Spring

Personal Social and Emotional

Talk about the changes that happen from winter to spring.    As part of a circle-time activity, pass a spring-themed soft toy (such as a lamb) around the circle. When a child is holding the lamb, it is their turn to speak. Encourage the children to show confidence by sharing their favourite spring activity with the rest of the group, e.g., splashing in puddles, planting flowers, or seeing baby animals.

Communication and Language

Use spring display photos as a prompt for discussion, introducing new vocabulary to the children. Discuss what the children already know about spring and let them lead their learning by discussing what they would like to find out.

Literacy

Share a spring-themed story with the children, such as Jack and the Beanstalk As you read, demonstrate some of the key concepts of print by following the print from left to right with your finger and talking about the different parts of the book. Share some spring-themed rhymes with the children, the lovely ‘Daffodil finger action rhyme’. As they recite or sing the rhyme, encourage them to listen for rhyming words.

Physical Development

Support developing independence by helping children to practice fastening clothes and putting on boots when playing outside in springtime weather. Encourage children to develop movement skills by exploring different ways of moving as represented by spring activities and objects. For example, jumping like a bunny, growing tall like a flower, skipping like a lamb, crawling like a caterpillar, or hopping like a frog.

Mathematics

Play a magic bean game with the children. Paint some broad bean seeds in bright colours. Take up to five in your hand and scatter them onto the table or carpet. Can the children tell you how many there are without counting them? Can they say the amount and show you using their fingers? 

Understanding the World

Go on a walk, exploring signs of spring. Talk about the changes that happen as winter turns to spring and introduce spring vocabulary. Explore the life cycle of a butterfly. Set up a live butterfly kit and invite children to observe and talk about the changes that are happening.

Expressive Art and Design

Provide a range of instruments and ask the children to think about how they could use these to recreate different types of spring weather, such as a windy day, a rainstorm or thunder.

Make a spring senses collage using a range of spring-themed items collected on a spring walk. Use blossom, lambswool, eggshells, feathers, catkins, twigs, petals and leaves and encourage children to think about the different textures of the materials as they use them.

Focused Vocabulary

  Spring, lambs, buds, blossom, butterfly, hatch, daffodils, flowers, chick.