As soon as they spotted the tray, Ioan reached straight for the T-Rex and, since our recent discovery, Finn went for the Euoplocephalus.

Resources

  • Tuff Tray
  • Dinosaurs
  • Daffodils
  • Pine cones
  • Pebbles
  • Twigs
  • Garden foliage

Method

Ioan used his tyrannosaurus to transport daffodils around the tray. Finn put his euoplocephalus to work bashing rocks… what else?

They talked about what their dinosaurs were doing as they played.

Finn checked with Ioan whether each of his role played behaviours were appropriate to the type of dinosaur. He asked Ioan, “Yoshi, does de-docus eat plants?”, so Ioan happily reassured him, “Oh yes Finny, that’s fine, diplodocus is a herbivore!”

Finn learns so much from playing alongside Ioan, I love watching peer learning.

DfES Early Learning Goals (2017)

Communication and language

ELG 01 – Listening and attention:

Children listen attentively in a range of situations. They give their attention to what others say and respond appropriately, while engaged in another activity.

ELG 02 – Understanding:

Children answer ‘how’ and ‘why’ questions about their experiences and in response to stories or events.

ELG 03 – Speaking:

Children express themselves effectively, showing awareness of listeners’ needs. They use past, present and future forms accurately when talking about events that have happened or are to happen in the future. They develop their own narratives and explanations by connecting ideas or events.

Personal, social and emotional development

ELG 06 – Self-confidence and self-awareness:

Children are confident to try new activities, and say why they like some activities more than others. They are confident to speak in a familiar group, will talk about their ideas, and will choose the resources they need for their chosen activities.

ELG 08 – Making relationships:

Children play co-operatively, taking turns with others. They take account of one another’s ideas about how to organise their activity. They show sensitivity to others’ needs and feelings, and form positive relationships with adults and other children.

Understanding the world

ELG 14 – The world:

Children know about similarities and differences in relation to places, objects, materials and living things. They talk about the features of their own immediate environment and how environments might vary from one another. They make observations of animals and plants and explain why some things occur, and talk about changes.