The summer is finally here… hurrah! And we have an exciting topic to kick start the summer term: Once Upon a Time. Over the next few weeks the children will learn about traditional tales, and we will be looking at six very well-known stories (see below). If you would like to help your child ahead of starting this topic, you could read these tales and refresh their memory of what happens in each story.

The Three Little Pigs

The children will learn about story maps and how we can use actions and pictures to help remember the key parts of a story. In the outdoor area the children will practise following instructions by directing their ‘pigs’ to find the correct building materials. They will design their own houses using a range of different materials and will create a collage using a flap door. In Maths the children will explore shape looking at basic 2D shapes such as a circle, square, triangle and rectangle.

The Gingerbread Man

The children will retell the story sequencing the key events carefully, and will create their own wanted posters for the Gingerbread man. In Maths the children will practise their counting by looking at the number of buttons on a gingerbread man, and they will explore patterns in shape, colour and size. They will use their problem solving skills to design a way for the Gingerbread man to cross the river, looking at how he can do this safely. The children will also learn about ‘stranger danger’.

Hansel and Gretel

The children will retell the story from the perspective of a police officer, writing an incident report. They will also complete some creative writing completing the sentence opener: In my magic pot… In Maths the children will learn about money, thinking how much money Hansel and Gretel have to buy sweets. They will also learn about length, using different ways to measure e.g. hands, counting cubes, measuring snakes etc.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears

The children will revisit their previous learning around ‘Wanted Posters’ and following instructions, this time writing instructions for how to make porridge. They will also complete letter writing to the three bears. We will make porridge together in class, first getting the children to design a porridge topping. The children will then get a chance to taste and evaluate their design. In Maths the children will learn about comparison, looking at the size of chairs, bears and other things related to the story. They will also learn about ‘capacity’ thinking about how much porridge a container can hold.

The Billy Goats Gruff

The children will use puppets and acting to retell the story, and will write descriptions of the troll. After gaining a good understanding of the story, the children will then be able to express and write down their opinions of the different parts using: I liked…. and I disliked… The children will be presented with a construction challenge: Can you work as a team to build a bridge to cross the river? This will involve lots of team work, collaboration and problem solving. In Maths the children will learn about ‘mass’, exploring the weight of different objects and using the terms ‘heavier’ and ‘lighter’.

Little Red Riding Hood

The children will revisit their learning on instruction writing when they give directions for how to get to Grandma’s house. They will also use their imagination to finish the sentence starter ‘If I was red riding hood I would…’ The children will complete woodland artwork and will attempt to make 3D baskets. In Maths the children will learn about time, thinking about sequencing events in the day and across longer periods of time e.g. week, month, year.

We cannot wait to start our learning around these traditional tales! As always, please speak to your child’s class teacher if you have any concerns, as we strongly believe that communication is the key to success. 

Looking forward to having lots more fun together,

The Reception Team