Curriculum & Activities

At Little Gems Preschool, our top priority is to ensure that all children are provided with equal opportunities to participate in a wide range of activities. We believe in fostering a nurturing environment where children are gently encouraged and patiently supported to build the confidence needed to engage in all the experiences we offer. Our key person system assigns each child to a dedicated adult who takes the time to develop a deep understanding of the child, liaise with parents during termly consultations, monitor progress, and tailor activities to promote their holistic development.

Throughout our sessions, children delight in a variety of enriching activities ranging from singing and story time to role play, cooking, crafting, painting, and sensory play such as Playdoh, sand, and water. We believe in making learning fun and interactive, incorporating games to introduce children to letter sounds, numbers, and their names. Community members, such as road safety officers, police officers, firefighters, and dentists, visit our nursery to familiarize children with real-world scenarios and enhance their awareness of the world around them.

In addition to our routine activities, we organize special events like summer outings, seasonal walks, a teddy bears' picnic, sponsored activities, a Christmas celebration, and a nativity play. We adhere to the Early Years Foundation Stage programme, ensuring that each child's progress is regularly observed, and activities are tailored to their unique needs to stimulate development and prepare them for the next educational phase. Our approach focuses on play-based learning, with an emphasis on fun, engagement, interaction, and the sheer delight of discovery and growth in every child.

Activities for 2 year olds

These children are observed and their progress monitored weekly. Their daily routine will be enhanced with physical playtime, tactile experiences, painting, singing and craft activities so that they begin to take a much more active role in line with their physical development.

They will have daily access to sand or water and playdoh to aid in strengthening their fine motor skills in preparation for early writing. Regular activities will include painting and craft as well as cooking, singing, story time, role-play, music sessions and physical playtime. All aspects of a child's development are considered when planning activities so as to make room for the development of hand/eye co-ordination, gross motor skills and sensory perception, among others.

Activities for 3+ year olds

From 3 years old, the children begin the pre-school stage which is the first part of the national curriculum. A considerable sum is invested in this aspect of the nursery. The children’s progress is observed and monitored each week and work is prepared specifically for each individual. The children participate in our home storybook scheme, whereby a child chooses a book from a selection of storybooks and takes it home to be shared with parents or older brothers or sisters. This is then exchanged as frequently as wished. The children’s days are full. They will have an opportunity to participate in adult led and child initiated activities, they will be able to do activities alone and to join in group ‘work.' The curriculum offered is wide and varied and prepares the children well for the next step of their education at primary school.

We accept all Government funding schemes, please ask for our grid demonstrating how this is administered.

 There is good liaison between Little Treasures and several of the local primary schools which we feed, and in most cases the children meet their new reception class teachers at nursery before visiting their new school.