Early Years - Nursery & Reception Curriculum
Early Years Foundation Stage - what does Physical Education look like in the Early Years?
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, Physical Education (PE) forms part of the learning children acquire under the ‘Knowledge and Understanding of the World' branch of the Foundation Stage curriculum.
In the Early Years Foundation Stage, the aim of PE is to improve skills of coordination, control, manipulation and movement, much of it taking place through free or lightly structured activity.
Children develop large motor skills through jumping, hopping, skipping, climbing and running, and also through playing with pedal and push-and-pull toys. Children participate freely in these kinds of activities both indoors and outdoors.
Fine motor skills are acquired by filling a container with sand, doing a puzzle or stringing beads. Children need these skills to do up buttons or laces and to hold a pen or pencil to write correctly. For example, children who practise and succeed in filling containers in the water tray will handle drinks more successfully and have the confidence to, for example, pour out their own drinks.
There are some language objectives in PE lessons, too. Teachers will introduce words for negotiation and co-operation, such as ‘share’, ‘wait’, ‘take turns’, ‘before‘ and ‘after’.
Here are some examples of what teachers may do in PE lessons in the Early Years:
- The children carry out the actions of the story 'Going on a Bear Hunt'. They interpret different ways of moving, carefully avoiding bumping into each other.
- The class pretend to be planes. They put their arms out while moving around the room making engine noises. After several minutes they lie down on the floor to mimic a plane landing.
- Using an obstacle course created by the teacher, the children follow one another to crawl through the tunnel, hop along the bench and roll sideways across the mat.
The document below outlines in more detail the specific Physical Education objectives within the Early Years curriculum, what it looks like in practice, and demonstrates the links between the Early Years and the Physical Education curriculum. It also highlights key vocabulary taught within our Early Years and at Key Stage 1.
PE - Early Years to Key Stage 1 Curriculum Links.
Documentation for PE in EYFS
EYFS Qualitas / NCS Dance progression
EYFS Qualitas / NCS Fundamentals progression
EYFS Qualitas / NCS Gymnastics progression