Alphablocks - CBeebies for teachers

CBeebies Grown-ups is not just for parents but also for people who teach or care for children aged 0-6, and for those who care for children with physical disabilities or special educational needs.

All of our resources are matched to our CBeebies learning areas, which reflect those found in the early years curricula of the UK; the EYFS in England and Wales, the Curriculum for Excellence in Scotland and the Foundation Stage in Northern Ireland.

We use these learning areas so that you can be sure that what children learn from CBeebies perfectly complements what they will learn at nursery or school.

There are many ways you may choose to use our site to support your day or to pass to your children's parents and carers - we'd love you to drop us a line to tell us how you've been using it. Please email your teaching suggestions to: cbeebiesgrownups@bbc.co.uk.

Caroline, a Reception teacher, said:

"The children in my class are real CBeebies fans and there are plenty of ways I can tap into what the Grown-ups website offers to help support the children's learning and most importantly, make it fun!"

There are great activities across all the areas of learning that can help children reinforce concepts taught in class, such as Alphablocks, which uses phonics for literacy, The Numtums for early years maths, or Get Squiggling Letters for writing practise.

It is also really helpful to be able to point parents and carers in the right direction when explaining to them how they can help support their child's learning at home.

The Grown-ups section of the CBeebies website has plenty of clear, practical advice and fun activities that they can easily access and covers a wide range of topics and issues that are relevant to young children.

CBeebies has worked with early years educational specialists and psychologists to understand how shows and activities on CBeebies are supported by our learning areas. On our Grown-ups site you will see one or more of these areas against every piece of content.

Communicating is all about conveying information through listening, speaking, describing by using pictures, words and expression. Children are encouraged to talk as well as listen, and to respond with questions or actions, perhaps anticipating the next step in a story. CBeebies' learning area 'Communicating' links to Communication, Language and Literacy (England), Languages (Scotland), Language, Literacy and Communication Skills (Wales) and Language and Literacy (Northern Ireland).

Craft and Cooking can help children to develop their creativity and confidence through cooking or making things. This learning area is all about children exploring different ingredients and materials and understanding that they can be turned into something new, making their own creative decisions and expressing themselves. CBeebies’ learning area ‘Craft and Cooking’ links to Expressive Arts and Design (England and Wales), Expressive Arts (Scotland) and The Arts (Northern Ireland).

Emotions and Behaviour helps children develop a positive image of themselves and the people around them. For young children this is about learning to manage their own emotions and understand how other people might be feeling, knowing what kind of behaviour is acceptable in different situations, and forming positive relationships with others – things like learning to take turns and play cooperatively. CBeebies’ learning area ‘Emotions and Behaviour’ links to Personal, Social and Emotional Development (England and Wales) Health and Wellbeing (Scotland) and Personal Development and Mutual Understanding (Northern Ireland).

Maths and Puzzles helps children to develop their mathematical and problem-solving skills. For young children, developing these vital skills is about much more than just adding up and taking away. Looking at patterns and colours, understanding numbers and shape, and comparing measurements are all part of this learning area. CBeebies’ learning area Maths and Puzzles links to Mathematics (England), Mathematics (Scotland), Mathematical Development (Wales), and Mathematics and Numeracy (Northern Ireland).

Music and Art is about helping children to develop their creativity through art and music. For young children this is all about using their imagination and expressing how they experience the world through things like painting, dancing or making a model. CBeebies’ learning area ‘Art and Music’ links to Expressive Arts and Design (England and Wales), Expressive Arts (Scotland) and The Arts (Northern Ireland).

Physical Development helps children to develop the skills needed for movement, awareness of the body, gaining a sense of space and understanding health and what the body needs. This area of learning looks at how children develop their ability to move their bodies, hands, feet and fingers and use their senses and movements to explore the world around them. Children also learn to take care of their body, by being aware of what is healthy and developing good hygiene. Physical Development links to Physical Development (England and Wales), Health and Wellbeing (Scotland) and Physical Development and Movement (Northern Ireland).

Reading and Writing helps children develop the skills they need for reading and writing.  For young children, these include enjoying books, rhymes, songs and stories; linking sounds and letters together and handwriting. This leads on to phonics, which children can use to read simple words. Reading and writing links to Literacy (England), Languages (Scotland), Language, Literacy and Communication Skills (Wales) and Language and Literacy (Northern Ireland).

Understanding the World helps children develop their understanding of people, places, science and nature.  This learning area can include exploring, investigating, using computers, discovering the living world, people and nature around them, experiencing other cultures and beliefs and thinking about different life events. Understanding the World links to Understanding the World (England), Science, Social Studies and Religious and Moral Education (Scotland), Knowledge and Understanding of the World and Personal and Social Development, Wellbeing and Cultural Diversity (Wales) and The World Around Us and Personal Development and Mutual Understanding (Northern Ireland).