Page 70: A first week (of two) of teaching - the importance of settling in a child to a new environment in the EYFS

 Page 70: A first week (of two) of teaching - the importance of settling in a child to a new environment in the EYFS.

With our first two weeks of welcoming the youngest children in our education system over and out, this means that we have said good bye to part time with all children beginning full time school on Monday.

The jump from a two hour settling in morning or afternoon session to 8:45-3 is pretty big. In today's post, I am going to share how we settle and prepare our children for full time learning. In their first two weeks of school, all children attend a two hour morning or afternoon session. 

Forming routine, setting expectation and structure is fundamental. With a few variations and build up progression as their time in school expands, this is how be begin.

These follow the general routine of:

- Welcome children in school.

- Parent support child in finding name badge and settle into carpet activity.

- Parents leave and register.

-Short circle time activity. These are focussed on the children getting to know each other, playing lots of name games etc.

- Classroom tour (inc toilets) and set off into provision (splitting equal time in indoor and outdoor provision).

- Tidy up time.

-Story, milk and snack.

- Nursery rhymes and home time.

As mentioned above, it is so important for a firm routine to be in place. Children thrive from this and knowing what is to come and general expectation greatly helps to settle in. They quite simply and quickly get to learn what comes next! The first week mainly consists of exploring the classroom grounds, getting to know provision, their new friends and teachers. As we progress into week 2, this is where we become slightly more adventurous! Now it is time to explore the school grounds.

This includes:

- Walking. This may sound strange but how to form a line and walk around the school sensibly. An effective way is to use a rope. Children one behind each other hold onto the rope to begin to establish the structure of not over taking and walking sensible one behind the other. Praising good walking and selecting a line leader is a great motivator too. 

- Daily trips to the dining hall. For snack time, we take the children to the canteen so they can practice sitting at the tables and the seats they need to for when they are in for full time lunch. They become family with what seems a strange room and even stranger tables.

-Fire drill. To get to our fire assembly point, we need to tackle the great early EYFS challenge of stairs! We practice at quiet times forming a line and using the hand rails to depart down the stairs safely. 

This sums us up to where we are now. I hope if you are an EYFS teacher you have enjoyed your settling in period and look forward to the full tome thing to begin! My best advice is to take it slow, establish routine and ALWAYS headcount. I look forward to the week ahead where we will now begin full time and starting our half term focus - all about me.

To end, entering into our new topic, beginning full time school, being our youngest learners to inspire, this sweet quote sums it all up rather well!

'Dreams come a size to big so we can grow into them.' Josie Bissett.

- Miss Yeoman.