Young children learn from everything around them – the people, the environment, the atmosphere, the routine, the experiences.  All of these elements of the Nursery make up “the Nursery Curriculum”.  All aspects of children’s growth and development are woven together, but it is interesting to look at the different areas of learning separately to understand how young children learn.
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) describes the following areas of learning, with 17 “Early Learning Goals” to be aimed for by the end of  Reception.

The EYFS describes 3  “prime areas of learning” .  The 3 most important areas for all other learning.  These are:

Personal, Social and Emotional Development
Physical Development
Communication and Language

The 4 other “specific areas of learning” are:-

Literacy Development
Mathematics
Understanding of the World
Expressive Arts and Design

Long term planning for academic year 20-21