As children develop and try to make sense of the wider world around them, many begin to show an interest in the jobs that adults do.
When aiming to build on this interest in the Foundation Stage, it is important for practitioners to plan starting points, experiences and activities that reflect the learning needs, interests and experiences of individuals and groups of children alike.
Making visits or having visitors come to the setting can enhance most projects, but this is especially true of a project about 'Jobs' or 'People who help us', as it often called.
It is important to focus on jobs that are familiar to the children. For example, if the setting is located near a train station, building site or farm, practitioners should take this into account. Similarly, children often have shared experiences of shops, hospitals, clinics, dentists and, of course, the early years setting itself, seeing office staff, cooks, cleaners, gardeners, delivery and maintenance personnel as well as the early years practitioners.
By providing experiences that will stimulate children's imaginations and curiosity, practitioners can engage all children in the setting in this ever-popular theme.
Approach
The Curriculum Guidance for the Foundation Stage (page 11) emphasises the importance of providing children with a balance of adult-led and child-initiated learning opportunities. This project, therefore:
* identifies adult-led activities, to introduce or develop children's understanding of the topic through stimulating, meaningful experiences which offer challenge
* suggests ways to enhance areas of core provision, to consolidate children's learning about the theme. It is the practitioners' role to make daily observations of children's learning which inform individual child profiles and future planning. Children should be encouraged to use the resources to support their own learning. This means that the possible learning outcomes will be wide-ranging and varied
* advocates that settings should be organised and resourced using a 'workshop' approach so that children can access resources autonomously and independently.
Adult-led activities
A visitor to the setting
Arrange for some people to visit the setting to talk about their job - for example, a chef.
Key learning intentions
To respond to significant experiences, showing a range of feelings when appropriate
To show an interest in the lives of people familiar to them
To respond to significant experiences in a range of ways
Adult:child ratio 3:8
Resources
3Digital camera 3speech bubbles on clipboards 3adult with work 'props'
Preparation
* Inform the children's families about the project and invite them to visit the setting to talk about their work.
* Invite people within the local community to talk about their work.
* Discuss what each visitor could talk about and what objects relating to their job they could bring with them.
Activity content
* Discuss with the children what is going to happen before the visitor arrives.
* When the visitor arrives, encourage the children to guess what job they do. If it isn't obvious, support the children as they ask questions.
* Encourage the visitor to talk about their job and the objects they have brought. Where appropriate, let the children explore the objects.
* Take photographs of the children with the visitor, support them as they take their own photographs and record their comments.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
* Specific to the occupation - chef, cook, bake, uniform, apron, hat, oven glove, hot, prepare, slice, fry, chop, menu
Questions to ask
* What do you think the chef does at work? Where do you think they work?
* Why do you think the chef wears a uniform? What do you think that object is for? Have you seen one before?
Extension activities
* Discuss the photographs taken at the visit and encourage children to respond through painting, drawing or other media.
* Make menus with the children using a simple writing format (see Resources).
* Make a book with the photographs and the children's comments.
* Wherever possible, plan visits for adults with two or four children to local cafes, restaurants or takeaway outlets, and take photographs of your visits.
* Invite other visitors into the setting, such as the local police, fire-fighters, hospital or clinic staff, or librarians.
* Watch a short video clip about any of the occupations from the Early Vision video/DVD (see Resources).
On paper
Share books about jobs.
Key learning intentions
To initiate a conversation, negotiate positions, pay attention to and take account of others' views
To know how to operate simple equipment
To use imagination in art and design
Adult:child ratio 1:up to 6
Resources
Materials to make a group book ,digital camera, preferably with stand-alone printer ,speech bubbles Preparation
* Ensure that the children have had lots of opportunities to explore storybooks and information texts about the jobs people do, and time to have conversations with adults with different roles and responsibilities.
* Prepare an empty book for the children's pictures and comments.
* Make card 'flaps' a little larger than the photographs to be taken - 15cm x 10cm is a good size.
* Cut out paper a little smaller than the photographs, for the children's drawings and speech bubbles with their comments.
Activity content
* Talk to the children about the jobs that they know about and discuss those of familiar adults and pictures in the books.
* Discuss what they think they would like and dislilke about the various jobs. Record the children's comments in speech bubbles.
* Encourage children to draw pictures of themselves involved in their favourite job.
* Support the children as they take photographs of each other and print the photos.
* Help the children to fix their drawings into the book, and stick the photographs on to the flaps.
* Continue until a group book is created, with the children's photographs and comments on each page.
* Share the book with the children, encourage them to guess what their friends would like to be when they grow up, then lift the flaps to check.
Extending learning
Key vocabulary
Job, profession, task, pay, salary, work, uniform, tools, office, shop, hospital, favourite, like, dislike, worst, best
Questions to ask
* Why do you think you would like to be a bus driver?
* What could happen if you chose to become a sailor? Where do you think you might travel?
* Why do you think you have to wear a uniform if you are a doctor?
* Can you think of a way to find out more about being an optician?
* What tools would you need if you were a builder? What would you like to build?
Extension activities
* Plan opportunities for children to ask each other questions about their words and pictures. Use the book as a starting point for group discussions.
* Provide a magnetic wedge/board with laminated photographs of adults in different uniforms and work clothing to support children's discussions and creation of own stories.
* Go on a 'job' walk and take along a digital camera. Take photographs of adults in the setting and the local area. Most adults are happy to be photographed if they know what it is for, but it is a good idea to ask permission from any stores, banks or the local post office beforehand if you want to take photographs indoors.
