This half term we will:

• Take part in small group investigations and collaborative challenges, where children share ideas, listen to others and work together to solve problems.

• Develop independence and perseverance through hands-on beach and water investigations, adapting and improving their ideas during play.

• Engage in role play experiences such as seaside cafés, beach holidays, lifeguard stations and rescue missions, developing cooperation and understanding of real-life roles.

• Work collaboratively in provision areas such as small world, construction, sand and water, sharing resources and negotiating roles during play.

• Develop confidence to perform songs, rhymes and seaside stories with others.

• Reflect on their learning, talking about what they have created, explored and discovered.

• Explore ways to keep themselves and others safe near water and during outdoor play.

• Use language to negotiate roles, explain ideas and solve problems during shared play experiences.

Early Learning Goal

Self-Regulation

• Show an understanding of their own feelings and those of others, and begin to regulate their behaviour accordingly.

• Set and work towards simple goals, being able to wait for what they want and control their immediate impulses when appropriate.

• Give focused attention to what the teacher says, responding appropriately even when engaged in an activity, and show an ability to follow instructions involving several ideas or actions.

Manages self

• Be confident to try new activities and show independence, resilience and perseverance in the face of challenge.

• Explain the reasons for rules, know right from wrong and try to behave accordingly.

• Manage their own basic hygiene and personal needs, including dressing, going to the toilet and understanding the importance of healthy food choices.

Building Relationships

• Work and play cooperatively and take turns with others.

• Form positive attachments to adults and friendships with peers.

• Show sensitivity to their own and others’ needs. 

This half term we will:

• Learn and use new vocabulary linked to the seaside, coast and sea animals through stories, discussions and investigations.

• Take part in small group discussions and whole class conversations, sharing ideas, answering questions and talking about experiences.

• Describe what we can see, hear and feel at the beach using recently introduced vocabulary.

• Retell seaside stories and experiences using props, puppets and small world resources.

• Engage in role play experiences such as beach cafés, lifeguard stations and seaside holidays, developing communication and storytelling skills.

• Follow instructions and respond to questions during investigations and practical activities.

• Use language to explain ideas, solve problems and negotiate roles during collaborative play.

Early Learning Goal

Listening, Attention and Understanding

• Listen attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions, comments and actions when being read to and during whole class discussions and small group interactions.

• Make comments about what they have heard and ask questions to clarify their understanding.

• Hold conversations when engaged in back-and-forth exchanges with their teacher and peers.

Speaking

• Participate in small group, class and one-to-one discussions, offering their own ideas, using recently introduced vocabulary.

• Offer explanations for why things might happen, making use of recently introduced vocabulary from stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems when appropriate.

• Express their ideas and feelings about their experiences using full sentences, including use of past, present and future tenses and making use of conjunctions, with modelling and support from their teacher.

This half term we will:

• Develop strength, balance and coordination through climbing, balancing, obstacle courses and outdoor movement games.

• Negotiate space and obstacles safely during outdoor play, den building and large-scale construction activities.

• Move energetically in different ways including running, jumping, balancing, dancing and climbing.

• Explore movement linked to waves, storms and seaside music, responding to rhythm and sound.

• Use a range of small tools including scissors, tweezers, pipettes, paintbrushes and construction tools during creative and investigative play.

• Develop fine motor control through activities such as shell sorting, collage, threading and playdough modelling.

• Hold pencils effectively when drawing, labelling, map making and writing postcards or messages.

• Begin to show increasing accuracy and care when drawing seaside objects, animals and environments.

Compehension

This half term we will:

• Explore a range of seaside stories, poems and non-fiction books linked to beaches, weather and sea animals.

• Retell and adapt stories using small world resources, puppets and storytelling props.

• Develop comprehension skills through discussions about stories, characters, settings and information texts.

• Sequence and recount key events from stories using recently introduced vocabulary.

• Use story maps, role play and storytelling opportunities to deepen understanding of narratives.

