Reception - Franklin Class and Nightingale Class

Personal, Social and Emotional development 

• Exploring our school values 

• Considering others and promoting empathy 

• Exploring the similarities and differences between us and how celebrations at this time of year take place around the world 

• Bonfire safety and staying safe if out ‘Trick or Treating’ 

• Think about our own fears and what we might be afraid of – are we afraid of the dark also?  If we are afraid of something, what can we do to help?   

• Remembrance Sunday 

• Overcoming worries and developing our Zones of Regulation toolkit 

• Learning about Hannukah  

• Talk about it being a festival of light – why do they think it is a festival of light?  Can the children think of any festivals of light that they celebrate? 

• Value of the month: Appreciation. How can we show ‘Appreciation’ towards each other? 

• Christmas 

Communication and Language 

• While listening to Room on the Broom, the children can begin to say out loud the repeated refrains 

• Talking about jobs that are done at night and how they see – what do we need in order to see in the dark? What are the different types of light sources used for? 

• Talk about people who help us and how they keep us safe. Then discuss how do we keep ourselves safe, near a flame, being near a road, using kitchen equipment, etc,. 

• What advice would you give to a friend who felt nervous about something?  Strategies to support moving from the yellow zone. 

• Discussing our homes and where we live. Talking about shelters and why we need them.    

• vocabulary focus- nocturnal and diurnal. Which animals fit into which category? 

• How do some families celebrate Christmas? What's your tradition? 

• Talk about similarities and differences between how we celebrate.  Think about what Christians do to celebrate at Christmas time and how this is the same as Diwali celebrations. 

Physical development 

• Fine motor: using tweezers to collect items for own potion- spiders, cobwebs, sequins etc   

• PE focus session. Fireworks themed Dance with scarves, music for the royal fireworks by Handel   

•  Chalk disco (chalks on playground – keep drawing as the music, fast squiggles for fast music, slow and long for slow music??)  

• I can change how I move to different types of music (fast, slow).    

• Fine motor activities –buttoning up pyjamas 

• Making shapes in movement – moving from one shape to another: spiky shape, round shape, big shape, small shape – transitions through the shapes. Learning to share the space and also dancing on the spot  

• Think about winter related movements: snow falling, frozen ice, ice skating. 

• Wrapping presents and tying ribbons 

Literacy 

• Read Room on the Broom and write potions and their ingredients 

• Write a label to go on their potion bottle 

• Bonfire Night writing: drawing and labelling their favourite firework 

• Sensory trays filled with tea leaves and glitter to practise letter formation in 

• What would you pack inside your ‘being brave’ backpack?  Choose and label items with initial sounds or the complete words in captions if possible 

• Add labels to shelters made for an animal- own names, name for the shelter, features 

• Writing a wish list or letter for Father Christmas 

Mathematics 

• Exploring composition of numbers through addition (i.e. combining smaller ‘parts’ to create one larger ‘whole’ number. 

• Exploring time- thinking about sequences of events and daily routines 

• 2D shapes 

• Spatial Awareness  

• ABC Patterns. 

Understanding the World 

• What bonfire night is and why we have it in England. That it is not a custom around the world, just in this country. 

• Notice changes over the day –when is it lighter/darker outside. 

• Water play around washing babies before bed. 

• Matching activities –do we use this item at daytime or night-time?  

• Remembrance Day: understanding events of the past 

• Why does it get dark at night-time? Why is it light in the daytime?  

• Visit a local area to spot animals who are awake in the daytime 

• Examine photos or real-life different types of shelters and constructions.  What materials do they use (bricks, straw).  How have the bricks been joined together for example? 

• Exploring Hannukah as a festival of light and talking about festivals of light that they might celebrate too 

• Why do animals need shelter? What must our shelter have to protect an animal- roof, warmth, door? 

• Recycling gift wrapping paper and cards 

Expressive Arts and Design 

• Potions in the water tray: coloured water, sequins, etc: exploring texture and colour  

• Explore colour through chalk on black paper – fireworks 

• owl pictures and shadow puppets.  

• Creating a dark den together. 

• Emergency services role play. 

• Sensory activities involving autumnal leaves and making nests or dens. 

• Making shelters outside with sheets and loose parts. Challenge children to think about adapting their shelter to meet certain criteria (e.g. Can you make your shelter big enough for 3 friends? 

• Mix “concrete” (sand and water) to join blocks and bricks together in a tuff tray.  Use different raking tools. 

• Cutting playdough and other malleable materials. Have a range of cutting tools including scissors for the children to build their fine motor skills. 

• Christmas post office role play