St. Charles’ Primary School Nursery Class

General Policy

This policy reflects the current developments within Curriculum for Excellence and staff plan according to the Levels as set out within the relevant curricular documents. Staff actively self assess utilising the Child at the Centre 2 Quality Indicators and in this way ensure that strengths and developmental needs are clearly identified.

The aims of St. Charles' Nursery Class are:

  • Social / Emotional / Moral Development of the child.
  • Intellectual Development through Looking, Listening, Doing.
  • Language Development of the child.
  • Aesthetic / Psychomotor Development.
  • Physical / Health Education.
  • Home and School Co operation.

To obtain these aims the curriculum in the nursery is based on a process of growth and experience where the child is an active learner and the adult provides the appropriate experiences to allow the child to develop skills and knowledge which form the basis of later learning.

  • Development of Self Awareness.
  • Development of Social skills.
  • Development of Cultural Awareness Skills.
  • Development of Communication Skills.
  • Development of Motor and Perceptual Abilities.
  • Development of Analytical and Problem Solving Skills.
  • Development of Aesthetic and Creative Awareness.

1 Development of Self Awareness

The main skills and concepts that children can develop during pre school years with regard to body and sensory awareness are:

  • Knowledge of the names of various parts of the body.
  • Ability to identify body functions.
  • Understanding that although individuals may differ in appearance all human beings have physical characteristics in common.
  • Acceptance that all people have limits to what they can do.
  • Ability to understand that the body is constantly changing and that physical growth has a beginning and an ending.
  • Knowledge of sensory awareness. The child needs to acquire the vocabulary to enable her to discuss taste, touch, smell, hearing and vision. She also needs concrete experiences upon which to base these discussions.
  • Understanding of the body's limitations i.e. it can become sick or tired.

Emotional Skills to Attempt to Develop and Foster

  • The ability to recognise, accept and talk about feelings like happiness, sadness, anger, surprise etc.
  • The awareness that there is a relationship between emotions and social behaviour.
  • The ability to take action concerning emotional feelings without affecting others, e.g. at home turn T.V. off if programme is frightening: in nursery avoid risk taking activity without the help of an adult.
  • The ability to be sensitive to the needs and feelings of others.

Suggested Activities for Developing Self Awareness Skills.

  • Growing up Mother / Father and baby visit Nursery with all equipment for baby. Mother talks about baby even bathes baby. Discuss differences between child and baby. Compare need of baby with their needs.
  • What size am I? Draw outline of teachers and children on paper. Children decorate themselves, discuss parts of body and compare size of body outlines.
  • What I like about me? Teacher talks about part of body and why it is appreciated s much. Children prompted into describing favourite parts of their bodies.
  • Children encouraged to relax parts of their bodies. Sit and 'experience' feeling of body relaxing.
  • Smelling jars. Several different scents e.g. potpourri, fruit, spices, pine.
  • Simon Says.
  • Reflections Mirror, container with water, spoon, silver foil Children look at their reflection in each object. Teacher demonstrates how each object reflects differently.
  • Follow the Leader.

2 Development of Social Skills

From watching adults in nursery environment children will learn not only what is socially acceptable in such a situation but also ways to interact effectively with adults outside the family. Within the nursery, children will have the opportunity to socialise with members of their peer group. Children should have opportunities to play together free from adult interference. In the main, it is the peer group which provides children with opportunities to nurture their social skills and by means of social comparison leads the way to further self understanding. Social skills; fall into three main areas - Affiliation; Cooperation and resolution of conflict: Kindness care and affection.

Affiliation Skills

The adult has an important role to play helping children develop these skills through their peer group.

  • The child should learn how to break into a situation.
  • The child must manage an encounter while it occurs.
  • The child must extricate herself in an acceptable manner.

Cooperation and Resolution of Conflicts

  • Help children understand reason for rules.
  • Help children identify the cause of conflict.
  • Ensure that the children understand what is involved in the concept of cooperation.
  • Encourage children to look after others and to accept help in return.
  • Provide a learning environment which emphasises cooperation, caring and sharing but also gives the children appropriate opportunities for 'rough and tumble ' play.

Kindness Care and Affection

Kindness and a caring approach are taught by example. Children who spend their time in an atmosphere where adults are helpful and supportive will begin to adopt caring attitudes towards others. An environment which encourages generosity, tolerance., and care for others will enable children to come to understand the difficult abstract concepts of kindness, affection and cruelty.

Suggested activities for developing Social Awareness

  • Name Dropping Teacher sits in a group and suggests that children guess name of child she is thinking about by dropping clues. Children then take turns. This should also help communication skills
  • Let's All Pull Together Strong rope and children all help to move large object.
  • Three-legged Tour Children in Three-legged fashion walk round nursery class.
  • Pass the Parcel Large parcel with lots of paper wrapped round it.
  • Cooperative Musical Chairs When music stops everyone must be seated on a chair or someone's lap.
  • Policeman's Game One child is Policeman and rest of children decide which child is lost. Boy and girl are mother and father and describe their lost child. Teacher could play part of Policeman who finds lost child and asks name and address. Children take turns to be lost.
  • Imaginative Play Dressing up fosters language and imaginative play. Through Socio-dramatic situations children learn to cooperate and come to understand another person's point of view.
  • Care and Kindness Children handle pet (hamster, rabbit etc,) and are encouraged to be gentle.

