Student teachers create communication space for pre-school

The idea was to create a special place where the children could develop their language skills while playing in the garden.

Student teachers from the University of Chichester developed the Seasons Shed as an upcycling project to enhance communication.

Millie Jones said: “We believe that ensuring children are able to access all learning opportunities and make progress in developing a multitude of skills is of the utmost importance in Early Years.

“It was so inspiring for us to see that we could have an impact on this at such an important time in a child’s development journey and hope that changes we have made will have a lasting impact in the setting.”

The student teachers took on the task of designing, researching and developing the plans to offer children a safe and comforting space that would create opportunities for them to improve on speech and language skills, as well as social, literacy and numeracy skills.

Millie added: “At the same time, they gain a deeper understanding of the world around them. We chose to include alternative methods of communication in our resources, such as Makaton signs, visual prompts and character teddies that can offer comfort and opportunities to build confidence and support special Educational needs.”

She said the children had loved the shed and enjoyed using the season-themed resources and activity packs inside.

Findon Village Pre-school is currently open three days a week. Visit www.findonvillagepreschool.co.uk

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