The Thinking Child Resource Book: Brain-based learning for the early years foundation stage, Second Edition

The Thinking Child Resource Book

Also available from Continuum The Thinking Child 2nd edition, Nicola Call with Sally Featherstone 100 Ideas for Developing Good Practice in the Early Years, Wendy Bowkett & Stephen Bowkett 100 Ideas for Teaching Creative Development, Wendy Bowkett & Stephen Bowkett

The Thinking Child Resource Book 2nd edition Brain-based learning for the early years foundation stage

Nicola Call with Sally Featherstone

Continuum International Publishing Group The Tower Building 11 York Road London SE1 7NX

80 Maiden Lane, Suite 704 New York, NY 10038

www.continuumbooks.com © Nicola Call with Sally Featherstone 2010 First edition published 2003 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publishers. Nicola Call and Sally Featherstone have asserted their rights under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 9781855397415 (paperback) Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Call, Nicola. The thinking child resource book : brain-based learning for the early years foundation stage / Nicola Call with Sally Featherstone. -- 2nd ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN 978-1-85539-741-5 (pbk.) 1. Cognitive learning. 2. Brain. 3. Effective teaching. 4. Early childhood education. I. Featherstone, Sally. II. Featherstone, Sally. III. Title. LB1062.C353 2010 370.15’2--dc22 Typeset by Ben Cracknell Studios Printed and bound in Great Britain by Bell&Bain, Glasgow

‘If you are planning for a year, sow rice; if you are planning for a decade, plant trees; if you are planning for a lifetime, educate people.’ Chinese proverb

Contents

Preface

viii

Acknowledgements

ix

Introduction: Understanding the child’s brain

1

Step 1: Let’s meet a brain

1

Step 2: Meeting the children in their settings

2

Part One: Preparing the climate and context for learning

5

Step 1: Addressing children’s physical needs

5

Step 2: Inclusion

18

Step 3: Developing emotional intelligence

22

Step 4: Providing children with the tools for learning

32

Step 5: Managing behaviour positively

45

Step 6: Fostering partnerships with parents and carers

51

Part Two: Supporting independent learning

59

Step 1: Making maximum use of the environment

59

Step 2: Helping children to develop good attention skills

72

Step 3: Helping children to stay on task

80

Step 4: Talking the language of learning

84

Part Three: Developing brain-based techniques Step 1: Teaching children to mind map

95 95

Step 2: Adventures in play

102

Step 3: Maximizing learning through music

110

Step 4: Teaching and learning through movement

115

Step 5: The place for technology

119

Part Four: Teaching for intelligence

127

Step 1: Creative teaching for better learning

127

Step 2: Fostering the beginnings of group-work

133

Step 3: Teaching through VAK

137

Step 4: Engaging the multiple intelligences

145

Step 5: Taking the time for learning

149

Endnotes

155

Appendices

157

Some principles for planning

157

Key vocabulary

158

Recommended reading

160

Bibliography

163

Some useful websites

166

Photocopiable material

167

Index

177

Preface

This book is intended to be used as a companion to The Thinking Child – Brain-based Learning for the Early Years Foundation Stage. In The Thinking Child, you will find the theory about brain-based learning and descriptions of the research that backs up the methods and practices described in both books. It is important to have an overview of this theory in order to have maximum success in putting these brain-based techniques into practice. It would therefore be preferable, although not essential, to read The Thinking Child before moving on to use the suggestions in this book. Once you are familiar with The Thinking Child, you will see that the structure of this book is very much the same. This book is also divided into an introduction and then four parts, which are subdivided into section steps. In order to help you to use both books in tandem, cross references are given to the second edition of The Thinking Child in the margin. These cross references provide the background theory for the practical suggestions given in this book. If there is a possibility that an activity or suggestion taken out of context may be inappropriate for use with some children or settings, a warning is given through a caution sign. In this book, the main aspects of brain-based learning are given context through either a case study, where we describe real children in real settings, or an anecdote about one of ‘Our four children’. These four pre-schoolers, who are described in detail in The Thinking Child, are George, Carrie, Kishan and Samantha. They are fictitious characters from settings that use brain-based learning techniques, and the descriptions of their activities are representative of some of the best early years practice. Some of the resources in this book are intended for photocopying for use with children, for staff development or for individual reference. Many suggestions are given in the form of lists which can be easily photocopied, such as ways to help children develop high selfesteem, ways to give positive feedback or ways to involve parents in your setting. These suggestions can be used as described or can be developed to suit your individual situation. Other sections give practical activities to do with children, such as circle time activities and games to promote a ‘can do’ attitude. At various points, you will find a suggestion for a practical task, called ‘Activity’, that you may wish to undertake either alone or with colleagues. Again, these can be adapted to suit each individual setting. Material that is printed within the text in a small version on a clipboard, can be found in a full-sized version for photocopying at the end of the book. Working to understand how the child’s brain develops and applying this knowledge to early years practice is no small undertaking. The challenge may be great but the rewards of working this way are immeasurable. We sincerely hope that The Thinking Child and The Thinking Child Resource Book will help you as you make that learning journey.

The Thinking Child

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Resource Book

Introduction Introduction Introduction Introduction

gives cross reference to the topic in The Thinking Child. givescross crossreference reference to the topic in The The Thinking Child. gives the topic in Thinking Child. gives toto the topic in The Thinking Child (2nd edition). gives cross cross reference reference to the topic in The Thinking Child.

describes aspects brain-based learning in real settings. describes of of brain-based learning in real settings. describesaspects aspects of brain-based learning in real real settings. describes describes aspects aspects of of brain-based brain-based learning learning in in real settings. settings. describes aspects brain-based learning a setting describesaspects aspects of brain-based learning in a fictitious fictitious setting of one offour describes of of brain-based learning in a in fictitious setting of one of of one ‘Ourof describes aspects describes aspects of of brain-based brain-based learning learning in in aa fictitious fictitious setting setting of of one one of of ‘Our four children’. ‘Our four four children’. children’. ‘Our children’. ‘Our four children’. represents small copy of the A4 size poster, which can be found in the representsaaa a small small copy of the the A4 size poster, which can be found found inAppendices the represents copy size poster, which be in represents copy of of the A4 A4 sized poster, which can can be found in the represents asmall small copy of the A4 size poster, which can be found in the the Appendices starting on page 141. Appendices starting on page page 141. 141. starting on Appendices starting on page 178. Appendices starting on page 141. NN N N

UTIO CC AAUUTTIIOO CA UTIO A C

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gives warning that activities taken out of context may be inappropriate gives warning warning that that activities activities taken taken out out of of context context may may be be inappropriate inappropriate gives gives warning that taken outout of context maymay be inappropriate for use with gives warning thatactivities activities taken of context be inappropriate for use with some children or settings. for use use with with some some children children or or settings. settings. for for use some children or settings. with some children or settings.

Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Acknowledgements Acknowledgements

Thank you to the many practitioners who generously shared their ideas and Thank you you to to the the many many practitioners practitioners who who generously generously shared shared their their ideas ideas and and Thank Thank you to the many practitioners who generously shared their ideas and creativity with Thank you to the many practitioners who generously shared their ideas and creativity with me. Working with Sally Featherstone has once again been both creativity with me. Working with Sally Featherstone has once again been both aa a creativity with me. Working with Sally Featherstone has once again been both me. Working with Sally Featherstone has once again been both a pleasure and a great learning creativity with me. Working with Sally Featherstone has once again been both a pleasure and great learning experience for me. Thanks are due to Sharon James, pleasure and and aa a great great learning learning experience experience for for me. me. Thanks Thanks are are due due to to Sharon Sharon James, James, pleasure experience for me. Thanks are due to Sharon James, Heather Anderson, Jill Koops, Kate Barnes pleasure and a great learning experience for me. Thanks are due to Sharon James, Heather Anderson, Jill Koops, Kate Barnes and Siobhan Burrows for their Heather Anderson, Jill Koops, Kate Barnes and Siobhan Burrows for their Heather Anderson, Jill Koops, Kate Barnes and Siobhan Burrows for their and Siobhan Burrows for their input and inspiration. The children from Seer Green Church of Heather Anderson, Jill Koops, Kate Barnes and Siobhan Burrows for their continued input and inspiration. The staff and children from Seer Green Church of continued input input and and inspiration. inspiration. The The staff staff and and children children from from Seer Seer Green Green Church Church of of continued England Combined School and Braunstone Frith Infant School welcomed us into their classrooms continued input and inspiration. The staff and children from Seer Green Church of England Combined School and Braunstone Frith Infant School welcomed us into England Combined Combined School School and and Braunstone Braunstone Frith Frith Infant Infant School School welcomed welcomed us us into into England to do our research for this book. The teachers, parents, and children of Parents Nursery School in England Combined School and Braunstone Frith Infant School welcomed us into their classrooms to do our research for this book. their classrooms classrooms to to do do our our research research for for this this book. book. their Palo California, provided much of for thethis inspiration theirAlto, classrooms to do our research book. for new material in this second edition. Above all, thank you to my husband, Josef, for providing the encouragement and Above all, all, thank thank you you to to my my husband, husband, Josef, Josef, for for providing providing the the encouragement encouragement and and Above Above all, thank you to my husband, Josef, for providing the encouragement and practical Above all, thank you to my husband, Josef, for providing the encouragement and practical support that enables me to continue to write while being a mother. Thank practical support that enables me to continue to write while being a mother. Thank practical support that enables me to continue to write while being aa you mother. Thank support that enables me to continue to write while being a mother. Thank to my daughters practical support that enables me to continue to write while being mother. Thank you to Sara Arola for giving such excellent care to my own pre-schooler, Alysia, as you to to Sara Sara Arola Arola for for giving giving such such excellent excellent care care to to my my own own pre-schooler, pre-schooler, Alysia, Alysia, as as III you Alysia and Rebecca, who made endless suggestions for activities (usually messy) to share in you to Sara Arola for giving such excellent care to my own pre-schooler, Alysia, as I this worked to meet my deadline, and to my baby, Rebecca, for snuggling so happily in worked to to meet meet my my deadline, deadline, and and to to my my baby, baby, Rebecca, Rebecca, for for snuggling snuggling so so happily happily in in worked book, and to my busy, determined little pre-schooler Alexander, for being willing to try out new worked to meet my deadline, and to my baby, Rebecca, for snuggling so happily in her sling each morning as worked. My children are my inspiration and my greatest her sling sling each each morning morning as as III worked. worked. My My children children are are my my inspiration inspiration and and my my greatest greatest her activities such enthusiasm (especially messy ones). My children are mymy inspiration her slingwith each morning as Isharing worked. Mythe children are my inspiration and greatest and teachers. thank them for with me the joys of the early years. teachers. III thank thank them them for for sharing sharing with with me me the the joys joys of of the the early early years. years. teachers. my greatestI teachers. I thank them forwith sharing me the joysearly of theyears. early years. teachers. thank them for sharing me with the joys of the

The Thinking Child The Thinking Thinking Child Child The The Thinking Child

The Thinking Child

page page page page

6 66 6page ­ix

Resource Book Resource Book Book Resource Resource Book

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Introduction

Understanding the child’s brain

Step 1: Let’s meet a brain In recent years researchers have begun to understand more about the brain, and the mysteries of intelligence have begun to unravel. Scientists are now able to look deep inside the living, functioning brain, and many long-held theories are being disproved and new ones developed. The brain consists of about one hundred billion nerve cells, called neurons. These neurons develop axons for transmitting information to other neurons and dendrites for receiving information. As patterns of thought are repeated, the participating neurons build stronger and more direct pathways, which are called synapses. The first few years of life, in fact, are the most critical for this wiring of the brain, and the more stimulation a child’s brain receives, the more neural pathways are formed. As he repeats experiences, this pathway-building becomes permanent and strong – in other words, the experiences are committed to memory. In this way, nature and nurture act together to wire each individual child’s brain in its own unique way. We cannot alter nature, but as practitioners we can provide the nurturing environment that will maximize the child’s brain development. When we use brain-based learning techniques, we are adapting the learning environment to take account of what scientists have found to be the best ways to help children to form these neural connections. That is what this book is about: applying current knowledge about the brain to the early years setting. Developing these learning techniques can be exciting and extremely rewarding. We hope that this book and The Thinking Child will help you to put these techniques into practice with confidence.

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Brain page 13

Introduction

Fascinating Facts

•

Until very recently, it was thought that the functions of the various areas of the brain were pre-programmed and that damage to one area of the brain caused, for example, by a stroke, was irreparable. The latest research, however, has shown that the brain exhibits some level of structural plasticity. In other words, completely new wiring can actually be created, and some areas of the brain can take on entirely new roles after physical damage has occurred to other sections.1

•

Nutrition directly affects IQ. In 1988 a group of researchers from Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand followed more than 1,000 children from birth to age 18 to study the effects of breastfeeding. They found a direct correlation between the higher scores in tests of cognitive ability and the duration of breastfeeding.1 Other studies have shown the seriousness of iron deficiency on the developing brain. Iron is needed for myelination, the process by which the axons are coated with a greasy substance called myelin. Without adequate myelin, the communication between brain cells becomes sluggish. Iron deficiency in young children can lead to poor cognitive development.2

•

Language is linked to the ability to lay down memories. A team of researchers from New Zealand conducted a study to discover why most people do not have memories from before the age of three or four years. They played a specific game with children on two separate occasions. Most children were able to describe the game at the second visit, yet even when a child knew a word at the later date, he did not use it if it had not been in his vocabulary at the first visit.3

Step 2: Meeting the children in their settings

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Understanding the child’s brain

The setting Our setting is a fictitious one that is designed to give an overview of what can be achieved when practitioners use brain-based learning techniques. The setting consists of a part-time pre-school situated in the church hall, which is just across the playground from the primary school, and a nursery and reception class within the school. The practitioners here enjoy a strong relationship and work to ensure that there is good continuity and progression between the three groups. They have been using brain-based techniques for several years and are continually evaluating their work and developing new ideas in line with the most recent research into the brain and child development. Our four children are George, who attends the pre-school, Carrie, who attends the morning nursery, and Kishan and Samantha, who are both in the full-time reception class. These children are not ‘case studies’. They are fictitious characters who illustrate how learning is affected by the choices made by adults around them. They are all fortunate enough to come from homes where their physical, intellectual and emotional needs are well met, yet they each have their own unique learning style. The practitioners work hard to try to match the curriculum to the wide variety of learners in their settings.

The children Let’s meet George George is the one of the youngest children in the pre-school, which he attends three mornings per week. He is the only child in his family and receives considerable attention from his extended family. He is a quiet, gentle and tactile child, who is somewhat wary of new situations and often wants to follow the lead of other children. George can be easily discouraged and frequently needs adult support when he encounters a challenge. Like many very young children, he tends to leave a task if he does not experience immediate success. His key person also feels that he needs to learn to become more assertive in group situations. He is now developing a few strong friendships with children in his group, and is starting to engage in associative play more frequently. One of George’s favourite activities is to work in the garden, watering plants, digging, weeding, and observing nature. He notices details about the natural world and is one of the first to see any change in the outdoor environment, such as a plant flowering, or a new weed growing through a crack in the pavement. Using Howard Gardner’s definitions of the ‘multiple intelligences’4, George can be seen to have a strong naturalist intelligence.

Let’s meet Carrie Carrie is the oldest child in the morning group of the nursery class. Her mother is a single parent who has to commute several miles to work. Carrie goes to a breakfast club before school and is cared for by a local childminder in the afternoons and during school holidays. One of Carrie’s greatest strengths is her interpersonal and intrapersonal skills. She relates well to other children and adults, and talks comfortably about how she feels. She is sensitive to the feelings of other children and loves to organize other children and look after them if they are hurt or unhappy.

