Preschool news 23.10.26

Preschool Newsletter – Hedgehogs, Pumpkins and Kind Choices

We’ve had a lovely final week of the half term in Preschool, full of autumn stories, pumpkin fun and lots of learning through play.

Our story of the week was It Was a Dark, Cold Night, all about a hedgehog searching for a safe place to call home. The children enjoyed talking about where animals live and why they need warm, cosy spaces. This supported Communication and Language as they listened carefully, joined in and shared their ideas.

Our rhyme, Three Little Ducks, linked beautifully to our maths focus on cardinality to 3. We practised counting small groups of objects, sounds and actions, and also recognising that the final number we say tells us “how many” are there. These early number skills support the EYFS area of Mathematics and help children build strong foundations for future counting.

We listened to the story of Patch the Pumpkin and the Peace Club, which helped us think about kindness and making good choices. Together, we decided to follow Patch’s example by trying to be kind, share, help others and include everybody. The children helped turn these ideas into our new Preschool rules, supporting Personal, Social and Emotional Development as they learn how to look after themselves and their friends.

There has been plenty of pumpkin fun this week too. The children used tap a shape boards and paint to decorate pumpkins, building fine motor skills and creativity. We also explored pumpkin slime, noticing its texture and talking about how it felt — a great link to Understanding the World and sensory exploration.

Throughout the week, the children have continued to grow in confidence, independence and curiosity. They are becoming familiar with routines, building friendships and showing pride in their learning.

A Half Term Round Up

It has been a truly lovely half term. The children have settled beautifully, explored their environment with enthusiasm and shown kindness and resilience as they’ve learned new routines. We are so proud of each and every one of them.

We hope you all enjoy a restful and happy break. Next half term, we will be celebrating and commemorating lots of special festivals and events, including St Andrew’s Day, Thanksgiving, Remembrance Day and Diwali. We look forward to sharing these meaningful celebrations with the children.