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2 Year Olds

Welcome to our 2 Year Olds Explorers Room!

Miss Ainsley and Mrs Leightell are your Early Years Practitioners.

Week commencing - 15th July 2024

 

The children this week enjoyed exploring the small sorting equipment and sorted them by colour matching and placing them to the 6 different coloured spots - (primary & secondary).

 
The children during this time were developing their colour recognition and displayed counting-like behaviour, such as; making sounds, pointing or saying some number names in sequence and sometimes skipping numbers. Staff supported the children to match their counting words with objects and mainly did this by moving the small sorting equipment to one side of the spot once they had counted it.  As well as offering repeated experiences with the counting sequences in meaningful and varied contexts throughout the day.

 

Staff encouraged the children to make and arrange patterns with the small sorting equipment and used words like; ‘matching’ and ‘the same’. Also, staff encouraged the older children to order the small sorting equipment by variations in size as well as drawing the children’s attention to changes in amounts, using words such as; ‘lots’ and ‘more’.

 

The children also had fun posting objects into a box, staff lay put a selection of objects and asked the children which one they would like to post?  Staff encouraged the children to tell them which one they wanted to post before doing so. Some of the children pointed rather than using words and staff supported some of the children by giving them a choice, if necessary.  
 

Additionally the children actively participated in some collage, exploring the textures of the different materials by feeling them though touch, they were even getting stuck to their hands with being sticky from the glue they were using, which they children found amusing! 

 

Week Commencing Monday 1st July 2024 

 

This week we have looked at another ‘what’s in the bag’ music hub activity. Throughout the week we have explored various musical instruments, finding out what the instruments are, and what sounds can be made. The children enjoyed shaking, tapping, banging, patting and scraping to create different sounds. We looked loud and quiet, fast and slow when creating our sounds. We also placed the nursery rhyme finger puppets inside the music bag, the children were developing the skills throughout both activities to turn take, wait and share. Each time a finger puppet was randomly taken from the bag, the children would then decide which nursery rhyme matched the puppet. Everyone participated well throughout, following and carrying out instructions, while also sitting within a small group alongside their peers. 

 

We also had great fun when racing the cars down the ramp, and when throwing the ball into the basket. The children learned the concept of ‘ready, steady, go!’ Learning the skills to wait, and only release the car or throw the ball on the word ‘go!’ The boys and girls were also developing their gross motor skills, and also their coordination. The children also developed the skills to wait, turn take, and also to follow instructions throughout this activity. Once this activity was initially modelled by key staff, the children were then able to carry it on, within a small group alongside their peers. 

‘What’s in the bag?’

Ready, steady, go!!

Week commencing Monday 24th June 2024 

 

This week we have been exploring making marks, we developed our fine motor skills when drawing freely using different motion techniques to create vertical, horizontal and circular marks. The children also developed the skills to give meaning to their marks, while also building key vocabulary and sentence building when talking about what they had drawn. Key staff observed the children saying “Mammy, and my daddy.” “Grandad, I will show my grandad, nana and Mammy.” 

 

The children have also demonstrated an interest in tower building when exploring the Duplo. Key staff facilitated this interest further by encouraging the children to build models and structures, to demonstrate that the Duplo has another purpose other than building a tower to be knocked down. Key staff modelled key vocabulary throughout, such as colour labelling, and 1-1 counting. The children were then able to independently create their own models, key staff observed the children creating a ‘robot’ while also saying “I made a robot.” “I made a ‘big’ robot, his head is green.”  

 

The boys and girls engaged well during a ‘what’s in the bag’ music hub activity. Each child had the opportunity to select a song spoon from within the bag, we then sang the song that matched the picture printed on the spoon. The children were developing the skills to turn take, share and wait throughout this activity, while also being able to sit within a small group and follow instructions. 

Giving meaning to marks

What’s in the bag

Week commencing - 17th June 2024

 

Since the children the children enjoyed painting when making cards for Father’s Day last week, we decided that this week we would offer them other mark making materials to explore, this included chalks and black paper, white boards, coloured marker pens and erasers, a variety of different textured collage materials and PVA glue and shaving foam with an array of different tools, such as; brushes and rollers.  All of the children engaged in some early mark-making and we observed that many of the children made rotational marks in the forms of circles, ovals and round scribbles!

 

Lately the children have been regularly opting to play on the indoor climbing frame, climbing up the stairs and coming down the ramp and vice versa, in which we have incorporated a climbing frame in our Outdoor Play Area.  The children seeked challenge and showed a can do attitude both with staff support and encouragement and also independently as they climbed the ladder, then the triangle ladder, before walking or sliding down the slide board/ramp before climbing over and down the ladder arch.  The children enjoyed this so much they repeated this pattern of play and each time, gained more confidence and by climbing, sliding and balancing the children have improved their gross motor movement, including muscle strength and coordination as well as cognitive development.  Additionally, the children later also had fun walking, crawling or shuffling along the small wooden seating benches.

