Playschool Curriculum

Children start to use simple words and short sentences to express their needs and feelings. They begin to recognise and name basic emotions like happy, sad, and angry. They may start to ask for help and say things like “want more” or “help me.” At this stage, they are also learning to listen to others and respond, which helps them build social skills.

Adults help by modelling simple words and phrases. They should listen to the child and encourage them to express their needs and feelings. Asking questions like “How do you feel?” helps children use language. Adults should label emotions and praise the child to build confidence and social skills.

Resources: Books, Games, Flashcards, Music and Songs.

Children use longer sentences and can express more complex feelings like frustration or excitement. They can describe their emotions using words like “scared”, “excited”, or “angry.” 

They begin to ask more questions to understand the world around them and express curiosity. They are better at taking turns and playing cooperatively with others, which helps them develop social skills. 

Adults help by encouraging them to express their feelings with more words. They can ask questions like “How are you feeling?” and guide children to use polite words like “please” and “thank you.” Adults should also teach taking turns and sharing with others. By offering praise and support, adults help children build social skills and confidence in speaking. 

Resources: Books, Games, Flashcards, Music and Songs.

Children can describe emotions, ask questions, and understand polite language like “please” and “thank you.” They begin having simple conversations, taking turns, and using words to solve problems and share ideas. This helps them communicate confidently with others. 

Children start to show an interest in other children, engaging in simple interactions, and playing alongside other children. 

Children start to understand the rules of simple games.

Children begin to express their emotions in happy, sad, excited, worried.

Adults are to support and role model positive behaviours, turn taking, and sharing toys during play in a safe and inclusive environment. 

Adults are also there to support children recognising and respond to their emotions, encouraging children to express their feelings. 

Resources: Duplo, Small World Toys, Home Corner, Books, Messy Play, Outside Play, Chatterbox, Small Group Time.

Children start engaging in more complex co-operative play, sharing, turn taking, role-playing, and storytelling.

Children understand the concept of rules when playing games.

Children start forming friendship groups.

Children understand and consider how others are feeling in different situations and begin to resolve disagreements to promote positive interactions, such as negotiating and compromising.

Adults are to support and role model positive behaviours, turn taking, and sharing toys during play. 

Adults encourage children to articulate their needs and understanding of others. This skill is the foundation for building and maintaining friendships. 

Adults encourage children to empathise with others and start considering how others feel from different situations. 

Resources: Small World Toys, Home Corner, Books, Messy Play, Outside Play, Chatterbox, Small Group Time, Puzzles, Dressing Up.

Children are to progress from playing alongside others to choosing their friendship groups, playing with others in a safe and inclusive environment, and being able to develop the basic skills to resolve conflict with peers. By supporting children through this developmental stage, it will help children build the essential social skills needed to maintain meaningful friendships.

Children grow and learn a lot. They walk, run, and start jumping. They learn new words and start making short sentences like “want cookie.” They understand simple instructions like “get your shoes.” They copy what adults do and play near other kids. They feel many emotions like happy, sad, or frustrated. 

Adults help children learn and grow. They keep them safe and teach them new things. They talk, listen, and show them how to do simple tasks. They help with feelings, sharing, and taking turns. They play, read, and sing to help children learn. Most of all, they give love and support so children feel happy and confident.

Resources: Books, Toys, Outside Resources, Arts & Crafts, Music and Songs.

Children get better at running, jumping, and riding a tricycle. Children of this age can draw shapes and hold crayons properly. They start counting and sorting things by colour, ask lots of questions, and tell simple stories. They play with other kids, share, and take turns. They love pretending and acting out stories.

Adults help by letting children try things on their own, like dressing or picking up toys. They play and talk with them to teach new words and ideas. Adults also help children learn to share and take turns with others. When children feel upset, adults comfort them. Most importantly, they create a safe place where children can explore and ask questions. 

Resources: Books, Toys, Outside Resources, Arts & Crafts, Music and Songs.

Children can run, jump, and balance better, start to count, recognise colours and shapes, and speak in longer sentences. Children will ask questions and can tell simple stories. Children play with other children, learn to share, and take turns. Children enjoy pretending and role-playing. While they want to do things by themselves, they will still need help and support from adults. 

Children start learning basic hygiene habits with help from the adults. They begin to wash their hands with guidance, try to brush their teeth, use a tissue to wipe their noses, and cover their mouth when they cough. Children will start to show awareness of toilet training and may try to undress and dress themselves. Children at this age will need reminders and encouragement to build into their routine. 

Adults can teach children basic hygiene to children ages 2-3 years guiding and encouraging, helping the children to wash their hands, and using tissues properly. Adults can also help by introducing toilet training and offering reminders and praise them for trying to build up their confidence. Adults encourage undressing and dressing independently. 