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Multiple intelligences page 139

Introduction

Carrie is naturally a strong visual learner who can recreate a game with the small world toys, for example, from memory. She likes to get involved with very elaborate imaginative play involving other children, but she sometimes finds it difficult to settle for a sustained period, becoming distracted by the excitement of her stream of new ideas. Carrie needs help to maintain her focus and follow an activity through to its conclusion.

Let’s meet Kishan Kishan has been in reception class for two terms. He didn’t attend either the pre-school or the nursery class previously, because he was settled at the full-time day care centre that he attended from the age of three months. Kishan’s family is bilingual. His parents are the first generation of their families to be born in the United Kingdom, and speak Bengali and English fluently.

Kishan has a highly inquisitive nature combined with boundless energy. He is a kinesthetic learner who also has a strong mathematical-logical intelligence. He has strengths in activities that involve spatial awareness. He needs to move in order to internalize information and he is always on the go. Consequently, Kishan sometimes needs help with his friendships. He finds it difficult to think through an action in preparation for an event. This can lead him into conflict with his peers. He needs to be allowed plenty of time to process information, and benefits from being given explicit instructions and feedback about his behaviour.

Let’s meet Samantha

Polebridging page 99

Samantha also attends the full-time reception class. She has a strong linguistic intelligence and was a particularly early talker. By her first birthday she had a vocabulary of about 30 words, and from that point onwards her language acquisition was explosive. She enjoys storytelling sessions, and does not need pictures as an aid to concentration. Her mother noticed that Samantha pole-bridged instinctively as a toddler, and she still finds it easy to talk her way through an activity now. She listens well, and finds it relatively easy to follow what her teacher is writing or drawing on the whiteboard as she gives an explanation to the group. Samantha also has a strong musical intelligence. She has a good sense of rhythm and pitch and can recall a simple pattern and tune after hearing it just once. She finds it easy to learn while music is playing, and is often the first child to recognize a CD when her teacher uses it to give a cue that a session is about to begin or come to an end. Samantha likes to stay indoors to read, draw or play in the home corner, and needs encouragement to join activities out of doors.

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Part One Part One

Step 1: Addressing children’s physical needs

Preparing the climate and context for learning

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs The psychologist Abraham Maslow (1908–1970) developed from his work with animals what he called ‘a hierarchy of needs’. If you are tired and hungry, you choose to eat before going to sleep. If you are thirsty and hungry, you drink first: you instinctively tend to your most urgent need. These needs must be met in succession in order to optimize human performance. Lower order needs in the hierarchy have to be met before someone can advance to higher order functioning. These layers extend beyond physiology. Think of a pyramid with each of these needs being a layer upon which the next can be laid. Without a strong foundation, the pinnacle cannot be built. The pinnacle is ‘self-actualization’, which in education we often describe as ‘reaching full potential’.

Step 1: Addressing children’s physical needs These are the layers of the pyramid: Self-actualization

Self-esteem needs

Love and belonging needs

Safety and security needs

Physiological needs

Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 5 Abraham Maslow’s ‘hierarchy of needs’ good overview of the physical needs that must If a child is hungry, thirsty or tired, hegives will a not be able to function. If he is worried about hisbe metsafety, if children learn They canfeels be thought ofhe as will a pyramid, with each these eitherare at to home or effectively. in the setting, and insecure, not function. If heofdoes needs being a layer upon which the next can be laid. The physiological needs are the basis of the not build strong relationships or a sense of belonging, he will not move onto higher order pyramid. They can behas broken into five hydration, nutrition, sleep, and functioning. If he poor down self-esteem, heareas: will not believe in himself and hismovement performance attentional systems. It is the practitioner’s responsibility to ensure that to the best of her will be weak. It is our responsibility to ensure that, to the best of our ability, we provideability for shethese provides for theseneeds. hierarchical needs and educates children about their importance. Here are hierarchical some suggestions of some practical ways to do this.

The physiological needs are the basis of the pyramid, and can be broken down into five page ­5 areas: hydration, nutrition, sleep, movement, and attentional systems, which we will Resource Book The Thinking Child consider in turn.

Hierarchy of needs page 32

Part One

Hydration A reception class teacher shared with us her experience of introducing sports bottles in the classroom: ‘We decided as a school policy to address the issue of physiology and learning. As a part of this strategy we asked parents to provide their children with a water bottle that could be kept in the classroom so that children could drink freely. The children were so excited the first day when they came into school clutching their bottles, that they wouldn’t stay in their places for more than two minutes before going for a drink. I was tempted to set limits, but decided to just wait and see if the novelty wore off. Within two days, the trips to the bottles (and the loo!) became significantly less disruptive, and within a week children were only going to the refreshment table when they were really thirsty. It showed me that if you trust children, they will respond. If I hadn’t trusted them, I would only have swapped one unsatisfactory system for another.’ In one nursery, the adults and children had easy access to water, but, when they were busy, they forgot to take a drink. The adults discussed this with the children and introduced a reminder signal. Now whenever an adult or child remembers to have a drink of water, they pick up the rain stick near the water table and turn it. Everyone stops at this sound to decide whether or not they are thirsty, and take a drink if they need it.

To ensure that child

• • • • • • • •

ren do not become

Build in regular socia

dehydrated you coul

l times for drinks and

Remind children to ha

d:

snacks throughout th

e day

ve drinks at the end of

sessions and breaks Encourage children to use refillable sports-sty le water bottles with sealable nozzles

Provide jugs of water

and cups for the child

ren to help themselve

Build in times when ch

s

Talk about the importa

ildren can have a drin

k between activities

nce of drinking enough

Role-model by drinkin

water

g water throughout th

e day yourself Make sure children ha ve access to water outsi de as well as inside, particularly on hot da ys. A small table or tra y of bottles will remind them

It is now a statutory requirement that in the EYFS ‘fresh drinking water must be available at all times’ 6

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Preparing the climate and context for learning

Encourage children to use sports-style water bottles.

Nutrition

See more about nutrition on page 23 of this book.

A child’s comment alerted a nursery teacher to poor messages often given in our culture about diet: ‘I was reading a story to a group of children about the day-to-day activities of a baby. It was a book by a well-known and respected publisher. I was reading on ‘auto-pilot’ when a child suddenly commented ‘Oooh, yummy, a delicious cookie!’ The text actually read ‘I can taste a delicious cookie.’ Why not ‘a delicious apple’ or ‘a delicious banana’? We used that book as a starting point for discussion about delicious foods, but I then became much more conscious of the messages that we were giving children, not only through books but also through general conversation about food.’ The practitioner arranged an audit of the books in her book corner and removed some of the books that gave poor messages about food. She made a conscious effort to select books with more positive messages in the future.

In one innovative nursery school, every other Wednesday was community lunch day. The children spent the morning preparing and cooking a lunch that they would eat together at midday. Often the meal would have a theme, and all the cultures of the class were represented. Parents came into school to help to make the meal with the children and shared in the preparation of healthy menus. Music was played through these special mealtimes, and time was taken to eat at leisure and to learn from the experience. On one occasion all the children made valiant efforts to eat an entire Chinese meal with chopsticks, and on another, they carefully unfolded pasta as it emerged from a pasta machine.

Fascinating Fact

The impact that schools can have in influencing lifestyle habits of young children has been shown by the impact of initiatives such as The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. Analysis of the programme in 2007 showed that ‘the number of children achieving 5 A DAY has increased from 27% in March 2004 to 44% in November 2006 and the number of portions consumed has also increased to a point where on average 50% of children in the scheme are close to achieving their 5 A DAY target.’7 page The Thinking Child

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experience. On one occasion all the children made valiant efforts to eat an entire Chinese meal with chopsticks, and on another, they carefully unfolded pasta as it emerged from a pasta machine.

Part One

Children help to to prepare preparehealthy healthysnacks. snacks. Children can can help page

The Thinking Child

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To encourage child

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Resource Book

ren to have a nutriti

onal diet, you could:

Introduce a breakfast

club

Provide more regular

healthy snacks

Involve the children in

preparing snacks and

drinks Encourage children to bring fruit or other he althy snacks to schoo breaks l for

Introduce community

lunch days on a week

ly, monthly or half-ter mly basis Put increasing time an d energy into educatin g children about nutri and healthy eating tion

Read books and tell sto

ries with positive messa

ges about good nutritio n Monitor the sublimina l messages given out about food through conversation or storie s

Monitor lunchboxes, informing parents ab out what can be store and about appropriate d safely food content Provide healthy prete nd food for role-play ac tivities Ensure that cooking ac tivities always include healthy foods Grow foods from pack s of seeds, such as cre ss, tomatoes, beans, be sprouts or lettuce an

Plant seeds from fruit and vegetables to enco urage interest in how grow, such as carrot top plants s, apple pips, and avoc ado stones

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Preparing the climate and context for learning

Sleep One reception teacher suggested an activity for children to do at home where they each kept a sleep diary. She encouraged children to borrow books from the book corner to read at bedtime as they snuggled with their parents to go to sleep. Displays in the classroom showed the wonderful, pleasant aspects of bedtime: stories, cuddles, warm sheets, soft toys, music and togetherness.

When Carrie first started in the nursery, her mother began to have problems getting her to sleep at a reasonable time at night. Her mother spoke to the teacher. The teacher was pleased to get the chance to discuss this, as she had noticed that Carrie was often tired and not in the best mood for learning. She wondered if this could simply be an adjustment period for Carrie as she got accustomed to being in nursery five mornings per week. They discussed Carrie’s bedtime routine. Because her mother had a long commute from work it was late before she collected Carrie from her childminder’s house. This meant that their bedtime routine started late in the evening. Carrie’s teacher suggested that her childminder could be asked to create a quiet time 15 minutes before her mother arrived. When Carrie’s mother talked to the childminder, they also agreed that she would have Carrie’s belongings organized at the door so that they could leave more quickly and quietly. When Carrie’s mother met the teacher a few weeks later, she reported that although bedtimes were still challenging, Carrie was now getting to sleep half an hour earlier. The childminder continued to work in partnership with Carrie’s mother, and gradually things improved and Carrie was less tired during the day.

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Part One

To help children be alert during the da y and have a health attitude towards sle y ep, you could: Plan activities to make most use of times wh en children are alert Practise relaxation ex ercises regularly Use brain breaks and physical activity to en ergize children when necessary Teach about healthy sleep patterns Keep diaries about be dtimes

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Read stories about sle

ep

Do a whole group proje

ct on sleep and bedtim

e routines Work in partnership wi th parents who are ha ving a challenging tim bedtimes e with

Provide an area for tir ed children to rest du ring the day with bean big cushions bags or

Promote bedtime and

Sing lullabies and oth

bedrooms as a positive

er calming songs

time and place

Play quiet music durin

g some parts of the da y Work with parents to create smooth, easy tra nsitions for children wh home late in the after o go noon or evening

Movement A mother told of her daughter’s experience at a nursery where she was expected to sit and concentrate for long periods of time: ‘We were in a hurry to get Corrine into a nursery soon after we moved. I realize now that we should have spent longer in the setting before we made the decision to send her. Corrine was unhappy right from the start. She just wasn’t ready to sit for long periods learning her letters and numbers. Her behaviour started to become challenging at school and at home, and then she started to cry when I dropped her off. Soon she was saying she had an ailment each morning – sometimes just a tummy-ache or a headache, but in the end she would wake up every morning to tell me that she had broken her leg or her arm! Teach playground games such as hopscotch.

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Preparing the climate and context for learning

After several months, I finally decided to stop taking her and keep her at home. The following September she started a new nursery school, and loved it. The atmosphere was so different; activities were fun and engaging, and she wasn’t expected to sit for ages at a task without a break. I still feel guilty about the months she spent at that nursery where she was miserable. Thankfully her teacher this year has revived her confidence and enthusiasm.’

A father told how he was concerned at being told by other parents that his daughter Molly, who had a sensory integration disorder, disturbed other children by ‘fidgeting too much in class.’ He asked the teacher to discuss this problem with his daughter’s occupational therapist. The occupational therapist explained that children who have difficulty processing sensory information often need to ‘fidget’. She helped the teacher to draw up a plan where Molly could hold a soft ball during quiet times, which she could squeeze instead of attempting to play with other children’s hair or clothes.

To ensure that the children in your ca re learn through m you could: ovement,

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

Provide ample opportu

nity for physical play

Limit the amount of tim

e that you expect child

Build in plenty of shor

ren to sit still

t brain breaks if you ha ve formal teaching se ssions Make extensive use of Brain Gym® and prog rammes such as Lette Sounds8 or Jolly Lear rs and ning9, which incorpor ate movement into lea rn ing Develop brain break ac tivities that involve sm ooth controlled crossmovement lateral

Incorporate action rh

ymes and games into

Teach playground game

Organize your setting

s

to ensure freedom of

Use music to accompan

story and circle times movement

y vigorous physical ac

tivity to energize child ren Monitor individual ch ildren’s activities to en sure that they receive balance of different typ a es of play Look at your setting re gularly to make sure the organization of th furniture does not restr e ict children’s moveme nts Make sure your group area, story corner and music area have enou space for the children gh to get up and move du ring group activities Give children options of where and how to wo rk whenever possible as playing on the floor , such or standing up rather than sitting at tables

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Brain Gym® page 121

Part One

Attentional systems page 35

Attentional systems For many reasons, both physical and emotional, some children find it easier than others to maintain periods of sustained concentration. These physiological and emotional needs can be catered for in a variety of ways.

In the early afternoon Samantha often finds it difficult to concentrate and focus on a task. Her energy levels are low, because the amine levels in her body are at their lowest level of the day. Amines are the chemicals that act as stimulants to run the body and brain. Fortunately her teacher monitors the attention levels of the children in her class, and provides lots of opportunities for physical movement. When Samantha takes part in a brain break activity, adrenaline is released, which helps to make her more receptive for learning.

To cater for the diffe rent concentration levels of the childre care you could: n in your

Affirmations page 64

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Create lots of opportu

Use affirmations to he

Ensure that the activ

VAK page 134

nity for play and freed lp children to refocus

om of movement

on tasks

ities available meet th e needs of individual children Present literacy and nu meracy sessions in VA K format to match in range of attentional cy put with a cles Lengthen your session s gradually as childre n get older, and moni responses and concen tor their tration as you move slo wly towards longer se ssions Build in regular brain breaks to energize th e children Create an appropriate balance between adult and child-initiated ac maintain a good balan tivities and ce as children get older Monitor the children’s high and lows by care ful observation Experiment to find th e best times for activiti es that require greater concentration and fee l free to stop or start a session when the mo ment is right Try to work flexibly, giv ing the children with shorter attention span of leaving the group aft s the option er the first or second activity When individuals or gr oups of children get fid gety, offer a more prac to break up the dema tical activity nd for concentration and sitting still Remember that you no w have much more fle xibility in how you tea organize literacy and ch and numeracy sessions to suit the needs of the in your group dividuals in Use puppets, differen t voices, objects, music and sound to keep ch in listening ildren engaged

•

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Use puppets to keep children engaged.

Healthy settings The health of children is reaching crisis-point, with some analysts forecasting that over 37% of British children aged 5–13 will be overweight or obese by 2012.10 The responsibility for trying to turn around this epidemic of addiction to junk food and aversion to exercise falls largely on the shoulders of those working with children, with the Statutory Framework clearly stating that ‘the provider must promote the good health of the children’.11 This task needs to be viewed in two parts. First, practitioners need to be working carefully to ensure that they are providing a healthy setting in every way possible. Second, they need to take responsibility for educating children about healthy living while supporting and encouraging their families as they strive to live healthily.

