A Parent's Guide to the EYFS

Here at Busy Bees, we believe a child’s early learning experience should be full of wonderful experiences that they can carry with them throughout their early years. After all, they only get one childhood. 

You may have heard of the Early Years Foundation Stage framework (EYFS) - a government framework that sets the standards for the learning, development, and care of children from birth to five years old.  Busy Bees’ academic lead, Jenny Shaw, tells us more.

What is the EYFS?

Your child’s early years experience should be happy and fun, and support your child’s development, wellbeing, care and learning needs. 

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)* includes seven areas of learning that help to shape the educational programmes provided in early years settings. All areas are inter-connected. There are three prime areas that are especially important for children to build a foundation to support other areas of learning. These are:

• Communication and language – the development of children’s spoken language, understanding and allowing them to experience a rich language environment. 
• Physical development – physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to develop their coordination, control, and movement. 
• Personal, social, and emotional development – focuses on children’s mental wellbeing including building relationships and developing their understanding of emotions and self-regulation skills. 

There are also four specific areas through which the prime areas are strengthened. These are:

• Literacy – encourages children to foster a love of reading and helps children develop language comprehension through interactions and sharing poems, stories, and songs. These are the foundations for learning to read and write later on. 
• Mathematics – providing opportunities for children to develop their problem solving, counting and numerical patterns skills. 
• Understanding the world – guiding children to make sense of the natural world and their communities. 
• Expressive arts and design – encouraging children to explore and play with materials and develop their imagination.   

How can I support my child’s learning?

All the fun activities that you do with your child at home play an important part in their learning and development. Here are just a few ways you can support your child’s learning:

• Sing and tell nursery rhymes
• Share a book
• Talk to your child at every opportunity
• Talk about the numbers, colours, and words you see when you’re out and about
• Plant seeds in a pot or your garden 
• Cook together 
• Let your child explore full and empty containers in the bath
• Let your child explore the natural world. Stand in the rain with wellies and splash in puddles
• Play ball games 

If you’re an existing Busy Bees parent, don’t forget to check out UP at Busy Bees – Unleashing Potential for more tips and advice. 

The EYFS in Our Nurseries

Here at Busy Bees, we follow the EYFS* framework in England, but we are strong believers in providing your child with a range of diverse experiences and activities to support them on their learning journey. 

There are many ways in which our nurseries go beyond the EYFS framework to ensure your child has the best childhood. From our health and wellbeing to our learning through play activities, our passionate and experienced team goes beyond Government's standards. Find out more about the Busy Bees Difference here. 

*All schools and Ofsted-registered early years providers in England must follow the EYFS framework including preschools, nurseries, and school reception classes. Busy Bees also follows the Curriculum for Excellence and other relevant guidance in Scotland and The Foundation Phase in Wales.