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.
Self-confidence and Self-esteem
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.
Making Relationships
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.
Behaviour and Self-control
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.
Self-care
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.
Sense of Community
Talk to children about their friends, their families, and why they are important.
Communication, Language and Literacy
Effective practice
Language for Communication
Talk about things which interest young children and listen and respond to their ideas and questions. For children learning English as an additional language, value non-verbal communications and those offered in home languages. Respond by adding to words, gesture, objects and other visual cues to support two-way understanding.
Talk about what you're going to do, where you're going and what you have just done.
Talk through TV programmes, videos or DVDs you've watched together. Children will not always understand what they have seen.
Carry on recasting (repeating) what children say. This makes it clear you are listening and value what they say but also allows them to hear and see a more 'grown up' version.
Help children 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 they want to play with, talk about what they could say and model it for them.
Language for Thinking
Use talk to describe what children are doing by providing a running commentary: "Oh, I can see what you are doing, you have to put the milk in the cup first".
Provide opportunities for children to talk with other children and adults about what they see, hear, think and feel.
Encourage children to learn one another's names and to pronounce them correctly. Ensure all staff can pronounce the names of children, parents and other staff members.
Linking Sounds and Letters
Encourage repetition, rhythm and rhyme by using tone and intonation as you tell, recite or sing stories, poems and rhymes from books.
Use rhymes from a variety of cultures and ask parents to share their favourites from their home languages.
Be aware of the needs of children learning English as an additional language.
Keep background noise to a minimum.
Share favourite books over and over again, particularly ones with repeated, rhythmical words that children can join in with.
Repeat familiar tunes and words relating to people, objects and actions with which the children are familiar. Make these more interesting to listen to by using a strong beat, rhythm and lots of repetition.
Reading
Find opportunities to tell and read stories to children, using puppets, soft toys, or real objects as props.
Writing
Draw attention to marks, signs and symbols in the environment and talk about what they represent. Ensure this involves recognition of English and other relevant scripts.
Handwriting
Encourage children to handle and manipulate a variety of media and implements, for example, clay, finger-paint, spoons, brushes and shells.
Working with clay - In a nursery class, a child spends some time independently exploring clay. [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.
Problem Solving, Reasoning and Numeracy
Effective practice
Numbers as Labels and for Counting
Show children how we use counting to find out 'how many'.
Talk about how the symbols and marks you make stand for numbers and quantities.
Ask questions such as "Would you like one sandwich or two?".
At mealtimes, talk about portions of food so that children learn about quantities, such as 'enough', 'more', 'how many'.
Encourage parents of children learning English as an additional language to talk in their home language about quantities and numbers.
Calculating
Help children to organise their ideas by talking to them about what they are doing.
Play games which relate to number order, addition and subtraction, such as hopscotch and skittles.
Sing counting songs and rhymes which help to develop children's understanding of number, such as 'Two Little Dickie Birds'.
Cocoa for 50p - In the outdoor area of a pre-school on a sunny day, the practitioner supports a child in his role-play about shops and money. [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.
Shape, Space and Measures
Talk about and help children to recognise patterns.
Draw children's attention to the pattern of square/oblong/square which emerges as you fold or unfold a tablecloth or napkin.
Be consistent in your use of vocabulary for weight and mass.
Sort coins on play trays into interesting arrangements and shapes; sort them into bags, purses and containers.
Measure for a purpose, such as finding out whether a teddy will fit in a bed.
Knowledge and Understanding of the World
Effective practice
Exploration and Investigation
Recognise that when a child does such things as jumping in a puddle, they are engaging in investigation.
Talk about activities as children investigate things, for example, pouring water from one container to another or finding out what floats and what sinks. This helps children to understand what they are seeing and to learn the language they need to describe it.
Encourage children to help you with everyday activities such as doing the washing-up or cleaning. Give them a duster, too. These are all 'games' to young children, as they explore their environment.
Show children how a toy can be used, then withdraw while they try things out for themselves. Once they have mastered basic skills show them how to take things further by introducing variation.
Make up and share stories about the familiar sequences of events in a child's daily life. Use these to lead to discussion of past and future events.
Children are now able to be interested in books and stories for longer and to observe the detail in more complex pictures. Choose books with colourful and realistic pictures that children can easily recognise.
Be sensitive to when children want to do their own thing, but get involved in their play when they invite you. Your suggestions can help to extend the range of a child's play when you model actions, roles and imaginative ways of playing with familiar toys.
Make junk models together. Use these and construction toys to help with imaginary games.
Designing and Making
Recognise that children's investigations may appear futile, but that a child may be on the brink of an amazing discovery as they meticulously place more and more things on top of one another.
ICT
Talk about ICT apparatus, what it does, what they can do with it and how to use it safely.
Let children use the photocopier to copy their own pictures.
Time
Make a diary of photographs to record a special occasion.
