Wow cards guidance.
Specific Areas
Literacy
(This is assessed in English)
 Hear and say sounds, and link them to the alphabet
 Notice rhyming words
 Enjoy reading and listening to books
 Read and write familiar words and sentences
Below are some examples of useful wow cards that link to the
Literacy part of the foundation stage profile.
We were reading
together at home.
She found the words
‘the’ and ‘to’ in the
story we were
sharing.
We were playing a
game at home
together. We have to
sound out cvc words.
He sounded out ‘bin’
‘fin’ ‘thin’ and blended
them.
We were playing a
game at home called
what’s in the bag.
She had a bag full of
toys. I have to guess
what she was pulling
out. She sounded out
the word for me as a
clue. ‘It’s a d-o-ll.
We were sharing a
story at bed time. It
was the Gruffalo. He
started to sound out
the word. G-r-u-f ‘it
must be Gruffalo’ he
said.
After reading a bed
time story I asked
her to tell me about
what happened in the
story she
said............................
He acted out the
story Goldilocks and
the three bears with
his friends at home.
He remembered the
story.
She was practising
writing
independently. She
wrote her Christmas
list sounding out the
words. She used the
sounds she had learnt
at school.
He was reading the
words that were on
the fridge. He could
read ‘the ‘to’ ‘go’ ‘into’
‘said’.
She was writing a
shopping list for me.
We took it to the
shops when we went
to do the food
shopping that week.
She used the sounds
that she had learnt
at school.
He was making a
treasure map. I
asked him if he could
write down what the
different symbols
were for. He wrote
dig hir, skool, parc
and beech. He
sounded out each
word as he wrote it.
She was using her
toys to retell the
story of the three
little pigs to her
little sister. She
remembered the
story well and even
added voices to each
character.
She was drawing a
picture I asked her
to tell me about her
picture. She said ‘this
is a big hairy
Gruffalo.’ I asked her
to have a go at
writing the sentence.
She wrote – This is a
big haree grufalow.
Numeracy
 Use maths words such as heavier/lighter, more/less,
add/subtract.
 Notice shapes in the environment and describe their features
 Be comfortable with numbers and use them in play
 Solve maths problems by adding and taking away
Below are some examples of useful wow cards that link to the
Numeracy part of the foundation stage profile.
We were playing a
game at home. To
work out who won
the game. He said ‘I
have 7 and Paul has
5 so I have more. I
have 2 more.’
She was practising
her numbers at
home. She was
forming them the
way she had been
taught at school.
She wrote the
numbers from 1-10
and she could tell
me which each
number was when I
pointing to them
randomly.
We were adding the
fruit in the fruit
bowl. We counted
how many apples (6)
and how many
bananas (4). How
many is there
altogether I asked
him. He then counted
them
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10.
There are 10.
We were at home
making party bags.
We were putting
sweets into each
bag. Every time we
added one more she
said that is 4 and
one more is 5 and
one more is 6.
We were putting
the cars away. They
were spread over
the carpet. We
counted how many
we had altogether
on the carpet at the
start. We had 10.
Each time we put
one in the box I said
‘one less is’ and he
said the new number
‘9’
We were out
shopping at the
weekend. Sam’s
target numbers to
learn are 6 and 9.
Every time he
spotted the number
6 or 9 and named it
correctly we all had
to freeze. He
enjoyed practising
writing 6 and 9 when
we got home and
have put his work up
on the fridge.
She was cutting up a
banana at home to
make a sandwich.
She had cut and
counted 5 pieces
already. Then she
cut the second piece
of banana up into 4
pieces. ‘ There are 9
bits of banana
altogether’ she said.
He said to me ‘ not
tomorrow but the
day after it is
Christmas day isn’t
it mum.
We saw an aeroplane
in the sky. We had
just been on a plane
to France the week
before. He said
‘Daddy that plane
looks so small but it
really is big. It is
far away in the sky
that’s why it looks
so small.’
She was building a
tower out of lego
bricks. ‘This tower
is small, this one is
big and this one is
even bigger it’s
enormous.’
We were playing in
the park. We saw
older children playing
one was on a bike
pulling the other
child on roller boots
along. ‘You could pull
me daddy she said
but I can’t pull you
your too heavy for
me. I could pull
James (her little
baby brother) but he
is too little to play
that game.
He was making a
picture out of
shapes. He told me
the names of the
shapes. I asked him
how he knew it was
called a square he
said because it has 4
side the same look
1,2,3,4.
Understanding the World
 Enjoy joining in with family customs and routines
 Talk about people who are special to them
 Notice and take care of things in their own environment that
grow and change
 Use simple ICT such as computers to find out information
Below are some examples of useful wow cards that link to the
understanding the world part of the foundation stage profile.
