Early Years Timetable
Dough Disco
Each day in Starfish class we do dough disco. It is an exercise for the fingers to improve fine muscle control. It involves moulding playdough in time to music using different actions including rolling into a ball, flattening it, putting individual fingers in the dough, rolling a sausage shape and squeezing it. The movements develop children’s fine and gross motor dexterity, hand-eye coordination and self-esteem. The main aim is to support children's handwriting skills.
Helicopter Stories
Helicopter Stories lets children act out their own stories in front of their peers. They create the story which is written down word for word by an adult. The children then use movements to act out the characters and objects in the story. This has benefits such as boosting creativity and imagination, developing emotional and social skills and building literacy skills.
Squiggle While You Wiggle
Squiggle While You Wiggle is an early writing program that our nursery children take part in. It incorporates dance, music and large movements to help children develop the fine muscle control they need for writing. It focuses on developing their gross and fine motor skills to imitate lines and circles which are needed to write each letter of the alphabet. The children learn a new gross motor movement to a piece of music while holding 'flappers' (bits of fabric) while dancing along to the music. The children then transfer these movements to floor level and swap their flappers for writing tools (crayons/pens etc) to make marks.
Poetry Basket
Each day we learn to recite a poem from ‘The Poetry Basket’. We build up a library of poems by learning a new poem each week. The poems enable children to encounter, learn and make sense of new vocabulary in a meaningful context. The children learn actions to support their memory and repeat the poems using expression and intonation. Reciting the poems increases children’s memory and supports the development of the phonological awareness skills of rhyme and rhythm. Children demonstrate increased confidence to recite and perform the poems together as a class and as some as individuals.
Pen Disco
The children in Reception take part in Pen Disco. It is a handwriting warm-up activity that involves drawing different lines and shapes to help with letter formation. It uses different colours to make colourful creations. Music is played as the marks are made.