Message from Early Years

The Benefits of a Christmas Production and the links to EYFS

The benefits of drama and the power of imaginative play are becoming increasingly recognised, and at NAIS Pudong, we place real value on these areas. Our Early Years Christmas Production provides our children with a positive experience of drama and music in a fun and engaging way.

Our production, Away in a Manger, helps build self-confidence in a safe environment as the children perform on stage to an audience. Personal, social and emotional development improves as the children develop their social skills by working as part of a team, listening to others and expressing themselves through a character and song.

One of the main advantages of taking part in a performance is communication and listening skill development. The production of Away in a Manger links to our Early Years curriculum and through our learning environment the children have opportunities to make connections with the story, which is based in a stable of animals in Bethlehem. The Early Years children will experience these links in the following ways:

Communication, Language and Literature:

•           Can the children think of rhyming words with some of the animals in the story?

•           The Kings brought gifts for baby Jesus, what gifts would you give to a baby?

Mathematics:

•           Many animals are in the stable, which is the smallest and biggest?

•           How many animals are in the stable, can you add them together?

Personal, Social and Emotional Development:

•           Daisy feels upset, fed up, surprised and amazed during the story. Can the children talk about a time they have felt these emotions?

Understanding the world?

•           Mary and Joseph travelled a long way, what is the longest journey you have been on?

Expressive Arts and Design:

•           Make a collage of the critical characters of the story.

Physical Development:

Pretend to be animals from the story, can you move fast and slow? Can you pretend to lay an egg like a hen?

We are very excited to share our production of Away in a Manger with you tomorrow Tuesday 10^th December at 9.00am.