A nursery teacher introduced a new policy of placing one small taste of each type of food on every child’s plate at snack time, then putting plates with more of the snack on the table. She soon found that children started tasting new foods simply because they were exposed to them: ‘One week, a parent made rice with lentils for snack – foods that are unfamiliar to most of the children in my class. Instead of asking each child what he or she preferred, she dished up a teaspoon of each food on each plate, and then put the bowls of rice and lentils in the middle of the table, along with the familiar plate of fruit and cheese. One or two children immediately pushed their plates away, and one boy cried at the sight of the lentils! His key person sat with him to reassure him, as a couple of other children started eating and took more from the bowls. Gradually, the other children relaxed, and by the end of snack about half of them had tasted lentils. Some just ate fruit, which was fine. All I told the children was that I didn’t want them to make a fuss. They didn’t have to eat it, but they were not allowed to be rude. I asked the mum to come in and make the same snack again, in the hopes that next time more children will try it.’

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A practitioner in a day nursery described how she resists the temptation to use mealtimes as a chance for preparation or cleaning up while eating ‘on the go’. Instead, she makes a policy to relax and eat her own lunch with the children: ‘Even though sometimes my mind is elsewhere at the start of lunch, once I actually sit down and take a few deep breaths, I am glad that in our nursery, we prioritize mealtimes. This is the time when I get to really talk with the children. I resist the temptation to correct manners or to “teach” the children. It is a time to connect – and often to reconnect. I now realize that taking a time to sit and eat is as good for me as it is for the children. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.’

Fascinating Fact

In addition to increasing the amount of healthy food that children eat, many schools have found an unexpected value from participating in The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme. Sitting down as a group to eat, which in many settings was not the norm, gave an ‘advantage of providing a social time and a time for learning.’ So, in addition to improving diet, the scheme helped some settings to develop better social environments for children when eating.12

When Samantha was in her first pre-school her teacher noticed that she rarely chose to participate in gross motor activities. She spoke with Samantha’s parents, who said that Samantha had always preferred indoor to outdoor activities. Together, they identified the types of activities that Samantha enjoyed, and the teacher started to build these into outdoor games. For example, Samantha loved playing with Fred, the classroom teddy bear. The teacher dressed Fred in a warm coat and strapped him into the wagon, asking Samantha and a friend to take Fred out for a ride every morning. On another occasion, she took all the dolls out to the climbing frame and told the children that the dolls needed to learn how to climb the steps safely to the slide. At another time, she gave Samantha a flag to wave at the ‘finish line’ for the children riding bikes, and then suggested that Samantha got the wagon and took Fred around the ‘race course’. Over time, with gentle encouragement and support, Samantha began to engage more frequently in physical play outdoors.

Fifteen ways to promote a positive attitude towards healthy food in your setting 1. Incorporate cooking and enjoying food into your activities every day, emphasizing healthy eating habits 2. Make healthy food a policy for your setting, including all the food that is cooked for, by, and with children 3. Make sure all the practitioners in your setting are confident and competent at planning and providing for healthy eating 4. Make your setting a junk free zone for adults as well as children! 5. Provide leaflets and ideas for parents about healthy snacks and simple recipes

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6. Involve the children in preparation of fruit for snack and in cooking activities, talk about the health benefits of eating fruit and vegetables 7. Share your shopping list with the children, so they can see that you try to eat healthily 8. Share your aims about healthy eating with parents and carers, and ask for their ideas and help in creating and maintaining your food policy 9. Talk about healthy food enthusiastically, for example, ‘Oh, great! They have fresh broccoli at the market!’ 10. Use descriptive language as you share food with children, such as, ‘These peaches are extremely juicy!’ and, ‘What delicious, crunchy carrots!’ 11. Grow as many different kinds of foods as you can. Be creative with pots, grow-bags, and different containers, and make the most of your space 12. Make a trip to a ‘pick-your-own’ farm, and then bring produce back to make jams, chutneys or pies 13. Take a trip to look around local allotments, and see if you can make a friend of a gardener or two! 14. Present healthy foods in fun ways. For example, cut up a French loaf for sandwiches with a variety of healthy fillings, then lay the pieces out on a tray in the shape of a snake. Use grapes and a slice of carrot for the snake’s eyes and tongue 15. Mix unusual colours and textures together, and let children be creative when selecting snacks. For example, try little pots of natural yoghurt with different sugar-free cereals and chopped up fruit, or avocado slices with pots of cream cheese alongside crackers or fingers of toast

Some ways to help create a family-style mealtimes Every setting is different, and for many, it is challenging to create a family-style routine for meals or snacks. Here are some ways that might help create a family atmosphere when sharing food:

•

Create a rota for which adult or adults will eat with the children each day. Pin copies of this rota up, so that the children expect you at the table and prevent you from getting sidetracked!

• • • • • • • •

Take a fresh look at your work schedules and see if you can reorganize them in any way to give priority to snack times and family meals Insist that adults all sit down to share snack with the children, especially if this is not possible at mealtimes Write up menus on a white board or blackboard, with details of the snacks or meals for the day Make snack aprons and badges for the children who are helping Ask parents to come and help prepare meals or snacks, and of course, encourage them to stay to eat! Make it a policy that, unless dangerous or of vital importance, whatever doesn’t get done by a mealtime or snack time, waits until afterwards Create a rota for parents or other members of the community to come to share snack or meals Schedule regular special ‘Family Meals’ to which you officially invite other adults

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•

Liaise with teachers to create a rota for having older children join you for meals. Talk to the older children first about the importance of modelling good manners and communication skills during the mealtime

•

Take photos of social occasions and pin copies on notice boards, post them on your website, or email them to parents, to communicate and promote your policy of encouraging family-style eating

A dozen ways to create a pleasant atmosphere at mealtimes 1. Use tablecloths on tables, and encourage the children to choose which ones to use each day 2. Surprise children with different picnic plates, juice jugs and cups – look for end of season sales in stores and visit charity shops to build up a stock of fun designs 3. Encourage children to help to lay the table 4. Teach children how to serve food for themselves and others 5. Make rubber stoppers from tennis balls for the legs of chairs to deaden noise

Try to create a pleasant atmosphere at mealtimes.

6. Ask children to help cut flowers or greenery from the garden for vases on the tables 7. Select peaceful music in the background for while you eat 8. Teach children how to use napkins when eating messy foods 9. Create rituals and traditions, such as encouraging each child to say two things for which she is thankful at the start of every meal 10. Talk about manners at times other than during meals. Practise passing plates of play food at circle time, and role play how to ask for more food 11. Teach children phrases for politely declining foods that they prefer not to eat 12. Teach children to wait for everyone to be seated before eating. Try starting each meal with a ritual, such as thanking the cooks or reading a special poem aloud

Six ways that practitioners have worked with parents to improve children’s eating habits

•

A children’s centre made the topic of their parent meetings ‘healthy eating’. By the end of the term, they had brainstormed many different ways to improve the eating habits of the setting and their homes. They made up a booklet with these ideas for each participant

•

A nursery teacher asked for parents to provide recipes for a Healthy Dinners Cookbook. She printed off copies, and the children decorated the covers before each taking one home for their family

•

A childminder made a good-humoured agreement with parents that she would cut out eating excess junk food – and so would they! All the adults purged their kitchens and replaced

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crisps, fizzy drinks and chocolate with healthier alternatives. They supported one another as they all made the move towards healthier living

• •

A day nursery invited parents to lead cookery workshops, where everyone learned how to cook a healthy recipe while having a sociable evening together A nursery school worked with parents to create a weekly shopping list for ingredients for cooking and snack, with specific information about brands of items to buy, such as crackers and cereals without too much salt or sugar

•

An infant school created a ‘recipe of the week’, which they posted on the parents’ notice board. The children helped to make the recipe, taking a series of photos of the process. The photographs and recipe were then presented in a cook book, with photocopies for parents to take home if they wished

A dozen ways to get reluctant children outside to play 1. Pin up pictures of wild animals around the playground, then provide binoculars and rucksacks and encourage children to be ‘explorers’ going on safari 2. Hide numbered envelopes around the playground. In each one, put a photograph of the location of the next envelope. Show children a photograph of location number 1, then help them to run from one location to the next, until they get back to the start 3. Teach games that involve some running, such as ‘What’s the Time Mr. Wolf?’ and ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’ 4. Start a ‘parade’ inside, then take it outdoors. Play instruments like drums or play marching music on a CD player. Wear silly hats, wave streamers or scarves, or make pom-poms to shake as you all march 5. Make a regular time for active outdoor games with a parachute 6. Take story time out of doors and lead into a related outdoor activity immediately afterwards 7. Lead children outside after snack or circle time to teach everyone a new outdoor game 8. Ask parents to volunteer to play outdoor games with the children on a regular basis 9. Bury ‘treasure’ such as coloured beads or sequins in the sandpit. Read a story about pirates or treasure hunts, then give children plastic bags or pots in which to collect their treasures 10. Create a working document with information about games to play. Add to your list by asking parents and friends to tell you the games that they played when they were children 11. Look out for stories you can tell to movements, such as Follow My Leader13 We’re Going on a Bear Hunt14, and then take the game outside 12. Have a scavenger hunt, where you show children pictures of items that you have hidden outside. Try dividing children into teams, with an adult leading each team, and encourage children to explore and hunt in all areas of the playground

Some inexpensive items to stimulate active play outdoors

• • •

Big shovels in a designated ‘free dig’ area of the garden Large chalks to make roads for bikes or for running games Blankets thrown over play structures to make camps

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• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Large boxes from electrical appliances to make camps in different areas Cones and ropes to rope off play areas Ropes tied from fence to fence to hang a blanket over to make a camp Plastic bags and string for making kites, with adult supervision, of course! Lengths of smooth timber for building cars, trains or houses Water spray bottles or squirters, with home-made targets hung around the playground On a warm day, a water sprinkler hung across a path, for a ‘car wash’ for bike and scooter riders (put swimsuits on for this!) Stop/Go signs on lolly sticks for directing bike traffic Large paintbrushes, rollers, child-sized mops and brooms and water for children to ‘paint’ the playground Bibs or pieces of sticky paper with numbers written on them, for running marathons or bike races (no winners needed – just encourage children to cheer each other as they run past!) Tree stumps from felled trees, arranged in different configurations for jumping and climbing Hobby horses made from sticks with cardboard heads Laundry baskets as ‘goals’ for throwing or kicking balls Old car tyres for rolling, building, jumping and hiding Big stones or real house bricks and barrows for heaving and shifting Hoops laid out on the grass for ‘stepping stones’

Step 2: Inclusion

‘ ‘

All children are entitled to enjoy a full life in conditions which will help them take part in society and develop as an individual, with their own cultural and spiritual beliefs.

’

Early Years Foundation Stage Framework15

We have a wonderful pre-school teacher. What makes me really trust her and feel that my son is in the right place is that she does not see my son as a diagnosis or as a specific behavioural issue. She immediately saw the good in him, the things that make him ‘him’; the positive traits that I, too, love about him.

’

A parent

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Over recent years there has been a major shift in attitude and policy regarding the inclusion of children with special needs in early years settings and schools. It is now unlawful to discriminate against any children when providing services such as education, and practitioners are becoming familiar with the needs of a far wider range of children than was traditional in the past. Inclusion, however, is more than simply a policy shift: it is an ideological shift, where inclusion of all children together is seen as something to be embraced and celebrated. It would be unrealistic, however, not to acknowledge that inclusion can present some challenges for settings and for individuals. Practitioners often find themselves in the position of needing to provide support to children, parents, carers and colleagues, but they may also need to seek support. If you are expected to provide for a child who has needs that are unfamiliar to you, you may find yourself on a steep learning curve. The keys to success are communication and support. The 2009 Lamb Inquiry into Special Educational Needs and Parental Confidence found that:

‘

Our discussions with groups of parents identified a number of key factors in giving them confidence in the system. Amongst these, two stood out: the importance to parents of knowing that those working with their child understood their child’s needs; and good communication. The latter is important even when the communication includes difficult messages.16

’

As you build strong communication with parents and other experts involved with the child, you may need to seek support for yourself as you adjust to new challenges. But when communities come together to learn from one another as they provide for children, everyone experiences enrichment. The better the communication and support systems, the greater the payoff for all concerned. It is extremely important to recognize the intense concern that some parents may experience when leaving their children in your care. Deciding to place their child in the setting may have been a long, difficult process for them. They may still not feel confident that they are making the best decision, and may have some well-founded and understandable concerns or fears. For some families, this might be the first time they have been able or ready to trust someone else to care for their child. The reality for many parents of children with special needs is that they have very little respite and are accustomed to managing their child’s environment twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They are the people who know best how to handle their child, and it takes a huge leap of faith to entrust this to someone who is often a complete stranger. It is therefore vitally important that you work hard to get to know these families extremely well, taking time to ‘go the extra mile’ to build up a strong partnership. A soft play room allows children of all needs to play together.

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An American parent shared her feelings about her daughter’s teacher on an online forum: ‘My daughter just started at the inclusion pre-school run by our school district and already I love her teacher, who has more than twenty-four years of experience in special education. A week before school started, she came to our home to meet my daughter and see her home program. The teacher wanted to see our therapy program in person so that she could get a good sense of how much my daughter knows. She also invited us to bring my daughter several times to the pre-school a week before school started, to get her more familiar with the place. This impressed me because she lives a good forty miles away. She didn’t have to be at the school, but she made the effort so that my daughter wouldn’t be scared of the new school. She calls me regularly to tell me things about my daughter. She doesn’t mind if I call her after regular school hours. She sends emails because I’m not the one who picks up my daughter (grandma often does the pick-up from pre-school). When she talks to me, this teacher always says something positive about my child before any sort of negative. It’s a little thing but it makes a difference in how I feel as a parent. When she visited, she told me that she would take care of my daughter as if she was her own child and I believe her. All these little things she does shows me that she goes the extra mile to make sure that my daughter is getting the most out of her pre-school inclusion program. She doesn’t coddle my daughter. She has high expectations but she tempers that with kindness and patience.’

A parent spoke at a conference about her experience when her special needs son started at nursery school: ‘When Sammy was three, we decided to join a little school in our town. Sammy and I had been isolated for a long time. Sammy has a serious condition, and he finds it hard to communicate. It’s difficult to have friends when your child does not interact with other children and when other parents just don’t understand. I needed some sort of normality in my life – to find a community and spend some time with other adults, and Sammy needed to learn from other people, not just from me. We agreed with the teacher that I would stay with Sammy until he was settled, for however long that took. I was very stressed, as I feared that it would be a very long time, and that the teachers would start to feel impatient. After two weeks the teacher put her arm around my shoulders, looked me in the eye, and said, “You know, if you don’t want to leave him – not at all for the whole year, that’s fine. It’s fine for you to stay here. You make yourself coffee, and just hang out here every day. This is your school too. I want both you and Sammy to feel safe here.” She went on to assure me, “If you do want to leave Sammy, I will help you with that. We can make it work. But I want you to know that you are his mum and that you can make that decision, and that I will support you in whatever you choose.”

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I cannot describe what that meant to me. For the first time, we were accepted for who we were, and allowed to be those people. I got to mix with other adults who understood Sammy and genuinely wanted to be a part of our life. I handed over part of the responsibility for Sammy to other people for a short time every day. It may sound corny, but I felt that we’d come home.’

