Nursery World - Wear it well! (1)

Children are generally interested in clothes. Putting them on and taking them off might seem routine to adults but to very young children it is often one of their first acts of independence. Think of the baby kicking off their socks, the toddler pulling off their sun hat or the four-year-old insisting on dressing themselves. Learning opportunities

Learning opportunities

Supporting children's self-help skills is a fundamental aim for Foundation Stage practitioners, so:

* be aware of the incidental and daily learning opportunities that involve children's clothes - and fastenings

* capitalise on children's interest and preoccupation with their clothes

* respond spontaneously to, for example, a child's fascination with hats or new-found skill of fastening zips.

Children's and practitioners' clothes, but particularly those with logos, labels or lettering, can be the starting points for exploring many aspects of literacy and numeracy in meaningful ways.

Planning

* Use a theme like clothes to harness and respond to children's needs and interests and make links with other topics such as materials, colours and pattern, which can run simultaneously.

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