Show their particular characteristics, preferences and interests.
Begin to develop self-confidence and a belief in themselves.
Any patterns in what children choose to do or not to do.
The decisions that children begin to make.
Recognise that children's interest may last for short or long periods, and that their interests and preferences vary.
Value and support the decisions that children make. Encourage them when they try new things.
Be aware of cultural differences in attitudes and expectations. Continue to share and explain practice with parents, ensuring a two-way communication using interpreter support where necessary.
Discuss with staff and parents how each child responds to activities, adults and their peers. Build on this to plan future activities and experiences for each child.
As children differ in their degree of self-assurance, plan to convey to each child that you appreciate them and their efforts.
Consult with parents about children's varying levels of confidence in different situations.
Self-confidence and Self-esteem
Begin to be assertive and self-assured when others have realistic expectations of their competence.
Begin to recognise danger and know who to turn to for help.
Feel pride in their own achievements.
Shows sense of own autonomy.
Assertive of own wishes and needs; is sometimes confrontational.
Starts to know their own mind and expresses this through action, gesture or spoken words, for example, "No want bath" or "No go bed".
Strong sense of ownership of toys, but will also share at times.
Shows active sense of humour; does things to make others laugh.
Very aware of others' reactions; likes to demonstrate prowess.
Responds positively to a variety of familiar adults.
Searches out adult when hurt or distressed.
Is jealous of sharing parents' attention.
Shows affection towards other children and younger siblings.
Demonstrates concern for others when they are upset, for example, offers favourite toy, pats arm or back, offers cuddle and so on.
Shy with strangers, especially adults; may hide against a more familiar adult when introduced.
Children's ability to value what they do themselves and what others do.
How children show their enthusiasm for things they like, or their anxiety about things that concern them.
How children show they are becoming more confident with a range of different carers.
How children begin to show affection and concern when other children are upset.
How children search out adults when they are hurt or distressed.
The circumstances in which children continue to be shy, for example, with strangers.
Describe what different children tried to do, or achieved, emphasising that effort is worthwhile.
Support children's symbolic play, recognising that pretending to do something can help a child to express their feelings.
Record individual achievements which reflect significant progress for every child: one may have stepped on the slide, another may be starting to play readily with others.
Seek and exchange information with parents about young children's concerns, so that they can be reassured if they feel uncertain.
Making Relationships
Learn social skills, and enjoy being with and talking to adults and other children.
Seek out others to share experiences.
Respond to the feelings and wishes of others.
Maintains attachments with special people, for example, shows affection, prefers them for interaction and uses them for comfort and security.
Enjoys conversation with carers.
Engages in play with other children.
Enjoys gaining attention of others and sustaining interaction.
Seeks to comfort others, for example, with hugs or offering toy.
Complies with requests, although may also be stubborn.
Shows understanding of some rules and routines.
May intentionally hurt another person if angry, for example, may hit another child if they take a toy away.
May have a tantrum if frustrated or misunderstood.
Shows embarrassment.
The strategies that children use to join in play with individual children or groups of children.
How children behave when they are the centre of attention.
In what circumstances children have tantrums or express frustration.
Whether children show embarrassment.
Ensure that children have opportunities to join in. Help them to recognise and understand the rules for being together with others, such as waiting for a turn.
Give children opportunities to express choice by offering them a range of games to play.
At the end of the day, talk about the things you did together: "What was the best thing we did?".
Provide many different opportunities for children to play and communicate with one another.
Help children to begin to negotiate with one another using language. For example, if they want to join in a game or if another child has a toy that they want to play with, talk about what they could say. Model the language for them.
In turn-taking games, help children to learn how to wait to take a turn, say "Ready? Wait, it's my turn first" and "Whose turn is it now?".
As children play more often independently, encourage them to come and find you. This helps them to move and explore and lets them know that you're still available, even though you are out of physical contact or sight.
Say "Hello" or "Hi" and "Goodbye" clearly and consistently when you arrive or leave and "Please" and "Thanks" to encourage the children in your setting to do the same.
When children play together in the setting, remember that they can be possessive about their favourite toys. Make sure that there are plenty of 'neutral' toys to hand that can be shared.
Understand that young children may want to be very independent sometimes, but will also be very clingy and need physical reassurance at times, particularly when tired, anxious or needing affection. Be available when children need emotional and physical support.
Talk about the behaviour and intentions of adults and children in the setting so that children get more curious and interested and begin to understand what other people are doing.
Create areas in which children can sit and chat with friends, such as a snug den.
Behaviour and Self-control
Are aware that some actions can hurt or harm others.
Responses to stories in which someone could be hurt or harmed.
Help children to understand their rights to be kept safe by others, and encourage them to talk about ways to avoid harming or hurting others.
Have agreed procedures outlining how to respond to changes in children's behaviour.
Share policies and practice with parents, ensuring an accurate two-way exchange of information through an interpreter or through translated materials, where necessary.
Self-care
Seek to do things for themselves, knowing that an adult is close by, ready to support and help if needed.
Become more aware that choices have consequences.
Take pleasure in personal hygiene including toileting.
Dressing:
Puts on hat independently.
Puts on shoes independently, but may not get the right feet or do them up.
Takes off loose coat or shirt when undone.
Can undo large buttons and Velcro fasteners.
Removes shirt.
Removes 'pull-down' garments.
Pulls up own trousers.
Pulls zipper up once fastened at the bottom.
Independence skills:
Participates and helps with familiar routines with help from adults such as dusting, setting table or putting away toys.
Enjoys responsibility of carrying out small tasks such as carrying a bag for Mum.
Examples of independence, for example, a child playing happily with building blocks, or putting their cup back on a table.
What children choose to do when presented with several options.
Support children's growing independence as they do things for themselves, such as pulling up their pants after toileting, recognising differing parental expectations.
Talk to children about choices they have made, and help them understand that this may mean that they cannot do something else. Enlist support to ensure children learning English as an additional language can express preferences.
Dressing:
Practise taking off a large loose t-shirt or jumper. Start by removing arms so that clothing is around the children's necks. Place children's hands on the neckband and help them to pull it over their heads. Once this has been mastered, leave one arm in the sleeve and show them how to hold the edge of the sleeve while pulling the other arm out. Later, repeat this with the other arm.
Guide arms into open-fronted coats and encourage children to do this independently. Do the same with pulling on socks. This is best demonstrated sitting on the floor with the child facing forwards between your legs.
Encourage children to hang up their own coats on a coat rack at child height.
Sharing fruit - In a nursery, a practitioner and a child eat fruit together at snack time. [transcript]
You can watch the video via modem or slow / fast / superfast broadband connections. If you are behind a network firewall, why not click here to view a flash file of the video. You do need to have the flash plugin.
Allow children to pour their own drinks, serve their own food, choose a story, hold a puppet or water a plant.
Choose some stories that highlight the consequences of choices.
Provide pictures or objects representing options to support children in making and expressing choices.
Sense of Community
Show a strong sense of self as a member of different communities, such as their family or setting.
Show affection and concern for special people.
Children's references to groups, people and places in the different communities of which they are members.
Talk to children about their friends, their families, and why they are important.
Share photographs of children's families, friends, pets or favourite people.
Acknowledgements
Disclaimer
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