Resources: Colourful picture books about handwashing, toileting, and getting dressed. Songs, Visuals, Role Play, Soaps, Tissues, Child Friendly Toothbrushes.

Children will begin to take more responsibility for their own hygiene with support. They can wash their hands with minimal support, brush their teeth with guidance, and start to understand the importance of staying healthy. Children may also begin to dress and undress themselves with assistance and start using the toilet independently and show awareness of wiping. They will follow simple hygiene routines. 

Adults provide encouragement, modelling, and guidance. Adults will help children with tasks like washing hands, brushing teeth, and using the toilet while offering support when needed and encouraging independence. Adults act as role models, demonstrating good hygiene practice and praising children’s efforts. They also explain the importance of good hygiene and why it keeps us healthy and stop germs. 

Resources: Age appropriate books, small child friendly toothbrushes, visuals in the bathroom, soap dispensers, role play to practice brushing teeth and hand washing, dolls or stuffed animals.

Children will follow good understanding and be confident and independent in basic hygiene. They will understand why it’s important to stay healthy and follow routines like dressing and undressing themselves, using tissues for when they sneeze, know when to wash hands, and show independence in using the toilet. 

Children start to recognise and enjoy rhyming words in songs, stories, and nursery rhymes. They will start to imitate animal and vehicle sounds; this helps them to develop to their language skills. 

Adults help children learn sounds and rhymes by reading aloud and singing songs. They encourage children to repeat sounds and rhymes by making it fun. The adults’ involvement will help build confidence in their language skills. 

Resources: Flashcards, simple words, picture books, fun songs, interactive videos.

Children become more confident in recognising sounds and rhymes, they start to identify common rhyming words in familiar songs and stories. They pay attention to sounds and patterns and their language skills improve. 

Adults model clear language, encouraging the children to engage in books, singing, and playful language activities and repeat sounds. This will encourage more confidence in language skills. 

Resources: Rhyming books, hand puppets, songs, flashcards, rhyming games with visual, puzzles.

Children will show good understanding and be confident and independent in basic hygiene. They will understand why it’s important to stay healthy and follow routines like dressing and undressing themselves, using tissues for when they sneeze, know when to wash hands, and show independence in using the toilet. 

Children start speaking in short sentences, naming objects, and following simple instructions. They enjoy playing alongside others, learning to share and express emotions. Their imagination grows, leading to pretend play like feeding a doll or driving a toy car. They also develop better movement skills, such as running, jumping, and stacking blocks. 

Adults help children learn by talking, listening, and playing with them. They teach simple words, encourage sharing, and help with emotions. Adults provide a space to explore, move, and try new things. 

Resources: Books, Building Blocks, Toy Cars, Playdoh, Water Play, Slides, Bikes.

Children will begin to talk more, ask questions, and use longer sentences. They enjoy playing with others, sharing, and taking turns. Their imagination grows. They run, jump, start drawing, and doing simple puzzles. 

Adults help children learn by encouraging talking, asking questions, and playing together. They teach sharing, taking turns, and expressing feelings. Adults support imagination through pretend play and provide activities like drawing and puzzles. 

Resources: Books, Small World Toys, Puzzles, Paint, Playdoh, Music, Dress Up.

Children will talk more, ask questions, and tell short stories. They learn to share, take turns, and express feelings. Their imaginations grows and they enjoy pretend play. They start recognising colours, shapes, numbers, and some letters. They run, jump, climb, and use their hands for drawing and building. 

Children start to recognise simple patterns like clapping in a rhythm. They learn to identify basic shapes such as circles and squares. They begin to understand words like “in”, “on”, and “under” to describe where things are. They enjoy sorting and matching objects by colour, shape, or size. Stacking blocks and fitting objects together help them to solve simple shape puzzles. Playing and exploring help them to develop these skills naturally.

Adults help children learn by playing and talking about shapes, colours, and patterns. They teach words like “under” and “next to” for spatial awareness. Games with blocks and puzzles help children understand how things fit. Drawing and building strengthen their hands. Encouragement makes learning fun and builds confidence

Resources: Shape and Pattern Books, Building Blocks, Puzzles, Drawing, Art Resources.

Children can recognise and create simple patterns. They can name more shapes like rectangles and stars. They understand words like “between” and “beside.” They sort objects by colour and size. They build more complex structures with blocks. They also start drawing shapes like circles and squares. 

Adults can support the children by naming shapes and patterns in daily life. They can encourage children to build with blocks and sort objects by different features. Using words like “between” and “beside” helps teach spatial awareness. Adults can also guide children in drawing shapes and praising their efforts. Playing together makes learning fun and helps children practice new skills. 

Resources: Shape and Pattern Books, Building Blocks, Puzzles, Drawing, Art Resources.

Children can create more complex patterns like colour and size patterns. Children can build more detailed structures with blocks and draw shapes and simple pictures with patterns.