Butterflies Room
3-5 Years

Preschool Curriculum Overview:

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​Our Curriculum is designed to be flexible and engaging for young children. This curriculum ensures that all areas of the EYFS are integrated into daily activities, supporting a well-rounded development for preschool-aged children.

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The 7 areas of learning and development in the EYFS (Early Years Foundation Stage) framework are as follows:

1. Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED)
   This area focuses on helping children develop a positive sense of themselves, manage emotions, form positive relationships, and develop a sense of responsibility and social awareness.

2. Communication and Language (CL)
   This area is all about supporting children to communicate effectively. It includes listening and understanding, speaking and using language, and developing an early understanding of literacy skills.

3. Physical Development (PD)
   This area focuses on children's development of fine and gross motor skills. It includes activities that help children build strength, coordination, and control over their movements, as well as an understanding of healthy lifestyles.

4. Literacy (L)
   Literacy focuses on reading and writing. This includes understanding and enjoying stories, beginning to recognise letters, and developing early writing skills.

5. Mathematics (M)
   Mathematics involves developing skills in counting, understanding shapes and patterns, and developing an understanding of numbers and their relationships.

6. Understanding the World (UW)
   This area helps children make sense of their world. It includes understanding people, places, technology, and the natural world. Children explore their environment, learn about how things work, and begin to understand different cultures and communities.

7. Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)
   This area encourages children to explore their creativity through art, music, dance, role play, and design. It helps children express themselves in a variety of ways and develop their imagination.​

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Each of these areas plays a crucial role in children's development and learning, supporting them to grow holistically during their early years.

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Age Group: 3–5 years old

 

Introduction to the Butterflies Room & Getting to Know Each Other

• Theme: All About Me

• Social Skills Focus: Learning to share, take turns, and greet others.

• Activities:

  • Circle Time: Introduce each child to the class, ask them about their favourite things (colour, animal, food), and talk about classroom rules.

  • Self-Portraits: Have children draw pictures of themselves using crayons and markers.

  • Songs & Rhymes: Sing "If You're Happy and You Know It" and "The More We Get Together."

  • Sensory Play: Play with playdough, building blocks, or water play.

• Skills Focus: Self-awareness, basic communication, fine motor skills.

 

Colours and Shapes

• Theme: Learning Colours and Shapes

• Math Focus: Identifying colours and shapes, sorting by attributes.

• Activities:

  • Colour Hunt: Go on a scavenger hunt around Butterflies or outside to find objects of different colours.

  • Shape Sorting: Use shape blocks or cut-out paper shapes to sort and match.

  • Art Project: Create a collage using coloured paper or stickers, encouraging children to name the colours as they work.

  • Songs & Rhymes: "Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue" (a song about colours).

• Skills Focus: Colour recognition, shape identification, sorting, creativity.

 

Animals and Nature

• Theme: Farm Animals and Their Sounds

• Science Focus: Understanding animals, their habitats, and sounds.

• Activities:

  • Animal Sounds Game: Play a game where children guess the animal based on its sound (use recorded animal sounds or animal toys).

  • Farm Animal Craft: Make animal masks using paper plates and craft supplies.

  • Nature Walk: Take a walk around the schoolyard to explore plants, insects, and any animals you might see.

  • Songs & Rhymes: "Old MacDonald Had a Farm" and "Bingo" (about a dog).

• Skills Focus: Animal recognition, listening skills, creativity, and physical activity.

 

Numbers and Counting

• Theme: Counting and Numbers

• Math Focus: Counting objects, recognising numbers 1-10.

• Activities:

  • Counting Songs: Sing songs like "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe" or "Five Little Ducks."

  • Number Puzzles: Use simple puzzles with numbers and pictures (e.g., matching numbers to a set of objects).

  • Math Art: Draw pictures of objects and count how many there are (e.g., three apples, four stars).

  • Number Line Jumping: Use a floor number line and have children jump to different numbers as you call them out.

• Skills Focus: Number recognition, counting, physical movement, and early math skills.

 

Community Helpers

• Theme: Exploring Jobs in the Community

• Social Studies Focus: Understanding different community helpers.

• Activities:

  • Dress-Up and Role Play: Set up a dress-up station with costumes like doctors, firefighters, and police officers for pretend play.

  • Community Helper Discussion: Talk about different jobs people do in the community (e.g., doctors, teachers, postal workers) and what tools they use.

  • Trip or Guest Speaker: If possible, arrange for a community helper to visit or take a trip (e.g., fire station, post office).

  • Songs & Rhymes: "The Wheels on the Bus" (focus on bus driver, etc.).

• Skills Focus: Social awareness, empathy, understanding roles in society.

 

Healthy Bodies and Healthy Foods

• Theme: Taking Care of Ourselves

• Health and Wellness Focus: Healthy eating, hygiene, and physical activity.

• Activities:

  • Fruit and Vegetable Sorting: Provide pictures or plastic fruits and vegetables and have children sort them by colour or type.

  • Healthy Snack Time: Discuss healthy snack choices and encourage children to eat fruits and vegetables during snack time.

  • Hygiene Practice: Practice washing hands properly with soap and water. Discuss the importance of brushing teeth.

  • Exercise: Have a fun workout time with simple exercises like stretching, jumping jacks, or dancing.

  • Songs & Rhymes: "This Is the Way We Wash Our Hands."

• Skills Focus: Hygiene, nutrition, gross motor skills, and healthy habits.

 

Weather and Seasons

• Theme: Exploring Weather and the Seasons

• Science Focus: Understanding different types of weather and the seasons.

• Activities:

  • Weather Chart: Create a weather chart where children can mark whether it's sunny, rainy, snowy, etc.

  • Seasonal Art: Make a tree collage for each season, using cotton for snow in winter, leaves in autumn, etc.

  • Weather Dress-Up: Discuss the clothing appropriate for different seasons (e.g., hats and scarves in winter, shorts in summer).

  • Songs & Rhymes: "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" (talk about rain).

• Skills Focus: Weather recognition, seasonal awareness, creativity.

 

Review and Celebration

• Theme: Let's Celebrate Our Learning

• Focus: Review what we’ve learned over the past weeks.

• Activities:

  • Show and Tell: Children bring an item from home that represents what they’ve learned, like a favourite colour or an animal.

  • Art Gallery: Display the children's artwork from the past weeks and take a "gallery tour."

  • Party Time: Celebrate with a class party that includes snacks, games, and fun activities.

  • Songs & Rhymes: Favourite songs from the curriculum, allowing children to choose.

• Skills Focus: Self-confidence, communication, community building, and celebration of achievements.

 

Ongoing Activities:

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• Storytime: Every day, read a short story or picture book to the class, encouraging discussion and listening skills.

• Outdoor Play: Daily outdoor activities such as running, jumping, and playing with balls, building blocks, or sandbox toys.

• Free Play: Encourage imaginative play through blocks, dolls, and pretend kitchens or tool sets.