This half term in Preschool, we’ve been focusing on some very important skills that help children feel confident and ready for Reception—listening, attention, and talking. These early communication skills are the foundations for learning, building friendships, and taking part in all the exciting activities that happen in school.

To help us practise, Teddy has been joining in with our sessions!

During music time, Teddy helped us listen carefully to the different ways instruments were played—loud, quiet, fast, and slow. We listened, copied rhythms, and took turns, just like we will in a Reception. Teddy also joined us for story time, where we practised sitting, listening to a whole story, and joining in with repeated parts.

Teddy has been working on talking skills too. He loves playing games like “What’s on the tray?” and “What’s in the bag?” These games encourage children to use new words, describe what they see, and talk in longer sentences.

Developing speaking skills now helps children in Reception because they will need to have conversations with friends and adults in the classroom, talk in longer, more detailed sentences and link ideas together, for example: “I was playing tig, and then I fell over.”

We’re so proud of how confident and chatty the children (and Teddy!) are becoming. These early experiences help build strong communication skills that will support them throughout their school journey.