• Explore non-fiction texts to learn about coasts, habitats, weather and seaside animals.

Writing 

This half term we will:

• Engage in mark making and writing opportunities across the indoor and outdoor environment.

• Create postcards, labels, maps, signs and simple messages during play and adult-led activities.

• Develop fine motor control through drawing, painting, collage and creative activities.

• Hold pencils effectively when drawing and writing.

• Begin to show increasing accuracy and care when drawing seaside objects, animals and environments.

• Use recently introduced vocabulary during independent and adult-supported writing opportunities.

• Continue developing sentence writing through adult modelling and purposeful writing experiences in provision.

Phonics - Read, Write, Inc.

This half term we will:

• Continue developing phonics skills through the Read Write Inc programme.

• Develop blending skills for reading words and segmenting skills for spelling.

• Apply phonics knowledge during reading and writing activities across provision.

• Read and write words and simple sentences linked to the topic and classroom environment.

• Build fluency and confidence when reading decodable books.

Early Learning Goal

Comprehension

• Demonstrate understanding of what has been read to them by retelling stories and narratives using their own words and recently introduced vocabulary.

• Anticipate – where appropriate – key events in stories.

• Use and understand recently introduced vocabulary during discussions about stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems and during role-play.

Word Reading

• Say a sound for each letter in the alphabet and at least 10 digraphs.

• Read words consistent with their phonic knowledge by sound-blending.

• Reading aloud simple sentences and books that are consistent with their phonic knowledge, including some common exception words.

Writing

• Write recognisable letters, most of which are correctly formed.

• Spell words by identifying sounds in them and representing the sounds with a letter or letters.

• Write simple phrases and sentences that can be read by others.

Vocabulary

• zzzz

Vocabulary

• zzzz

Subitising on a Rekenrek

• Recognising quantities instantly without counting using structured arrangements on a rekenrek.

• Using the rekenrek to see small numbers as groups (e.g. 3 and 2, 4 and 1).

• Recognising familiar patterns within numbers to 10.

• Using fingers to match what is seen on the rekenrek.

• Seeing “5 and a bit” structures within numbers to 10.

• Developing confidence in instantly recognising quantities within 10.

Comparison

• Comparing quantities using practical resources and visual patterns.

• Using language such as more than, fewer than, less than and equal to.

• Matching groups to check if they are the same.

• Comparing sets of objects that look different (colour, size, arrangement).

• Recognising when groups are equal through one-to-one matching.

• Beginning to describe differences in magnitude (a lot more / a little more).

• Explaining which group has more or fewer and why.

Counting Beyond 20

• Counting forward in a stable sequence beyond 20.

• Recognising the pattern of the counting system.

• Counting objects accurately using one-to-one correspondence.

• Counting on from different starting points.

• Recognising that the last number counted tells us the total.

• Beginning to count larger sets in play and practical contexts.

• Using counting in games, tracks and real-life situations.

Patterns Within Numbers to 10

• Exploring how numbers to 10 can be made from smaller parts.

• Recognising and making doubles using fingers, objects and structured representations.

• Identifying odd and even numbers through grouping and visual patterns.

• Using ten-frames and dice frames to see number structure clearly.

• Recognising that even numbers are made of equal groups.

• Understanding that odd numbers cannot be split equally.

• Exploring repeating patterns and structured arrangements within numbers.

• Seeing how numbers can be represented in different ways but still remain the same.

Automatic Recall

• Developing quick recall of number bonds within 5.

• Beginning to recall some number bonds to 10, including doubles.

• Using fingers and practical resources to support rapid recall.

• Solving simple missing number problems within 5 and 10.

• Using knowledge of known facts to work out unknown facts.

• Recalling doubles facts up to 5 + 5 = 10.

• Playing quick-fire games to build fluency and confidence.

Understanding of Numbers to 10

• Exploring the composition of numbers to 10 using practical resources.

• Knowing that numbers can be split into parts and recombined.

