language Archives | Little Acorns Nursery School https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/tag/language/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:01:22 +0000 en-GB hourly 1 Maths Concepts for Under-5s — & Why They’re Important https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/maths-concepts-for-under-5s/ Thu, 13 Jun 2024 13:01:22 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=6436 Introducing under-5s to simple maths concepts early will benefit them hugely and lay the foundations for future learning.Once babies have transformed into toddlers, it's never too early to introduce them to maths-based concepts and language. Indeed, introducing under-fives to such concepts in the earliest years will benefit them hugely as it lays the foundations for future learning. That's one of the main reasons it is a part of the EYFS curriculum. Continuing this learning at home will also help them instinctively understand that mathematics is a normal and integral part of everyday life. As such, there is no need for it to be perceived as a daunting topic. With all that in mind, today's guide explores why the early introduction of mathematics is so beneficial to under-fives and how parents and caregivers play a vital role in encouraging their mathematical curiosity, knowledge, and confidence.]]> The Power of Learning Through Play in Early Childhood https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/learning-through-play/ Sun, 15 Oct 2023 08:00:54 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=6026 Children learn best when they are learning through play — it is the gateway through which they explore, discover, learn, and grow.In the world of child development and early education, there is a simple yet profound truth: children learn best when they are learning through play. Play is the universal language of childhood and, indeed, it transcends both borders and cultures. Whether it's building sand castles on a sunny beach or arranging blocks on the floor at home, play is the gateway through which children explore, discover, and grow. But how and why is play so important? And can it benefit even babies, the tiniest members of society? In today's article, we'll unravel the secrets of learning through play. We'll refer to some findings of scientific studies that attest to its incredible impact, explore play's significance in the early years and infancy, and explain how childcare nurseries like ours harness its potential to nurture young minds. So, join us today as we explore the power of play and why it should be at the heart of every child's learning experience. Let's open the door to a world where fun, laughter, imagination, and natural discovery pave the way to a brighter future for our children.]]> The Rewards of Learning a Musical Instrument in Early Childhood https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/benefits-of-learning-a-musical-instrument-in-childhood/ Fri, 15 Sep 2023 07:00:16 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=5997 Children who learn to play a musical instrument discover a whole world of opportunities and advantages, many of which can last a lifetime.While listening to music has a unique way of resonating with the human spirit, actually creating it on a musical instrument elevates that connection to entirely new levels. What's more, learning to play an instrument leads to a whole host of multifaceted benefits. Whether tinkling piano keys, strumming guitar strings, or playing a wind instrument, children who learn to play a musical instrument will soon discover a whole world of opportunities and advantages that extend far beyond the realm of melody and harmony. With that in mind, today's article explores the myriad of sometimes surprising benefits that learning to play music will bring to children, even at a very young age. Take a look below and discover how musicianship could benefit your child, extend their skills and potentially enrich their life profoundly.]]> News Round-Up for Little Acorns Nursery https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/news-round-up-march-2023/ Wed, 15 Mar 2023 17:10:51 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=5661 January began the new term with exciting Forest School sessions for our little ones.Having previously published guides and useful information here for parents, we thought it was time for a news round-up to highlight some of the wonderful activities that have been taking place with children at Little Acorns Nursery. Both children and staff have been extremely busy indeed, with exciting new initiatives, outings, special visits and extra-curricular activities. Let's take a look at some of the most recent ...]]> The ‘Progress Check at Two’ – Rough Guide https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/progress-check-at-2-guide/ Thu, 15 Sep 2022 11:28:57 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=5188 Every 2-year-old attending childcare settings in England is subject to a progress check at the age of 2.Every 2-year-old attending registered childcare settings in England is subject to what's known as a ‘Progress Check at 2’. Today we explain what it entails, who is involved and how it benefits little ones. Here's our rough guide to the Progress Check at 2:

What Exactly is the Progress Check at 2?

The ‘Progress Check at 2’ is, as the name suggests, a complete progress check for children who have reached the age of two. It should be completed before their 3rd birthday and appraises their progress in all the key areas of their learning and development. It's actually a part of the continuous assessment that goes hand-in-hand with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Amongst other things, the EYFS governs the learning and development curriculum that's in place for children attending officially-registered childcare/early years education settings in England. It is appropriate to check that all is well in such areas, particularly at this critical age, and we'll explain why later in this guide.

The ‘Progress Check at 2’ is Not the Same as the ‘2-Year Review’ — But They're Linked

The ‘Progress Check at 2’ is not the same as the ‘2-Year Review’ — but they're ideally linked.The Progress Check at 2 should not be confused with the Healthy Child Programme's 2-Year Review that 2-year-olds also undergo around the same age. While the ‘Progress Check at 2’ looks at the child's learning and development progress and is the topic of today's guide, the separate ‘2 Year Review’ is more about the child's health and wellbeing and is undertaken by healthcare professionals like health visitors. They will look at things like overall health, immunisation uptake, physical and mental health and development, overall wellbeing and support levels from parents, carers or guardians. Although the two reviews are different, there are definite areas of cross-over, so it makes sense for both reviews to align and feed into each other. It's therefore useful for them both to be undertaken at a similar time, in tandem if possible. In this way, a 360 degree picture can be put together to give a complete, all-round, holistic view of the child at this milestone age. In so doing, any issues can be picked up early, so that suitable measures or interventions can be put in place to improve things for the particular child under review. For this reason, parents, guardians or carers of 2-year-olds are encouraged to allow the sharing of information*, pertaining to their child, between the various professionals involved in each of the two reviews. Ofsted inspections will also check to ensure that Progress Checks at 2 are undertaken in an appropriate way at childcare settings. They also recognise the benefits of these progress checks aligning with the separate, more health-based, 2-Year Reviews.

