EYFS- a Pre-grooming Session for Three to Five-year-old Children

Vinod Kakumanu
Dec. 31, 2019, 11:42 a.m.

The Formative years of a child is crucial because it sets standards for the development and learning of a child from three to five years of age. Children deserves a best possible start to utilize their full potential in their evolvement and progress. The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is a term invented by British Government’s Childcare Act 2006 which is prominent for grooming a child in their early years. Three to five years is an age where children have the ability to grasp things and whatever they learn would be engraved in their minds.

The EYFS makes sure to provide children with healthy and safe learning environment. It advocates school readiness and gives children wider knowledge about developing skills for progress in the future.

Let’s discuss some of the themes and principles such as

It says every child is unique and a competent learner who is resilient to take up challenges
They will emerge as strong and confident if they have a base of cordial relationships with their parents.
They will have access to an environment which is safe and secure.
Children learn at different pace and all areas of learning has got equal importance.

EYFS has incorporated with some activities which are specially designed for young children. Pre- writing and reading activities have been employed for them which is conducted in a way that builds interests in them.

Primary learning goals of EYFS

Listening: children listen to stories attentively and respond to what they hear with relevant questions and comments.
Understanding: one of the main qualities of children are they ask several questions. This indicates how much they have understood about the concept.
Speaking: They express effectively using past, present and future forms to convey the message. They are also good at connecting ideas and events while explaining a narrative.
Personal hygiene: They manage cleanliness and hygiene by themselves.
Social and emotional development, self-confidence: children of early years are uninhibited to try out new activities. They are confident to speak in a group and share their thoughts and feelings to others.

The EYFS seeks to offer quality and consistency in learning for future development of children and creating a learning base which are planned around their needs and interests.

Assessment in Every Stage

The assessment would help parents and carers in knowing about children’s progress. It is called formative assessments which is an integral part in the learning process. The carers should share about their improvement daily to their parents. The assessment should include interaction with children with limited paperwork or worksheets

When the child is between two or three years of age, carers are supposed to review their progress and provide parents with a short-written note about the child. The written summary should highlight areas where the child is showing progress, the weaker areas and finally areas where the child needs additional support.

In the final stage i.e. when the child reaches five years, carers should complete the EYFS profile which should have relevant observations of the child. They should also include whether the child is meeting expectation level or not.

Before the child gets admitted in the school, they should share the child’s profile with parents which is to be forwarded to the school where the child is taking admission. The report or profile should reflect on the child’s abilities and skills including where the child needs proper assistance.

School Serv has implemented the EYFS at explorica. It is an ongoing practice to integrate early childhood learning in schools for the betterment of children.

Learning that is done in the early years lets children explore different horizons at an early age which would definitely turn out to be fruitful for their growing up years.