Twenty-one things that parents said made them feel confident when choosing their child’s setting 1. ‘A warm welcome every time we went to visit, where everyone remembered my child’s name and stopped to speak to him’ 2. ‘An efficient lady in the office, who at our first appointment, knew my name, understood my son’s diagnosis, and helped me with paperwork’ 3. ‘A willingness to re-think the policy over storing and administration of emergency medications, so that I knew that my daughter would be safe in any part of the building’ 4. ‘Two very relaxed home visits over the summer, so that my child really got to know her key person well’ 5. ‘Being allowed to visit the setting during the holidays, when there were no other children there, just the adults preparing for the start of term’ 6. ‘Every phone message being returned promptly and courteously’ 7. ‘Regular emails – group ones for the whole class, but also private ones to me about provisions for my daughter’ 8. ‘A warm manner on the telephone – never being made to feel that my questions were silly’ 9. ‘Great communication between the staff and the school nurse, our doctor, the physiotherapist and our social worker’ 10. ‘Being treated like one of the other parents, yet it being accepted that at times I did need “special” treatment – such as discussion about special events so that we could find ways for my daughter to participate’ 11. ‘A kind smile and word whenever we pass in the playground or in a corridor’ 12. ‘Being told very clearly that the practitioner viewed me as the expert on my child’ 13. ‘Knowing that my daughter’s key person really understood how challenging our lives can be and that she wanted to shoulder some of that challenge herself’ 14. ‘Being asked to attend meetings to discuss adaptations to the room ready for my son to start pre-school’ 15. ‘Immediately hearing positive things about my child and never feeling that he was a burden to the staff’ 16. ‘Seeing playfulness and genuine warmth in the interactions between my daughter and her key person’ 17. ‘A headteacher who took the time to get to know my son, even though she has four hundred children in the school to care for!’ 18. ‘Additional visits from her pre-school to her new reception class, so that she could get really used to the changes’

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19. ‘Knowing that there was quiet place where confidential information could be shared privately’ 20. ‘Being offered a home/school diary for daily comments from everyone’ 21. ‘Photos of children sent home regularly, so I know what he has been doing at school’

Some ways that practitioners have created strong support systems

•

A nursery teacher arranged regular after-school meetings where she and her assistant met with the parents over coffee, to talk informally about how things were going. Invitations to these meetings were emailed to others who worked with the child so that they could attend when their schedule allowed. On one occasion, the family invited the child’s grandmother, who felt reassured once she was able to meet those who cared for her grandchild.

•

A reception teacher organized for a child’s doctor to attend a brief meeting to talk to the entire school staff about the child’s specific medical condition. Once colleagues became more directly aware of the challenges being faced, they were more than willing to help out, for example, by altering routines for playground use and altering rotas to relieve pressure on the reception staff.

•

A childminder made good use of the toy libraries provided by her local charities and the area Special School. Over time she got to know the staff, who helped her with practical advice and information about support groups and systems.

•

A day care provider joined an online forum where she could get information from others about special needs issues, and could also post questions when she needed advice or support from other professionals who may have faced similar challenges to hers.17

•

A reception teacher arranged to meet once a fortnight with her SENCO to talk about how things were going with two particular children in her class. These were not official meetings, but served as an informal support system where the teacher took time to reflect and the SENCO could act as a sounding board.

•

A school created a library of books and leaflets on a range of additional needs. These were available for all parents to borrow, so the parents of friends and classmates could find out about the challenges facing some children and families.

•

A childminder took all three of her children to a support group for one child, giving everyone an opportunity to play together while she met with other adults facing similar challenges.

Step 3: Developing emotional intelligence Helping children to become emotionally literate

‘

We really need to change that historic dichotomy of cognition on the one hand, emotions on the other hand, and realize that our emotions are the fuel that gives rise to social behavior but also to different levels of intelligence.

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’

Dr. Stanley Greenspan18 page ­22

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‘

The central role that the emotions play in every learning experience is one of the key findings of recent research. Much learning, moreover, takes place within a social context. Before children can begin to tackle the cognitive demands of any task, they need to be able to address the social and emotional components that accompany the activity.

’

Excellence and Enjoyment, social and emotional aspects of learning19

Daniel Goleman20 argues that emotional intelligence can prove to be a more significant factor in a child’s future than any other measure of intelligence. The five aspects of emotional literacy that Goleman defines are: self-awareness, management of emotions, self motivation, handling relationships and empathy.

The five aspec ts of emotio nal literacy

















self-awareness

management of em otions

self motivation

handling relations hips

empathy

For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

Developing skills in each of these five areas is essential if children are to achieve the Every Child Matters outcomes, and one of the practitioner’s main challenges is to help children to manage their emotions. Learning to manage impulsive behaviour often comes with increasing maturity, but some children need additional help to become ‘emotionally literate.’

George can tend to be passive, partly because he is one of the youngest in the group. His play is not always purposeful, and he is not resilient in the face of difficulty. George will happily let other children take the lead and make decisions for him. His key person often creates situations where George has to lead the group and make decisions for himself. If George is not involved in positive decisions about his learning, he will not develop the attributes of resourcefulness or confidence.

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Kishan, on the other hand, is certainly not passive! He is resilient and assertive, but he does not act responsibly when he rushes to grab the red tricycle first and knocks down Samantha in his wake. Kishan’s teacher gently directs him to help Samantha up and check that she is not hurt before returning to the tricycle. She is encouraging him to demonstrate empathy on this occasion. Her aim is to help Kishan to become more responsible and deliberate in his play, so that he will think through the possible consequences of his actions and act less impulsively.

A father spoke of being somewhat surprised when he discussed his son’s behaviour with his teacher: ‘When Tommy started school, the teacher spoke to me and told me she was concerned about his aggressive behaviour towards the other children. I wasn’t surprised that he often shouted and so on, because everyone in our family has a bit of a temper – we joke and call it the “Smith temper”. But I was upset to hear that he was taking it a step further at school, and hitting other children. The teacher asked if I thought that a temper was inherited, not a learned trait. That set me thinking. Of course, Tommy had seen temper tantrums in our house regularly since birth. They are never really serious, and the adults know that we may shout and stamp, but we don’t hurt one another. But Tommy wasn’t making this distinction. I realized that we as adults were not acting very maturely, and we were passing that on to our children. Suffice to say that we all made more effort from then on to control ourselves when we were frustrated. We worked hard with Tommy to help him develop better self-control, and gradually he learned to use words to express frustration, rather than losing his temper.’

A teacher took her reception class on a visit to a local church, and unexpectedly discovered a remarkable way to encourage children to think calmly about challenging emotional issues. ‘In the grounds of the church, beneath some beautiful trees, members of the congregation had created a labyrinth. It was a very simple but beautiful creation. Pebbles had been pushed into the ground to mark out the track, which led around and around in a circular pattern, bending back and forth, until you reached the centre. The vicar explained that the labyrinth is an ancient concept and that throughout history adults have used it for meditation purposes, walking slowly through as they thought hard about difficult problems. He told the children that it was also fine to run through the labyrinth and just explore. After the children had spent some time running through the maze and chasing one another in and out, I sat them down and we did some simple breathing exercises. After that, some of them went off to play in the garden, but others chose to enter the labyrinth again, thinking about something important to them. It was remarkable seeing such young children clearly enjoying the chance to think quietly, while walking the simple pattern of the maze. I have no idea what they thought about, but I did resolve to find a way to create a similar “thinking place” at our setting in the future.’

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Some strategies for helping children to develop emotional literacy Scenario: Paula finds it difficult to wait her turn for outside toys such as bikes and trucks Strategies might include:

• • • • • • • • •

Using a sand timer so that she can see how long she needs to wait Redirecting her to another game while she has to wait Giving out tickets or tags like those given at delicatessen counters Talking to her prior to the play session about how she might need to wait Helping her to verbalize her feelings about the need to wait Acknowledging her feelings about waiting and using affirmations that she is very patient Talking about how she waited patiently at plenary sessions Using a big white board or flip chart for her to ‘write’ or stick or draw a sign for her turn. Having a ticket collector with a badge, hat, and clipboard to help the children to organize themselves

Scenario: Utpal rushes at tasks and gets upset when the outcome is unsatisfactory to him Strategies might include:

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Using the ‘Plan, Work, Recall’ model Talking before the session about what he plans to do Giving him ownership of activities by encouraging him to plan them himself Sitting alongside him as he works and encouraging him to work slowly Encouraging him to pole-bridge as he works Making regular affirmations that he works slowly and carefully Encouraging him to work with a friend to plan a task Discussing sequences and difficulties at group and plenary times Drawing sequences as a group and walking these through as a story or play to get them right Making sure that he knows how much time he has for planned activities Making sure that that he knows that there will be time to return to an unfinished activity Having a place for him to put unfinished models and pictures

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See more about Plan, Work, Recall on page 147 of this book.

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Part One

Scenario: Kirsty regularly gets into conflict and shouts at her friends Strategies might include:

Use of appropriate voice page 88

Decibel clock page 88

• • • • • • • • • • • •

Observing carefully what triggers the conflicts Encouraging her to make friendships with less volatile children Talking about the cooperative skills needed for a task before it begins Structuring groups for her to work with children who demonstrate good cooperative skills Observing, and then intervening when conflict is building Use cue cards to remind her to use an appropriate voice Using the ‘Decibel clock’ to communicate your expectations before the session Practising using different voices and talking about how it feels to be spoken to quietly or loudly Making regular affirmations about how she listens to her friends and speaks gently to them Practising alternative ways to handle disagreements in circle time Encouraging children to be assertive and say when they don’t like the noise or being shouted at Acknowledging her self-restraint when she manages to control her enthusiasm!

Scenario: Jon finds it hard to read the moods of other children and respond appropriately Strategies might include:

• • • •

Encouraging children to verbalize their feelings Role-playing scenarios in circle time where children have to guess what one another are feeling Reading stories that deal with children’s emotions Playing games with photographs of children’s faces that show different emotions Getting down to his level as he plays and asking him to verbalize how he thinks other children are feeling Being explicit about emotions and how expressions show how somebody feels Using soft toys and puppets to explore feelings and relationships

• • •

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Preparing the climate and context for learning

Scenario: Christie begins activities with enthusiasm but soon loses interest and rarely completes a task Strategies might include:

• • • • • • • • •

Talking about what the task entails when giving the Big Picture Discussing what the end result will be when giving the Big Picture Asking her to describe how it will feel to complete the task before she begins Giving regular input during a task and redirection if necessary Building in regular brain breaks and opportunities for physical reprieve Grouping her with children who have good concentration skills Making frequent affirmations that she is good at staying on task Remembering that very young children sometimes run out of steam and need an option of returning to something after a short break Modelling and discussing the need to take a break before returning to a task

Scenario: Caroline can tend to be dominant, and gets frustrated if other children do not follow her lead in activities Strategies might include:

• • • •

Grouping her with children who have good group-work skills Discussing who will do what before beginning a group activity Observing and intervening in her play before she becomes too dominant Getting down to her level and helping her to find solutions when other children do not want to follow her lead Asking other children to explain to her how they feel when she is being dominant Being explicit about the verbal and non-verbal cues that other children give when they are not happy about her behaviour in a group Role-playing different scenarios in circle time where she can experience following the lead of others Encouraging her to follow her ideas through independently when other children do not want to participate Using frequent affirmations that she is good at listening to others Using soft toys and puppets to explore her feelings and relationships Raising the profile of listening activities in paired games, listening walks and circle time Involving her in games with turns, ‘conversation’ type songs and rhymes, and clapping and chanting activities

• • • • • • • •

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Big Picture page 96

Part One

Twenty-one ways to help children to manage impulsive behaviour The Three As page 61

1. Use The Three As system of Acknowledgement, Approval and Affirmation to encourage appropriate responses to challenging situations 2. Role-play ‘what if’ scenarios where children have to practise the skills of self-control 3. Play games that involve waiting and turn-taking 4. Use circle time to explore challenging situations 5. When children have acted impulsively help them to retrace their footsteps to find alternative responses 6. Be explicit about the management of emotions 7. Comment when you see children exercise good self-control 8. Use role-play with small world toys to illustrate ways of responding to frustrating situations 9. Discuss the skills of self-control that are needed before embarking on an activity 10. Play games that involve suspense

Polebridging page 99

11. Encourage children to pole-bridge 12. Explore emotions and behaviour through stories and fantasy games 13. Use video and photos of situations in the setting to help children explore feelings and responses 14. Discuss pictures and posters of faces with clear expressions to help children ‘read’ facial characteristics and expressions 15. Focus on both children in conflict situations. Avoid the temptation to concentrate only on the aggressor 16. Have clear systems for cooling off, repairing relationships and returning to games 17. Collect and use story books that explore feelings and relationships 18. Make up your own stories that address issues about emotions and behaviours

Technology page 122

19. Ensure that software for the computer encourages thoughtful responses 20. Play alongside children and verbalize your frustrations and describe how you control them 21. Encourage children to verbalize their emotions and teach them the language that they need to describe their feelings

Helping children to identify emotions.

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Preparing the climate and context for learning

Twenty-one ways to promote emotional literacy in the early years 1. Read and discuss lots of stories that involve emotional dilemmas 2. Stop during stories to ask what children think the characters felt, and how they should act 3. Ask children to describe what they are going to do, before they do it 4. Give lots of opportunities for role-play 5. Timetable regular sessions for circle time 6. When children are involved in a disagreement, be interested, discuss it calmly, and help them work out solutions 7. If a child misbehaves, help her by going back over the incident, if possible by walking it through. Ask her what she might have done differently 8. Describe how you feel and encourage children to do the same 9. Use reassuring language about emotions, such as, ‘I bet you feel cross that….’, or, ‘I would think that you are upset about….’ 10. Use The Three As system to help children to learn to manage their emotions and relationships 11. Organize groups so that the more volatile children follow the lead of their more mature peers 12. Talk about the necessary attitudes for approaching tasks before children begin 13. At plenary sessions talk about the way that children approached tasks in addition to what they achieved 14. Acknowledge children’s successes when handling their emotions, being clear about what you are affirming by describing exactly what they did 15. Use the vocabulary of emotions regularly: talk about how you felt in situations and encourage children to do the same 16. Display pictures and make books of photos of children’s faces showing different emotions such as sadness, surprise, joy, fear or amazement 17. Make a lotto matching game of faces with different expressions, using photos or clip art from your computer 18. Include discussion of feelings when recalling or recording events on mind maps 19. Use soft toys, puppets or small world characters to replay events and discuss how individuals felt 20. When you read stories, talk about the expressions on the faces of characters, and discuss how they might be feeling 21. Whenever disagreements occur, draw the children together immediately to discuss their emotions and how to deal with them

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Helping children to manage their emotions.

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Part One

Developing the right mindset

‘

When you enter a mindset, you enter a new world. In one world – the world of fixed traits – success is about proving you’re smart or talented. Validating yourself. In the other – the world of changing qualities – it’s about stretching yourself to learn something new. Developing yourself.

’

Carol Dweck: Mindset – The New Psychology of Success.21

Researcher Carol Dweck from Stanford University in California has added a new dimension to the concept of emotional intelligence, with the publication of her bestselling book, Mindset. In extensive tests where she measured people’s attitude towards challenge, Dweck has found that people with what she calls a ‘growth mindset’, where they believe that ability in any area is not a fixed phenomenon, tend to take on challenge and learn more effectively. Compared to those with a ‘fixed mindset’, they have better emotional intelligence and are more likely to fulfil their potential.

