Hill R

Hill R Learning Journey

We’re so excited to welcome our Reception children back for a new term full of curiosity, creativity, and fun!

We’ll be diving into topics such as:

• Personal, Social and Emotional Development: In Personal, Social and Emotional Development, the children will continue to build a strong understanding of themselves and others. They will learn to identify and talk about different emotions, recognising feelings through facial expressions and behaviours, and explaining how they know someone might be feeling a certain way. The children will develop confidence in following classroom and school rules, listening attentively and responding appropriately, and following more complex instructions. They will be supported to manage themselves with increasing independence by taking care of their belongings, managing clothing fastenings, and understanding the importance of good hygiene and healthy lifestyles. Alongside this, the children will strengthen friendships and social skills by working cooperatively, taking turns, sharing, and resolving conflicts more independently, showing kindness, understanding and confidence when interacting with both peers and adults.

• Communication and Language: In Communication and Language, the children will continue to strengthen their listening, communication and thinking skills through rich spoken language experiences. They will practise listening to poems, rhymes and stories without visual prompts, learning to sustain attention and respond thoughtfully to adults and peers while beginning to follow multi-step instructions with growing independence. Through discussion and play, the children will confidently ask and answer questions, describe events and experiences in increasing detail, and use newly introduced vocabulary across a range of contexts, including stories, non-fiction, outdoor learning and role play.

• Physical Development: We will be exploring space through a variety of 'out of this world' activities that develop our fundamental skills such as throwing, rolling and changing directions at speed to avoid obstacles.

• Literacy: This term, the children will be enjoying the much-loved story Owl Babies, immersing themselves in the text as they learn the story map and deepen their understanding of the owl life cycle. Through discussion, role play and sequencing, they will explore the key events of the story while developing their vocabulary and comprehension skills. We are also so excited to continue following the real-life owl journey by watching the live tawny and barn owl cameras, allowing the children to observe the life cycle unfold and see the owlets grow and change over time. Alongside this, the children will continue to practise sentence writing, focusing on the fundamentals such as capital letters, finger spaces, punctuation and forming clear, meaningful sentences.

• Mathematics: In Mathematics, the children will be developing their number knowledge through counting forwards and backwards as they build confidence with numbers to 20. They will explore doubling by finding and creating equal groups and noticing patterns when numbers are doubled, before moving on to halving by sharing amounts into two equal parts. Through practical activities, songs, games and hands-on resources, the children will deepen their understanding of number, develop mathematical language and begin to reason about amounts in meaningful, engaging ways.

• Understanding the World: In Understanding the World, the children will be learning about plants and growing, exploring what plants need to thrive such as water, sunlight and care, and observing changes over time. They will develop their geographical awareness by exploring England on a map, learning about key features and developing an understanding of where they live in relation to the wider world. The children will also be introduced to the past by looking at transport from different time periods, comparing how people travelled long ago with how we travel today, and beginning to understand how and why things have changed over time.

• Expressive Arts and Design: Children will experiment with printing and pattern-making by taking rubbings from textured surfaces, creating prints using a range of objects, and developing repeated patterns. They will use stencils to support drawing and painting, talk about their creative choices using key vocabulary, and work collaboratively by sharing ideas, materials and roles while continuing to build purposeful storylines in their pretend play.

What Does Learning Look Like in EYFS at Spring Hill...

At Spring Hill, our Early Years Foundation Stage is a vibrant, engaging environment where learning happens through fun, purposeful activities. We offer a balance of linked provision and continuous provision, ensuring children have structured opportunities alongside the freedom to explore and discover. Our classroom environment acts as a second teacher, carefully designed to spark curiosity and support every child’s development. We pride ourselves on creating a language-rich setting, where talk and vocabulary are woven into every interaction to build strong communication skills. Every area of the classroom is thoughtfully utilised and interconnected, so children experience learning that flows across all areas of development. At Spring Hill, we believe that when learning is joyful and meaningful, children thrive.

Your Child's RAISE Assembly Date:

Homework:

Homework will be sent home with your child every Friday, this needs to be returned to their class teacher on the following Monday.

Your child has a phonics sounds sheet and green reading words in their homework pack, it is encouraged that your child practises reading these words at home daily to build on their confidence.

We also encourage children to practise writing their name at home, beginning with a capital letter and followed by lower case letters. We do not teach children to write in full capitals.