Understanding the World
Posted on 18th October 2022 at 09:23
A key part to a child’s development is learning about other people, where they live and the environment around them. In the EYFS, this is broken down into people and communities, the world, and technology. We’re going to be looking at ‘the world’ and giving you some fun activities that you can do with your little one to help develop their understanding of the world.
A child’s knowledge of the world begins with them noticing what’s around them, whether it’s the natural environment such as trees and grass or the urban environment like roads and buildings. They will start to notice things on their way to and from their home and their development of the wider world begins.
Big V Small
A brilliant, fun and free activity to do with your child is to compare sizes through nature. This can be done time and time again by talking different things in nature, but we find it works best when the objects are in front of them. At this time of year, we can compare pumpkins, berries, conkers and leaves but there are many different things we can use throughout the year. This can be expanded on by introducing new language that describes size which can then be applied to natural objects around us. Words like huge, gigantic, humongous, enormous, giant, massive, tiny, teeny, small and little can help your child understand nature that much better. They will eventually be able to tell you that the planet is ginormous, trees are huge, people are big, flowers are small, and ants are tiny!
DIY Bird Feeders
This cheap and cheerful activity will encourage lots of birds (and maybe even the odd squirrel!) to an outdoor space and helps your child understand more about the natural world and the animals that live in it. All you need is a toilet roll tube, lard, mixed seeds and string to get started. First, make two small holes opposite each other at one end of the tube. Next, feed the string through. You only need enough to hang it from a tree or balcony. Then, roll the tube in lard, followed by the seeds. They should stick to the tube and it’s ready to be hung! You can sit and watch the birds peck away at the feeder and speak about the different birds that come up – their colour, species and number of birds.
Throughout the year, we carry out plenty of activities that help your child understand the world around them and these activities are only intended to supplement their learning from home. There are, of course, many other ways your little one might enjoy learning about the natural world. What activities have you tried at home? What did you find your child did and didn’t like doing? We’d love to know your experiences!
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