A reception class teacher read Mindset, and realized that in some areas of her life she had developed a fixed attitude. As a teenager in school, she had been intimidated by one particular chemistry teacher and had developed a belief that she could never understand even the most basic concepts in chemistry: ‘I put Mindset down and started thinking. How could I be so negative about myself? How could I have allowed a bad teacher, ten years ago, to affect me this way? What sort of message was I unintentionally transmitting to children if I secretly felt that I couldn’t understand science myself? So, I went online that night and ordered some GCSE chemistry workbooks. My husband thought I was crazy – but I felt that I had to tackle this bogeyman hiding in my professional cupboard. I sat and studied the books, my husband helped me with parts I didn’t understand, and at the end of a few weeks, I could balance a chemical equation – something that filled me with horror when I was in school! Once I had shown myself that I was not the dunce that I had imagined myself to be, my confidence in teaching science grew. Not that I am trying to teach my reception class about chemical equations, of course! But I wish I had done this years ago, rather than feeling like a failure – like something was wrong with me.’

Carrie’s teacher fell into the trap of drawing attention away from what children could not do and drawing it instead to what they already did well, such as, ‘Oh, I know it’s frustrating not being able to ride a scooter, but look – there’s the red trike – you are great at riding that!’ This well-meaning strategy actually gave a very negative message. What Carrie heard was, ‘You’re no good on the scooter, so be satisfied with riding the trike.’ This put her into a fixed mindset – that somehow she did not inherit the scooter-riding gene.

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Preparing the climate and context for learning

Instead, use language that makes it clear that you believe that the child will master the scooter in time. She isn’t just an enthusiastic trike rider, but is an up-and-coming scooter rider too! Try instead a strategy such as, ‘Hmm, would it work if we try with me holding the front while you practise scooting? After a while, I’ll be able to let go and you can try on your own.’ When Carrie’s teacher realized that her approach was having a negative effect, she worked hard to monitor the language that she used with children as they encountered challenges.

Twelve ways to encourage the growth mindset in children 1. Don’t praise intelligence or achievement – instead, concentrate on effort and enjoyment 2. If you give praise, focus on the process, such as, ‘I like the way you turned the paper carefully as you cut’, rather than, ‘You cut that out beautifully!’ 3. Use words like ‘yet’, ‘soon’, and ‘in the future’ to describe what children will be able to achieve 4. Model how to deal with setbacks yourself and be explicit about challenges that you face in everyday life 5. Read good stories about characters who faced difficulties and overcame them, but… 6. …read stories such as The Tortoise and the Hare with caution. Realize that most children would prefer to be the hare, not a tortoise who got lucky because the hare messed up! 7. At circle time, share details about your out-of-school activities, including disappointments. For example, tell them about your bike race and how you got too tired to finish – and then tell them about how you plan to get fitter for the next time 8. Encourage visitors to talk about what they find most challenging about their hobby or work. Ask them to talk about difficulties that they face and about how they might have to practise and persevere 9. Ask open-ended questions instead of ones that have a ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ answer 10. Tell children in advance that some activities may be challenging. Talk about what to do if your tower collapses or your card won’t stick properly 11. Give children plenty of alternatives to losing their temper or giving up. For example, tell simple stories and ask them to suggest what the character could do when they are not successful the first time 12. Make sure that the environment offers plenty of opportunities for challenge in all areas

To encourage the right mindset, talk through challenging activities in advance.

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Part One

Ten phrases that encourage a growth mindset 1. ‘I see that you are keeping your balance on the bike around the corners now. I wonder how long it will be before you’re ready to take the stabilizers off?’ 2. ‘Your name looks very clear. Look back in your book and see how much clearer it is than when you started in our class!’ 3. ‘Hmm, I’m aiming at the goal from this blue line. I think that if I practise for a few days, I’ll be able to score from here.’ 4. ‘Let’s look at the chart to see how long it took us to run that far last time.’ 5. ‘I wonder what we need to do to get better at getting these towers to balance?’ 6. ‘I find it difficult to work the remote control for the new CD player. I’m going to ask Sandra to show me how to do it.’ 7. ‘That’s great, you put your shoes on the right feet, what do you need to do next?’ 8. ‘Let’s record everyone’s results in this book, and then we can look at the end of term, to see how much we’ve all improved.’ 9. ‘How do you think I can help you learn to do that?’ 10. ‘Oh, I know that Mrs. Jenkins plays the piano better than I do. But I like to play, and I’m getting better at our favourite songs!’

Step 4: P  roviding children with the tools for learning Hierarchy of needs page 32

Fostering strong self-esteem When a child’s physiological, security and social needs have been met; the next layer of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs pyramid can be laid: that of self-esteem. Positive experiences help the child develop useful attitudes and tools for learning. Helping children to develop confidence and supporting strong self-esteem is one of the most important tasks for the parent and practitioner. Kalpana was the youngest of five children. She was taken into temporary foster care after her mother became unable to care for her. She was split from three of her siblings and moved to a different foster home after a brief period back at home. This necessitated another move to a new school. Kalpana’s self-esteem was negatively affected and her behaviour gradually deteriorated. Kalpana’s new teacher found her to be withdrawn and quiet. She contacted her previous school and had a chat with their reception class teacher, who reported that Kalpana had been an outgoing child until her mother had become ill, but had gradually lost her confidence as she moved around different homes. She felt that Kalpana had begun to believe that it was somehow her fault that her mother was unable to care for her. Armed with the knowledge that Kalpana had previously been a confident little girl and that this change had occurred because of her home situation, her new teacher

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reported that Zoe had been an outgoing child until her mother had become ill, but had gradually lost her confidence as she moved around different homes. She felt that Zoe had begun to believe that it was somehow her fault that her mother was unable to care for her.

Preparing the climate and context for learning

Armed with the knowledge that Zoe had previously been a confident little girl and that this change had occurred because of her home situation, her new teacher began to work with her to restore some of her damaged selfbegan to work with her to restore some of herassistant damaged classroom esteem. The classroom was self-esteem. asked to spend The regular periods with Zoeregular and involve her in simple routines that would give her additional oneassistant was asked to spend periods with Kalpana and involve her in simple to-one attention. She took Zoe and a friend each morning to help collect routines that would give her additional one-to-one attention. She took the fruit from the canteen and prepare the snack.

Kalpana and a friend each morning to help collect the fruit from She gave her thegave jobs ofher filling water the canteen and prepare the snack. She thethejobs of jugs for lunch and helping to get the reading books out of filling the water jugs for lunch and helping toduring get the reading the teacher’s cupboard register time. During all these activities she used positive books out of the teacher’s cupboard during register language to build Zoe’s sense of time. During all these activities she used self-worth. Slowly, she built a positive language to build Kalpana’s sense trusting relationship with aZoe and began to of self-worth. Slowly, she built trusting see her self-esteem relationship with Kalpana, increase. and began to It would be a see her self-esteem increase. It time would be Zoe’s a family long before life regained some stability, long time before Kalpana’s family life regained but for now, it was important some stability, but for now, that it was she important experienced successes in one-to-one relationships that she experienced successes in one-to-one elsewhere. relationships elsewhere. page

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In spite of pressure from some of her family and friends to ‘make Carrie independent’ before Carrie started school, Carrie’s mother did not aim to foster independence at this stage, wisely realizing that before independence a child needs to experience a strong and healthy dependence. When Carrie started in the nursery class, she found it difficult to say goodbye to her mother. She preferred going to her childminder’s house, where she benefited from the familiarity and routine. Carrie’s mother took her time settling Carrie into the new setting. The practitioners encouraged her to stay with Carrie for several sessions before leaving her for short periods. They took photographs of Carrie in the nursery with her key person, which she took home and put on her bedroom wall. They asked if she’d like to bring a favourite soft toy to school with her, and on the first day that her mother left her, she kept her teddy bear close to her. Her childminder collected her half an hour before the end of the session and spent some time looking around the nursery with Carrie so that they would have plenty to talk about over lunch. Gradually, Carrie became more confident in the setting. She was proud to be a ‘big girl’ and go to ‘school’ like her childminder’s daughters. Her self-esteem grew from her success in confidently handling the transition. She had made a good start to her school career, and the staff continued to build upon the strong self-esteem that Carrie’s mother had fostered from birth.

A teacher told about a child in her class who was seen by the educational psychologist as part of a formal assessment of his special needs: ‘Jamie had a very rough history. He had been put up for adoption at the age of three, and from that point had been in foster care. After a failed adoption, he returned to his original foster family and was admitted back into our nursery class. Jamie’s selfesteem was now at its lowest ebb: he seemed to have taken the failed adoption as being confirmation of his lack of self-worth.

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Part One

The most enlightening aspect of the formal assessment was when the educational psychologist told me what he had said about himself. She had asked him what he liked most about school, about his foster family, his friends, and then what he liked best about himself. He had told her a lot of things that were good about school and the people in his life. But when she asked about himself, he could not think about one thing that he liked. Not one thing. When the psychologist prompted him by talking about what she knew were his positive attributes – his drawing ability, his loving nature, his imagination, and his sense of fun, he put his hands over his ears and wouldn’t listen. We realized that it would take major work to reinstate any positive feelings that this poor little boy used to have about himself.’

Twenty-one ways to foster positive self-esteem 1. Use children’s names when addressing them 2. Get down to children’s level and make eye contact as you greet them 3. Ask children to demonstrate new skills at plenary sessions 4. Encourage children to talk about which activities they enjoyed at plenary sessions Part One

5. Tell parents and carers little details about children’s achievements during the day Twenty-one ways foster positive self-esteem: 6. Use regular affirmations about individuals andtothe group 1. Use children’s names when addressing them. 7. Timetable regular sessions for circle time

2. Get down to children’s level and make eye contact as you greet them.

3. Ask children to demonstrate new skills at plenary sessions. 8. Send children to the office, another class or another group to talk about what they have 4. Encourage children to talk about their accomplishments at plenary sessions. learned 5. Tell parents and carers little details about children’s successes during the day. 6. Use regular affirmations about individuals and the group.

7. Timetable regular and sessions for circle time.prominently 9. Take photographs of children engaged in learning display them

8. Send children to the office, another class or another group to talk about their

achievements. 10. Send notes or emails home about children’s achievements

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

9. Take photographs of children succeeding and display them prominently. 10. Send notes about children’s achievements. Make a ‘Celebration Board’ with banners andhome balloons where you can pin pictures of children 11. Make a ‘Celebration Board’ with banners and participating enthusiastically in activities balloons where you can pin notices and pictures about children’s successes. Give children big badges to wear 12. forGive sillychildren awards the biglike badges to ‘Do-er wear for of silly awards like the ‘Do-er of the Day’ or the Day’ or the ‘Worker of the Week’ the ‘Worker of the Week’. 13. Use a ‘can do’ cap to celebrate success – Use a ‘Can do Cap’ to celebrate success – the successful child gets to the successful child gets to wear the wear the cap for the session cap for the session. 14. Encourage children to talk about Encourage children to talk about their interests theiroutside outside interests andand activities. activities 15. Create a board for children to display pictures and stories Create a board for children to display pictures and stories about their friends and families about their friends and families and and their activities their activities. 16. Select a piece of uplifting music to Select a piece of uplifting music to play theend end of every play at at the of every week after talking about everybody’s week after talking about everybody’s achievements. Get up and dance together to the music! achievements. Get up and dance together to the music! 17. Report successes at gatherings such as assemblies or parents’ meetings and give Report news about successful activities at gatherings such as assemblies or parents’ meetings children a round of applause. and give children a round of applause 18. When a child overcomes a difficulty or makes a new discovery, ask those around him to give him a clap or a handshake. 19. or Make up a celebration rhyme, chant or song with the children when When a child overcomes a difficulty makes a new discovery, ask those around himtotouse give somebody or the group is successful. him a clap or a handshake 20. Create an award that you give out at the end of each week for the child to take home for the weekend and have a ceremony like the Oscars when you give it out. Make up a celebration rhyme, chant or song with the children to use when somebody or the 21. At the end of a really successful session, line the children up and go down the line giving each child a hug, a handshake or a high five. group is successful

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20. Create an award that you give out at the end of each week for the child to take home for the weekend and have a ceremony like the Oscars when you give it out. Acknowledge effort and perseverance and make sure that all children have a turn 21. At the end of a really successful session, line the children up and go down the line giving each child a hug, a handshake or a high-five

Circle time

Use circle time to promote children’s self-esteem.

One of the most effective ways of promoting self-esteem in young children is the use of circle time. Circle time fosters strong self-esteem and positive attitudes towards learning. Two basic rules can be taught to the children: nobody is allowed to interrupt the speaker, and they can only say positive, kind or thoughtful things about one another. After a warm up time, a wide variety of activities can follow. Circle time can be used for children to revisit difficult situations, to find solutions to problems, to share their successes, and to express their feelings and develop empathy for others.

Six warm up activities for circle time







The Thinking Child

1. Welcome ball One child starts by tossing a ‘koosh’ ball or a beanbag to another child, saying, ‘Welcome’ followed by his name. That child then tosses it to another, welcoming him, and so on until everyone has had a turn 2. Sitting down game Everyone stands up. The practitioner says to one child, ‘Sit down’ followed by his name. That child then invites another child by name to sit down and so on until everybody is sitting down page ­35

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Circle time page 50

Part One





3. Double hand shake The first child turns and shakes both hands with the child to her right, then the next child passes on the double hand shake to the child on her right, and so the double hand shake goes round the circle





4. Cross over One child starts by putting his right hand across his body into the left hand of the child on his left, who then crosses his right hand to the next person’s left hand, until everyone is joined with crossed arms. This takes some time to master!





5. Rope circle One child holds the end of a long rope or a piece of string. She feeds it through her clasped hands to the next child, who feeds it on through her hands to the next, until the rope is in a circle through every child’s hands





6. Watching, watching The practitioner uses a puppet to do actions that the children copy, whilst singing a song like this one, which is sung to the tune of ‘Frère Jacques’:

Watching, watching, watching, watching, Copy me, copy me, Everybody do this, everybody do this, Just like me, just like me. Twelve activities for circle time



1. Welcome song Once the children have settled for circle time, they sing a welcome song together, such as the one below, which is sung to the tune of ‘Skip to My Lou’. The practitioner should encourage all the children to look at the child being named and smile as they welcome him or her. They continue the verses until every child has been welcomed by name, if necessary ending with, ‘Hello, children, how are you?’, ‘Hello, teacher, how are you?’ or ‘Hello, mummies, how are you?’ until the final verse is complete.

Hello

(name),

how are you?

Hello

(name),

how are you?

Hello (name), how are you? , We re so glad to see you!

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2. Musical chairs The practitioner arranges a circle of chairs, with one more chair than children. She stands in the middle of the circle and makes a statement such as, ‘People who like to draw pictures,’ or, ‘People who like to play in the home corner.’ Children must decide if the description matches them. If it does, they must get up and find another seat; if it doesn’t describe them they stay in their seat. In a variation of this game the practitioner can read from cue cards that she has prepared about the week’s work, for example, ‘People who did cookery’ or, ‘People who helped build an amazing model of a Tyrannosaurus this week.’





3. The picture frame The children pass around a cardboard picture frame which they take turns holding in front of their face. While they are holding the picture frame, they can either say something positive about themselves to the group, or the other children can be asked to say something about them. These could be general comments or a specific theme could be chosen, such as, ‘What games I am good at,’ or, ‘What I like to do at weekends.’





4. Guess who? The children pass around a speaking object. Then two other children go behind the screen of the book corner. One child speaks, either choosing what he or she says, or saying a set phrase that the children have already agreed upon. It can be powerful to use an affirmation such as, ‘Our group is good at listening to one another.’ The child with the speaking object has to guess which of the two children spoke. If they are right, they are one of the next pair to go behind the screen after passing the speaking object to the next child.





5. The message The practitioner starts a message around the circle by whispering in the ear of the child next to her. That child whispers it to the next child, and so on, until it gets back to the beginning.