Week Commencing Monday 10th June 2024 

 

This week key staff have worked alongside all of the children, while supporting the development of various skills. We have been developing the skills to sit within small groups alongside our friends, learning to turn take, share, wait, while also developing our fine motor skills. We developed these skills during a baking activity in preparation for Father’s Day. The children each had a turn at mixing, stirring and using the spoon to fill the cupcake cases with the cake mixture. We explored our senses throughout, when feeling the different ingredients, when smelling, and when tasting. Key staff modelled key vocabulary throughout, pointing to, and labelling the ingredients and tools needed to bake our cakes. 
 

The children are demonstrating a great interest in creative activities, and early mark making. Key staff facilitated this interest by supporting the children when creating Father’s Day cards. The boys and girls enjoyed using sponges to create different marks, some children dabbed and pressed, and some children used gentle stroke movements across the paper. Key staff modelled key vocabulary throughout, labelling the different colours and asking short simple questions. 
 

We have been developing our communication and language skills throughout the week, building upon vocabulary, learning new nouns, and verbs when participated in different activities. The children are developing the skills to follow and carry out simple instructions at a one and two word level. 
 

 

Baking 🧁

Father’s Day Cards

Week commencing - 3rd June 2024:

 

The children returned happily to the setting this week following the half term holiday and had lots of fun, exploring the different areas of play and the resources they have to offer. They playing alongside each other and some of the children also began to play cooperatively, engaging in some simple turn-taking turn and sharing whilst building with the foam bricks, Mega-Blocks, wooden train track and playing with the musical instruments.

 

The children also enjoyed exploring the play dough, manipulating the malleable material with both their hands and a variety of tools, including rollers and cutters.  In the water, they engaged in some pouring, filling and emptying using a variety of different shapes and sized containers. As well within the tuff-spot tray the children actively participated in some sensory exploration with shaving foam, along with paint and also cereals and the dinosaurs.

 

Additionally, the children played in the Heuristic Area with the various natural materials, used the method of trial and error to complete some peg puzzles and engaged in some small world play with the Dolls House.

Week Commencing Monday 20th May 

 

Another busy, fun filled week! 


The children have enjoyed participating in many activities this week, we have explored paint and colour, and also other ways of creating marks with the paint. The children had great fun using fruit and vegetables to create marks and print on to the paper. Key staff modelled key vocabulary throughout, supporting the children when developing their speech and language skills.  

The children have been developing their social skills when participating in a pizza making activity, they developed the skills to sit within a small group alongside their peers, turn take and share. We explored various ingredients together, and talked about our favourite pizza’s. The boys and girls explored their senses when tasting the pizza, and were able to express their likes and dislikes. We also developed the skills to listen and carry out simple instructions when creating the pizza. 

 

We have explored creating sound! The children enjoyed exploring the musical instruments, we explored shaking, banging, tapping and scraping. The boys and girls enjoyed sharing their experiences with their peers, while developing the skills to parallel play, turn take and share. 

 

 

Fruit and Vegetable printing

Pizza making

Musical instruments

Week commencing - 13th May 2024

 

This week, staff continued to work on with the children’s receptive language with regards to questions and instructions by using the Compare Bears with the younger children on following simple instructions containing on, in and under and then with the older children understanding instructions containing the words behind, in front and next to.  We also later did some sorting and matching using the sorting equipment and coloured spots! Additionally, for Maths this week, the children enjoyed exploring a range of different Shape Sorters to perceive shapes, the younger children used the method of trial whilst the older children began to show awareness of the shapes and their variations.  
 

The children also enjoyed doing some painting, where staff encouraged them to talk about what they are doing and thinking, as well as what they are wearing e.g. an apron and what items they are going to use e.g. a paintbrush and how they look and feel etc.  Staff also spoke to the children about what colours they are choosing and the sort of patterns they are making e.g. “big circle, green line” as well who the paintings are possibly for e.g. family members. Some of the children mixed the colours together whilst others preferred not to and painted more recognisable marks and some of the children additionally enjoyed painting their hands to create handprints!

 

The children had great fun as well engaging in several types of sensory play within the tuff spot, including Cereal with Diggers and Dumper Trucks, Jelly play and also Shaving Foam and poster paint, where they mixed the primary colours together to make secondary colours just like they did with the paints earlier in the week but this time using large paintbrushes. The children used both their hands as well as tools and resources to actively participate in sensory exploration.
 

Additionally, the children enjoyed playing with the balloons in the School Hall, especially trying to keep them up in the air!