Geography in the Early Years at Minster

Helping children explore their world with curiosity and confidence

In the Early Years at Minster, Geography begins with children exploring the places that matter most to them—their classroom, school grounds, island, country and the wider world. Through meaningful experiences, stories, maps, outdoor learning and first-hand exploration, children begin to understand how places can be similar or different, what makes a place special, and how they are connected to the world around them.

Our Geography curriculum for EYFS is hands‑on, playful and rooted in children’s real experiences, helping them build early skills in observation, comparison, enquiry and map‑making.

What Geography Looks Like in EYFS

🌍 Exploring Our Local World

Children start with what they know—their school and local area. They learn to identify:

• Human features such as buildings, roads, playgrounds, bridges
• Physical features such as beaches, trees, hills, fields

Children take part in walks around school, look closely at the environment and talk about what they notice. They explore the Isle of Sheppey, learning that they live on an island and recognising familiar landmarks.

🗺 Understanding Maps

Children begin using maps in simple, playful ways. They:

• Look at world maps, UK maps and maps of Sheppey
• Learn that maps show places from above
• Identify land and sea on simple maps
• Explore atlases, globes and map stories
• Create their own simple maps of the school grounds using photos and drawings

These early experiences build the foundations for map skills in Key Stage 1 and beyond.

🏖 Holidays, Destinations and the Wider World

Through our “Going Global” topic, children explore:

• Where they have been on holiday
• How people travel (car, bus, train, aeroplane, boat)
• What a destination is
• Different places around the world including Spain, France, Egypt, Australia, and more

Children look at pictures, share their experiences and mark places on a world map. They also learn basic facts about countries—weather, food, landmarks, languages and animals—building early awareness of global diversity.

❄ Hot and Cold Places

Children explore how different places have different climates:

• The Amazon Rainforest (hot, wet, green, full of animals)
• Antarctica (icy, cold, snowy, little plant life)

They compare these environments through videos, stories, photos and simple discussions. This sparks curiosity about why places look and feel different and how people and animals live there.

🌱 Seasons and Weather

Through outdoor learning and nature walks, children:

• Notice changes across the seasons
• Talk about weather, temperature, sunshine, rain and wind
• Describe how weather affects what we wear and what we do

These early ideas support later understanding of weather patterns and climate.

🚶‍♀️ Fieldwork and First-Hand Exploration

Children begin real geographical enquiry by:

• Observing and describing their surroundings
• Taking photos of human and physical features
• Following simple maps
• Identifying features in the forest school area
• Using tally marks in simple surveys (e.g., traffic or litter)

These experiences help children develop independence, problem‑solving and early fieldwork skills.

How EYFS Geography Links to Development Matters

Our approach reflects the EYFS Understanding the World guidance. Children learn to:

🧠 Notice similarities and differences

Between places, environments, buildings, weather and features of the natural world.

🗣 Use new vocabulary

Words such as:
map, world, island, country, human features, physical features, hotter, colder, beach, forest, city, village, travel, destination.

📍 Talk about where they live

They begin to understand that their school is in Minster, which is on the Isle of Sheppey, which is part of the United Kingdom and the wider world.

👀 Make sense of what they see

By comparing places using stories, videos, photos and maps.

🌏 Develop curiosity about their wider world

By talking about places they have visited, places they would like to go, and places they learn about through stories.

These foundations support confident geographical thinking as children grow.

How EYFS Geography Prepares Children for Year 1

By the end of Reception, children are ready for the more structured elements of Geography in Year 1. They will have developed:

✔ Early locational knowledge

They can name familiar places, recognise the Isle of Sheppey on a map and understand that the world is made up of countries and continents.

✔ Understanding of human and physical features

They can identify everyday examples and begin to describe differences between environments.

✔ Foundational map skills

Children will have explored maps, globes, atlases and created simple maps of known areas—perfect preparation for Year 1 mapping and compass work.

✔ Basic geographical comparisons

They can describe how places differ (e.g., Spain is hot, Antarctica is cold; Sheppey has beaches; France has the Eiffel Tower).

✔ Growing global awareness

They understand that people live differently in different parts of the world and that weather, food, buildings and animals can vary from place to place.

✔ Curiosity, language and confidence

They are ready to ask questions, offer ideas and explore new topics in more depth.

Our Vision

We want every child to:

• Feel connected to their community and the wider world
• Be curious about places, people, nature and environments
• Notice the beauty and diversity of our planet
• Understand how their actions can help care for the world

Geography in the Early Years at Minster lays the foundation for children to become thoughtful, knowledgeable and responsible global citizens.