6. Run around Once everyone is sitting in a circle the practitioner makes a statement such as, ‘Wearing a red shirt.’ Everyone with a red shirt then gets up, runs round the outside of the circle and back to their place. The game then continues with other categories such as items of clothing, preferences such as, ‘Likes marmite,’ or details about appearance.





7. Make a face Using some pictures of faces with expressions, children take turns to take a card and without showing it to the others, make the expression. The others try to name the expression.





8. The voice The practitioner makes a recording of different adults or children from the setting while they are talking. She plays extracts and asks the children to identify the speakers.

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9. Say something nice As they pass the speaking object around the circle each child says, ‘Something nice was when…..’ This can be extended to ‘Something nice I did,’ or ‘Someone was kind to me,’ or, ‘Thank you to my friend Priya for….’





10. Send a movement The practitioner starts by making a movement with her hands, such as wriggling fingers, clapping or clicking. She turns to the next person and passes the movement on, and that child copies it, then ‘sends’ it around the circle. New movements can be added as the first movement comes back or while the first is still on the way round. (This is much more difficult!)





11. Change places The practitioner chooses one person, who calls someone’s name and changes places with him. That child sits down, then gets up quickly and calls somebody else’s name, to change places with. He sits down quickly, then calls out someone else’s name and changes places with him, and so on, until everybody has had at least one turn.





12. Make me laugh One child is chosen to be in the middle. The children sing the song below and then try to make him laugh without touching him. When he laughs, he chooses another child to take his place.

, We ll make you laugh, giggle giggle , You ll lose your frown, , We ll make you laugh, giggle giggle, When you sit down. (sung to the tune of ‘Lavender’s Blue’)

Six activities to end circle time



1. Pass a smile The children turn to each other in turn, passing a smile around the circle while singing this song:

Turn your head and pass a smile (shake a hand, touch a toe, and so on)

Pass a smile, pass a smile Turn your head and pass a smile Round the circle (sung to the tune of ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’)

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2. If I were… The children take turns to say what they would choose to be if they were something from a category that the practitioner picks, such as ‘If I were an animal, I would be a (rabbit/giraffe/tiger).’





3. Melting statues The children stand still like statues and gradually melt to the ground, either to a piece of music or in silence.





4. Pass the shaker The children pass a shaker, a bunch of keys or a tambourine around the circle, taking care not to make a sound.





5. The candle The practitioner lights a candle in the centre of the circle. The children sit and watch it quietly and sing or hum a song while they reflect on their day.





6. Farewell song Everyone sings a farewell song such as the ones below, which can be adapted to reflect on the languages spoken in the individual setting18

Auf wiedersehn Daag

(name),

Au revoir

Daag

(name), (name),

Joy geen Sayonara Shalom

(name),

(name),

(name),

Auf wiedersehn

(name),

(name),

Au revoir joy geen

(name).

sayonara

shalom

(name),

(name),

(name),

Adios

(name),

adios

(name),

Aloha

(name),

aloha

(name),

(Sung to the tune of ‘Frere Jacques’22)

Look at

(practitioner’s name),

look at

(practitioner’s name),

When she smiles, when she smiles When she smiles at you, sit down, When she smiles at you, sit down (practitioner’s name)

smiles,

(practitioner’s name)

smiles

(Sung to the tune of ‘I hear thunder’, with the children all standing. As the practitioner smiles at each child, he or she sits down)

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Roll, roll, roll the ball, Right across the ring, Say a name and roll the ball, Then roll it on again. (Sung to the tune of ‘Row, row, row the boat’, rolling a ball gently across the ring from person to person)

Hold the mirror on your knee, Look into it, who do you see? , Special (child’s name) that s who you see, Looking in the mirror (Sung to the tune of ‘Bobby Shaftoe’, whilst passing a hand mirror around)

Developing the ‘can do’ attitude ‘can do’ page 53

One of the keys to success is to have self-belief. This strong self-belief gives children a ‘can do’ attitude towards all aspects of learning. A child with the ‘can do’ attitude is persistent and meets challenges with confidence. Providing an environment with the right level of support and challenge will help children to develop this ‘can do’ attitude. Allowing children to take risks and to sometimes fail is essential if they are to grow up to be adults who can take on challenges and deal with failure. Many experts believe that society is hindering this development by an over-zealous attitude towards safety. Well-meaning moves to make play areas safe, for example, have gone overboard to the extent that many playgrounds have become sterile places where children do not face any challenge. Regulations that all bars on climbing apparatus must be regular, standard distances apart mean that many children do not fully develop skills in moving their bodies in unpredictable sequences. Concerns about potential accidents can mean that children do not get opportunities to climb trees or scrape their knees. Obviously, we do not want to expose children to unnecessary risk, but childhood should in itself present challenges. It is encouraging that the government announced a commitment in The Children’s Plan to create and improve up to 3,500 children’s playgrounds.23 Hopefully the designers will plan these play areas creatively, because if society insists upon sanitizing and standardizing children’s experiences there is a danger that today’s children will grow to be adults with a negative attitude towards any sort of challenge.

Fascinating Fact

In the two decades since 1990, when the television show That’s Life campaigned for safety surfaces to be fitted at all children’s playgrounds, it has been estimated that between £200 and £300 million was spent in the UK on safety surfaces. As a result, many playground developments have been cancelled due to prohibitive costs, meaning that children have to walk further to reach a local playground. The estimated number of children’s lives saved by these safety surfaces, based on accident statistics from previous

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decades, would be a maximum total of one or two. During that same period, approximately 1,300 children have died in pedestrian accidents, and about 40,000 have been seriously injured.24

When Samantha’s tower of bricks collapses for the third time, she does not blame the other children, nor does she give up. Instead, she says, ‘Uhoh!’ and pulls a silly face. Then she starts building again, this time with the largest bricks at the base of the tower. She is bolstered by a positive self-image and high self-esteem. Samantha is both resilient and persistent. She also knows how to ask for help. When her friend Angie walks by, Samantha calls to her. Angie sits down and helps her to gather the larger bricks, and together they build a tower that is tall enough to satisfy Samantha’s ambitions.

At a nursery school, the children wanted some new shelving to display their models. The practitioners took them to a store to choose and purchase the shelving. They then gave the children ownership of deciphering the instructions and constructing the shelves. Unfortunately, however, some pieces were missing from the pack. But instead of the adults taking over, they helped the children themselves to phone the store to complain. The result was that the store manager came later that day to personally deliver the missing pieces!

Twenty-one ways to foster the ‘can do’ attitude in the early years 1. Create lots of tasks and activities that have no ‘correct’ answer 2. Create ‘have a go’ times, and model ‘having a go’ yourself 3. Explore the idea of failure and be explicit about being ‘stuck’ 4. Ask children to consider open-ended questions and provide plenty of opportunities for sustained shared thinking 5. Do exercises that involve considering the outcomes of various scenarios 6. Involve children in writing the day’s or week’s To Do list 7. Give children responsibilities such as caring for the pets and organizing the book corner 8. Plan activities that involve children thinking of lots of really good questions 9. Plan activities that necessitate asking other people questions 10. Rehearse and practise appropriate behaviours such as stopping and thinking, or talking to a friend or adult 11. Encourage children to work together in pairs or groups

Group-work page 132

12. Notice and make a positive comment when children help one another 13. Give public acknowledgement for ‘can do’ attitudes 14. Remember to tell parents and carers about children’s successes and about activities they particularly enjoyed

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15. Use puppets and stories to explore positive attitudes such as team work and perseverance 16. Encourage children to tell about helpful friends 17. Talk about positive attitudes at plenary and group times Polebridging page 99

18. Encourage children to pole-bridge 19. Pole-bridge yourself, verbalizing when you make a mistake or need to rethink 20. Collect books and tell stories about people who have overcome difficulties and have a positive attitude 21. Create a ‘can do’ board where you display photographs and captions of all the children’s positive achievements

We ‘can do’ it: we care for our pets.

Twenty-one ways to turn outdoors into a physically challenging, can do area 1. Provide planks and A frames that children can move around into different and unpredictable configurations for climbing 2. Space out logs at uneven distances and heights for jumping and climbing 3. Allow children to climb trees, with supervision if necessary. If there are no trees, provide alternative climbing apparatus, but at the same time, consider planning landscaping for future generations of children to have treeclimbing experiences!

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Of course, pay attention to safety when creating a challenging outdoor area, but at the same time, seek a balance where you also provide a high enough level of challenge

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4. Give children a variety of old tyres to stack up and use for rolling, climbing and jumping 5. Get some large cobbles delivered and encourage children to cart these around in barrows and build with them – children need the challenge of lifting, shifting and moving heavy objects safely 6. Pile up items such as plastic crates, cable reels, big cardboard tubes, buckets, boxes, ladders and planks and let children find ways to use them 7. Create areas where children can have a sense of independence, for example, where they can build dens and climbing structures using natural materials 8. For a few weeks, create a maze or climbing structure with bales of straw, and move them around regularly 9. When purchasing new equipment, look for structures that give flexibility for open-ended play and opportunities for more than one child to be involved 10. When making rules about the use of equipment, think carefully about your reasons for safety rules, for example, how high children are able to climb 11. Audit your play area to and ask yourself if there ways that you can improve the level of challenge for children by altering your rules alongside your systems for supervision 12. Work with parents to share information about how important it is for children to be stimulated and challenged out of doors, and ask them for ideas about how to improve your play area 13. Collect bike wheels and other interesting pieces of machinery, and offer these for construction and imaginative play 14. Offer a range of natural materials such as stones, shells, sticks and leaves to add to larger construction materials. Access to these ‘small parts’ will encourage imaginative play 15. Find or buy some camping utensils such as metal saucepans and offer these for outdoor play with mud, stones and sticks 16. Make your outdoor area challenging by handing over the getting out and putting away of equipment to the children themselves. This way, they have real choice over what they use, and will combine things in unexpected ways 17. Provide equipment for gardening, and teach the safe use of tools for this activity – some children will love just digging! Create an area for children to freely dig in the mud 18. Woodwork can be a very stimulating activity for some children. Make the area safe, supervise carefully and teach good habits in the use and storage of tools 19. Make use of resources from garden centres, by picking up bargains in end-of-season sales, such as fencing, cobbles, plant tubs, canes, clips, fasteners, hose, and trellis. Use these items to extend the opportunities for creativity in your setting 20. Remember that slopes and steps give children different ways of developing their muscles and managing risk. As you develop your garden or outdoor area, think of ways of altering the levels and surfaces to provide additional challenge 21. Experiment together with building techniques such as wattle and daub, living willow, fencing of different sorts, with fabrics, clips, camping ties and pegs to make structures

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Turning negative self-talk into positive self-talk The following five scenarios show the difference between negative and positive self-talk. The practitioner’s task is to help children to develop the positive language that will enable them to tackle a challenge successfully.

I can’t do up my shoes.

I can’t read.

I can put on my shoes and pull the laces tight.

I can recognize the names of all the children in my group. I can remember some of the pages of my favourite book and soon I will be able to read it all by myself –

I can’t ride the two-wheeler bikes.

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and my dad says that I make up really great stories!

I can ride the tricycles really fast. If I keep practising, soon I’ll be able to ride the two-wheelers without the stabilizers.

I can’t run as fast as Gerry.

I can’t roll out the clay.

Now I need to learn how to tie the laces.

I can run a long way without getting puffed out,

and I am great at tackling when we play football!

If I get Jeremy to help me, we can roll out the clay really well

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Step 5: Managing behaviour positively When we consider the behaviours that we wish young children to display, the first requirement has to be that we are providing a curriculum that meets their social and intellectual needs. Many cases of inappropriate behaviour can be caused by inappropriate demands being made upon very young children. Once we are sure that what we are providing is appropriate, we then need to decide what our expectations are, making them appropriate to the age and developmental stage of the children in our setting. Most practitioners create rules such as the ones below. The key to success is to create a minimal number of rules that are phrased positively and in such a way that children clearly understand them. One nursery school traditionally has always had just two simple rules, Keep it friendly and Keep it safe. Whenever a situation arises that requires adult intervention, the children are asked if it ‘feels friendly and safe’. If someone – adult or child – feels that it is not, agreement has to be reached to make everyone comfortable. Many children eventually learn to use the rules themselves to sort out disputes, saying to one another, ‘That wasn’t friendly’ or ‘That’s not safe!’25 A variety of strategies can be used to manage behaviour positively; one of the most useful being The Three As system of Acknowledgement, Approval and Affirmation. The four-to-one rule, where four positive comments are made to every neutral one, and negative comments are avoided, is another good system for monitoring that behaviour management is positive.

Examples of good ru

• • • • • • • • • • • •

les for the early ye

Help to put away the

ars:

toys at tidy-up time.

Hang up your apron wh

Put the pencils back on

Put the caps on the pe

en you take it off.

the shelf when you ha

ns after you have used

Help other children.

ve finished drawing.

them.

When the timer rings

, let someone else have

a turn with the bike. the rack after you have read them. Flush the toilet and wa sh your hands when yo u have been to the toi let. Tell Mary before you go outside. Touch other children gently. Put the books back in

Always look at the pe

rson who is speaking

Walk when you are in

to you.

side.

Activity: auditing your interactions with children Here is an activity to help you to analyse how you divide attention between the children in your setting.

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Sit down, either alone or with your co-workers. Write down all the children’s names and then make some notes about what they did last week. What did each child achieve? What did they struggle with? What did you help them with? Who demanded most of your time? Are there certain children who require more of your attention and time due to specific individual needs? Is this balance appropriate? If it is not, how could you work with parents, colleagues and other professionals to ensure that you create a better balance? Then ask yourself these questions: What did you find it easier to recall? Did you have to think long and hard about some of the children, to remember exactly what they achieved? Did the words simply fly from your pen for others? Was there a difference between the boys and the girls? Is there a difference between the various aged children in your care? Who takes most of your time? Is this always the same, or does it vary? What actions might you need to take to ensure that all children receive an adequate share of attention?

A reception class teacher realized that every year a number of the children in her class, particularly boys, became disruptive during the music sessions that were led by the school’s music specialist. Over the course of the year, these children would learn to cooperate during the sessions, but the following year the teacher would face the same situation with children in her new class. She talked with the music specialist and they decided that, instead of focusing on altering the behaviour of these children, she would sit and observe the sessions and try to understand what caused this inappropriate behaviour. After a few sessions, she realized two things. Firstly, the content of the songs and activities was far more appealing to the girls in general than to most of the boys. Secondly, although many of the activities involved movement, few of them involved large or challenging motor skills. The teacher met with the music specialist to discuss her observations. Together, they adapted many of the songs to make them more appealing to the disinterested boys. For example, songs about farm animals were adapted to be about dinosaurs and monsters, with big movements that involved crossing the mid-line, which is challenging for young children. In the course of a few weeks, the children who had previously been bored by these sessions were engaged and were participating enthusiastically.

A practitioner talked of how she found that special activities designed for a child with autism helped other children in her setting develop better social awareness: ‘My special needs coordinator gave me some books to read about Social Stories™ and suggested that I might want to use some of the materials with a child in my class with ASD. I realized very quickly that Social Stories™ might be useful for other children in my class. The stories cover very simple tasks and events in the lives of young children, such as waiting for turns, lining up and blowing noses, and can be adapted for each child. Although the focus was upon helping the child with special needs, Social Stories™ were successful for the other children too. I realized that many things we ask children to do probably make little sense to them. Social Stories™ spell out the reasons for the routines we follow and help children to make sense of their world. And, as an added bonus, using the stories was really fun!’26

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Fostering intrinsic motivation and learning to learn The intrinsic motivation to learn is one of the greatest tools that a child can have. It will enable him to overcome difficulties, be persistent, and see failure as a part of the learning process. Young children are by their very nature self-motivated, but can easily be influenced until they depend upon adult approval and reward systems and lose the self-drive to learn. The aim of the practitioner should be to minimize the child’s dependence upon extrinsic motivators and foster his natural instinct to learn from a stimulating environment.

