1.1 Explain The Importance Of The Areas Of Development Within The EYFS

The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) is an example of a current framework that supports literacy and mathematical development; within the EYFS these are identified as the specific areas. This framework identifies the role of the practitioner in supporting these 2 specific areas, ‘literacy development involves encouraging children to link sounds and letters and to begin to read and write. Children must be given access to a wide range of reading materials (books, poems, and other written materials) to ignite their interest.’ (EYFS, 2014, pg. 8). ‘Mathematics involves providing children with opportunities to develop and improve their skills in counting, understanding and using numbers, calculating simple addition and subtraction problems; and to describe shapes, spaces and measures.’ (EYFS, 2014, pg. 8). The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework suggests that these areas of learning and development should be done through planned, purposeful play and also through both adult-led and child initiated activities.

Early learning goals are the knowledge, skills and understanding that children should have when they turn 5. In relation to literacy development, this is the early learning goal stated in Development Matters, ‘children use their phonic knowledge to write in ways which match their spoken sounds. They also write some irregular common words. They write simple sentences which can be read by themselves and others. Some words are spelt correctly and others are phonetically plausible.’ (Development Maters, 2012, pg.