Weekly planning
Exploring Families Together
This week, children will begin exploring our new topic Different Family Structures. Through stories, discussions, and meaningful activities, we will be learning that every family is unique and special. Children will have opportunities to talk about their own families, listen to others, and begin to understand that families can look different while sharing the same love and care. Across both our Space and Sea groups, learning will be carefully adapted to suit each child’s age and stage, ensuring all children can engage confidently and feel represented.
Throughout the week, children will take part in a variety of creative and hands-on experiences inspired by families and home life. These will include creating their own family portraits, building houses with blocks, role-playing with family figures and babies, and engaging in group discussions about who lives in our homes. We will also be introducing our new phonics sounds of the week, H and F, supporting early reading and writing through playful and practical activities. Children will continue developing their maths skills through counting family members during activities, as well as during our daily snack shop and Lego play.
These experiences will support children’s communication, confidence, creativity, and both fine and gross motor development. They will also encourage important values such as respect, empathy, cooperation, and self-expression as children learn about similarities and differences between families.
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Our nursery’s ethos of child-centred learning remains at the heart of everything we do. We value your feedback, comments, and suggestions, as these help us to continually enhance the children’s learning experience. We warmly invite you to leave your thoughts in the comments section at the end of this page.
Week 21st-24th April 2026
Space group morning
Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED)
Tuesday: Children will build confidence and a sense of belonging as they talk about their own families and recognise that all families are different.
Wednesday: Children will develop pride and self-expression while creating their own invented family portrait.
Thursday: Children will build independence and perseverance through differentiated phonics activities (AD/AT).
Friday: Children will practise turn-taking, cooperation, and enjoyment during shared music and rhythm activities.
Communication and Language (CL)
Tuesday: Children will learn and use vocabulary related to family members while discussing their own families.
Wednesday: Children will describe their invented family and explain who is included.
Thursday: Children will recognise and say the phonics sounds H and F and link them to words (home, family).
Friday: Children will listen attentively and respond during music games and phonics singing.
Physical Development (PD)
Tuesday: Children will develop fine motor skills through handling materials and early mark-making.
Wednesday: Children will practise cutting and sticking skills. AD: Independently cut and assemble detailed family members AT: Use training scissors with adult support
Thursday: Children will strengthen hand control through tracing and forming letters H and F.
Friday: Children will develop coordination through rhythm, movement, and music.
Literacy (LIT)
Tuesday: Children will listen to “We Are Family” and engage in discussion about different families.
Thursday: Children will be introduced to phonics sounds H and F and practise recognising and forming them.
Friday: Children will reinforce phonics through songs (S, A, T, P, I, N, M, D, C, K, E, O, R, W, B, G, F, H).
Mathematics (M)
Daily: Snack shop + Lego (counting, number recognition, one-to-one correspondence).
Wednesday: Children will count how many members are in their family and represent the number.
Understanding the World (UW)
Tuesday: Children will learn that families can be different (size, members, structure).
Wednesday: Children will explore how each family is unique and special.
Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)
Wednesday: Children will create their own family portrait using collage and drawing.
Friday: Children will express themselves through music, rhythm, and singing.
Space group afternoon
Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED)
Tuesday: Children will develop respect and acceptance for different family structures.
Wednesday: Children will build confidence when counting and sharing ideas.
Thursday: Children will develop independence while completing vocabulary activities.
Friday: Children will enjoy shared group participation through music.
Communication and Language (CL)
Tuesday: Children will discuss their own family structure and listen to others.
Wednesday: Children will describe quantities and numbers of family members.
Thursday: Children will use and copy family vocabulary (mum, dad, brother, sister).
Friday: Children will respond to rhythm and song cues.
Physical Development (PD)
Tuesday: Children will develop fine motor skills through handling materials.
Wednesday: Children will practise writing numbers.
Thursday: Children will develop cutting, colouring, and pasting skills.
Friday: Children will develop coordination through musical movement.
Literacy (LIT)
Tuesday: Children will listen to “Living with Mum and Living with Dad”.
Thursday: Children will copy simple family-related words.
Friday: Children will reinforce phonics through songs.
Mathematics (M)
Tuesday: Children will begin recognising different family sizes.
Wednesday: Children will count family members and write numbers independently.
Daily: Snack shop + Lego.
Understanding the World (UW)
Tuesday: Children will learn that families can look different but share similarities.
Wednesday: Children will explore representation of families in homes.
Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)
Thursday: Children will colour, cut, and create their own family scene.
Friday: Children will express themselves through music and rhythm.
Sea group morning
Personal, Social, and Emotional Development (PSED)
Tuesday: Children will develop a sense of identity and belonging while talking about their families.
Wednesday: Children will practise turn-taking and cooperation during group play.
Thursday: Children will develop empathy through role play with babies and family figures.
Friday: Children will enjoy shared musical experiences.
Communication and Language (CL)
Tuesday: Children will talk about their family members and listen to others.
Wednesday: Children will describe who lives in their house and where.
Thursday: Children will use simple language during role play.
Friday: Children will respond to music and rhythm activities.
Physical Development (PD)
Tuesday: Children will develop fine motor skills while creating their family frame.
Wednesday: Children will build coordination using blocks.
Thursday: Children will develop hand control through water play and cleaning actions.
Friday: Children will develop movement and coordination with instruments.
Literacy (LIT)
Tuesday: Children will listen to “All Kinds of Families” by Sophy Henn.
Thursday: Children will engage with story repetition and role play language.
Mathematics (M)
Tuesday: Children will count how many members are in their family.
Wednesday: Children will explore counting through block play and positioning.
Understanding the World (UW)
Tuesday: Children will learn that families are all different.
Wednesday: Children will explore homes and who lives in them.
Thursday: Children will explore care routines through baby role play.
Expressive Arts and Design (EAD)
Tuesday: Children will create a family frame using pre-made drawings.
Wednesday: Children will build and create a family house using blocks.
Thursday: Children will engage in imaginative role play.
Friday: Children will express themselves through music, rhythm, and instruments.
We listen to the children’s voices
The activities can be changed to adapt to their interests.
Comments
Please do not hesitate in contacting us, we would love to hear from you.