Top 10 Essentials for Practitioners who are New Early Years.
Top 10 Essentials for Practitioners who are New Early Years.
As someone who's spent over 3 decades in early years education, I've learned a thing or two about what really matters when working with young children. If you're new to this field, you might feel overwhelmed by the myriad of theories, frameworks, and best practices out there. But fear not! I've distilled my experience into ten essential points that I believe every new early years practitioner should know!
1. Understand the Characteristics of Effective Learning
The Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework highlights three characteristics of effective learning: playing and exploring, active learning, and creating and thinking critically. These aren't just buzzwords; they're fundamental to how children learn.
When I observe children in their play, I'm always looking for signs of these characteristics. Are they showing curiosity and willingness to 'have a go'? Are they concentrating and persevering, even when they encounter difficulties? Are they making links between ideas and developing their own strategies?
Understanding these characteristics helps us create environments and experiences that truly support children's learning. It's not about ticking boxes; it's about nurturing these innate learning dispositions.
2. Prioritise Wellbeing and Involvement
I can't stress this enough: children's wellbeing is paramount. It's the foundation for all learning and development. I've found the Leuven Scales, developed by Professor Ferre Laevers, to be an invaluable tool for monitoring children's wellbeing and involvement.
Laevers describes wellbeing as when children feel "like fish in water". It's that state where they're at ease, acting spontaneously, and showing vitality and self-confidence. Involvement, on the other hand, is about the intensity of their activity, their concentration and persistence.
By regularly assessing these aspects, we can ensure our provision is meeting children's needs and adjust our approach if necessary. Remember, high levels of wellbeing and involvement are indicators of deep-level learning.
3. Create an Enabling Environment
Your learning environment is a powerful 'third teacher'. It should be carefully planned to support and extend children's learning. But here's the thing: it's not about creating a picture-perfect classroom that looks great on Instagram. It's about creating spaces that are flexible, accessible, and responsive to children's interests and needs.
I always advise practitioners to use neutral backgrounds. This isn't about making the space dull; it's about allowing children's work and play to stand out. Think carefully about the resources you provide. Open-ended materials like blocks, fabric, or natural objects often inspire more creative and sustained play than prescriptive toys.
4. Balance Adult-Led and Child-Initiated Learning
Finding the right balance between adult-led activities and child-initiated play is crucial. While there's certainly a place for direct teaching, especially for skills like phonics, we must be careful not to over-structure children's days.
I've developed the concept of 'objective-led planning' to help strike this balance. Instead of pulling children away from their play for adult-led activities, we take our teaching objectives into their play. This allows for more natural, contextualised learning while still ensuring key skills are developed.
5. Use Effective Assessment Strategies
Assessment in early years should be ongoing, informal, and used to inform our practice. It's not about testing children or creating mountains of paperwork. It's about really knowing each child - their interests, their strengths, their next steps.
I recommend using a combination of observation, documentation, and reflection. A 'Gap and Strength Analysis' (GSA) can be a useful tool for identifying areas where children need support and where they're excelling.
Remember, the purpose of assessment is to support children's learning, not to create data for its own sake.
6. Develop Strong Partnerships with Parents
Parents are children's first and most enduring educators. Building strong partnerships with them is essential for supporting children's learning and development.
Share information regularly about children's progress and experiences in your setting. But also, actively seek parents' insights about their child. They often have valuable knowledge that can inform your practice.
Consider how you can involve parents in their child's learning journey. This could be through sharing observations, suggesting home learning activities, or inviting them to participate in the setting.
7. Embrace the Power of Play
Play is the primary way young children learn. It's not a break from learning; it is learning. Through play, children develop crucial skills, explore ideas, and make sense of the world around them.
As practitioners, our role is to support and extend this play. This doesn't mean constantly intervening or directing children's play. Often, it's about observing carefully, providing the right resources at the right time, and asking questions that provoke thinking.
8. Make Transitions Smooth
Transitions, whether it's moving from one activity to another or progressing to a new year group, can be challenging for young children. Planning for smooth transitions is crucial for maintaining children's wellbeing and learning momentum.
In my book "Effective Transitions into Year One", I discuss strategies for ensuring continuity between the EYFS and Key Stage 1. But the principles apply to all transitions. It's about creating familiarity, building on what children already know, and providing emotional support throughout the process.
9. Continuously Reflect and Develop Your Practice
The field of early years education is constantly evolving, and so should our practice. Regularly reflect on what's working well and what could be improved. Stay updated with current research and be open to trying new approaches.
But remember, it's not about jumping on every new trend. It's about critically evaluating new ideas in the context of your setting and the children you work with.
10. Never Forget the Joy
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, never forget the joy of working with young children. Your enthusiasm is contagious. When you're excited about learning, children will be too.
Some of my most memorable teaching moments have come from joining in children's play - whether that's becoming a customer in their shop, helping to build a giant cardboard rocket, or getting messy with paint alongside them. These shared experiences not only build relationships but create a joyful learning atmosphere.
In conclusion, being an early years practitioner is both a privilege and a responsibility. We have the opportunity to shape young lives at a crucial stage of development. By focusing on these key areas - understanding how children learn, prioritising wellbeing, creating enabling environments, balancing our approach, using effective assessment, partnering with parents, embracing play, managing transitions, continuously developing, and maintaining joy - we can ensure we're providing the best possible start for the children in our care.
Remember, there's no such thing as a perfect practitioner. We're all on a journey of learning and development, just like the children we work with. Trust your instincts, be patient with yourself, and never stop learning. The early years are a special time - make the most of it!
References:
Bryce-Clegg, A. (2024). Best Practice in the Early Years (Revised). London: Bloomsbury Education.
Department for Education (2021). Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage. GOV.UK.
Laevers, F. (2005). Well-being and Involvement in Care Settings. A Process-oriented Self-evaluation Instrument. Kind & Gezin and Research Centre for Experiential Education, Leuven University.