| Topic: | Growth | |
| Talk for Writing text | Titch | |
| Total Communication | will be running throughout each activity and working alongside children’s individual communication plans, we will be learning topic-related words/signs and symbols found in our stories. We will continue to work throughout the half term on contextual words that support requests, play and social situations. | |
| Strand and Profile | Profiles in Class | Ideas for Home |
| Multi-sensory Listening and Attention | We will be exploring our individual PLGs and communication targets/SaLT programmes. This will involve attention and anticipation activities; following instructions in activity songs; exploring our listening skills in line with music; and expressing our preferences to stimuli. | Harness each attempt to communicate, try explaining simple every day activities as you are doing them, using keys words and actions. |
| Communication and Literacy | We will be exploring ‘Titch’ through daily story time, mark-making activities, listening activities, and activities focussed on the settings of story, during this time we will be focussing on:
• Exploring receptive and expressive communication.
• Recognising/identifying key symbols.
• Using simple descriptive words such as big, small, same, and different.
• Understanding and using these words/symbols in context (e.g., “big bike”, “small seed”).
• Listening to and retelling parts of a story using props and total communication.
• Communicating choices using any method: pointing, signing, symbols, vocalisations, or words.
• Building confidence to express ideas during play and exploration.
| Encourage the exploration of books, stories and role play. Share a favourite story at bedtime or books that relate to events that you have coming up-for example a story about the doctor if you have an appointment coming up soon.
If you require any specific symbols for use at home, please do let me know
You could also-
• Sort items such as clothes into big clothes and small clothes.
• Compare shoes: “my big shoes, your small shoes.”
• When reading stories, point out big and small characters or objects.
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| Mathematics and Problem Solving
| In maths we will be taking part in activities exploring: maths schemas such as connecting and stacking, moving and transporting, containing and enclosing, we will do much of this through exploration of and play with resources that are topic related, as well as building blocks, construction items and junk modelling. Using our Talk4Writing book we will also be exploring growth, same/different, big/small. We will be exploring-
• Comparing objects by size: bigger, smaller, same size.
• Ordering objects from small to big.
• Measuring using simple tools such as cubes or hands.
• Noticing patterns and differences in everyday objects.
• Making predictions (e.g., “Which one will be bigger?”).
| Explore items, games or activities that involve ‘containing and enclosing’, one to one correspondence.
You could also explore –
• Lining up sticks, spoons, or toys from smallest to biggest.
• Using hands or blocks to measure furniture (“The table is 10 blocks long”).
• Finding two objects and ask, “Which is bigger? Which is smaller?”
• Matching items that are the same (e.g., two socks, two cups).
• Building a big tower and a small tower with blocks or boxes.
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| Personal Development | The exploration of health and self-care, making relationships, understanding emotions and sense of self will be woven in through our weekly activities, exploring pupils individual PLG’s, aspirations and feelings.
| There are many activities that you can share at home naturally support more than one area of personal development- For example:
-Cooking together builds self-care, communication, emotional regulation, and confidence.
-Gardening supports turn-taking, sensory exploration, responsibility, and sense of self.
-Art and messy play helps with emotional expression, identity, and relationship-building.
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| Physical Development | As well as our usual motor skills activities such as; pencil control, hand eye co-ordination activities and puzzles, we will be exploring how to use switches for cause and effect. We will continue to work on our individual physio and SE plans alongside our motor skills too, including fine motor skills to develop independence (holding cup, cutlery, isolating fingers to point manipulate objects.), which we will explore during our weekly cooking sessions. We will also explore role play and activities which are linked to our topic. | Mark making can be done using many different tools and resources, maybe try
• Making big drawings on large paper and small drawings on sticky notes.
• Do “big movements” (jumping, stretching) and “small movements” (tiptoeing, finger wiggles).
• Using big and small brushes with water to paint outside on walls or pavements.
• Building towers using different-sized blocks to practise hand control.
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| Understanding the World | We will work on the areas of ‘Understanding the World’ and ‘Imagination and Expression’ such as using everyday materials linked to our stories to explore, understand and represent our world - ideas, interests and fascinations and exploring emotions linked to make believe situations or characters found in our stories. Noticing how things in the world can be big or small, the same or different.
• Understanding that living things grow and change over time.
• Exploring their environment using their senses—looking closely, touching, listening, and comparing.
• Making simple connections between what they see at home, outdoors, and in stories.
• Developing early scientific thinking by asking questions, observing, and talking about what they discover.
| Enjoy exploring big, small and making comparisons in the World around you-
• Go on a “size hunt” around the house or garden—find something big, something small, and something the same size as your hand.
• Compare plants, leaves, or flowers you find outside—Which is the biggest? Which is the smallest? How are they different?
• Look out of the window and talk about big and small vehicles, buildings, or animals you can see.
• Explore water play using different-sized containers—Which holds more? Which is smaller?
• Create a “growing gallery” by taking photos of your child next to the same object each month and talking about how they are getting bigger.
• Use household objects (cups, bowls, spoons) to sort into groups: big, small, same, different.
• Watch shadows outside—compare big shadows and small shadows, and talk about how they change.
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| Expression and Creativity | We will be looking at big and small, also differences using different colours, different medium, using leaves for printing, also our hands, creating a big art piece together.. In cooking, we are going to be preparing, exploring and tasting some different fruits of various sizes.
We will be further exploring body percussion and instruments this half term. Following simple instructions to have an effect on a sound, such as going fast/slow, loud/quiet. We’ll be finding out what our favourite instrument is and what are favourite moves to familiar music are too.
| You could explore outside, leaves of different shapes and sizes, talk about their shape size, colour, how they change.
You might also like to encourage tasting or exploring different fruits. How we prepare them, how they, look, small and taste.
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| Personalised Learning
| We will be working on our Personalised Learning Goals (PLGs) across the week. We will begin familiarising ourselves with the routine and expectations of our new class. Using a total communication approach, we will explore our diverse communication needs and explore interactions with our peers alongside engaging in self-advocacy exploration. | We will continue focussing on self-avocation words such as no/yes, more/finished. Try exploring your child’s PLGs at home, explore how their transfer their learning/progress to home. |
| Dance and Ball pool | Dance helps pupils our pupils in many ways:
• Building physical skills like balance, coordination, and body awareness
• Supporting communication through copying actions, using gestures, and joining in with others
• Improving emotional wellbeing by reducing stress and boosting confidence
• Encouraging social skills such as turn‑taking and working with others
• Encouraging creative expression in a way that suits each pupil.
The ball pool is a safe, sensory space that helps pupils feel regulated and comfortable.
It supports pupils by:
• Providing calming sensory input that helps pupils feel grounded.
• Helping with sensory regulation, especially when pupils feel overwhelmed.
• Building motor skills as pupils move, push, and balance in the balls.
• Encouraging exploration and play in a safe environment.
Boosting confidence as pupils try new movements and develop independence.
| You might want to explore dance at home, play your child’s favourite tune and have a boogie.
We’d love to hear if your child has a particular song, artist or genre that they love
Now the weather is getting nicer there is an opportunity to get outside and explore sensory regulation outside, exploring big movement, using equipment such as trampolines and climbing frames, most importantly-Have Fun.
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| Please feel free to record your explorations on EfL, we’d love to see what you’ve been up to at home, alternatively if you have any queries please feel free to send me an email | |
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