By Guest

• June 23, 2011
Juliet Mickelburgh Downloadable focus activity plans and other resources and ideas based on the theme of Seasons. These are ideas only: ANY CURRICULUM LINKS DO NOT RELATE TO THE CURRENT (2012) EYFS REQUIREMENTS

Seasons is a useful topic to follow as it can be directly linked to children’s own experiences and can help them to make sense of their world and immediate environment, as well as introducing concepts such as change and time. There are lots of opportunities for outings and popular activities such as baking and planting (you might like to look at Mundia’s excellent article- link please on seasonal growing)

Overview

As usual, you will find a mind map of ideas followed by a series of detailed plans for the six areas of learning. The approach is slightly different this time, though, as I have tried to include ideas that can be fairly easily adapted to meet the needs of each season, as opposed to four sets of different ideas.

Personal Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

Communication, language and literacy (CLL)

Knowledge and understanding of the world (KUW)

Mathematical Development (MD)

Physical Development (PD)

Creative Development (CD)

Personal, Social and Emotional Development (PSED)

Ideas and Suggestions

• Personal care appropriate for season
• Sun safety
• Planting and caring for seeds/bulbs and subsequent plants
• Discuss different activities in different seasons – how do they make them feel?
• Grow/keep butterflies or frogspawn
• Develop an environmentally friendly area outdoors
• Keeping warm/cool/dry
• Visit a farm or garden centre at different times of year
• Seasonal nature walks
• Look at pictures of the same area in different seasons, discussing changes

Activities

Planning for an Activity/forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Seasonal Walks/forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

(Back to contents list )

Communication, language and literacy (CLL)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Focus on books with a seasonal theme (see booklist)
• Make your own seasonal books
• Make and write greetings cards for seasonal festivals
• Make resource lists and plans for role play areas for the children to help to create
• Make a group version of a favourite seasonal story (e.g., ‘The Very Hungry Caterpillar’ using own favourite foods)
• Seasonal weather word lists, displayed on an appropriate background – cloud/sun etc.
• Seasonal songs/rhymes
• Exploring rhymes
• Have a ‘seasonal party’or event – children make invitations, menus etc
• Make up seasonal stories of your own Discuss what you see on your walks

Activities

I-Spy /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Preparing a Summer Fair /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

(Back to contents list)

Knowledge and understanding of the world (KUW)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Compare pictures of the seasons
• Sort seasonal pictures into the season to which they belong, then sort the seasons into the correct sequence
• Using scissors and other simple tools to make books, collages, cards as appropriate
• Seasonal festivals
• Seasonal walks or visits to farms or garden centres
• Compare growth of plants started at different times of year or group pets- make timelines
• Grow butterflies or frogspawn – always return them to their natural surroundings!
• Observe puddles/shadows/rainbows; find out about them
• Look at different sorts of weather
• Make a party ‘item’ – e.g. cress ‘spring bonnet’ or food for the party or event
• Garden hunts – what can they find in different seasons

Activities

Cornflour Dough /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Looking at Photographs /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Display example

(Back to contents list)

Mathematical Development (MD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Using group version of a favourite story (as above), practise counting/shape hunts etc
• Make a seasonal number or shape frieze
• Turn-taking games using dice (you could make your own seasonal ones)
• Collect and measure rainfall – record and perhaps compare throughout the seasons. Try with snow or ice in winter
• Decorating seasonal shapes using patterns
• Sorting by size, colour or shape
• Fruit and vegetable pattern printing
• Cooking activities

Activites

Autumn Basket Game /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Gingerbread Men /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

(Back to contents list)

Physical Development (PD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Seasonally appropriate clothing and precautions
• Mime or dance activities
• Movement activities such as jumping like frogs
• During movement/dance sessions think about changes that happen to their bodies
• Discuss the importance of appropriate foods or drinks
• Healthy foods, in season
• Parachute or lycra play
• Clay or playdough
• Outdoors large games
• Sports days Dressing races

Activites

Discussing Seasonal Walks /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Dressing Races /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

(Back to contents list)

Creative Development (CD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Make model environments to illustrate seasons e.g. ponds
• Collage of seasonal scenes
• Seasonal observational drawing
• Act out favourite seasonal stories
• Use instruments or hands/voices to create weather sounds, developing into a ‘soundscape’ story of a storm or similar
• Dance sessions to music reflecting seasons or weather
• Making cards or decorations for festivals or your ‘seasonal’ party or other event
• Make a seasonal ‘party hat’
• Free painting
• Clay or playdough
• Creating a seasonally appropriate role play area e.g. travel agent, Christmas grotto
• ‘Magic carpet’ rides

Activites

Magic Carpet Rides /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Making Model Environments /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

(Back to contents list)

'Seasons' Forum

Accompanying this article we have a dedicated Forum area - please feel free to join in and contribute to discussions and suggestions on the topic. Find the 'Seasons' forum here

Other Resources

• A booklist is available here
• 'mindmap' document in MS Word format - click here
• Visit the gallery for ideas for seasonal displays - and upload some of your own!