Baby room: Early Explorers (0-2years)

Our Early Explorers room gives babies the best possible start to their early years journey. Our caring team support and encourage our babies to grow and achieve some very important milestones, which we all celebrate together.

In our baby room, we set out age-appropriate resources and activities at child-height for our babies to access and engage with freely throughout the day. We change these regularly to fit in with children’s interests and to reflect different seasons, festivals and celebrations from around the world. We have a lovely big window that gives children endless fun, as we watch buses, horses and our friends go by. Our babies also have their own outdoor space, enabling them to explore the world around them and enjoy the many benefits of being outdoors.

We teach Makaton signing to our babies as they develop their communication skills. During group times we encourage the children to copy signs when singing nursery rhymes and when using sound to make requests, helping them to communicate their wants and needs.

The Early Explorers staff develop caring and nurturing relationships with all of our babies. We believe it is very important to work closely with parents and carers to ensure that each child’s individual needs and routines are met and followed during their day at nursery. We liaise with parents and carers at the beginning and end of each day, creating wonderful relationships which reassure families as their children begin their journey at Tiddlywinks.

Older baby room: Daring Discoverers (0-2 years)

Daring Discovers is a lovely transition room for our older babies. Hosting a maximum of six children at a time, this room emulates the provision in the toddler room to help children prepare for their next move. We have many of the same activities and areas as the toddler room, including role-play, small world, construction, a cosy book corner, maths, arts and crafts. We also have a unique sensory den filled with resources that allow children to explore all their senses.

One of our goals is to assist in this important stage of children’s development, following the early years foundation stage (EYFS) curriculum to guide children through their significant milestones.

Throughout the day, children can flow freely between indoors and our well-equipped outdoor area. Every week we focus on a topic, event or season in both maths and literacy, enabling children to explore a wide range of themes, cultures and fun activities. Our activities also focus on children’s interests, helping to develop tolerance, respect and inclusivity with their peers.

Toddler room: Active Adventurers (ages 2-3 years)

Active Adventurers is a dedicated space for two-year-olds, where we provide hands-on experiences that inspire awe and wonder while following the EYFS curriculum. We believe that every child is a unique explorer, eager to discover the world around them.

Our open-plan room allows children to choose the activities they’d like to engage in, empowering them to take ownership of their learning experiences, promoting autonomy and decision-making. We offer various areas including construction, maths, small world and role-play, providing a range of opportunities for exploration and learning. There’s also a cosy book corner where children can develop a love for reading and storytelling.

Each week we focus on a relevant topic, season or event, with focused activities linking to the children’s interests. Our daily activities are carefully planned to align with the EYFS framework, focusing on key areas – from communication and language to understanding the world and physical development. We offer a wide range of sensory play, including art activities with various textures and materials, and encourage the exploration of nature through objects like leaves and rocks.

We are dedicated to instilling core values such as tolerance, respect and inclusivity. By introducing children to the changing natural world and cultural celebrations, we lay the foundation for British values of democracy, rule of law and freedom of speech. As part of our commitment to health and wellbeing we collaborate with a certified ‘Stretch-n-Grow’ coach, who provides structured fortnightly exercise and nutrition classes.

Access to the outdoor area is available throughout the day. Children can interact with their peers from other rooms in the nursery, fostering social development. Children are encouraged to take reasonable risks and challenge themselves in a safe and supervised environment, helping them to build resilience and problem-solving skills.

Pre-school room: Imaginative Investigators (ages 3-5 years)

Here in pre-school, we continue to build on the wonderful foundations and learning journey that children have begun in the baby and toddler rooms.

Working within the framework of the EYFS curriculum, learning continues to be child-led, following the interests of the children as we plan purposeful, stimulating and creative activities. We are fortunate to have a huge outside learning environment, in addition to our large open-plan pre-school classroom. The children take ownership of their learning, enjoying working with their peers to take risks, overcome challenges and solve problems within their daily play.

As we prepare the children for their transition to school, they participate in daily adult-led phonics and numeracy sessions. These structured group activities are short, fun sessions, which slowly build the children’s confidence and skills. We see huge progress in these areas at this age, ensuring children leave us fully equipped for the next stage of learning at school.

Independence grows massively at this stage, and we have high expectations of the pre-school children. They are encouraged to become self-sufficient with their toileting, dressing/undressing and eating. They continue to serve themselves at mealtimes, and clear away their own plates, chairs and tables.

We ensure that learning is multicultural, and reflects a wide range of experiences, teaching the children to have respect for their fellow human beings and fostering their understanding of their place in their local community and the world beyond. Caring for our environment and the natural world is also an important thread which underpins the pre-school experience.

Special events in the pre-school calendar include our Christmas nativity performance at the local church, and our graduation ceremony in the summer. This is a magical way to reflect on the children’s time at Tiddlywinks and bid them farewell as they move on to school in the autumn.