We will work hard to secure children’s independence as early as possible as this is a key tenet of all Early Years Foundation Stage provision. They should be able to use the toilet independently before they start nursery and it is helpful if you can reiterate messages about washing hands after going to the lavatory, although children will be reminded regularly of this in nursery. 

To support your child's independence you can encourage them to:

• put on / take off their coat
• fasten zips, buttons or Velcro
• put shoes on the correct feet

Any encouragement you can give for tidying up is much welcome — we will expect children to put away what they have used at the end of play sessions and to treat equipment and resources with respect.

We will encourage children to use good manners and say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ to others and to the adults working with them. We will also work hard with them to encourage the values of mutual respect, care and consideration that we celebrate through the whole school. We will always work with children to resolve issues and to share and play confidently and respectfully with each other. Some children need more support with this aspect and we will involve you in developing these important skills.

Parents will be informed about the topics being covered in weekly Nursery Newsletters. This may help you talk to your child about what they are doing to undertake some linked activities at home.

Other ways to support your children's development are: 

• regularly share books and show a real enthusiasm for reading
• encourage your child to listen to songs, music, nursery rhymes and stories, and retell or sing these back to you
• play guessing games such as ‘I spy’
• encourage counting and the use of numbers in everyday life
• help children to match and sort things, such as putting objects into size order
• encourage development of fine motor skills through drawing, writing, cutting with scissors or baking