Child-initiated learning
Role-play area
Additional resources and adult support
* Before setting up a cafe role-play area, visit a local cafe with a small group of children, and invite workers into the setting. Look at the different jobs people do and take lots of photographs.
* Develop a cafe role-play area, using the photographs as starting points and real resources where possible.
* Provide props, including till and money, menus, order pads with writing formats, plastic cards, till receipts, special offer posters, aprons, chef's uniforms and hats, badges for staff members, vases of silk flowers, tablecloths, napkins, teacloths, oven gloves, washing-up bowl, plastic glasses, pretend food, plastic crockery and cutlery.
* Model the use of specific resources and act in role - as a chef, cashier, waiter/waitress, manager or customer.
* Ask open-ended questions that encourage the use of imaginative and descriptive language.
Play possibilities
* Making up their own stories
* Sorting the food, cutlery and crockery
* Arranging and laying the tables
* Taking orders and writing 'bills'
* Expressing their ideas, thoughts and feelings through role play
* Taking on different roles and exploring the use of language
* Cutting, mixing and cooking food
Possible learning outcomes
Has a growing awareness of the needs of others
Uses language to recreate roles and experiences
Shows an awareness of healthy eating and hygiene
Uses imagination in role play
Sand area
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide resources to create a 'building site', including sand tray, with trowels, shovels, sieves, buckets, planks, larger wooden blocks, hard hats, architect's plans, clip boards with squared paper, gravel, damp sand and jugs of water.
* Provide small-world people, blocks, diggers and dumpers in the sand tray.
* Model the use of key vocabulary, such as build, builder, bricks, cement, construction, foundations, trowel, safety, plans, drawings and architect.
* Ask open-ended questions about what the children are doing and why. What are they planning to build? Who will use it?
* Support the children's conversations, encouraging them to make connections with earlier or home experiences.
Play possibilities
* Mixing the sand, water and gravel
* Building and knocking down castles
* Acting the role of architect or builder
* Using marks, words and pictures to plan what to build
* Designing and making buildings
* Working as part of a group, co-operating and negotiating Possible learning outcomes
Displays high levels of involvement.
Uses language to recreate roles and experiences.
Uses the mathematical language of size and position.
Designs and constructs for a purpose.
Handles objects with increasing skill.
Imaginative play area - emergency services Additional resources and adult support
* Provide resources for emergency services role play, such as a large road mat with cars, road signs, construction blocks, a hospital with beds and other equipment, plastic people, emergency vehicles, lolly sticks, cardboard sign shapes, Blu-Tack, markers, and a variety of hats for children to wear.
* Reinforce language such as hospital, ambulance, fire services, paramedic, emergency, accident, doctor, nurse.
* Support children's conversations, encouraging them to communicate what they are doing and why.
Play possibilities
* Setting up the hospital
* Trying on the hats or piling them up
* Recalling and making links with own earlier experiences
* Creating story lines, individually or in co-operation with others
* Building houses and creating towns
* Creating own signs
Possible learning outcomes
Works as part of a group, co-operating and negotiating
Interacts with others, negotiating plans and taking turns in conversation
Ascribes meaning to marks when making signs
Shows an interest in the world in which they live
Uses a range of small equipment
Uses imagination in role play
Hats, boots and bags
Additional resources and adult support
* Provide books, photos and posters of different jobs, clothing and uniforms.
* Provide a 'treasure chest' full of boots, shoes, hats and bags that are used in different occupations. Include real, rather than toy, resources.
* Reinforce the use of specific vocabulary about the clothes and bags.
* Encourage the children to explore the items of clothing and try them on.
* Support the children as they develop skills of dressing independently.
Play possibilities
* Making connections with previous experiences
* Matching the shoes and boots in pairs
* Trying on the clothes
* Talking about events which have included adults wearing clothes or using resources
* Sharing the books and photographs
Possible learning outcomes
Persists at an activity of own choosing
Dresses and undresses independently
Uses simple statements and questions
Sorts objects by one function
Describes significant events
Judith Stevens is an early years adviser for Lewisham Education
Areas of learning
Personal, social and emotional development
Communication, language and literacy
Mathematical development
Knowledge & understanding of the world
Physical development
Creative development
Role-play situations
A project on jobs will be most successful if it offers children many role-play opportunities across a wide range of scenarios. Practitioners should plan to enhance role-play provision both indoors and outdoors and could consider such roles and work places as:
* office
* clinic/hospital/ dentist
* cafe/restaurant/ specialist food outlet
* shop/market stall
* building site/ builders' merchant
* post office
* petrol station/ garage
* railway station/ airport
* hairdresser
* optician
* estate agent
* garden centre/ florist
* veterinary surgery/pet shop
Resources to support the theme
* Motoring/ Greengrocer/ Garden Centre video/DVD theme packs, Early Vision, 27.49
* Garage/Police/ Ourselves (includes opticians, beauticians, hairdressers and dentists) CDs, Early Vision, 24.99
Available from TTS Early Steps, tel: 0800 318 686, www.tts-shopping.com:
* Shopping arcade, includes cafe panel, market stall panel and bank/post office panel, 284.61
* 'Healthy Food Cafe' role play print pack, 4.99
* 'At the Cafe' CD, 29.00
* Assorted coins and notes, 16.95
* Scanner till, 19.99 Books
* At the Shops/At the Cafe by Paul Humphrey (Franklin Watts, 8.99)
* Sam the Chef (Jobs People Do series) by F Brooks (Usborne Publishing, Pounds 6.99)
