Year R - Butterfly Class

 Welcome to Butterfly Class

Class Teacher: Miss Finnis

Teaching Assistant: Miss Gauden

We also have a wonderful team of support staff who will be supporting your child: Mrs Woods and Miss Walsh. 

 

    

EYFS – Term 5 Curriculum Overview

🌱 Term 5: Growing and Changing

This term in Reception, our learning theme is Growing and Changing. Children will explore how plants grow, how the seasons change, and how people grow and change over time. Our learning is shaped by high-quality stories, practical activities and rich discussion, helping children develop curiosity, confidence and a love of learning.

Below is an overview of what your child will be learning across the EYFS areas of learning and key vocabulary.

                                                     

💛 Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

This term, children will develop their understanding of themselves and others by learning that everyone grows and changes over time. They will be supported to build confidence when talking about their ideas and achievements, work cooperatively with their peers, and take turns during group activities. Children will also learn to show care and respect for living things and the environment, supported through stories such as Once There Were Giants and Errol’s Garden, as well as collaborative activities like gardening and Drawing Club sessions.

 

 🗣️ Communication and Language

Children will continue to strengthen their listening and speaking skills through daily stories, conversations and group discussions. They will be encouraged to ask and answer questions about what they see and experience, use new vocabulary, and talk about changes they observe. Children will also use sequencing language such as first, next, then and finally to explain processes and retell events, as well as talk about past and present experiences.

🏃 Physical Development

This term focusses on developing both fine and gross motor skills. Children will strengthen fine motor control through activities such as planting seeds, drawing, cutting, and early writing. Gross motor skills will be developed through outdoor play, ball games and gardening tasks. Children will also learn how to use tools safely and with increasing confidence and control, helping them to become more independent and resilient learners.

 

📚 Literacy

Through our key texts, including The Gigantic Turnip, Jack and the Beanstalk and Titch, children will develop their enjoyment of stories and early writing skills. They will retell familiar stories using story language and repeated phrases, begin to write simple sentences using finger spaces and full stops, and label drawings or write for a purpose, such as lists, captions and signs. Phonics learning will continue through Twinkl Level 3 Phonics, while Drawing Club sessions support imagination, oral storytelling and early composition.

 

🔢 Mathematics

Using the NCETM Mastering Number programme, children will build a secure understanding of number through practical, hands-on learning. They will develop confidence in subitising up to 6, explore how numbers are made through composition, and compare quantities using language such as more and fewer. As the term progresses, children will begin working with numbers within and beyond 10, with maths learning embedded naturally into everyday play and routines.

 

🌍 Understanding the World

Children will explore and make sense of the world around them by observing seasonal changes and identifying signs of spring. They will learn about plant growth, including seeds, roots, stems and leaves, and observe changes over time by planting sunflowers and beans. Children will also explore how people grow and change from babies into adults, helping them to develop an early understanding of life cycles and their place in the world.

 

🎨 Expressive Arts and Design

Creative learning will be encouraged through opportunities to explore art, music, movement and role-play. Children will create artwork inspired by nature and stories, experiment with a range of materials, colours and tools, and share and talk about their creations with others. They will also act out stories and ideas through imaginative play, supporting self-expression, creativity and confidence.

 

🌼 How You Can Support at Home

You can support your child’s learning at home by talking together about changes you notice in nature, caring for plants, and sharing stories about growing and changing. Encouraging your child to talk about what they have learnt at school helps to build confidence and deepen understanding. Thank you for your continued support—please speak to a member of the Reception team if you have any questions.

Forest School - Tuesday

 

 Your child will need to come to school in their Forest School kit for these sessions, with their school uniform in their bag to change into. Please provide them with old clothes, water proofs and some wellington boots or snow boots. With the weather changing, please ensure your child has clothes that are warm and waterproof, because the weather is always unpredictable. 

P.E. - Thursday

 Please make sure that your child wears their P.E. kit to school Thursday mornings. This should include shorts, a t-shirt and plimsolls/trainers. They are able to wear their P.E. kits for the rest of the day.

How you can help at home

• Read with your child at least three times a week. Every week on Thursday, your child's books will be changed. Please sign the reading record so that you can let us know how they are getting on with their reading at home and so that we can keep track of what books have been read. 
• Practise the phonic sounds we have been learning in class.
• Talk to them about school routines, such as putting their things in their lockers, lunch times, eating, register and tidying up.
• Use the curriculum newsletter to discuss their current learning and encourage them to incorporate what they have been learning into their everyday routines. 
• Explore their interests through play.

Thank you for your support. If you ever have any concerns or questions then please don't hesitate to contact me. I am at the classroom door before and after school or alternatively, you can email me on ClassDojo.

The Term 5 knowledge organiser below will help you to know more about what your child will be learning this term. 

Please click here to access extra phonics, reading and spelling resources.

Please click here to access links to other useful home learning resources published online.

If you are unsure of any log in details please contact the teacher through Class Dojo or email office@pilgrims-way.kent.sch.uk