• Recognising that the whole is made from two or more parts.

• Understanding different ways to make the same number.

• Using fingers, counters, rekenreks and ten-frames to represent numbers.

• Developing awareness of number bonds within 10.

• Beginning to understand that 5 is a key anchor for numbers to 10.

• Recognising relationships between numbers (e.g. 1 more / 1 less).

• Explaining number structure using simple mathematical language.

Early Learning Goal 

Number

• Have a deep understanding of number to 10, including the composition of each number.

• Subitise (recognise quantities without counting) up to 5.

• Automatically recall (without reference to rhymes, counting or other aids) number bonds up to 5 (including subtraction facts) and some number bonds to 10, including double facts.

Numerical Patterns

• Verbally count beyond 20, recognising the pattern of the counting system.

• Compare quantities up to 10 in different contexts, recognising when one quantity is greater than, less than or the same as the other quantity.

Shape, space and measure

• Has a developed range of mathematical language to describe and compare size, shape, length, weight and position. 

This half term we will:

• Explore beaches, coastlines and seaside environments through stories, photographs, maps and investigations.

• Observe and describe the natural world around us, making observations and drawing what we notice.

• Investigate seaside animals and habitats, including rock pools and coastal environments.

• Compare seaside holidays from the past and present, discussing similarities and differences.

• Explore weather changes and water movement through outdoor learning and investigations.

• Use maps, photographs and non-fiction texts to learn about different places and environments.

• Develop understanding of how to care for living things and the environment.

• Investigate materials and changes through activities linked to water, sand and weather. 

Early Learning Goal

Past and Present

• Talk about the lives of the people around them and their roles in society.

• Know some similarities and differences between things in the past and now, drawing on their own experiences and what has been read in class.

• Understand the past through settings, characters and events encountered in books read in class and storytelling. 

People Culture and Communities

• Describe their immediate environment using knowledge from observations, discussions, stories, non-fiction texts and maps.

• Know some similarities between different religious and cultural communities in this country, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.

• Explain some similarities and differences between life in this country and life in other countries, drawing on knowledge from stories, non-fiction texts and – when appropriate – maps. 

Natural World

• Explore the natural world around them, making observations and drawing pictures of animals and plants.

• Know some similarities and differences between the natural world around them and contrasting environments, drawing on their experiences and what has been read in class.

• Understand some important processes and changes in the natural world around them, including the seasons and changing states of matter. 

This half term we will:

Creating with Materials

• Safely explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques during painting, collage, printing and modelling activities.

• Experiment with colour, texture, shape and form using natural seaside materials such as shells, sand and pebbles.

• Create seaside artwork inspired by waves, weather, animals and coastal environments.

• Build and design structures such as beach huts, boats, piers and habitats during construction and small world play.

• Use a range of tools including paintbrushes, scissors, rollers and joining materials during creative activities.

• Share creations and talk about the processes and ideas used while making and creating.

• Explore transient art, printing and large-scale outdoor art opportunities linked to the seaside.

Being Imaginative and Expressive

• Invent, adapt and recount seaside stories with peers and adults.

• Use props, puppets and small world resources to develop storytelling and role play.

• Engage in imaginative play experiences such as beach cafés, seaside holidays, rescue stations and lifeguard role play.

• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories linked to the seaside and sea.

• Explore movement and music through dance and performance activities inspired by waves, storms and weather.

• Develop confidence performing to others during group storytelling and music sessions.

• Move in time to music using scarves, ribbons and instruments to represent the movement of the sea.

Early Learning Goal 

Creating with materials

• Safely use and explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques, experimenting with colour, design, texture, form and function

• Share their creations, explaining the processes they have used

• Make use of props and materials when role playing characters in narrative and stories

Being imaginative and expressive

• Invent, adapt and recount narrative and stories with peers and their teachers

• Sing a range of well-known nursery rhymes and songs

• Perform songs, rhymes, poems and stories with others, and – when appropriate – try to move in time with music