Resources

P.E. Equipment, various musical pieces. Home corner withdressing up clothes.

3 Development of Cultural Awareness

Learning about our society involves children finding out about jobs that exist in the community- e.g. postman, milkman, policeman.

Town children have different cultural background from country and vice versa.

Fostering Multicultural Awareness Integration of Multi Cultural Education into the curriculum is essential. It is not another 'activity' but a way of life.

  • Encourage activities which enhance self awareness and appreciation of each child's feelings and competencies.
  • Encourage children to discuss how their lives are similar yet different. Children should become aware of cultures other than their own.
  • Encourage children to appreciate that other people may have points of view and feelings different from their own.
  • Broaden the cultural basis of the curriculum to include discussion and activities related to different types of clothing, speech, music and food. Children can be introduced to the celebrations of other cultures like Diwali, Chinese New Year, Eid.

Suggested Activities for Developing Cultural Awareness Skills

Life in the community children have the opportunity to make close contact with community at large. Where possible children visit fire station, post office, health centre, hospital, police station or representatives are encouraged to visit nursery.

Clothing Children see pictures of garments of other countries.

Housing Children made aware of various types of houses. Make models.

Music Play various types of music.

Cooking introduce various foods, fruits, herbs and spices. Discuss the various tastes and textures.

Observe festivals

Books in the nursery area which reflect a range of cultures.

4 Development of Communication Skills

Each child comes into nursery with a different background of linguistic experience. Some may lack the necessary confidence and appropriate skills; to handle language in a class situation. Language is not only a means of communication, it is also a tool for thinking. Language involves listening and speaking.

Listening is a receptive system which involves:

  • The physical aspect of hearing;
  • The attention of the learn ; and
  • The ability; to process auditory information.

Speaking is an expressive language system which involves:

  • The production of speech sounds.
  • The ability; to produce meaningful sentences and use grammar. and
  • The ability; to use speech for a range of purposes.

The Teacher can use 5 strategies (Joan Tough 1977)

  • Orienting strategies utterances, questions and comments that direct the child's attention towards a particular topic e.g. predicting, reasoning and imagining.
  • Enabling strategies Comments which help towards further discussion e.g. follow through focusing and checking strategies.
  • Informing strategies Strategies which provide information or ideas when the child seems receptive towards then.
  • Sustaining strategies Comments aimed at encouraging the child to continue talking [frequently non verbal smile, nod of head].
  • Concluding strategies In order to leave child with a feeling of satisfaction the teacher needs to bring dialogue to a conclusion yet leave the way clear for later talk.

Teachers can entourage language skills; by:

  • Listening to children
  • Give them something to talk about. Use pictures, visits to places of interest.
  • Encourage conversation and dialogue. Shared experiences cap be very fruitful. e.g. antics of family pet, new clothes, new baby.
  • Provide opportunities for listening skills. At milk / snack times. Have a quiet time when we listen to the sounds around us. Teacher makes intentional mistakes to well known nursery rhymes.
  • Help them to understand what they are doing or saying.

Development of Communication Skills through Music, Movement and Dance

Children need help in interpreting emotional cues. Opportunities for expressive movement offered in the nursery help children begin to understand the gestures which tell adults so much about the other person's feelings. Young children enjoy the possibility for self expression that occurs during music and movement sessions as it not only stimulates the child's imagination but offers many opportunities for emotional release. Music is an ideal medium for communicating ethnic differences and the special qualities of various cultures. Children should not only listen to music but be encouraged to make their own as they enjoy exploring sounds and rhythms not only with instruments, professional and home made, but also with their voices.

Development of Communication Skills

  • Growing Water Children sit on floor and drink an imaginary potion of 'Growing Water'. Talk them through the process of growing until the room is filled with giants. Repeat process using a potion.
  • Moving Towards Children express how they understand and feel about certain words. e.g. stretch, bend, turn, walk, bounce, roll, leap.
  • Talk about a Picture Picture of everyday scenes including people. Ask children what is happening in picture. Ask if appropriate to predict what will happen next.
  • Name the Object Sound Lotto
  • Favourite Stories Ask individual children to do things during story.
  • Imprinting Damp sand and assortment of objects.
  • Spontaneous Dancing Using various tapes and music.
  • See Through Painting Children put blobs of paint onto paper. Cover with cling film. Use rolling pin to spread the paint and see the colours mixing through the cling film.

Resources

Carnival of Animals, Fingals Cave - Mendelssohn, 1812 Overture - Tchaikovsky, Nutcracker Suite - Tchaikovsky, Ginn Level 'O' little books - Pre - reading, Sound Lotto, Galt Perpetual games, Library constantly changed and updated.

5 Development of Motor Perceptual Abilities

Motor movements are divided into two kinds.