The four requirements for the development of intrinsic motivation Researchers Mark Lepper and Melinda Hodell identified four essential requirements if children are to have intrinsic motivation.27 These requirements are challenge, curiosity, control and fantasy.

Challenge: The task for the practitioner is to design a range of activities that are far enough within the comfort zone to make the child feel competent, yet far enough outside the comfort zone to challenge her to achieve more. The level of challenge has to be high enough that she is motivated to achieve the task, but the task must not be too difficult, or it will fail to engage her and may diminish her self-motivation.



Curiosity: In order to evoke strong curiosity, children need to undertake activities that challenge their current level of understanding. If an activity challenges the child’s sense of equilibrium he will be prompted to fully engage in learning to resolve the discrepancy. Again, the level of challenge must be appropriate, as a large discrepancy between what the child understands already and what is presented through the activity will be likely to discourage him from engaging fully in the task.



Control: Children need to have shared ownership of the curriculum and be free to make choices in their learning in order to become fully engaged in learning.



Fantasy: Through fantasy and play, children have the opportunity to explore issues and emotions, which in turn can lead to increased intrinsic motivation.

The Three As The Three As are a tool for the practitioner to use to encourage good behaviour and attitudes. The As stand for: Acknowledgement, Approval and Affirmation. They form a whole feedback strategy that gives the child specific information about what he has achieved, and involves him in dialogue about what might happen next. Acknowledgement lets the child know that you have noticed what he is doing. Approval can be used, if necessary, to give the child an incentive to continue or repeat the successful behaviour. Affirmation explicitly states that the child has the skills and ability to be successful: that this incident was not a fluke and that it will be repeated.

Before Kishan started school, he attended a day care centre. At first he found it difficult to stay at any activity for more than a few moments. He would rush off before finding out what an activity actually entailed. One day a parent brought in a butterfly box so that the children could watch the life cycle of caterpillars and butterflies. Inside the box some caterpillars were eating their way through

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leaves and Kishan joined his friend Paula to watch them. But after a few seconds, he started to move away. His key person noticed this, and gave the two children some magnifying glasses to look at the caterpillars’ mouths. ‘That’s great that you’re looking so closely, Kishan,’ she said, and asked, ‘What can you see?’ He picked up the magnifying glass again. ‘Umm – they’ve got little teeth!’ he exclaimed. ‘I can see them too! It helps that you are holding the magnifying glass so still,’ she replied. Kishan was inspired to stay for longer and look more closely at the mini-beasts. His key person then encouraged the two children to use the books that she had displayed nearby. Kishan and Paula read The Hungry Caterpillar and then decided to paint pictures of caterpillars. When she returned to see what Kishan had painted, his key person made the affirmation, ‘Kishan is really observant. He notices lots of details when he looks at the mini-beasts carefully.’

A practitioner told the story of how a mother spoke to her before the pre-school’s funsports day: ‘She told me that she was worried about Karin taking part and so was considering keeping her off school on fun-sports day. Karin is a really enthusiastic, confident little girl, and she had really enjoyed our practice that afternoon for our dressing-up race. It was made even worse by the fact that her mum spoke to me in front of Karin. I asked her why she thought there was a problem, thinking that Karin had a dental appointment or something. But her mother’s reply was, ‘Oh, the girls in our family are no good at sports. She’ll come last and will cry.’ I explained to her that firstly, the race was a team game and that we were not emphasizing winning or losing, and that all the children were to receive stickers for taking part. I told her that in fact, it wasn’t even going to be a competition – it was just a fun activity. The irony was that although Karin doesn’t have the best physical skills, she was not the least bit worried about the sports day until her mother spoke to me. The sad thing is that if her mother persists in such negative talk, Karin will probably grow up to be “no good” at sports just as her mum predicts.’ The practitioner made sure that she used many positive affirmations about Karin’s ability in the dressing-up race over the next few days, so that any damage done by her mother’s description of the family’s weakness at sports would hopefully be negated in Karin’s mind. She also focused on encouraging all the girls to participate more frequently physical activities, and emphasized their achievements through frequent affirmations. ‘Look at those girls climb,’ she would comment when Karin and her friend reached the top of the climbing apparatus, ‘Karin and Bethany are climbing strongly!’ She continued to address Karin’s need to improve her physical skills, but did so whilst affirming Karin’s capabilities. Gradually Karin became more confident about physical activities and her skills improved more rapidly.

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The language of acknowledgement

• • • • • • • • • • • •

I like the way that Johannes…… Thank you Chen, for…… I’m so pleased at the way that Kimberley…… That was so thoughtful, the way that Red Group…… James, I noticed how you…… I think that we should all thank Bryan for…… Look at the way that Sam’s group is…… We all noticed how quietly the Blue Group…… Amina and Jake told me how you helped them when…… John’s dad told me how you both…… I just heard that Bruce has...... When we were clearing up I saw......

Ten ways to show approval 1. Give a ‘thumbs up’ signal from across the room 2. Give a hug with a whisper of how proud you are 3. Shake the child’s hand 4. Give strong eye contact and a smile 5. Tell a nearby practitioner what you noticed the child achieve 6. Mention the achievement at the plenary session 7. Tell the child’s parent about his achievement at the end of the session 8. Give a pat on the back 9. Draw a smiley face on the child’s hand 10. Write the child’s name on the whiteboard, to remind you to tell his mum

Twenty-five simple affirmations: 1. We can all find our own coats 2. We take care of books and toys 3. We listen quietly at story time 4. We turn and look at Sandra when she speaks 5. We pour our drinks of water very carefully 6. We all line up quietly 7. We pick up toys when we have finished with them

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8. We put the lids back on the pens 9. We walk quietly in the line 10. We put our snack plates in the dishwasher 11. We take turns with the bikes 12. We face the front in assembly 13. We hand round the snack tray carefully 14. We stroke the rabbits very gently 15. We help our friends up when they fall over 16. We keep our hands still when we sit on the mat 17. We wash our hands after we have used the toilet 18. We turn the pages of books very carefully 19. We brush our teeth after meals 20. We look at people when they are speaking 21. We wipe our feet on the mat before we come inside 22. We hold hands when crossing the road 23. We carry scissors carefully 24. We use a tissue for runny noses 25. We peg our boots together when we take them off

The affirmation, ‘We stroke the rabbits very gently.’

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Step 6: F  ostering partnerships with parents and carers

‘

‘Successful relationships become partnerships when there is two-way communication and parents and practitioners really listen to each other and value each other’s views and support in achieving the best outcomes for each child.’ 

’

Early Years Foundation Stage, Effective Practice: Parents as Partners28

Working in partnership with parents and carers

The stronger the partnership between parents, carers and practitioners, the more effective the education can be. It is important to create strong formal and informal systems for communication. Whatever the stresses or pressures of the day ahead, a wise practitioner is available to welcome parents and their children at the start of each session, and if possible, to personally say goodbye to them as they leave at the end of the day. It is also important to give parents regular opportunities to discuss their children’s progress in private. Children who know that their parents and practitioners are working together as a team can be relaxed, confident and secure in the learning environment. They are more likely to develop the ‘can do’ attitude, develop strong self-esteem, and reach their full potential.

Partnership with parents and carers page 65

George’s mother was worried that he would be teased when he started wearing glasses. She came in to talk to his key person, who listened to her concerns, and responded, ‘I could see how George might feel nervous about wearing them – he really doesn’t like change, does he? But don’t worry, we have just the thing. Our wizard puppet has a pair of glasses for just these occasions. He will remind the children why some people have to wear glasses and tell them about famous people who wear glasses, such as Harry Potter! We also have two books in our special collection about children wearing glasses, would you like to borrow them?’ George’s mum immediately felt supported. The practitioner had taken her concern seriously. She understood why she was concerned, especially as George did not like having to deal with change. The relationship between the practitioner and George’s mother was strengthened through this interaction.

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In one setting, a group of parents landscaped part of the play area, including a garden. Groups of volunteers worked outside, enlisting the children’s help when safe and appropriate. One mother visited local hardware shops and garden centres to ask for donations of materials and plants, whilst another was simply in charge of refreshments – along with a group of children, who enjoyed carrying trays of cold drinks out to the workers. The result was not just a beautiful new play area and garden, but also a building of positive relationships and morale within the community.

Twelve ways to communicate with parents and carers 1. Ask a group of parents to help to maintain the notice board 2. Let the children help to make and pin up notices on the notice board 3. Create flyers about activities and events to send via email 4. Create flyers with pictures on the front, or cut out in the shape of animals or toys 5. Make newsletters based on pictures, with one snippet of information in each part of the picture, such as the one below

For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

6. Ask a group of parents for help in writing the newsletters – they will know how to make sure your messages get read 7. Get the children to paint the background for posters on big sheets of paper. Then use black paint or a thick marker pen to write the message on top 8. Use photos, video or audio recording of children – play the recordings by the notice board at home time 9. Make an ‘A’ frame display board or use a flip chart. Put it outside the door or in the foyer and change the posters regularly

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10. Announce daily activities, such as cooking, outings, special events, and visitors, on a white board or pin board placed near the door. 11. Use the same board at the end of the session to display reminders and To Do lists for tomorrow 12. Keep a phone or email list for giving messages to those parents who don’t come to the setting to drop off or collect their children

Activity: Assessing how welcoming your setting is to visitors Find a volunteer to visit the setting and then give brief answers to the questions below. Alternatively, create your own checklist of questions that suit your setting. A simplified, shorter checklist such as the one used here, could be used for new parents to give feedback.

Questions for your volunteer visitor: Was your initial telep hone call or email de alt with efficiently and in a fri endly manner? Was it easy to find inf ormation that you ne eded on the setting’s website? Was the building easy to find? How easy would acce ss be for somebody with a disability? Were street directio ns in literature accura te and easy to follow? Was the entrance we lcoming? How long did it take for an adult to approa ch you? How welcoming was the first interaction wi th staff?

For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

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Fifteen good subjects for parent workshops 1. Early literacy skills 2. Helping your child learn to read 3. Early mark making and writing 4. Healthy eating and nutrition 5. Self-help and independence 6. Learning maths through play 7. Supporting play at home 8. Dealing with challenging behaviour 9. What to do in the holidays 10. Choosing and purchasing toys 11. Making toys from recycled materials 12. Cooking with your child 13. Local trips and visits 14. The importance of outdoor play 15. How we assess children’s progress

Thirty-six ways to involve parents in your setting 1. Painting furniture to give it a new lease of life 2. Painting patterns, lines, pictures or games on the playground or path 3. Cutting hardboard to make small clipboards for use in the garden 4. Planting bulbs, seeds, hanging baskets and tubs 5. Accompanying children on walks and visits 6. Looking for items of interest in local charity shops and markets 7. Making concrete stepping-stones for the garden by using pizza boxes as moulds 8. Painting sections of walls or boards with blackboard paint for chalking 9. Sitting with children while they work on the computer 10. Collecting or making bags and boxes for collections of toys or puppets 11. Making story sacks and collecting the items for the stories 12. Contributing photos, artefacts, maps, cultural items and clothing for knowledge and understanding of the world 13. Putting together new pieces of equipment and apparatus 14. Collecting junk mail and catalogues for language and maths work 15. Making picture labels for boxes of equipment from clip art, catalogues or photos 16. Listening to children read or tell stories in the book corner

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Parents working with children in the garden.

17. Bringing in photos of themselves at work, at home or doing hobbies, and talking with the children 18. Sending postcards from holidays and visits and bringing back leaflets, baggage labels and tickets 19. Bringing cuttings or spare seedlings from their own gardens 20. Joining in a ‘Button Week’, ‘Container Week’ or ‘Cardboard Tube Week’ to collect recycled items for technology 21. Organizing a system for the recycling of paper, glass, plastic and metals with the children 22. Joining a charity fundraising event such as collecting used stamps or a community appeal 23. Putting up wooden battens on outside walls and fences so that you can pin up big sheets of paper for painting or fabric for shelters 24. Making books for children’s own stories 25. Searching second-hand advertisments in newspapers or on the internet for toys and constructions sets 26. Testing out new places to go for outings, drawing maps, locating toilets and picnic spots, and feeding information back to you 27. Finding special offers, bargains and discounts for the things that you need to buy 28. Setting up a ‘craft supply’ shop for other parents by making bargain packs with items such as glue spreaders, off-cuts of paper, and little pots of glue in photo film containers 29. Cooking favourite recipes with or for the children

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Parents can help with recycling.

30. Sharing different foods, fruits, and drinks 31. Organizing picnics where the children prepare their own meals 32. Recording songs and stories in other voices and other languages 33. Translating books into other languages and reading them to the children 34. Chalking roadways or train tracks onto the playground and supervising the children on the bikes and go-carts 35. Helping the children to build a big ‘camp’ out of blankets, rugs, rope and blocks 36. Setting up and managing toy and book libraries

Extended provision in schools and settings

‘

‘Parents bring up children, not government, but parents need help and support to do their job.’ 

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’

The Children’s Plan, One Year On29

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As the world has changed dramatically over the past few decades, there has been an increase in the involvement of institutions and non-family members in raising children. The role of schools and other early years settings has altered as society’s expectations have changed, with a shift towards greater collaboration between different agencies as they endeavour to meet the needs of families who face very different challenges to those of previous generations. The Fair Funding Formula will mean that a lot more children will spend their pre-school years in settings other than schools.30 We now have a society in Britain where almost all parents feel that their child has to take up their entitlement for early years education, for fear of ‘falling behind’. Just twenty years ago, it was believed that many young children were equally well off kept at home, finding plenty of opportunities to learn and socialize at coffee mornings, playing at friends’ houses, and making trips to the park. While it now generally accepted in the UK that the current level of provision for three and four year olds might be appropriate, the trend for younger and younger children to spend increasing hours in childcare and for school-aged children to spend increasing hours in school has led some experts, such as Sue Palmer and Steve Biddulph, to become vocal in their criticism of these trends. While these experts acknowledge that there are many families who need such levels of care and many children who thrive in these environments, they point out that many parents make that choice because they have no viable alternative. A huge responsibility lies with practitioners to ensure that they build stronger links with children’s homes than was traditional when children spent only a few hours per week in their care. The foundation for this relationship should be the key person approach, which is now a legal requirement in settings in the UK.31 It requires more than the key person overseeing the day-today care of the child, it requires a total commitment to building a strong relationship with the home and creating a social triangle between the child, herself, and the parents. There are many ways to do this, and to be truly successful, the key person approach requires commitment, energy, creativity and hard work. The benefits to the child, as a result, are immeasurable.

A key person plays a vital support role.

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All settings are now examining their approach to the role of the key person. The staff at one large day nursery have spent time discussing the difference between their previous description ‘key worker’ who was responsible for paperwork and systems, and the new ‘key person’ described in the Guidance as having ‘special responsibilities for working with a small number of children, giving them the reassurance to feel safe and cared for and building relationships with their parents.’ Their discussions have involved them in a total revision of their procedures for involving parents, and in managing a support system where shift workers share the key person role, ensuring that there is always someone on duty who has close knowledge of each baby and young child. This involves a carefully constructed message system so that important information from parents, or about individual children, is not lost when shifts change. Parents have been closely involved in talking about the sort of support they need and how their child can continue to be an individual within a large and complex setting.

