Being able to communicate effectively with others is a very important life skill and is part of literacy learning at nursery. Through our play we organise and make sense of our social worlds as we engage actively with people, objects and representations.

Sometimes we choose to play alone. Solitary play encourages attention and listening skills which  helps us learn how to concentrate for periods of time and how to focus intently. We need to be able to do this in order to hold a conversation with others while listening to what is being said.

Sometimes we choose to play alongside a friend and to share moments of  play alongside them. Parallel play is important for building our communication skills as it helps us to interact with others without any pressure of playing directly together.

As we grow and develop we choose to play as part of larger groups and to play with others in more focused ways in order to work towards common goals. Being able to participate in cooperative play is important as it develops the skills we need later to collaborate and cooperate at school and in other social settings. Cooperative play allows us to learn from each other. It helps us to practice language skills and expand our vocabulary by learning and using new words. Interacting with our friends and staff helps us to refine our speech sounds through listening.

Ali and Lewis discussed recipes and ingredients during role play.

Annie and Lottie agreed on which areas needed sawing and worked together to make the shape they wanted.

Jim and Alfie listened to how high each other wanted to go on the See-Saw.

Elsie and Alfie agreed on who would drive and who would give directions when using the digger.

Lewis listened to what Elsie needed for her truck and they figured out how to connect the trailer together.

Jim and Alfie discussed what they had found at the creative table and what it might be used for. They worked together to try out their ideas and took turns using the spinner.

The “ferry” was very busy this week. Everyone had to work together to get on board, to negotiate with each other and to position the “cars” properly.

Lottie and Sophia discussed how to make barriers using cones. The cones were very sticky. They helped each other pull them apart and agreed on where each coloured cone should go.

Jessie-Anne and Millie made a puddle together, they took turns splashing and listening to the sound of the puddle. They then shared their ideas and cooperated to clean the trucks.

Imaginative play is a great way to support and enhance our speech development. Playing in this way gives us opportunities to recreate experiences and share our ideas. Taking on roles and pretending to be someone else increases our language and our confidence to use language that we have heard from adults around us.

Annie and Alfie “baked and cooked soup and pancakes”. They spoke to each other about texture, amount, ingredients and took on different roles during the process.

They also went fishing this week and worked together to row the boat far out to sea to find a big catch.

Sophia and Sophie played together in the house. Sophia made some delicious food for the baby and Sophie took on the role of feeding the baby.

Ali, Sophia and Lewis created an imaginary game where they turned into mermaids on leaving the boat. Exploring symbolism and taking on board other people’s ideas to enhance your play is part of communication development.

And finally we welcomed Millie to nursery this week. We look forward to learning through play with you!