At Chopwell Primary school we like to give the children the opportunity to question why things happened, who people were and what people did. We encourage children to explore the past using real objects, research, videos and discussions on how and why things are different now. Children are encouraged to ask questions and find out answers together.

History in EYFS

 

Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. Communication and language development involve giving children opportunities to experience a rich language environment; to develop their confidence and skills in expressing themselves; and to speak and listen in a range of situations. To meet the Early Learning Goals children should be able to answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events. Children should be able to express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.

 

In the EYFS the children will:

• Look at pictures of themselves now and themselves as babies, and talk about how they have changed.
• Learn about families – children, parents, grandparents – and relate to the past, eg parents were once babies, then children etc.
• Learn vocabulary that helps them to talk about the past, present and future such as yesterday, today, tomorrow, last week, this week, next week, last year, this year, next year, a long time ago.
• Listen to stories that are set in the past.
• Compare things in the past and now, linked to our topics (eg emergency vehicles, houses, space rockets etc).
• News time: children will recount what they have done in their immediate past, this will include personal special events such as birthdays, family outings.
• Celebrations: Bonfire night, Halloween, Diwali, Christmas/New Year, Chinese New Year, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day.
• All about me: Children will look back at their own growth and development, learning about their birth, special celebrations or ceremonies such as Christening/ weddings that they have been involved in