We went to the
church for a carol
concert. She enjoyed
watching her older
brothers singing in
the choir. ‘When I’m
older I will join the
choir .’ she said
Over Christmas he
enjoyed decorating
the Christmas tree
and putting the
Nativity scene out.
He named the
different characters
in the Nativity scene
and told me part of
the nativity story.
We had planted
potatoes and were
ready to harvest
them. She was
excited to dig into
the mud to see what
had grown. I asked
her what they had
needed to grow and
she said ‘water and
We had left a water
tray in the garden
for the birds to
drink. He noticed
that the water had
frozen over night.
‘Look dad it was
freezing last night
and this water has
turned to ice’. I
Over the Easter
holidays we went on
an Easter Egg Hunt.
She was excited.
Later we were talking
about why people get
Easter eggs. She said
‘We talked about this
at school. It is
because eggs have
chicks in they are
born and have life.’
Mummy when the sun
is up we are awake
and on the other side
of the world the
moon will be up and
people there are
asleep as it is night
time.
the sun oh and this
pot so that the mud
didn’t fall away.’
asked him if it could
turn back to water
‘Yes if the sun is hot
today it will melt and
be water’ he replied.
We went to visit the On our walk to school
local farm. We looked she noticed a
at the animals and
lavender plant. ‘This
thought about what
is like the plant
you call baby animals. outside Butterfly
She knew kitten,
Class it’s called
puppy, lamb, piglet
lavender and it smells
and duckling.
really lovely. I like
Lavender.’
We had a power cut
While on holiday we
at home. We made a let him take some
list of all the things
photos. He was able
we couldn’t use as
to take a photo and
they needed
we helped him
electricity. She said – practise how to zoom
toaster, tv and
in.
hairdryer.
He visited his
grandparents’
allotment with them.
I asked him if he had
fun. ‘Yes it was
amazing they have
carrots, potatoes
that is what you use
to make chips and a
lot of cabbages. Nan
was cross because
she said slugs and
snails had eaten her
cabbage and I could
see the teeth marks.
Grandpa put green
net over them so
they can’t do it again.’
We had a karaoke
party and he was able
to help set up the
machine and he
others how to use it.
Expressive Arts and Design
 Sing songs, make music and dance
 Use different materials, tools and techniques to create their
own designs
 Explore colours and textures
 Play alongside other children, making up their own story and
pretending to be other people eg a policeman or nurse.
Below are some examples of useful wow cards that link to the
expressive arts and design part of the foundation stage profile.
He really enjoys
making at home. He
loves to create
models. He can use
scissors, glue, paint
and cellotape
independently. He
always goes into
great detail to tell us
about his model and
how it works.
She was painting at
home. She was telling
me how to mix
colours to make new
colours. She could
make orange, green
and pink.
After seeing
fireworks in the sky
over new years he
asked if he could
make a picture. We
had lots of sweet
wrappers from
Christmas. He took
his time choosing the
colours, twisting the
wrappers and
arranging them
before gluing them
down.
We were having a
At home he had
She has ballet
summer party and
invited a friend over lessons outside of
she wanted to make
for tea. They decided school. This weekend
some artwork to
to put some music on. she performed on
display in the garden. ‘He said put on
stage with her ballet
She decided she
number 10’ When the class. We are very
would make lots of
music came one they proud of her.
different
danced around to the
butterflies. Over a
few days she use
paint, colouring
pencils, oil pastels
and collage to make a
variety of butterflies
in different sizes.
She had tried very
hard to make them
symmetrical. We
hung them on string
along the garden
fence. She enjoyed
showing people that
came to the party
and was very proud
of her artwork.
We went to the park
at the weekend and
he was playing a make
believe game with his
brother. They were
making a potion to
give to the baddies.
They were collecting
sticks and leaves and
mixing them up to
make the potion.
music. ‘I like this
song because it goes
really fast. Look I
can make my arms
and legs go fast like
the music.’
He drew me a
picture. ‘This is me
mummy and I can fly
that is my super
power. You are this
one you can spin
around really fast.
That is why I have
drawn circles near
your feet.’
She was playing with
her cousins over the
holidays. They made
up a play for us to
watch. They acted
out their version of
sleeping beauty. They
even had music and
danced.
At home he has some
musically
instruments. He
played them with his
brother. They were
trying to make music
up that sounded like
the sea. We had been
at the beach that
weekend.
She had been to an
art lesson in a craft
shop over the
weekend. She made a
clay tile. She had
used lots of
different objects to
make prints onto the
clay tile. When it had
dried she had painted
it and added glitter.
He goes to a drama
club after school
each Friday. He
performed a play
with his class last
week. He spoke very
clearly and we are all
very proud of him.