Curriculum
EYFS Based Curriculum and Nursery Education
At Kool Kidze nursery, we are passionate about providing children with inspirational opportunities to learn, create, and play. Our curriculum is rooted in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework, offering a rich, stimulating environment where children aged 9 months to 5 years can flourish. Our play-based learning approach fosters creativity, exploration, and the foundational skills needed for lifelong learning.
Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) Framework
Our curriculum aligns with the EYFS, addressing the unique needs of children from birth to 5 years old. This framework is divided into three prime areas and four specific areas of learning. Learn more below.
Prime Areas
Communication and Language
Children develop confidence in expressing themselves through a language-rich environment, fostering listening and speaking skills across diverse situations.Physical Development
We promote active and interactive learning to enhance children’s coordination, control, and movement while encouraging healthy lifestyle choices.Personal, Social, and Emotional Development
By nurturing positive self-identity, social skills, and emotional well-being, we help children build confidence and respect for others.
Specific Areas
Literacy
Activities like storytelling, poems, and early writing tasks inspire a love for reading and writing.Mathematics
Engaging tasks help develop counting, addition, subtraction, and understanding of shapes, spaces, and measurements.Understanding the World
Children explore their community and environment, learning about people, places, technology, and nature.Expressive Arts and Design
Opportunities for creativity abound with art, music, dance, role-play, and design activities.
The ShREC approach
Supporting children to become better communicators is one of the most powerful things we do as early years educators. Oral language skills are fundamental to children’s learning, thinking and emotional wellbeing. Children who can communicate well can make friends, play, resolve conflicts and tell us how they are feeling. In the short term, children who are better communicators at age five become better readers. In the longer term, they go on to achieve better exam results at age 16 and are more likely to gain higher-paid employment as adults (Shuey and Kankaraš, 2018).
STEM Learning
At Kool Kidze, we recognise that the early years are a vital time for building the foundations of lifelong learning. In today’s fast-changing world, skills such as critical thinking, problem-solving, creativity, and adaptability are more important than ever, and many of these are nurtured through STEM learning.
STEM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. While often associated with secondary education, the early years are actually one of the best times to introduce STEM in fun, playful, and age-appropriate ways. In fact, young children are natural scientists and engineers – asking questions, exploring materials, and solving problems through hands-on discovery.
STEM learning in the early years is an integrated, holistic approach that encourages children to explore the world through inquiry, experimentation, and creative thinking. It’s not about formal instruction or memorising facts – instead, it happens naturally through activities such as building with blocks, pouring water between containers, asking “why” and “how,” and exploring materials through open-ended play.
Research shows that the period from birth to age eight is the most critical for human development. During this time, children’s brains are highly receptive to new experiences. Introducing STEM concepts early supports:1. Cognitive DevelopmentSTEM encourages logical thinking, memory, and decision-making. Through trial and error, children learn to solve problems, analyse outcomes, and approach challenges with flexible thinking and resilience.2. Language DevelopmentSTEM-rich play promotes the use of descriptive language and communication skills. As children explain what they’re doing, ask questions, and describe observations, their vocabulary and confidence in speaking grow.3. Social and Emotional LearningGroup-based STEM tasks, such as building structures, experimenting with materials, or exploring nature, foster collaboration, empathy, and patience. Children learn to listen to others, take turns, share ideas, and work towards common goals.4. Confidence and IndependenceExploring and experimenting teach children that mistakes are a valuable part of learning. They develop a growth mindset and gain confidence in their ability to figure things out on their own. At Kool Kidze, STEM is woven throughout our everyday routines, environment, and play-based curriculum. We focus on real-life, hands-on experiences that stimulate curiosity and develop critical skills.Here’s how we explore each element of STEM:
- • Science: Investigating weather, plant life, animals, materials, and cause and effect.
- • Technology: Using torches, magnifying glasses, simple digital tools, and other child-safe technology to support discovery.
- • Engineering: Building towers, bridges, and obstacle courses using blocks, natural materials, and recycled items.
- • Mathematics: Exploring counting, measuring, comparing, sorting, and pattern-making through meaningful play.
We make use of natural materials, open-ended resources, and the outdoors to create inviting environments where children feel free to explore, question, and experiment.
Evidence Me is the tool we use in the EYFS Stage to observe the children. It gives us opportunities to observe, photograph and record the children to build up a picture of what each child can do. It replaces what used to be a 'Paper Learning Journey'. Evidence Me also means that Parents/Carers can add observations of their child in a much easier way.
Partnerships
- Sherringham Nursery Hub
- A Brighter Start
- East London Early Years Stronger Practise Hub
