Learning and Development

Speech development is crucial in effectively communicating with others throughout life, yet how can play influence this?   Play has a massive impact on speech development with some children starting to talk as early as 6 months old. By the age of two, most children have a wide vocabulary of single words and are beginning to use simple … [Read more...] about Supporting speech development through play

Why is child initiated play important for children's learning?   Child-initiated play supports children in having ideas and being in control of their learning. It enables them to learn through first-hand experiences, allowing them to choose how to use the resources to do so. Child-led activities may start out as an adult initiated … [Read more...] about Why is child initiated play important?

 Could more time be spent playing with the children instead of completing learning journeys? Many people would argue that spending quality time with children is far more crucial than filling in a learning journey. Could practitioners time be used more effectively is the question? As learning journeys aren't an Ofsted requirement, why are so … [Read more...] about Are Learning Journeys Too Detailed?

Why use a cohort tracker? The words cohort tracker often causes confusion for early years practitioners with many not knowing what a cohort tracker is and assuming it is a tool used by management. However, cohort trackers are simply the tracking tools used by all early years professional to track each child’s development in all seven areas of … [Read more...] about What is a cohort tracker?

 Do you need some inspiration for activities for your under 2's Have you exhausted your list of activities for your under 2's and would like to try some new fresh ideas. Keeping activities stimulating for this age group of children  can at times be difficult, as children at this age have very little attention span, leading to them flitting in … [Read more...] about 10 activities for under 2’s

Five ways to help children let go of their dummy Many children are given dummies when they are babies, and often they still have these when they are toddlers. To children dummies are often used as a comforter. It can be hard trying to convince children to give these up, and often parents give in and give it back to them. The use of dummies can … [Read more...] about 5 great ways to help children ditch the dummy

How adults can support Toddler Speech skills Toddler speech and language skills begin at a very young age. Babies will communicate with adults through babbling and making sounds. These sounds are then refined to create single words. It is important that babies are encouraged to practise making these sounds in order to strengthen mouth muscles and … [Read more...] about 5 great ways to support a toddler’s speech skills

Ever wondered what the Characteristics of Effective Learning are? Many practitioners are still unsure as to what the Characteristics of Effective Learning are. The Characteristics of Effective Learning and the prime and specific areas of learning are all interconnected. They should also underpin everything that practitioners offer in the … [Read more...] about Exploring the Characteristics of Effective Learning

Supporting children's Speech Development Creative play can support and enhance a child's speech and language development. There are two areas of creative development; expressive arts and imaginative play. Activities that promote these can also support a child in developing listening and attention skills; whilst building and using language. Here … [Read more...] about 5 ways to support speech development through creative play

The damage caused by teaching children to write too early They're many split opinions on early hand writing skills amongst early year’s practitioners and parents. Many parents believe a child should be writing their names and other short words in order to be ready for the school transition. Many practitioners also share this belief and along the … [Read more...] about Why Practitioners Shouldn’t Teach Children To Write