What are golden rules? Golden rules are a set of rules which are followed across the whole setting and are based on positive behaviour. These are great for setting shared expectations with all practitioners, parents and children. Having shared expectations across the setting is incredibly important for continuity and so children understand … [Read more...] about Every setting should have golden rules!
Enabling Environment
How can I improve practice in my setting?
Is my early years setting outstanding? Having an outstanding setting and practice is something many early years settings aim to achieve in order to ensure children are getting the best possible start and to achieve the highest possible outcomes. When you have been in the same setting for a long time it can be difficult to highlight areas for … [Read more...] about How can I improve practice in my setting?
Promoting diversity and supporting dual language children
How can I support diversity and dual language families? As a practitioner who only speaks one language, it can often be difficult to support children and families who speak dual languages and promote diversity within the setting without being too tokenistic. Tokenistic means to simply appear to be supporting diversity rather than truly promoting … [Read more...] about Promoting diversity and supporting dual language children
Why you should have a parent board
Does my setting need a parent board? A parent board is a fantastic resource to have to build strong parent partnerships. Depending on the way they are used and the information shared they enable practitioners to share all the daily details that parents can quickly check and means that practitioners and parents can have more meaningful … [Read more...] about Why you should have a parent board
Could your setting do more to promote Maths?
How can I check my maths provision is outstanding? Sometimes when you work in the same room day after day, with the same provision, and the same resources it can become difficult to think outside the box and evaluate your own provision. Maths can become a very standardised area which is always accessible but rarely used in the correct ways. For … [Read more...] about Could your setting do more to promote Maths?
Should baby rooms have topics on their planning?
Are there any benefits to having a topic in a baby room? Topics and themes are somewhat high on the agenda in early years with many settings feeling they need some sort of underpinning topic for either classroom organisation and layout or for the children to concentrate on whereas other settings are completely against having topics in their … [Read more...] about Should baby rooms have topics on their planning?
Why the use of CD players in the early years should be limited
The damaging impact of CD players being overused CD players, ipods, computers, radios etc can often be seen in early years environment playing anything from nursery rhymes, classical music or even pop music however when these are played on loop every day it can have some very damaging effect on children's development. Music is … [Read more...] about Why the use of CD players in the early years should be limited
The benefits of using a song board
Why you should create a song board in your setting Song boards are a brilliant and simple resource that can be used across the ages in the EYFS. A song board can be made in a variety of ways using a large piece of card, covering in sticky back plastic, adding a section for the song that is being sung and rows of velcro. Add song widget cards … [Read more...] about The benefits of using a song board
Why you should have potion making in the EYFS out every day
How to set up a potion making area Potion making in the EYFS is great fun and has so many benefits for children in the early years. It's a great activity to have available daily and can involve as many or as few potion-making ingredients as you have available. These can include wet, dry, reusable or disposable materials depending on what you … [Read more...] about Why you should have potion making in the EYFS out every day
Why you should create a ‘toilet talk’ door
What is a toilet talk door? A toilet talk door is simply a place you can share information with practitioners. It is taken from the old phrase of 'toilet talk' simply meaning where everyone uses the toilet and talks to each other whilst they do so. There is no denying this happens and people have nothing better to do whilst they use the toilet … [Read more...] about Why you should create a ‘toilet talk’ door