KG Core Experiences & Practices

Learning Through Core Experiences

At Kate Greenaway Nursery School, our curriculum is shaped by Tina Bruce’s Core Experiences, a research-informed, Froebelian approach that recognises how young children learn best – through play, first-hand experience and warm, responsive relationships.

Rather than focusing on narrow activities or outcomes, we plan a rich daily environment where children can revisit high-quality experiences over time. These Core Experiences – such as block play, role play, outdoor learning, cooking, mark-making, music and movement – provide meaningful opportunities for children to explore, practise skills, think deeply and make sense of the world.

Play supports children’s learning, development and well‑being. Through play, children explore ideas, practise skills, build relationships and make sense of the world. Our environment offers a wide range of play opportunities, please see the different types of play below.

1. Sensory Play

Children use their senses (touch, smell, sight, sound and taste) to explore materials.
Examples: water play, sand, playdough, textured objects, bubbles.
Supports: brain development, regulation, language, curiosity.

2. Exploratory Play

Children investigate objects and materials to see what they do.
Examples: filling and emptying containers, opening and closing boxes, cause‑and‑effect toys.
Supports: problem‑solving, early science skills.

3. Physical Play

Children practise large and small movements.
Examples: climbing, running, balancing, throwing, mark‑making, threading beads.
Supports: gross and fine motor skills, coordination, confidence.

4. Constructive Play

Children manipulate and combine materials to create or build something.
Examples: blocks, Lego, junk modelling, train tracks.
Supports: planning, persistence, spatial awareness.

5. Imaginative / Pretend Play

Children use ideas, experiences and objects to represent real or imagined situations.
Examples: role play, small world play, dressing up, acting out stories.
Supports: communication, creativity, emotional understanding.

6. Social Play

Children play with others and learn how to interact.
This may include:

• Parallel play – playing alongside others
• Associative play – sharing materials with little organisation
• Co‑operative play – playing together with shared rules or goals

Supports: turn‑taking, empathy, friendships.

7. Creative Play

Children express ideas through art, music, dance or movement.
Examples: painting, singing, musical instruments, movement to music.
Supports: self‑expression, confidence, emotional development.

8. Games with Rules

Children follow simple rules, often adult‑introduced at first.
Examples: board games, chasing games, turn‑taking games.
Supports: understanding boundaries, self‑control, problem‑solving.

9. Communication and Language Play

Children develop language through playful interaction.
Examples: songs, rhymes, storytelling, puppet play, Makaton use.
Supports: vocabulary, listening, expressive language.

10. Therapeutic / Regulative Play

Play that helps children regulate emotions or meet sensory needs.
Examples: quiet spaces, fiddly toys, deep‑pressure activities, water play.
Supports: self‑regulation, emotional well‑being (especially important for SEND).

Each experience is carefully prepared and thoughtfully supported by adults who observe, support and extend children’s learning. We know when to step in and when to step back, allowing children time to become absorbed, confident and curious learners.

Because all areas of development are interconnected, every Core Experience supports children’s communication, physical development, creativity, social relationships and thinking, while nurturing key dispositions such as independence, resilience and collaboration.

This approach ensures that every child, from babies to nursery-leavers, experiences a broad, balanced and joyful curriculum, rooted in play, relationships and respect for childhood.