By Guest

• June 23, 2011
Juliet Mickelburgh Another topic support article with 12 focus activity sheets, a booklist and a mindmap. These are ideas only: ANY CURRICULUM LINKS DO NOT RELATE TO THE CURRENT (2012) EYFS REQUIREMENTS

'Transport' is a topic that is easily accessed by children. We all have to travel from A to B, even if we walk everywhere. It is a great subject for inviting children's own experiences, as well as involving parents and carers and the local community. Invite a taxi or bus driver in to talk about what they do, or a parent who travels a lot for their work to talk about airports and planes. 'Transport' is also a way in to looking at how we impact on the environment and what we can do to make the earth, and ourselves, healthier.

In this section you will find a mind map and a list of the areas of learning with some quick suggestions and ideas. There are also activities for each area, linked to the EYFS, and a book list to accompany the topic.

Overview

This Topic includes a book list, mind map and suggested activities to cover the six areas of learning. The mindmap bullet points are included as a separate document for ease of reference, but also listed in the 'Ideas and Suggestions' sections below. Most of the early years publications available have covered this topic, often more than once, so don't forget to check your own resources! There are usually book recommendations and other resource suggestions in the topic forum as well, so make sure you have a browse through the discussions to see if there is anything else of interest.

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

• Road safety
• Small world road and track activities
• Discuss personal journeys the children have been on
• Use chairs to be an impromptu bus/plane/car/train
• Healthy and eco ways of travelling – walking, biking, public transport
• Act out unusual ways to travel, e.g. Magic carpet/hot air balloon
• Circle time
• Role play
• Picture and poster resources
• Large cardboard boxes/packing crates can be transformed into any vehicle
• Rescue vehicles – ambulance/fire engine/helicopter/life boat

Activities

Building Ramps /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Getting to Australia /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Communication, language and literacy (CLL)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Photographs of different types of transport
• Role play – travel agents/airport check in/train station/campsite/garage
• Small world road and track layouts
• Collection of holiday postcards
• Story making – a magic carpet ride/a hot air balloon ride/ a ride on a broomstick
• Circle time
• Memory and list games – ‘I packed my bag and in it I put…’
• Audio resources of traffic sounds
• Books, fiction and non fiction
• Songs and rhymes
• Play writing opportunities – lists/letters/postcards
• Make tickets for train/plane/bus journeys

Activities

I packed my bag /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Travelling snacks /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Knowledge and understanding of the world (KUW)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Map making – which way do you come to nursery/school?
• Collection of maps to investigate
• Compare past and present transport
• Collection of tickets from different modes of transport
• Directions games and stop-go games
• Outdoor play – homemade water ways with sections of plastic guttering
• Outdoor play – old car tyres to roll around
• Wet sand tray – tracks
• Water tray – boats
• How do animals travel?
• Road safety
• Visit from local taxi/bus driver
• Take a bike apart using spanners, screwdrivers etc.

Activities

Map making /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Boat trip /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Display example

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Problem solving, reasoning and numeracy (PSRN)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Data handling – how do we come to nursery?
• Data handling – monitor traffic – record as bar charts/pictograms
• Positional words and games
• Maths trails – follow the tracks
• Sorting vehicles
• Books
• Songs and rhymes
• Making 3D models of vehicles
• Role play areas
• Count down for a rocket launch
• Using money in role play – e.g. buying tickets
• Make paper aeroplanes

Activites

Ferry across the river /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

All aboard /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Physical Development (PD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Transport mimes – getting on a train/into a boat/in a car
• Movements based on vehicles
• Follow my leader
• Stop/go games using traffic light colours
• Positional games
• Fast/slow games based on modes of transport
• Construction kits
• Make tracks with footprints
• Set up an obstacle course to travel along
• Action songs

Activites

The bell on the bus /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Traffic jam /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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Creative Development (CD)

Ideas and Suggestions:

• Tyre prints/rubbings
• Painting with wheels
• 3D models of vehicles
• Floating music and hot air balloons
• Songs and rhymes
• Book collections about single types of transport e.g. stories about cars
• Selection of large cardboard boxes for imaginative play
• Imitate vehicle sounds with musical instruments
• Collection of audio resources – vehicle sounds
• Making postcards
• Dressing up in uniforms
• Make paper aeroplanes
• Body sounds and rhythms

Activites

Making tracks /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

Blast off /forums/uploads/word.gif /forums/uploads/pdficon.gif

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'Transport' 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 'Transport' forum here

Other Resources

• A booklist is available here:

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• 'mindmap' document here:

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