Reception - Red Class

A very warm welcome to all our Reception children! We can't wait for you to dive into all the exciting things we’ll be exploring this half term. 

🧠 This Half Term’s Topic: What toys did my grandparents play with?

This half term, we are exploring toys from the past and discovering how play has changed over time. Children will investigate old and new toys, talk about what their grandparents might have played with, and compare these with the toys they enjoy today. Through stories, role‑play, hands‑on exploration and themed activities, children will develop their language, imagination and understanding of the world. This topic helps them make connections between their own experiences and the experiences of others, while building curiosity about history in a playful, age‑appropriate way.

📅 Topics for 2025–2026

📌 Reception Notices

• 🏃‍♂️ PE Day: Wednesday morning
• 📄 Parent Info Sheet: See below to find out how you can support your child’s learning at home.
• 🎉 School Disco – Thursday 15th January We’re looking forward to a fun evening at our School Disco on Thursday 15th January. Children should bring their party clothes in a named bag, ready to get changed into after school.

🗣️ Communication, Language & Literacy

Our key story this half term is Old Bear 🧸. Children will retell and re‑enact the story using miniature play, role‑play and continuous provision activities. We will also:

• 🎵 Learn nursery rhymes and songs linked to the story

• ✍️ Practise writing our names correctly

• 📝 Begin writing simple words, moving on to captions and short sentences

• ✒️ Focus on correct letter formation for n, m, d, g, o during handwriting

🔢 Mathematics

We will begin by exploring numbers to 5, including:

• 🔍 Finding, representing and comparing numbers

• 🧩 Understanding composition

• ➕ Identifying more and less

We will also explore mass and capacity, using mathematical vocabulary to describe what we notice ⚖️. Later in the half term, we will move on to numbers 6, 7 and 8.

🌍 Understanding the World

We will be learning about Winter ❄️, including:

• 🌨️ Seasonal weather changes

• 🐦 Animals and plants we might see in Winter

• 🧣 How to keep warm

We will also take part in the Big Bird Watch 🐦‍⬛, making bird feeders to help care for wildlife in our playground. Later in the term, we will learn about and celebrate Lunar New Year 🧧.

🏃 Physical Development

Children will explore:

• 🤝 Team games and problem‑solving with a coach

• 🏃‍♀️ Using space safely

• 🔄 Moving in different directions

Outdoor play will continue daily to support gross motor development, including climbing skills 🧗. Fine motor skills will be strengthened through:

• 🧱 Construction activities

• 🧵 Threading

• ✂️ Scissor skills

Reception PE Day: Wednesday morning 

💛 Personal, Social & Emotional Development

We will continue developing independence, especially with:

• 🧥 Putting on coats

• 🔗 Fastening zips

• 🧤 Managing hats, scarves and gloves

Our Jigsaw theme is Dreams and Goals 🌟, where children will learn about:

• 💪 Staying motivated during challenges

• 🔄 Keeping going when things are difficult

• 🤝 Working well with a partner or group

• 🎯 Helping others achieve their goals

• 🌈 Setting and working towards their own goals

🎨 Expressive Arts & Design

Children will explore a range of creative activities, including:

• 🧸 Drawing and painting characters from Old Bear

• ⛄ Creating melted snowmen

• 🌲 Making snowy trees using cotton buds

• 🎨 Wax‑resist and watercolour artwork

We will also learn new songs linked to our topic 🎵 and develop imaginative play in our castle and magic small‑world area 🏰✨. Creative opportunities will continue throughout the half term, especially those linked to Winter and Lunar New Year 🧧❄️.

Look out for our Parent Information Sheet below! 

Little Wandle Letters and Sounds Revised

The resources on this page will help you support your child with saying their sounds and writing their letters. There are also some useful videos so you can see how they are taught at school and feel confident about supporting their reading at home. 

These three videos show you how to pronounce the sounds. Notice how the children don’t add an ‘uh’ sound at the end, so they say: ‘t’ not ‘tuh’. Use the downloadable information to help your child remember how to write their letters and say their sounds.

Look at what we get upto in Reception!