This half term, our children have been busy exploring the theme of Journeys and Discovery.
For adults, a journey might mean travelling somewhere new. For young children, however, a journey can be as simple as following a map, finding a familiar landmark, discovering a new route through the park or learning how to cross a road safely. Every day brought opportunities to explore, investigate and make sense of the world around them.
Our words of the week included ‘fly’, ‘zoom’, ’stop, look and listen’ and ‘map’ and we went from Sutton to outer space.
One of the highlights of the half term was learning about our local area. We spent time out and about in the community, visiting local landmarks and talking about the places that are important to us. These experiences helped children develop a sense of belonging and an understanding of the neighbourhoods in which they live.
Back at preschool, the children explored maps and atlases, talked about different ways of travelling and even created maps of their own. Some carefully drew roads and buildings, while others used blocks, loose parts and small world resources to represent the places they knew. Through this play they began to understand that maps help us find our way and represent the world around us.
Road safety was another important focus. The children practised stopping, looking and listening before crossing roads and discussed how to keep themselves safe when out and about. These are valuable life skills that help children develop awareness of their surroundings and begin to understand how to assess risk.
As always, learning extended far beyond the topic itself. Through discussions, storytelling and role play, children developed their language and communication skills. Creating maps and representing their ideas supported early mark making and literacy development. Exploring routes, directions and landmarks introduced mathematical concepts such as position, distance and sequencing. Working together encouraged cooperation, turn-taking and problem-solving.
Perhaps most importantly, the theme sparked curiosity. Children asked questions, shared experiences of places they had visited and made connections between their learning at preschool and the world beyond our gates. Every journey begins with a single step, and every day is a learning adventure.
At Play B C, we believe children learn best when they are actively involved in meaningful experiences. Journeys and Discovery gave us countless opportunities to do just that—exploring, questioning, investigating and learning together.
We can’t wait to see where our next adventure takes us.