Learning Through Play

At Berryhill Nursery we provide a wide variety of play experiences based on each child’s interests.  All of these experiences are to facilitate and support certain aspects of the child’s development. Learning occurs as the child experiences things for themselves.

Play and learning at home
Our curriculum approach takes account of every child’s abilities and interests and we aim to help parents and families support their child’s learning in the home through our ongoing discussions with you about your child’s preferences and interests.

Relationships
It is important for adults to establish positive nurturing relationships with your child in order to support them to develop through their learning. We support children to develop their interpersonal relationships, both with adults and with other children.  They are given time to role play and to enjoy each other’s company.  We encourage them to be enthusiastic, and at the same time be considerate and aware of each other’s needs.  They learn to share, to take turns and negotiate with others.

Songs and Stories
Much of our language work with the children is done through conversation: helping them become articulate; broadening their vocabulary; explaining to them and discussing with them; singing with them; and sharing stories. Acquiring speech and language skills through conversations songs and stories supports the eventual process of learning to read and write.

Curriculum for Excellence

We follow Curriculum for Excellence – a curriculum for children aged 3 -18 years and we are informed by Education Scotland’s Pre-birth to Three national guidance. Nature and outdoor experiences are a key part of our curriculum.  Curriculum for Excellence is an active learning curriculum.  Active learning is learning that engages and challenges children’s thinking using real-life and imaginary situations.  There is much agreement that active learning through play has a positive and lasting impact on children’s learning in the early years. Active learning in the early years can support children’s development of Curriculum for Excellence’s “four capacities” in many ways.  For example, they can develop as:

• Successful learners through using their imagination and creatively, tackling new experiences and learning from them, and developing important skills including literacy and numeracy through exploring and investigating while following their own interests.
• Confident individuals through succeeding in their activities, having the satisfaction of a task accomplished, learning and bouncing back from setbacks, and dealing safely with risk. 
• Responsible citizens through encountering different ways of seeing the world, learning to share, learning to respect themselves and others, and taking part in making decisions. 
• Effective contributors through playing together in leading or supporting roles, tackling problems, extending communication skills, taking part in sustained talking and thinking, and respecting the opinions of others.

You can find out more about these national frameworks on Education Scotland’s Early Learning and Childcare website