Curriculum

Early Years Foundation Stage

EARLY YEARS FOUNDATION STAGE CURRICULUM

At Little Bunny Childcare Centre, we follow the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework through an emergent curriculum approach. We recognise that every child is unique, capable and naturally curious. Rather than following a fixed programme of activities, our curriculum develops from children’s interests, ideas, questions and experiences.

Our experienced carers carefully observe each child during play and everyday routines, using these observations to plan meaningful learning experiences that reflect children’s individual interests and developmental needs. This approach ensures that learning is engaging, purposeful and personalised, while supporting every child to make progress across all areas of learning.

The seven areas of learning and development remain central to our practice and are all equally valued and interconnected.

At Little Bunny our high quality provision involves activities and experiences for children including:

High quality planning, delivery and resources

Prime Areas

The three prime areas provide the foundations for children’s learning and development:

Communication and Language
Physical Development
Personal, Social and Emotional Development

Specific Areas

As children grow and develop, learning is extended through four specific areas:

Literacy
Mathematics
Understanding the World
Expressive Arts and Design

Learning Through Play

Play is at the heart of everything we do. Children learn best when they are actively involved in experiences that interest and motivate them. Our indoor and outdoor environments provide rich opportunities for exploration, investigation, creativity and problem-solving.

Our carers extend children’s thinking through conversations, questioning, modelling and carefully planned experiences that arise naturally from children’s play. This responsive approach allows children to build confidence, independence and a lifelong love of learning.

Observation, Planning and Assessment

Observation is an essential part of our practice.

Our carers observe children during their daily play and interactions to understand their interests, strengths, achievements and next steps in learning. These observations are used to plan daily activities that build upon children’s current fascinations and developmental needs.

Each child has an individual weekly learning journal which documents their experiences, learning journey, progress and achievements. These journals provide an ongoing record of development and are shared with parents to strengthen the partnership between home and the childcare centre.

Assessment is continuous and informs future planning, ensuring every child is appropriately supported and challenged.

Home-Nursery Partnership.

We believe that parents and carers are children’s first and most important educators. A strong partnership between home and nursery is central to our practice.

We encourage regular communication with families so that we can work together to support each child’s wellbeing, development and learning. Information shared by parents about children’s interests, routines, achievements or changes at home helps us provide meaningful experiences that reflect each child’s individual needs.

Our Intent
At Little Bunny Childcare Centre, our intent is to provide a nurturing, stimulating and inclusive environment where every child feels safe, valued and inspired to learn.

Through our emergent curriculum we aim to:

recognise and value every child as a unique individual;
build learning experiences around children’s interests, strengths and natural curiosity;
encourage independence, confidence, resilience and creativity;
promote communication, language and positive relationships;
support children’s emotional wellbeing and personal development;
provide meaningful opportunities for exploration, investigation and problem-solving;
work closely with families to ensure continuity between home and the childcare centre;
prepare children for future learning while developing a lifelong love of learning.

IMPLEMENTATION

Learning takes place through carefully planned experiences that emerge from children’s interests and everyday discoveries.

Our carers:

observe children daily during play and routines;
use observations to identify children’s interests, strengths and next steps;
plan responsive daily experiences based on children’s emerging interests;
adapt the learning environment to encourage exploration and independence;
document each child’s learning through individual weekly journals;
provide opportunities for child-led, adult-supported and collaborative learning;
encourage learning through both indoor and outdoor play throughout the year;
support all seven areas of learning within meaningful real-life experiences.

Children learn through:

Playing and Exploring
Active Learning
Creating and Thinking Critically

These Characteristics of Effective Learning underpin everything we do and support children in becoming confident, capable learners.

IMPACT

Through our emergent curriculum, children become confident, curious and independent learners who enjoy exploring the world around them.

Children will:

develop secure relationships with adults and peers;
make progress from their individual starting points;
become effective communicators;
develop confidence and independence;
build resilience and problem-solving skills;
develop creativity and curiosity;
demonstrate kindness, empathy and respect for others;
be well prepared for the next stage of their education.

Assessment is based on ongoing observations, professional knowledge and children’s individual learning journeys. Weekly journals, observations and discussions with families enable us to monitor each child’s development and ensure that learning experiences continue to meet their changing needs.