The Significance of Age 2

The age of two is a significant one, hence both reviews taking place at this age. It's a key age where ...]]> SUPER-CHARGE Your Child’s Education Through Reading https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/super-charge-your-childs-education-through-reading/ Thu, 12 May 2022 11:44:10 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=4283 In a major study, preschoolers gained a boost of the equivalent of 8 months when they regularly read with a parent or carer.Last year, we wrote a detailed post outlining why every parent should be involved in their child's education. There's one particular area, though, that merits its own stand-alone article and that's reading with your child. Reading with children is incredibly important — and a powerful way to absolutely super-charge their education. Let's take a look.
Studies show that reading with your under-five can boost their language skills by a staggering 20%.
A 40 year study1 of pre-school children found enormous positive benefits when children regularly read with a parent or carer. Preschoolers were seen to gain a boost, incredibly, of the equivalent of 8 months. That's remarkable given that the average age in the study was just 3¼. Particular benefits were clear to see in several areas, including:
  • Understanding (‘receptive language’);
  • Use of vocal grammar and vocabulary (‘expressive language’);
  • In the understanding of word structure and ‘pre-reading’ skills.
Receptive language skills were seen to benefit the most and that's important — after all, understanding and comprehension of words and meanings are keys to potentially huge growth in many other areas a child's early years education. Indeed, lacking such abilities has also been shown to really hold children back in terms of later social and educational ability, with poorer outcomes when they're older.

A Special Boost for Children from Lower Socio-Economic Backgrounds

Instilling a love of reading in children is like educational gold dust.Interestingly, under-five children who came from disadvantaged backgrounds were shown to benefit even more than those who didn't. For this reason, reading with parents/carers has been proposed as a possible way to close the performance deficit often seen with children from such backgrounds. It may well represent a perfect solution to even up the playing field.
“Receptive language skills – the ability to understand information – are positively affected when pre-school youngsters read with someone who cares for them.”

Read With Children, Not Just To Them

That's an important factor. Reading to children is all very well and will have benefits, for sure. However, reading with children takes the potential benefits to a whole new level and that's why it's the kind of approach we use at Little Acorns Nursery. Parents and carers should also ...]]> Our EYFS Nursery Curriculum https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/eyfs-nursery-curriculum/ Wed, 19 May 2021 15:22:20 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=3667 The curriculum at our Clayton-le-Woods nursery adheres to what's known as the Early Years Foundation Stage (‘EYFS’) framework. This educational framework is specified by the UK Government and its implementation is overseen and appraised by Ofsted. It's down to individual nurseries like Little Acorns to implement the framework and we strive to do so in the optimum way. This is all achieved in a stress-free, relaxed way, almost entirely through active play. This approach makes learning natural — and immense fun!
“Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults.” (Department for Education).
The EYFS curriculum covers all the critically important areas of learning and development for babies (from birth) up to children aged 5. As such, it's a perfect fit for children at Little Acorns Nursery.

The 3 Prime Areas of the Curriculum

There are 7 key areas within the early years curriculum. These include 3 ‘prime’ areas which, in turn, interconnect and enhance the remaining four — each helping to improve the other.
  • Communication & Language is the first of the three prime areas of our EYFS-based curriculumCommunication & Language is the first of the three prime areas of our EYFS-based curriculum. Without good communication and language skills, all other areas of learning could suffer, so these are critically important skills for children to master in their early years. Staff at the nursery therefore encourage rich communications between staff and children — and from peer to peer — from the very first day they join the nursery. Language and communication skills grow naturally to children through engaging, fun activities like role-play, story-telling and question-and-answer games. High quality books and other rich reading materials are also employed by staff to read with children in an interactive way. Using these kind of approaches helps children to learn new vocabulary and grammar, to improve reading and comprehension and to almost effortlessly broaden their language and communication skills as they grow.
  • Physical Development is the second of the prime areas of the nursery's EYFS-based curriculum. At this formative age, the ...]]> Why *Every Parent* Should Be Involved in Their Child’s Education https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/parents-involvement-in-childrens-education/ Thu, 15 Apr 2021 10:12:20 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=3632 Compelling evidence shows that there are enormous benefits for children when parents are closely and proactively involved in their education. Research shows that parents are the key to children's successIndeed, parents can be thought of as key to their children's success, if they support children's education in the right ways. We'll go through exactly what that means, along with some of the many benefits, in this article.
    During the earliest years of schooling ... students with active parents are almost twice as likely to succeed. (Pinantoan)
    Additional research also concluded that children are statistically far more successful in school when their parents “invest time and place value on their children’s education.”

    So, How Can Parents Help?

    Children will benefit in a multitude of ways when parents involve themselves in the child's education. That involvement can take many forms ... ]]>         Spanish Lessons at Little Acorns Nursery https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/spanish-lessons-at-little-acorns-nursery/ Thu, 09 Jul 2020 18:28:12 +0000 https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/?p=3414 Our Spring 2019 Newsletter https://www.littleacornsnursery.school/our-spring-2019-newsletter/ Mon, 08 Apr 2019 12:42:25 +0000 http://apricotnursery.co.uk/?p=1385