Autumn 1

welcome to Reception 

We have had an exciting start to the new school year in Reception. We have been learning our school rules which help keep us all happy and safe. These can be seen in our classroom and the children are learning the rhyme and actions to help them remember.

Personal, Social and Emotional Development / Literacy

The children have enjoyed exploring their new learning environment, getting to know each other and forming new friendships. We have started our topic ‘My story, our world’ and have been talking about ourselves and our families. We made self-portraits and drew pictures of our families.

 Maths 

This term in maths, our children have enjoyed a variety of engaging activities. They have sung number songs up to 5 and practiced comparing amounts using "more" and "less." The children explored sorting and matching, as well as hands-on comparisons of size, mass and capacity. They also delved into AB patterns to enhance their understanding of sequences. It’s been a fun and enriching term of discovery in maths!

Wow! Look at us practicing our own names! This term, the children have also been enthusiastically learning to recognise and write their names. 

understanding the world

Culture and diversity day

We were lucky enough to have our Parents and Special people to us come in and talk about their cultures with us.  We came dressed in our cultural clothing and tasted food from around the world.

Expressive Arts and Design

Music 

The children have loved joining in with our music sessions the term. We have been learning how to listen carefully, follow instructions and stop and start in time with each other. Look at how much fun we have been having... 

Autumn 2 

This term was a very busy one.  We settled into our new classes and routines very well, and had fun exploring our environment.

Understanding the world

Exploring Space and Beyond

This term, Reception has been reaching for the stars as the children have delved into the fascinating topic of space! They’ve been learning all about the 8 planets in our solar system, exploring what makes each one unique, and discovering the wonders of the moon. The children were especially captivated by the story of Neil Armstrong, the first person to walk on the moon.

Technology has also played a key role in our space exploration! The children have been introduced to using QR codes, which they’ve been scanning to access fascinating information about space. They’ve enjoyed reading fun facts and answering questions, helping to build their digital literacy and curiosity.

In addition to our cosmic adventures, we’ve also been focusing on the natural world right here on Earth. This season, the children planted bulbs in our garden. They are learning how to nurture and care for them, and we’re excited to watch the daffodils bloom come spring—a wonderful way to connect with the cycles of nature.

It’s been a term filled with discovery, innovation, and excitement, and we can’t wait to see what’s next!

Maths

We are so impressed with the fantastic progress the children have made in Maths this term! A big thank you for your continued support at home—please do keep practising, as it makes such a difference.

This term, our focus has been on numbers 1 to 5. The children have been working hard to represent each number in different ways, exploring the composition of these numbers and understanding what they are made up of. They’ve also been learning about one more and one less, which helps build a strong foundation for early arithmetic.

To deepen their understanding, we’ve introduced part-whole methods, allowing the children to break numbers down and see how they can be made up of smaller parts. This hands-on approach has made learning engaging and fun, and we’re thrilled with how well they are applying these concepts.

Keep up the great work, and we look forward to seeing their confidence in Maths continue to grow.

Literacy

Smeds and Smoos by Julia Donaldson

This term, the children have loved diving into the wonderful story of The Smeds and the Smoos by Julia Donaldson. The tale of two different families learning to overcome their differences sparked lively discussions in class about friendship, inclusion, and kindness. We explored whether it was fair for the families in the story to say the Smeds and Smoos couldn’t play together, helping the children think about acceptance and how to build positive relationships.

As part of our learning, the children had a go at creating their own books inspired by the story. They enjoyed using these to retell the adventure in their own words, bringing the characters and their lessons to life. It’s been a fantastic way to encourage creativity, storytelling, and thoughtful discussions.

Reading

Phonics

We have now learnt all our phase 2 sounds and are able to use these sounds to read and write. We have learnt lots of strategies to help us when applying these sounds to our reading and writing. In reading we have been using our duck hands to blend our words and our eagle eyes to spot our tricky words. The children have also been working hard in writing to use their stretchy snakes to stretch their words and use their freddy frog fingers to sound them out.  

Personal, Social, and Emotional Development

This term, we have been focusing on key areas of Personal, Social, and Emotional Development to help the children grow in self-awareness, empathy, and cooperation.

As part of our learning, we’ve working on managing emotions with activities like “How are you feeling today?” This has helped the children identify and express their feelings, understand the emotions of others, and learn strategies to navigate challenges calmly and effectively.

Through discussions and role-play, we’ve explored justice and fairness, helping the children understand why fairness matters and how to make fair choices when working or playing with others. Activities on cooperation have further supported their social skills, encouraging teamwork and the value of working together to achieve shared goals.

It’s been wonderful to see the children becoming more self-aware and supportive of one another.

Communication and Language

This term, the children have been developing their communication and language skills through a variety of engaging and interactive activities.

We’ve introduced talk partners during carpet time, giving the children opportunities to share their ideas, listen to each other, and build their confidence in speaking and expressing themselves.

As part of our storytime sessions, we’ve been diving into books, encouraging the children to discuss the feelings of characters, describe settings, and recount main events. They’ve also been practising story sequencing and retelling stories orally, helping to strengthen their narrative skills and imagination.

A real highlight this term has been the children rehearsing winter songs in preparation for the winter performance, adding a magical touch to this festive season.

We’re so proud of how the children are developing their speaking and listening skills, and we can’t wait to see their confidence continue to grow!

Expressive Arts and Design

This term, our Reception children have been diving into the wonderful world of creativity through Expressive Arts and Design! They have embraced their imaginations and explored a variety of hands-on activities designed to spark curiosity and develop artistic skills.

One of the highlights has been our junk modelling sessions, where children used recycled materials to create some truly amazing designs. From jet packs that launch imaginative adventures to binoculars perfect for space exploration, and paintings of their very own planets, the possibilities have been endless!

It’s been a term full of creativity, fun, and exploration, and we’re so proud of the artistic journeys the children have embarked on!

Physical Development

Over the past few weeks, the children have had exciting opportunities to develop their physical skills through a variety of activities in both gross motor and fine motor provision.

For gross motor development, the children have been having fun with the small A-frame, jumping on and off to build their strength and coordination. They’ve also worked with large balls and beanbags, practising their throwing and catching skills.

In fine motor provision, children have enjoyed a wide range of activities to help strengthen their hand-eye coordination. They’ve been busy with playdough, and using tools like scissors, hole punches, and treasury tags to develop their dexterity.

It's been a term full of physical growth and fun, and we look forward to seeing how the children continue to build on these important skills!