The Early years foundation stage (EYFS)
Why do I need to know about EYFS?
The EYFS will be the stage your child is in when they attend a setting or a Childminder's home between birth and the age of five. It is also the stage that they are in, until the end of the Reception year at school.
Children do best when parents and professionals work together.
It is important to remember that you know more about your own child than anyone else. Practitioners should be asking you about your child and sharing information with you about your child’s progress.
Understanding what your child is doing when they are with others will help you to notice how well they are developing and learning.
The part you play in their learning and the choices you make, will make a difference to their future.
What is the EYFS?
The EYFS Framework describes how early years practitioners should work with children and their families to support their development and learning.
· It describes how your child should be kept safe, cared for and how all concerned can make sure that your child achieves the most they can in their earliest years of life.
· It is based on four important principles.
The overarching principles are:
• Every child is a unique child
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive
relationships
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different
rates.
Learning through Play
The Seven Areas of Learning
In Ofsted speak, there are seven areas of learning that chart a child’s development from Birth to 5 years old. The learning objectives from the adult led-activities are taken from the development stages within each of the seven areas, so your child’s development is charted through each area.
As a reference the seven areas of learning are:
Prime Areas
(These are the main areas of development from birth to 2 years)
1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Making relationships
• Self confidence and self-awareness
• Managing feelings and behaviour
2. Physical Development
• Moving and handling
• Health and self-care
3. Communication and Language
• Listening and attention
• Understanding
• Speaking
Specific Areas
(These are the main areas of development to compliment and support the Prime Areas from 2 - 5 years)
4. Literacy
• Reading
• Writing
5. Mathematics
• Numbers
• Shape, space and measure
6. Understanding the World
• People and communities
• The World
7. Expressive Arts and Design
• Exploring and using media and materials
• Being imaginative
Characteristics of Effective Learning
To enable a child to become an effective learner, the Early Years Foundation Stage identifies three inter-changeable characteristics which help children to learn.
Being aware of these characteristics will enable the adult to support and extend a child's learning whilst the child is involved in an activity or at play.
The three characteristics are as follows:
Playing and Exploring - engagement
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to 'have a go'
Active Learning - motivation
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and Thinking Critically
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
Children develop at their own rates, and in their own way. The development statements from the EYFS and their order are not taken as necessary steps for individual children. They are not used as a checklist and the age/stage bands overlap because they are not fixed age boundaries but suggest a typical range of development.
Why do I need to know about EYFS?
The EYFS will be the stage your child is in when they attend a setting or a Childminder's home between birth and the age of five. It is also the stage that they are in, until the end of the Reception year at school.
Children do best when parents and professionals work together.
It is important to remember that you know more about your own child than anyone else. Practitioners should be asking you about your child and sharing information with you about your child’s progress.
Understanding what your child is doing when they are with others will help you to notice how well they are developing and learning.
The part you play in their learning and the choices you make, will make a difference to their future.
What is the EYFS?
The EYFS Framework describes how early years practitioners should work with children and their families to support their development and learning.
· It describes how your child should be kept safe, cared for and how all concerned can make sure that your child achieves the most they can in their earliest years of life.
· It is based on four important principles.
The overarching principles are:
• Every child is a unique child
• Children learn to be strong and independent through positive
relationships
• Children learn and develop well in enabling environments
• Children develop and learn in different ways and at different
rates.
Learning through Play
The Seven Areas of Learning
In Ofsted speak, there are seven areas of learning that chart a child’s development from Birth to 5 years old. The learning objectives from the adult led-activities are taken from the development stages within each of the seven areas, so your child’s development is charted through each area.
As a reference the seven areas of learning are:
Prime Areas
(These are the main areas of development from birth to 2 years)
1. Personal, Social and Emotional Development
• Making relationships
• Self confidence and self-awareness
• Managing feelings and behaviour
2. Physical Development
• Moving and handling
• Health and self-care
3. Communication and Language
• Listening and attention
• Understanding
• Speaking
Specific Areas
(These are the main areas of development to compliment and support the Prime Areas from 2 - 5 years)
4. Literacy
• Reading
• Writing
5. Mathematics
• Numbers
• Shape, space and measure
6. Understanding the World
• People and communities
• The World
7. Expressive Arts and Design
• Exploring and using media and materials
• Being imaginative
Characteristics of Effective Learning
To enable a child to become an effective learner, the Early Years Foundation Stage identifies three inter-changeable characteristics which help children to learn.
Being aware of these characteristics will enable the adult to support and extend a child's learning whilst the child is involved in an activity or at play.
The three characteristics are as follows:
Playing and Exploring - engagement
Finding out and exploring
Playing with what they know
Being willing to 'have a go'
Active Learning - motivation
Being involved and concentrating
Keeping trying
Enjoying achieving what they set out to do
Creating and Thinking Critically
Having their own ideas
Making links
Choosing ways to do things
Children develop at their own rates, and in their own way. The development statements from the EYFS and their order are not taken as necessary steps for individual children. They are not used as a checklist and the age/stage bands overlap because they are not fixed age boundaries but suggest a typical range of development.