My Approach
WHAT I OFFER
My Approach
Why I Chose Foundation Phase
I believe without a doubt that the foundation phase is the most important developmental time in a child’s life and that the foundations we lay today will set the tone for who they will become and what they will achieve. Every interaction with them is a chance for them to learn and for me to pass on a skill which will empower them and ensure that they are developing into who they can be, filled with potential, kindness and confidence.
“I am inspired every day by the children around me, at their wonder of the world, their incredible imaginations, their resilience, their fearlessness, and endless energy for play. I am privileged to watch them develop their abilities and grow into their little selves. Having a helping hand in this journey is my honour and something that motivates me to keep up with their curiosity, spark their imaginations and provide endless possibilities to learn together.”
“I am inspired every day by the children around me, at their wonder of the world, their incredible imaginations, their resilience, their fearlessness, and endless energy for play.”
– Teacher Amy
“I am inspired every day by the children around me, at their wonder of the world, their incredible imaginations, their resilience, their fearlessness, and endless energy for play. I am privileged to watch them develop their abilities and grow into their little selves. Having a helping hand in this journey is my honour and something that motivates me to keep up with their curiosity, spark their imaginations and provide endless possibilities to learn together.”
“I am inspired every day by the children around me, at their wonder of the world, their incredible imaginations, their resilience, their fearlessness, and endless energy for play.”
– Teacher Amy
My Approach
My approach to children is an extension of who I am – ensuring my interactions and teachings are filled with warmth, kindness, care, playfulness, creativity and fun. My gentle approach to both soft skill development with tools like those at https://softplaymanufacturers.co.uk/how-to-plan-for-a-soft-play-for-children-with-disabilities/ and hard skill nurturing stems from an understanding of each child’s individuality which is based on their personality, responsiveness and holistic self. By understanding this I am able to give them the space to develop at their own pace. I try to see each child for who they are and who they can become.
The primary years in a child’s life are crucial in the development of their core skills such as language, social, fine and gross motor, cognitive abilities and emotional regulation, as well as the emergence of vital life skills such as empathy, collaboration, confidence, perseverance, resilience and a belief in their abilities. This phase in their life needs to be nurtured to ensure optimal development and an excitement for learning. This is where I aim to step in with my teaching background, as well as previous years’ experience as an au-pair and personal tutor. I am able to facilitate this core learning as well as provide a helping hand for those who need a more focused, personal approach to learning, play, creativity and academic support.
Academic Support
- Homework assistance and supervision including projects, orals and assignments.
Language Support
- Supervised reading and practice time.
- Story time and dialogue to increase learnt words, conversational skills and word memory.
- Home language homework assistance including areas such as: flash cards, sight words, memory sentences and spelling practice.
Personal Support
- Nurturing personal and emotional development through a warm, trust-filled, personal and collaborative relationship.
- Mentoring and companionship to develop inter-personal skills, confidence and self-assurance.
Emotional Support
- Assistance through emotional scaffolding to achieve self-regulation and emotional development in areas such as: inner control, behaviour management, emotional intelligence, frustration tolerance and impulse control. Resulting in positive and empowering life-skills such as independence, socialisation, leadership skills, collaboration abilities, and confidence.
Fine Motor Skills
The enhancement and development of fine motor skills such as wrist strength, grip, hand-eye coordination and pincer grip.
This can be achieved through activities such as:
- Construction: Lego, blocks, Duplo and puzzles
- Play: dressing up dolls, zips and laces
- Reading books
- Finger painting
- Play-dough
- Crayons and colouring
- Cutting, tearing and sticking skills
- Threading, sprinkling, peeling stickers, scooping, grabbing, picking up, transferring, pouring, tweezers and pegs
Gross Motor Skills
The enhancement and development of gross motor skills through big body movement play.
This can be achieved through activities such as:
- Weight bearing: crawling and monkey bars
- Resistance: pushing and pulling e.g. tug of war
- Heavy lifting: moving large objects
- Big movements: hopping, jumping, running, skipping and bike riding
- Stretching
- Ball skills
- Deep pressure and proprioception – roly-polies, toe walking and stomping