  • Gross motor movements -involves large muscles -walking, running, skipping, balancing (Locomotion Skills).
  • Fine motor movements, involves use of limited individual parts of the body -hands, fingers, in performance of precise movements-cutting, writing, pasting. (Manipulative Skill). Close functional relationship here between the eyes and small muscles of the hands and fingers (or feet).

Locomotion Skills

Walking, Jumping, Skipping, Climbing, Hopping, Running, Galloping.

Development of Balance Skills

Static Balance

  • Standing on tip toe
  • Balance on one foot

Dynamic Balance

  • Walking along bean
  • Walking with bean bag on a part of the body
  • Body rolling

Development of Manipulative Skills

  • Throwing, Catching, Striking, Kicking, Bouncing.

Manipulative Skills Using Fine Motor Control

  • Personal skill, dressing and undressing, (especially use of buttons and zips), teeth cleaning, using cutlery.
  • Building with blocks, Lego Stickle bricks etc.
  • Jigsaws eye - hand coordination and spatial ability.
  • Use of tools in cookery etc.
  • Use of pencils, crayons, pens, paintbrushes.
  • Use of scissors.
  • Copying shapes.
  • Pouring water.
  • Threading and sewing.
  • Ability to handle small animals

Suggested Activities for Development of Motor and Perceptual Skills

  • Bouncing Bodies - teacher demonstrates two hand bouncing children copy.
  • Over and Under - follow my leader through 'course' (over and under).
  • Stepping Stones - paper islands and simple story line.
  • Shake and freeze - children run and freeze when they stop shake hand and freeze.
  • Mystery Guest - cover eyes with scarf, child guesses who is there by touch.
  • Mirrors discuss - reflections.
  • Feely bag.
  • Kim's Game.
  • Traffic Lights - Adult holds large colours (red, orange, green) and children move according to the colour of the traffic lights

Resources

P.E. Equipment, large nursery equipment, boxes, slide, climbing frame, boat, trampoline, building blocks, Lego etc. jigsaws, scissors, cookery equipment, water.

6 Development of Analytical and Problem Solving Skills

Problem solving involves an inquiring mind and a natural curiosity, and in this respect children are natural problem solvers. What teachers need to do is to provide the educational experiences to enhance these activities.

Children require certain cognitive skills in order to become logical thinkers.

Observation Skills

Children should have practice in looking carefully at both two and three dimensional objects and taught how to look. Discussion centred on observation of specific objects also provide controversy and interest and children become aware that we do not all see the 'same thing'. Each person places a greater emphasis on different features.

Classification Skills

  • Give children the opportunity to investigate and describe to adults and other children the characteristics of various objects - size, shape, function, smell, sound, taste, feel etc. Both usual and unusual things should be offered.
  • Encourage children to describe ways in which materials are similar and different. Children require many experiences of sorting and matching before they fully understand the words 'same and different'.
  • Encourage children to determine grouping categories for themselves as in this way they are more likely to appreciate that objects can be used and described in different ways.
  • Help children to understand the difference between 'some and all'. Children may need opportunities to carry out instructions and hear the words used in appropriate contexts before they can make distinctions between these terms.

Ordering Skills

Children need.

  • Opportunities to arrange things in order. Children should be encouraged to use the appropriate vocabulary like 'tall, 'taller', 'big', 'bigger' when discussing size relations. Children can also grade items from rough to smooth, flavours from sweet to sour, etc.
  • Opportunities to make comparisons as they play with materials. Differences between objects must be obvious as children at this stage cannot make comparisons.
  • Opportunities to match one ordered set of objects to another.

Number Skills

  • Ways to encourage children to develop their concept of number include: Counting objects. Children may only repeat numbers simply for the pleasure of saying them and are very likely to count in the wrong order. The adult can accept the child's tally and at a later stage count correctly in front of the child who will imitate and eventually use the correct order.
  • Provide opportunities for the children to develop one to one correspondence. Laying the table, fit straws into milk or brush to paint pot.
  • Comparing amounts. Children should be provided with the opportunity to help compare continuous and non - continuous quantities e.g. sand is continuous and is poured, beads can be counted separately and are discontinuous.

Spatial Relation Skills

  • Give children opportunities to fit things together and take them apart. Children will become aware of the way things fit together e.g. screw, clip, push and how same fit easily and others need precise manipulation.
  • Encourage children to rearrange and reshape objects and materials.
  • Encourage children to observe things from a different spatial perspective.
  • Help children to become more aware of their bodies and the different ways they can move.
  • Encourage children to look at and discuss drawings, photographs and pictures so that they can compare reality with pictorial representations.

Temporal Awareness Skills

Although it will be a long while after the nursery years before children develop objective ideas about time there are a number of ways in which this temporal awareness can be fostered.

  • Sequencing activities in which children are encouraged to describe past events and anticipate future events.
  • Discussing major events in the children's lives and in the calendar e.g. birthdays, holidays, Christmas, Easter, Halloween.
  • Commenting on seasonal changes.
  • Exploring materials like alarm clocks, egg timers, metronomes and discussing their uses as timers.
  • Warning children that they will have to stop their current activity and prepare for another event within a specified time - no more than five minutes ahead.

Understanding the Relationship between Cause and Effect