Curriculum Overview
for
Early Years Foundation Stage
Expressive Arts and Design
Revised: Summer 2015
To be reviewed: Summer 2016
Expressive arts and design involves enabling children to explore and play with a wide range of media and
materials, as well as providing opportunities and encouragement for sharing their thoughts, ideas and
feelings through a variety of activities in art, music, movement, dance, role play and design technology.
Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural Education
Expressive Arts and Design can provide a contribution to children’s Spiritual, Moral, Social and Cultural
Education, and in particular to British values, by providing opportunities for children to investigate art, music
and dancing from around the world. Children are given the opportunity to show fascination, enjoyment, awe
and wonder. Children will be provided with a range of resources and given choice to express themselves
creatively, including playing imaginatively with small world toys and in role-play areas.
Nursery
Lesson Allocation:
There is continuous provision for this area of learning.
Adult focused activities will be planned for regularly during the week.
Music and movement and drama activities are planned for regularly.
The children will be taught and listen to a range of music and songs.
Two timetabled music lessons per week from music specialist.
One optional ballet lesson per week
Schemes of work used/ textbooks/resources:
A range of creative resources and media are used and introduced to the children including
paints, collage, recycled materials and malleable materials.
Range of music and CDs and resources from the Internet.
Role play areas and small world toys.
Music – range of song books and hand held percussion instruments.
Teaching methods:
A stimulating and varied play environment is provided for children to interact with
independently, alongside others and with adults. Children are supported in developing their
skills in using a range of creative media. There is a balance between child initiated play
opportunities and adult directed activities. Throughout the day children should have the
opportunity to play imaginatively and create. Songs and rhymes are sung throughout the day.
A range of individual, small group and whole class teaching takes place.
Written work:
Children are encouraged to draw and mark make independently and during teacher directed
activities.
Homework:
Not applicable in Nursery.
Assessment:
Continual adult observation of children in their play and in learning situations is noted. Notes
and assessment sheets may be used by the adult to record children’s learning and
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understanding. Samples of children’s mark making and creative work may be collected and
photographs are taken and annotated to evidence children’s experiences and learning. Daily
and weekly evaluations are used to plan next steps for individual or groups of children.
Photographs, observations and assessments are kept in the child’s electronic learning
journey.
In music assessments are built up throughout the year from ongoing teaching and learning
using the EYFS early learning goals. Children are assessed on their singing, rhythm and
movement skills in a group situation.
Topics/Skills:
It is intended that the work set out below should be covered in the designated terms, however,
teachers must use their discretion should there be a need to extend or condense the time
frame. Teachers in the early years may adapt plans to match children’s individual interests
and interesting spontaneous events.
The children will be given opportunities to explore and play with a wide range of media and
materials, and encouraged to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings through activities in art,
music, movement, dance, role-play and design technology.
Term 1
Join in with dancing and ring games and begins to move rhythmically
Sing a few familiar songs
Begin to construct, stacking blocks, making enclosures
Realise that tools can be used for a purpose
Begin to build a repertoire of songs and dances
Experiment to create different textures
Use simple tools and techniques competently and appropriately
Select appropriate resources and adapts work where necessary
Create movement in response to music
Sing to self and makes up simple songs
Engage in imaginative role-play based on own first-hand experiences.
Build stories around toys
Use available resources to create props to support role-play
Role play areas – To be decided depending on children’s interests.
Free choice and access to a range of mark making and creative resources
Use a range of tools and techniques
Harvest and Christmas crafts
Music lessons: Singing: Rascals and other material used. Children should realise that
music is an enjoyable activity and be able to draw on a repertoire of songs.
Action Songs: children can express musical ideas through movement
Music and movement: children learn how to appreciate that different types/styles and
speeds of music require different movements.
Moving to a pulse: focus on the beat of the music
Christmas Nativity preparation: performance skills.
Term 2
Role play area – to be decided/depends on children’s interests
Topic – To be decided.
Imitate movement in response to music
Tap out simple repeated rhythms
Beginning to be interested in and describe the texture of things
Use various construction materials
Join construction pieces together to build and balance
Developing preferences for forms of expression
Use movement to express feelings
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Capture experiences and responses with a range of media
Class Assembly
Construct with a purpose in mind, using a variety of resources.
Engage in imaginative role-play based on own first-hand experiences.
