Developing our cutting skills to make our own houses.

The children really enjoyed creating a representation of their own houses. They began by looking at photographs of their homes that parents had sent in and carefully selected the image of their own front door. As they worked, the children talked about what they could see and shared ideas with their peers, supporting their communication and language development as they described their houses and listened to others.

The children practised their individual cutting skills by carefully cutting around the photo of their door and cutting out window shapes to add to their house, developing their fine motor control and hand–eye coordination (Physical Development – Fine Motor Skills).

While creating their houses, the children talked about how they knew which door belonged to them. They discussed the colour of their door, the shapes they could see, and the numbers displayed on it. This supported their mathematical development as they recognised numbers and identified shapes and colours in a familiar context (Mathematics).

The children also showed an awareness of their own homes and what makes them special to them, making connections to their own experiences and environments (Understanding the World). By using different materials and assembling them to represent their houses, the children were also expressing their ideas creatively (Expressive Arts and Design).

The children also enjoyed looking at the story You Choose by Nick Sharratt. While exploring the pages, they looked carefully at the different types of houses and talked about which one they would choose to live in and why. The children shared their ideas with the group, developing their speaking and listening skills as they expressed their opinions and listened to the choices of others (Communication and Language).

Many children gave reasons for their choices, describing what they liked about the houses they selected. This supported the development of their oracy skills as they used language to explain their thinking and engage in conversation with adults and peers (Communication and Language).

As the children looked closely at the illustrations, they noticed different features of the houses, making connections with their own homes and experiences (Understanding the World). The activity also encouraged the children to use their imagination as they explored and discussed the variety of creative and unusual homes shown in the book (Expressive Arts and Design).