New changes to learning and development brought in three prime areas and four specific areas. The three prime areas include:
• Communication and language
• Physical development
• Personal, Social and emotional development (Foundation years, 2015).
The three specific prime areas were selected as they are seen as the most essential for children’s development and future learning. The four specific areas include:
• Literacy
• Maths
• Understanding the world
• Expressive arts and design …show more content…
This will allow children to make sense of the world around them, offering opportunities to explore places and the environment (Ritchie, 2017). This is a clear opportunity to allow developments of children’s knowledge by ‘learning through play’. ‘Learning through play’ can from the idea of theorists such as Piaget and Vygotsky. Vygotsky, described play as ‘self-education, associating with social and cultural behaviours play is considered through activities such as nursery rhymes, songs, and stories. As well as mentioning imaginative play, and his theory of imaginative play believed to contribute to children’s social development (Macblain et al, 2015).
Following from Vygotsky the EYFS establishes that all areas of learning and development must be expressed through purposeful play, with a balance of adult-led and child initiated activities (Ang, 2014). Early years practitioners observe children’s play to assess and identify children’s talents, and interests when