Explore colour and how colours can be changed
Engage in imaginative role-play based on own first-hand experiences
Music lessons: Constant revision of the term 1 material. Louds and softs: focus on
dynamics. Percussion work: focus on speed – fast, medium and slow. High and low
sounds: focus on differentiation between sounds.
Term 3
Role Play Area – To be decided depending on children’s interests.
Explore a range of topics – to be decided.
Explore and learns how sounds can be changed
Understand that they can use lines to enclose a space
Explore the different sounds of instruments and makes up rhythms
Notice what adults do, imitating what is observed and then doing it spontaneously when
the adult is not there
Create simple representations of events, people and objects
Play alongside other children who are engaged in the same theme
Use various construction materials.
Build stories around toys/objects
Music lessons: Revision and extension: increasing own song repertoire further to
include
songs with a bigger range of notes. Revision and extension: increasing our percussion
work to develop fine motor skills further.
Summer Celebration of Success ceremony: performance skills.
Reception
Lesson Allocation:
As in Nursery there is continuous provision of resources for children to access. Focused
teacher directed activities are planned for most weeks. Music and movement sessions are
planned for on a regular basis. Class teachers may teach the children songs and dances.
The children will listen to a range of music and songs in the class.
Reception have two timetabled lessons per week with a music specialist.
Schemes of work used/ textbooks/resources:
As in Nursery a range of creative resources and media are used and introduced to the children
including paints, collage, recycled materials and malleable materials.
Range of music and CDs and resources from the Internet.
Role play areas and small world toys.
Music – Range of song books and musical instruments.
Teaching methods:
A stimulating and varied play environment is provided for children to interact with
independently, alongside others and with adults. Children are supported in developing their
skills in using a range of creative media. There is a balance between child initiated play
opportunities and adult directed activities. Throughout the day children will have the
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opportunity to play imaginatively and create. Songs and rhymes are sung throughout the day.
A range of individual, small group and whole class teaching takes place.
Written work:
Children may record their thoughts and ideas through mark making or creative activities.
Homework:
Parents may be asked to provide a particular ‘show and tell’ item related to topics or
themes.
Assessment:
Continual adult observation of children in their play and in learning situations is noted. Notes
and assessment sheets may be used by the adult to record children’s learning and
understanding. Photographs are taken and annotated to evidence children’s experiences and
learning. Daily and weekly evaluations are used to plan the next steps for individual or groups
of children. Photographs, observations and assessments are kept in the child’s electronic
learning journey.
Term 1
Role play areas – decided depending on children’s interests and wishes
Small world toys
Drama activities/Perform drama workshop
Free choice and access to a wide range of mark making and creative resources
Free choice and access to recycled and collage materials to stick, build and construct
Use a range of tools and techniques
Observational drawings and paintings
Contribute to class displays
Mixing paints and colours
Seasonal crafts – autumn, harvest, Christmas
Harvest Assembly
Christmas Nativity
Paint in response to a piece of music
Listen to a range of music as part of Black History Month
Music lessons – The focus is on singing using traditional and new material. The children
take part in a variety of songs and chants. They learn to sing and respond to sound and
silence.
Focus on pulse – through song, games and movement.
Focus on tempo – The children listen and respond to music which depicts movement at
various speeds, therefore differentiation between fast, medium and slow.
Christmas Nativity preparation (performance skills).
Term 2
Role play area – decided depending on children’s interests and wishes
Drama activities
Learn songs for class assembly
Seasonal crafts – spring, Easter, Mothers’ Day
Music lessons – rhythm work: introduction to Set 1 rhythms (Ta, Tete, rest). The
children learn to recognise these rhythmic symbols.
Consolidation of singing skills: The children participate in many singing activities
including some solo and group work.
Percussion instruments: The children learn to explore sounds and use these
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sounds in conjunction with the rhythms learnt thus creating their own
‘composition’.
Dynamics: The children become aware of contrasting dynamics through loud and
soft singing and playing.
Term 3
Role play area – To be decided
Class Assembly
Drama activities
Seasonal crafts – summer, Fathers’ Day
Clay activities
Creative work with textiles
Explore a variety of materials, tools and techniques
Experiment with colour, design, texture, form and function
Learn songs for Celebration of Success ceremony
Music lessons - Consolidation of all of the above, revisiting
instruments and dynamics.
Singing: The children are made aware of more detailed singing to include more
lyrics (verses), awareness of dynamics and style.
Celebration of Success ceremony: Performance skills.
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