ABSTRACT
The main characteristic of the early years curriculum is that it is firmly based on the knowledge of children’s development. Play is given a prominent place, but play which is structured to encourage intellectual, social, aesthetic and physical development. The environment of the nursery should be stimulating – encouraging exploration, questioning, experimentation and problem-solving. The adults, set up and mediate the learning experiences of the child, often by engaging in conversation which promotes the child’s use of language. Stories and rhymes extend the child’s repertoire of language experience into the world of symbolic representation.