Use the language of time such as 'yesterday', 'tomorrow' or 'next week'.
Place
Tell stories about places and journeys, for example, Whatever Next! by Jill Murphy.
Communities
Encourage children to take on different roles during role-play.
Support children's friendships by talking to them about their characteristics, such as being kind, or fun to be with.
Physical Development
Effective practice
Movement and Space
Be aware that children can be very energetic for short bursts and need periods of rest and relaxation.
Encourage and guide children to persevere at a skill.
Value the ways children choose to move.
Give as much opportunity as possible for children to move freely between indoors and outdoors.
Talk to children about their movements and help them to explore new ways of moving, such as squirming, slithering and twisting along the ground like a snake.
Encourage children to move, using a range of body parts, and to perform given movements at more than one speed, such as quickly, slowly, or on tiptoe.
Encourage body tension activities such as stretching, reaching, curling, twisting and turning.
Be alert to the safety of children, particularly those who might overstretch themselves.
Introduce the vocabulary of spatial relationships, such as 'between', 'through' and 'above'.
Use positional words to describe where a child is, saying "You're on the chair" or "... in the paddling pool" or "... under the table". Link this with getting children to follow simple instructions such as "Put it in the box" and "Sit on the chair".
As children become more confident walkers, some like to pull along a toy such as a toy dog on wheels or a clackety caterpillar as they go, or to push a doll in a buggy.
As children walk around the setting, try putting a toy that they like on the floor near them to see if they'll try to bend or squat to pick it up.
Look out for how children get out of narrow spaces. They can be helped to learn to take a step or two backwards and then turn around.
Encourage children to run alongside you, holding your hand. Start with just a few steps and gradually increase range. Introduce changes in direction and rapid stops.
Encourage children to run a short distance towards you on a safe surface and then reward them by picking them up and spinning them round when they reach you.
Support children as they learn to jump on a soft bouncy surface holding your hands.
Soft play facilities provide many opportunities for safe movement and exploration.
As balance and muscular strength develop, encourage children to walk upstairs, holding your hand, placing both feet on each step before moving on.
Health and Bodily Awareness
Involve young children in the preparation of food.
Encourage repetition in movements and sensory experiences.
Give children the chance to talk about what they like to eat, while reinforcing messages about healthier choices, and to learn about each other's preferences.
Remember that children who have limited opportunity to play outdoors may lack a sense of danger.
Feeding:
Involve children in a wider range of food preparation tasks, for example, show them how to use a knife for spreading and cutting sandwiches.
Give lots of practise of cutting with a safe blade using dough and foods such as bananas, medium or soft cheese and cooked carrots.
Place some favourite foods in jars with simple screw tops and show how they can be opened. Develop this into a guessing game - shake the jar and ask what it sounds like. This will help to develop vital listening and manipulative skills.
Store children's eating equipment in an accessible place and encourage them to find their own cutlery and bowls and to put them on the table.
Set the table together with place mats, forks, knives, spoons, plates and cups.
Play 'guess the food' games by describing the food you're about to eat.
Encourage children to carry an open-topped cup with a small amount of liquid in it for a few steps. Do the same with a piece of fruit or sandwich in a bowl or plate. Extend this as skills improve.
Washing:
In addition to practising hand-washing, encourage the children to dry their hands with a towel and put it back in the appropriate place so that it can be found when next needed.
Toileting:
Encourage children to explore the toilet thoroughly and explain how it is used. Sit them on the closed lid to help them get used to its height. Provide a small step to help with getting on and to maintain good posture while sitting.
Make sure children feel secure when sitting on a toilet or potty by using a suitable child seat. Make sure they also have a stable base under their feet.
Show how the flush works and explain what happens when using public toilets or other people's bathrooms. Warn children that toilets in other places may sound different from the ones they use regularly so they won't be alarmed by different noises.
Using Equipment and Materials
Encourage children in their efforts to do up buttons or pour a drink.
Introduce toys that need more than one step to be completed.
Help children measure out food quantities for dinner, for example, pouring drink from a small jug into a children's cup or measuring a helping from a serving bowl into a child's bowl. Talk about "a lot", "a little", "more", and "no more".
Use stacking toys that are more challenging and require children to put the biggest ring on the bottom and the smallest on top. Take turns playing with equipment and show children how the beakers or rings fit in relation to one another and according to size.
Creative Development
Effective practice
Being Creative - Responding to Experiences, Expressing and Communicating Ideas
Help children to value their creative responses by your interest in the way they move, represent or express their mood.
Exploring Media and Materials
Be interested in the children's creative processes and talk to them about what they mean to them.
Creating Music and Dance
Help children to listen to music and watch dance when opportunities arise, encouraging them to focus on how sound and movement develop from feelings and ideas.
Developing Imagination and Imaginative Play
Sometimes speak quietly, slowly or gruffly for fun in pretend scenarios with children.
