Little Pixies Learning & Development   

Learning experiences are woven throughout our day at Little Pixies. Some examples are:-

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Meal times

Shared mealtimes help to develop children's social skills as they interact with others and learn how to engage in a conversation. Chatting over dinner can help to boost a child's vocabulary. The comfort and familiarity of sharing a meal is good for our mental health

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Outside play

We believe in outdoor play and access to fresh air every day, whether they are using our large garden or going on walks around the farm, village and local park.  We feel there is no such thing as bad weather just inappropriate clothing.  All in one suits and wellies a must!  During unstructured outdoor play, children have the freedom to engage with their peers and understand how to interact with one another. It also allows children to develop and express their individual personalities. Some children like being the leader, while others prefer to go along with the group and some enjoy playing on their own. Yet other children enjoy doing all three. Outdoor play lets children establish relationships with their peers in the way they feel most comfortable. 

Language Skills: By freely interacting with peers, children have the opportunity to speak to one another, have conversations and continue improving their language skills.

Gross Motor Skills-  Outdoor play allows children to work on their whole body movement. This includes actions like alternating their feet to walk up and down the hill, bouncing, climbing and jumping. Spatial awareness is also a skill that outdoor play helps to make children aware of. This includes a child’s ability to navigate through equipment, learning to avoid bumping into objects and being mindful of looking ahead rather than behind them when walking. These are skills a child will benefit from on a daily basis, but need to be practiced!

 

Adult guided

We have an adult guided opportunity every morning & afternoon, these provide opportunities for introducing new knowledge or ideas, and for developing and practising skills. The activities can provide a new stimulus, or an opportunity to revisit or further develop learning. This could be based around a child's interest, the season, a cohort group needs, etc.

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Stories and songs

Nursery rhymes and stories provide bite-sized learning opportunities for young children to develop key developmental skills and can often be the trigger for hours of creative and open-ended play. They are a powerful learning source in early literacy and enable children to become interested in the rhythm and patterns of language. Consider the alliteration in “A Sailor Went to Sea Sea Sea”, or the onomatopoeia in “Baa Baa Black Sheep” and rhyme in “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star”. Many nursery rhymes are also repetitive which can support the development of memory and kickstart the practice of listening and speaking.

Nursery rhymes/ stories provide other key benefits such as- 

Communication and Language Development

Rhymes/ stories are fantastic vocabulary boosters. They often feature a pleasing rhythmic pattern and simple repetitive phrases that babies and young children find easy to remember and repeat. In order to develop their phonological awareness, children need to be repeatedly exposed to spoken language and nursery rhymes provide the perfect way to do this.

Physical Development

The opportunity to ‘act out’ a favourite rhyme/ story will be a welcome activity for active minds and fidgety bodies. Physical participation in action songs encourage children to develop their fine and gross motor control skills as well as balance, coordination and the skills needed to follow simple instructions.

Numeracy

Counting songs/ stories that encompass numbers (e.g “Five Currant Buns” "Ten in a bed") help to develop a familiarity with number sounds and words in a way that is fun and interesting to a young child. Songs such as ‘When Goldilocks Went To The House Of The Bears’ also introduce the concept of scale, size and order. Familiarity with counting songs provides the foundation for crucial numeracy skills and awareness.

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