Understanding the World in the EYFS

Understanding the World is a key area of learning in the Early Years Foundation Stage, encouraging children to explore, observe, and make sense of the world around them. Through hands-on experiences, discussions, and investigations, children learn about people, places, nature, technology, and different cultures and communities.

We support children’s natural curiosity by providing opportunities to discover, ask questions, and develop a deeper awareness of their environment and the wider world.

Below are some pictures of our children enjoying and engaging in Understanding the World activities throughout the years.

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2024 to 2025

Children observing natural life on the farm, learning about animals, plants, and how they grow and change with the seasons.

Children learn about natural life on the farm, exploring animals, plants, and seasonal changes, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child playing with sand, learning about textures, shapes, and experimenting with natural materials.

Child plays with sand at nursery, exploring textures, building, and early scientific concepts, supporting Understanding the World skills

Children exploring marine life in the garden, discovering different sea creatures and learning about their habitats and features.

Children learn about marine life in the nursery garden, exploring sea creatures, their habitats, and how they live, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child learning about various animals, discovering their habitats, behaviors, and features.

Child explores different types of animals at nursery, learning about species, habitats, and characteristics, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child playing with toy cars, learning about road safety, traffic rules, and safe behaviors in the community.

Child plays with toy cars at nursery, exploring road safety, traffic rules, and community awareness, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children playing with toy dinosaurs around a water table with pine cones, sticks, and plastic dinosaurs in an outdoor setting.

Children create habitats for dinosaurs, learning about prehistoric environments, how dinosaurs may have lived, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children observing and learning about butterflies, discovering their life cycle, colours, and wing patterns.

Children learn about butterflies at nursery, exploring their life cycle, colours, and patterns, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children building a pretend beach in the garden, using sand, shells, and water to learn about seaside habitats and environments.

Children create a beach in the garden, exploring sand, shells, and water play while learning about seaside environments, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child discovering various vehicles, learning about transport methods, purposes, and movement.

Child explores different types of vehicles at nursery, learning about transportation, their uses, and how they move, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children collecting daisies in the park, learning about plants, nature, and the changing seasons.

Children pick daisies at their local park, exploring nature, plant life, and seasonal changes, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child learning about a variety of fruits and vegetables, discovering their colors, shapes, and textures while exploring healthy eating.

Child explores different fruits and vegetables at nursery, learning about healthy foods, their names, colors, and textures, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children searching for and learning about various bugs in the garden, exploring their habitats and characteristics.

Children explore the rear garden to learn about different types of bugs, discovering their habitats, features, and roles in nature, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children learning about road safety through a play street setup, discovering traffic rules, pedestrian safety, and safe behaviours.

Children explore road safety at nursery using a play street setup, learning about traffic rules, pedestrian safety, and community awareness, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child building a farm animal habitat with twigs and leaves, learning about nature, animal homes, and their surroundings.

Child creates a habitat for farm animals using twigs and leaves, exploring natural materials, animal homes, and the environment, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children making a swamp for dinosaurs, exploring prehistoric habitats and the natural environments dinosaurs may have lived in.

Children create swamp habitats for toy dinosaurs, learning about prehistoric environments and how dinosaurs lived, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child building a beach habitat with sand, learning about coastal ecosystems, animals, and their environments.

Child creates a beach habitat using sand at nursery, exploring coastal environments, animals, and natural materials, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child playing with toy dinosaur and nature-themed toys on a green table in a daycare setting.

Child creates habitats for animals at nursery, exploring animal homes, environments, and nature, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child feeding farm animals, discovering how to care for animals and learning about their habitats.

Child feeds animals at the farm, learning about farm life, animal care, and the natural environment, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child painting pumpkins for Halloween, learning about seasonal events, creativity, and festive traditions at nursery.

Child paints pumpkins for Halloween at nursery, exploring seasonal traditions, creativity, and cultural celebrations, supporting Understanding the World skills

Child looking at farm animals, learning about different species, their habitats, and the farm environment.

Child observes animals at the farm, exploring farm life, animal habitats, and nature, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child playing with magnets, discovering magnetic forces and exploring simple science concepts at nursery

Child explores magnets at nursery, learning about attraction, repulsion, and basic science concepts, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child at a local farm, learning about animals, their habitats, and the farm environment.

Child visits the local farm, exploring animals, farm life, and nature, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Girl examining pinecones and twigs, discovering natural materials and exploring the environment at nursery.

Exploring natural objects such as pinecones and twigs at nursery, learning about nature, textures, and the environment, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Girl picking daffodils, learning about plants, seasons, and nature at nursery.

Girl collects daffodils at the local park, exploring nature, seasonal changes, and the environment, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child looking at ducks at a farm, learning about animals, their habitats, and the natural environment.

Child observes ducks at a local farm, exploring animals, habitats, and nature, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Children building dinosaur habitats, learning about prehistoric creatures, their environments, and imaginative play.

Children create dinosaur habitats at nursery, exploring prehistoric animals, environments, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child working on an arts and crafts activity with flower petals on colored paper, with a childcare center in the background.

Making Mother’s Day card at nursery, exploring family relationships and cultural celebrations, supporting Understanding the World skills.

A young child with dark curly hair playing with toy dinosaurs on a tabletop outdoors, with the words 'Early Steps Daycare' superimposed on the image.

Children explore dinosaurs at nursery, learning about prehistoric animals, their habitats, and the natural world, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child watering plants in the playground, learning about plants, growth, and how to care for the natural world.

Child waters plants in the nursery playground, exploring nature, plant growth, and caring for the environment, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child participating in Eid celebrations at nursery, learning about cultural traditions and community life.

Child celebrates Eid at nursery, exploring cultural traditions, community, and special events, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child painting a dreidel, learning about Jewish cultural traditions and festive celebrations at nursery.

Child paints a dreidel at nursery, exploring Jewish traditions, festivals, and creative expression, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child painting a Christmas tree, learning about holiday traditions and expressing creativity at nursery.

Child paints a Christmas tree at nursery, exploring festive traditions, creativity, and cultural celebrations, supporting Understanding the World skills.

Child sorting toy animals into farm and wild animals, learning about their differences.

Exploring the differences between farm animals and wild animals through hands-on play and observation.

Child observing farm animals at Spitalfields Farm, learning about animals, their environment, and farm life.

Nursery children visit Spitalfields Farm to explore animals, their care, and farm life, supporting early learning in Understanding the World.

Boy picking daffodils at a local park, learning about plants, seasons, and the natural world.

Children explore nature and seasonal changes while picking daffodils at the local park, enhancing their Understanding the World skills.

Children painting and drawing traffic lights, learning about colors, road safety, and their environment.

Nursery children paint and draw traffic lights to explore colors, creative expression, and learn about road safety, linking to Understanding the World.

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