What type of activities will my child be doing?
The way in which nurseries and schools plan this curriculum area varies, but your child's nursery or school will be organising activities that encourage children to be active. Learning by touching, doing and observing is thought to help young children process information more easily and remember information, and so children are encouraged to think about and find out about their immediate world. This means that your child may go for a short walk to look at leaves during autumn or make a boat for the water tray to find out more about how things float and sink, as well as about materials that absorb water.
What skills will my child learn?
This area builds upon children's natural curiosity and develops the skills of observation, prediction and exploration. Staff at your child's nursery or school will also be encouraging them to learn the language that they will need to talk about their experiences and ideas.
How can I help at home?
There are many ways in which you can build on the work that your child has been doing at nursery or in school. Interestingly, some of the ways are likely to be part of your everyday routine.
Cooking Children love to cook and help prepare food, and even something as simple as taking out a frozen pizza can be an opportunity for them to learn about early science. Talk to your child about the ice in the freezer and how it makes food solid and preserves it. Making and melting ice cubes will also show a child how water changes when it is frozen. You can look at the way foods change when they are being heated and encourage your child to notice the changes that are taking place.
Washing clothes Encourage your child to load up the washing machine and take out the clothes at the end of the cycle with you. This will help your child explore the differences in textures, as well as learning about how machines work. If you hang your laundry out, see if your child can notice the way that clothes dry better on sunny, breezy days.
Exploring photos and objects Look out for toys that your child enjoyed as a baby, as well as things that may have strong memories for you. Talk to your child and encourage them to hold and touch things carefully. Photos of yourself when you were a child are another way to introduce the idea of the past and of history.
Out and about Surprising as it might seem, simple trips to the shop, park or swimming pool can help your child to learn about environments. Point out to your child differences in front doors and windows as well as styles of buildings. You may be surprised to find that your child has some favourite architectural preferences from an early age. Different sorts of transport are also a favourite - buses, cars, lorries, vans, bicycles and planes. You can discuss the different sizes and colours and the number of wheels. In the park you can look at different shaped leaves on the trees and at the clouds in the sky. At the pool you can draw your child's attention to the reflections on the water and the sound of echoes.
