wide range of media and materials. This term the children will explore a variety of materials freely, in order to develop their ideas about how to use them and what to make. They will have lots of opportunities to explore different textures such as soil, sand, playdough and cornflour. We will also explore colour and colour mixing. 

We will also dive into an exciting Artist Study on Jackson Pollock. We will be exploring his iconic “action painting” style—focusing on movement, process, and creative freedom rather than staying inside the lines. Through flicking, dripping, splattering, and rolling paint, children will experiment with texture, colour mixing, and mark-making while developing gross motor control and self-expression. We can’t wait to see the expressive, colourful masterpieces our little artists create! 

We are so excited about this year. We have lots of exciting books to read, friendships to make and lots of fun to be had exploring. 

Remember to follow your child’s learning journey on Tapestry. If you have trouble accessing your account, please speak to a member of staff who will be happy to help.