Expressive Arts and Design

Exploring and Using Media and Materials

Autumn 1 Activities:

Introduce the work bench inside, exploring range of materials that can be used.

Activities to explore joining, e.g. glue, tape.

Introduce Deconstructed Role Play area in the outdoor classroom-building dens, castles etc.

Painting a self-portrait.

Colouring topic pictures-chalk, wax crayons, felt tips, coloured pencils.

  • 30-50 months Reception Explores colour and how colours can be changed.

  • 40-60+ months Reception Explores what happens when they mix colours.

  • E. L. Goal Exploring and using media and materials Children sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

  • ELG skills Reception Experiment with colours.

  • Exceeding ELG Reception Through their explorations they find out and make decisions about how media and materials can be combined and changed.

Autumn 2

  • We will be exploring how we can print using fingers, hands and classroom objects.

  • We will be moving materials around to create our own art work in our creative tray.

  • We will be exploring musical instruments and singing songs as a class and in groups.

  • We will make edible bonfire art.

Spring 1

  • Making dens

  • Modelling mud into a bowl shape

  • Large collage and mark making on creative wall.

Spring 2

  • 30-50 months Reception Realises tools can be used for a purpose.

  • 30-50 months Reception Captures experiences and responses with a range of media, such as music, dance and paint and other materials or words.

  • 40-60+ months Reception Manipulates materials to achieve a planned effect.

  • 40-60+ months Reception Creates simple representations of events, people and objects.

  • ELG skills Reception Safely use tools.

  • ELG skills Reception Use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways thinking about uses and purposes.

  • Exceeding ELG Reception Through their explorations they find out and make decisions about how media and materials can be combined and changed.

  • Exceeding ELG Reception Talk about features of their own and others’ work, recognising the differences between them and the strengths of others.

Summer 1

Weaving

Outdoor tools used

Singing animal songs

Make shakers

Creating outdoor obstacle courses


  • 30-50 months Reception Realises tools can be used for a purpose.

  • 30-50 months Reception Explores and learns how sounds can be changed.

  • 30-50 months Reception Sings a few familiar songs.

  • 40-60+ months Reception Uses simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately.

  • 40-60+ months Reception Explores the different sounds of instruments.

  • 40-60+ months Reception Begins to build a repertoire of songs and dances.

  • E. L. Goal Exploring and using media and materials Children sing songs, make music and dance, and experiment with ways of changing them. They safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function.

  • Exceeding ELG Reception Develop their own ideas through selecting and using materials and working on processes that interest them.

  • Exceeding ELG Reception Through their explorations they find out and make decisions about how media and materials can be combined and changed.

  • ELG skills Reception Make music.

  • ELG skills Reception Safely use tools.

  • ELG skills Reception Sing a song.

Summer 2

Children's Topic Choice

  • Add natural materials to workbench.

  • Take rubbings from features outside, e.g. bark, pavements, leaves.

  • Look at the natural patterns made-can they make a collage using these rubbings.

Being Imaginative

Autumn 1 Activities:

  • We will be exploring musical instruments and singing songs as a class and in groups.

  • Introducing story telling and story language, encouraging children to add their own ideas to the stories as they are being told.

  • Encourage children to use the small world area and the characters added to tell stories, e.g. the dolls house, Fireman Sam characters.

Autumn 2

  • Develop role play area in to a party room for different celebrations. Collect children’s ideas on what could be included.

  • Acting out real life in home corner and in small world area, e.g. dolls house.

  • Adding percussion to firework poems

  • Being a fire work in movement time.

Spring 1

  • We will be exploring musical instruments and singing songs as a class and in groups.

  • Drama sessions will be introduced encouraging the children to explore voice control and movement.

Spring 2

  • Drama sessions continued.

Summer 1

  • E. L. Goal Being imaginative 60 Children use what they have learnt about media and materials in original ways, thinking about uses and purposes. They represent their own ideas, thoughts and feelings through design and technology, art, music, dance, role play and stories.

  • 30-50 months Reception Engages in imaginative role play based on own first-hand experiences.

  • 40-60+ months Reception Introduces a storyline or narrative into their play.

Summer 2

Children's Topic Choice

  • Drama sessions continued.

  • Develop a creative area to represent the children's topic choice. Collect children’s ideas on what could be included.

  • Sing topic songs adding instruments-explore sound of instruments and decide which instruments are good for various songs and why.