The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) statutory framework introduced in September 2021 recognises that every child deserves the best possible start in life to help them to thrive. The new Music Express units have been written to support the delivery of this revised framework and to help support dedicated practitioners to provide activities, opportunities and scaffolding to ensure children develop and make progress in their learning through the educational programmes of the EYFS. Musical learning is an intrinsic part of the holistic EYFS provision provided in this resource. Original songs and chants and new lyrics sung to traditional melodies forge strong links with the theme of each starting point, and carefully selected pieces of recorded music develop listening skills. Children’s creative responses are encouraged through singing, playing, movement and dance.

Units

Who shall I be today? - Young children love to dress up and pretend to be someone else. Through imaginative play they can act out their hopes and dreams, practise their emotions, imitate a character and develop their communication and language skills. The actions involved in putting on costumes will also develop the physical skills of dressing and undressing independently.

Lets go green - Talk with children about the materials that we throw away and where these come from. Talk about the ways in which we can protect our world by recycling some materials, using them again and again. Discuss which materials can be recycled and how everyone can help to do this, and what will happen if we don’t look after our planet.

Busy City - Talk with children about the materials that we throw away and where these come from. Talk about the ways in which we can protect our world by recycling some materials, using them again and again. Discuss which materials can be recycled and how everyone can help to do this, and what will happen if we don’t look after our planet.

Beyond the stars - Talk with children about day and night and encourage parents to go out with their child in the evening to look at the moon and stars in the night sky. Talk about space and how astronauts travelled to the moon in a space rocket. Introduce some of the names of the planets, particularly Mars, and talk about the characteristics of the moon

When snowflakes fall - Most children love snow: building snowmen, making snow angels or running across a snowy field to leave their footprints behind. It is one of the times when Early Years Practitioners need to be totally spontaneous, forget planned activities and take full advantage of any snowfall, enjoying it before it melts!

Fabulous Food - The busy lifestyle followed by many families today often makes eating together more of a challenge, but sharing food with others has physical and social benefits. In this starting point we aim to help children understand where food comes from by introducing growing, choosing and buying nutritious food to be prepared and shared together. Likes and dislikes are often established at a very early age so it is important to acquaint children with the wide range of ingredients that are available nowadays, to encourage exploration and to celebrate food from different cultures and climates.

A tale from long ago - Traditional tales are stories that have been told and retold over many years and passed down through the generations to become embedded in our culture. These well-known stories often have a magical element, sometimes exploring issues of right from wrong and usually following a clear structure. They are vitally important in supporting the development of young children’s literacy skills. There are many traditional tales to explore – we have chosen to focus on The elves and the shoemaker. The songs and chant in this resource also tell the story in its proper sequence.