Twelve ways for key persons to create strong links with children’s homes

• •

Make home visits prior to children joining the setting and then consider creating a schedule of continued informal visits Create a gallery on a photo-sharing website and upload pictures of children regularly. Share information about daily activities and achievements through personal emails or social network groups

• • •

Use digital photo frames to display photos of children involved in activities in the setting, and invite parents to contribute pictures from their homes Ask parents for a list of important dates for their family, and help children to make cards or small gifts for family members’ birthdays and special occasions Make an effort to learn and remember each individual family member’s name and details about them, such as their interests and hobbies. Then find out about extended family and friends, and take time to talk to children about these important people in their lives

• • • • • •

Ask parents every Friday about their weekend plans, and remember to chat to children each Monday about what they did over the weekend Encourage children to bring in photographs of their activities, family, and friends. Make books about each child, and share the books regularly at story times Make video clips of children doing activities in the setting, and share these with parents online or on mobile phones or CD Take photos of children engaged in activities and print them or show them on the computer, so that parents see the process, not just the product, of children’s efforts Invite parents to come in and have a cup of tea or a home-made biscuit at the end of the day Think about which parents might feel less involved, and think of ways to include them. For example, have a ‘Lads and Dads’ morning to plant bulbs, dig gardens or paint a shed

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Always check with parents before sharing photographs or recordings of their children, particularly through electronic sources such as websites and emails

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Part Two

Supporting independent learning

Step 1: Making maximum use of the environment The organization of the learning environment

‘

The environment is a living, changing system. More than a physical space, it indicates the way time is structured and the roles we are expected to play. It conditions how we feel, think and behave; and it dramatically affects the quality of our lives. 

’

Jim Greenman32

Each practitioner has to work within the parameters of her environment, and some settings are more ideally suited for independent learning than others. However, there are many things that the practitioner can do to optimize the learning of the children in her care, and good organization is the key. Small differences in organization can make a major difference to behaviour and can influence the standard and quality of learning that takes place.

Jill is a childminder who is preparing for her day. She lives on the ground floor of a high-rise block of flats. She minds three children – three-year-olds Bruce and Martin, and Zena, who is just four. Each morning, Jill spends about thirty minutes arranging her flat for the children, before they start arriving at 8:30am. First, she pushes her coffee table back to the wall and pulls out a blanket box full of construction toys, cars and a set of small world people. She then covers the coffee table with a circle of thick felt, so that bricks, cars and other toys do not damage the glass. Her kitchen table is similarly protected by a plastic cloth ready for painting, dough, sticking and cooking activities.

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A reading area appears behind the sofa with comfy cushions and a shelf of assorted cardboard box, painted with white emulsion paint and complete with door books, next to a role-play area, which is three sides of a large cardboard box, painted and windows cut in the sides. Dressing-up clothes in a bag, cushions, a toy with white emulsionphone paintand and complete with door the house. To encourage a plastic tea set complete independence, dough is and windows cut in the sides. Dressingkept in a plastic in the up clothes in a bag, cushions, a toybag phone fridge; pencils, crayons and and a plastic tea-set paper complete are inthe the house. bottom To encourage independence, dough kitchen drawer; books are on the bottom shelf in the is kept in a plastic bag in the fridge; living room; and water pencils, crayons and paper are in the and sand toys, fishing bottom kitchen drawer; arewellington on nets, books kites and boots are inroom; the hall the bottom shelf in the living and ready kites for water and sand toys,cupboard, fishing nets, expeditions to the play and wellington bootsarea areorinthe the hall park. The cupboard, ready for children expeditions to the can help themselves to the things play area or the park. The children can they need and know how help themselves to the things they need, to put them away. and know how to put them away. Today, Jill plans to take the children outside onto her small patio to wash some the dollschildren and dolls’outside clothes she has bought from a charity shop, so she Today, Jill plans to take onto her small patio to wash some dolls puts out a bowl for washing, a low clothes line and her peg bag. She is and dolls’ clothes she has bought from a charity shop, so she puts out a bowl for always on the lookout for new ideas for activities that will stimulate the washing, a low clothes line and her peg theand lookout new ideas children’s interests andbag. help She themistoalways develop on skills becomefor more independent. that interests the children shehelp looksthem after should be for activities that will stimulateShe thebelieves children’s and to develop encouraged to be as independent as that possible, she meets with skills and become more independent. She believes the and children sheregularly looks after other childminders to discuss her job and improvements she can make to should be encouraged to be as independent as possible, and she meets regularly with children’s experiences – but without turning her house into a school!

other childminders to discuss her job and improvements she can make to children’s experiences – but without turning her house into a school! One of Samantha’s favourite activities is bookmaking. The reception classroom has an area specifically set out for this activity. Children have free access to paper, and writing One of Samantha’s favourite activities is bookmaking. The card reception materials. The teacher is always on the lookout for new ideas and classroom has an area specifically set out for this activity. Children have materials. For example, she recently found some packs of giant pencils in a free access to paper, card and writing The teacher always pound shop, which materials. some of the children like to is use to writeon giant-sized letters. the lookout for new ideas and materials. example, she recently some Samantha enjoys usingFor them to write as neatly as shefound can, which is quite a packs of giant pencils challenge! in a pound shop, which some of the children like to use to write giant

sized letters. Samantha enjoys using them to write as neatly as she can, which is quite a The shelves are stocked with word books and children’s dictionaries for children challenge! to check their spellings, and cue cards in boxes give keywords next to pictures that can be copied if children choose. Hole-punchers, mini-staplers, treasury tagswith and word lengthsbooks of ribbon available for them to bindfor their pages together. The shelves are stocked andare children’s dictionaries children to check Alternatively, some of them choose to ask an adult to help them to use the ring their spellings, and cue cards in boxes give key words next to pictures that can be copied binder. Completed books are often displayed in the book corner where they can if children choose. Hole-punchers, mini-staplers, be read, until children decide to treasury take them tags home.and lengths of ribbon are available for them to bind their pages together. Alternatively, some of them choose to ask an adult to help them to use the ring binder. Completed books are often displayed in the book page 50 corner where they can be read, until children decide to take them home. The Thinking Child Resource Book

In one nursery school the staff developed an area of the outdoor playground by using just about every imaginable type of container to create a colourful display of fruits, flowers and vegetables that the children helped to tend. Old sinks, plastic pots, watering cans, baskets and barrels were painted by parents and filled with compost ready for children to plant seeds. Plants were labelled with pictures and information

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about their origin and growth; tools that were safe for children to use were stored on boards at child-level; watering cans sat ready for use by the garden taps; and indoor displays described the produce that was being grown, along with books about gardening. The produce that the children grew was used in cooking sessions, with every child having the chance to sample the results of their hard work. In this way, a difficult outdoor environment was put to good use.

Twenty-five qualities of settings that foster independent learning 1. Drawers, cupboards, and shelves are clearly labelled in pictures and words 2. Areas are clearly demarcated for different types of activities 3. There are sufficient storage containers for all the equipment 4. There is room for children to move around freely 5. There is a cosy area for sharing books and stories, where books are displayed imaginatively and can be selected easily 6. There is an area with adequate room for whole class or large group activities such as story time or 3D mind mapping 7. Equipment and materials are stored within reach of the children so that they can work independently 8. The language used by adults is supportive and assumes that children have good learning behaviours 9. There are attractive and interesting displays that invite interaction 10. There are individual areas for children to store their own belongings 11. There are surfaces where children can leave their unfinished models or work 12. The furniture is suited to the size and number of children in the group

Organized areas for children’s belongings.

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Mind maps page 108

Part Two

13. There is a well-resourced area for writing and mark making 14. There is free and easy access to the outdoors 15. Display boards are at the children’s level 16. Children are encouraged to contribute to displays 17. Parents are welcomed into the setting for formal and informal visits 18. A listening post and CDs are available for children to listen to stories 19. Not too much equipment is stored on the shelves – it’s not easy to get the bottom box out of a pile of six! 20. Children are involved in discussions of how and where things are kept 21. Protective clothing and dressing-up clothes have easy fastenings and loops for storage 22. Children have some choice of how and where they work, such as standing or sitting, on the floor or a table, or indoors or out 23. Self care areas, such as toileting and hand washing, are easy to access and children don’t have to ask an adult before using them 24. Children are encouraged to collect the things that they need for their projects and play 25. Children are encouraged to ask questions, think and talk about what they are doing, and request additional resources

Providing a surface for unfinished models.

Practitioners who work using brain-based learning techniques often find that one of the results is an increase in the confidence and ability of the children to work independently. The following list gives suggestions of some basic items that can be used to implement brainbased techniques in any setting. The Thinking Child

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Useful brain-based items





A copy of the brain-based learning circle (cf. The Thinking Child page 95)





A board at children’s eye-level for displaying the To Do list

A board for children to display their own pictures, captions or notices







A traffic light poster for checking understanding (cf. The Thinking Child page 96)





A whiteboard or pin-board for displaying the Big Picture (cf. The Thinking Child page 96)





An MP3 player or a CD player with a number of CDs

Sound makers and simple musical instruments







A large amount of Blu-tac for sticking up posters, affirmations and mind maps





Sets of coloured pens or chalks for brainstorming sessions





Pieces of card and paper of various colours and sizes for mind maps (cf. The Thinking Child page 109)





Sets of affirmation posters (cf. The Thinking Child page 64)



A range of hand puppets



A camera and plenty of spare film for recording events and successes

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Some of these items are more suited for use with the older, more mature children. For explanations about their use refer to the referenced pages in The Thinking Child.

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Part Two





A ‘Decibel Clock’ for showing children your expectations for the noise level (cf. The Thinking Child page 88)





Props for circle time activities such as hats and soft toys





Magic wands and different types of pointers for Brain Gym® exercises (cf. The Thinking Child page 121)



Cue cards for practitioners to use when leading Brain Gym® exercises





Lengths of ribbon and coloured pegs for displaying posters, pictures, or mind maps





A list or ‘menu’ of brain break ideas



Posters outlining rules and ‘good sitting’ and ‘good listening’ (cf. The Thinking Child page 87)



A list of movement songs and rhymes for use as brain breaks



A parachute and book of suitable games



Sticky labels for making affirmation badges

Activity: improving the environment Take some time to evaluate the organization of your setting, being idealistic about what you’d like to achieve. Take one area at a time: for example the home corner, the big brick area, or the art area. On a sheet of paper, list all the desirable items for the area, and alongside this make notes about how you might work towards achieving your ideal. It may be possible to obtain some of these items at little or no cost by sharing your plan with parents and the community. It does not matter if the improvements cannot be made all at once, as you can build on the plan as new ideas emerge and finances become available. For example, here are a practitioner’s notes about the improvements that she would like to make to her home corner:

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Colourful rug or carpet – need a new one! Ask a store for old carpet samples? Repaint the table and chairs – parents’ working party New dolls’ beds – made from wooden wine boxes, ask Mrs. G. to knit blankets Need new dolls’ clothes – unpick old ones to make patterns for new sets, send out note asking for fabric and ask PTA for volunteers to sew Tidy and reorganize boxes of play food, utensils etc – need transparent boxes – put on PTA wish list Dressing-up clothes and easier storage for them Scarves and pieces of fabric – note on parents’ board Box of hats – note on parents’ board Need more multi-cultural cooking items – put on PTA wish list Need a real cordless telephone, radio etc – note on parents’ board Then… have regular sessions with the children to model how to tidy up! I must remember to do a session with the whole group when I introduce a new focus for this area. They seem to need help in knowing exactly what to do and how to behave. Perhaps I should plan to spend more time there when the focus is new? A well-organized environment will encourage children to work independently. When children can take care of most of their own needs, time is not wasted waiting for adult assistance. Children can then be creative, for example by combining unusual materials in their play. By providing a well-organized environment and teaching children how to use materials, independent learning is fostered.

Children should be able to select materials independently.

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Twenty ways to organize the environment to foster independence 1. Label boxes or drawers with pictures or photographs of the contents 2. Use clear plastic containers to store items 3. Organize the garden shed to provide children with easy access to the equipment 4. Provide equipment that is very flexible so that it can be used in many ways 5. Provide clipboards and small whiteboards for children who choose to record their play 6. Ensure that aprons and dressing-up clothes have simple fasteners 7. Provide a low level mirror in the bathrooms for children to check their appearance 8. Provide footstools at sinks for children to wash their hands or the paint pots 9. Organize the writing and book making materials so that children can access them freely 10. Cover shelves with paper and draw outlines of the pots and containers that go on them 11. Teach children how to hang their paintings on the drying rack 12. Provide a shelf or table for unfinished models 13. Encourage parents to help their children remove and put on coats independently at the beginning and end of the day 14. Use clear plastic wallets and wardrobe organizers to store items so that they are clearly visible 15. Check scissors and other tools regularly to make sure that they do the job intended 16. Store outdoor toys where children can get them out unaided 17. Give children a range of tools, such as pens, pencils, felt pens, crayons, brushes and highlighters, and a range of size and thickness, so they can choose the ones they need for the work they plan to do 18. Provide baskets, bags and trolleys so that equipment can easily be taken outside 19. Watch the children using book racks, shelves and other storage areas, and note and rectify any difficulties they might have 20. Remind parents to think about independence when they buy clothes and shoes for their children

Provide footstools at sinks.

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Display Display has several purposes in the early years, not least that of showing off the work that children have done and making them feel a sense of belonging and achievement. But displays should also inform, teach, and challenge children to think. They should be interactive and should enhance learning.

Display should:

create a sense of belon

ging

enhance learning

invite children to be



interactive

stimulate further thin

king

help children to make

connections between

concepts

motivate towards furth

er learning

aid recall

represent all the child

ren

be at child height

celebrate and affirm su

ccess



The Thinking Child

remind of rules and be

havioural codes

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One practitioner described her school’s policy on display by using a metaphor of the ocean. The tide would lap away at the edges of the displays day upon day, meaning that items would be added, taken away, or moved. The displays would evolve and become more elaborate one week, then ebb away the next. But then suddenly there would be a storm and the whole lot would be washed clean away, ready to start anew the next day.

When Carrie drew a picture of her mum playing tennis with her at the park, her key person encouraged her to write a caption to go up on the wall with the drawing, and to read it back to her. She commented about how well she had formed the letter ‘C’ for ‘Carrie’, and how she had used a capital letter for the beginning of the sentence, but she resisted the temptation to ‘correct’ her writing. The purpose was for Carrie to work independently, which she had achieved. Carrie then proudly read the caption to her childminder when she came to collect her at the end of the day.

Questions that you might like to address when you audit your display policy

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

What is the purpose of display in our setting? In what way does display enhance the learning of children? How do our displays look from a child’s eye-view? In what circumstances should children’s work be displayed? Where are the key areas for display? Who is the audience for displays in each area? Who is responsible for the displays in each area? Are there additional areas and space that could be used for display? How might mind maps contribute to displays? When should displays be created and by whom? How should children be involved in making new displays? How do we ensure that all the communities within our school are represented in our display? How do we ensure equality and representation of disability, gender, and different ethnic groups with our displays? Are all the messages from our displays positive ones? Are all children represented through our displays? How do we acknowledge bilingualism and cater for non-English speakers in our displays? How do our displays reflect the local area and community? Are our displays at an appropriate height for children to view them? How often should we add to and change our displays? Do we discuss the displays with the children?

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• •

Do we encourage the children to show the displays to their parents and carers? Do we encourage parents and carers to contribute to our displays?

Fifteen ideas for organizing displays in shared spaces 1. Use free-standing boards to display work – one side can be used for interactive display and the other for children’s own work 2. Build interactive 3D displays in front of a free-standing board or a wall, using cardboard boxes of different sizes, covered with fabric or painted 3. Laminate titles for displays so that they can be taken down between sessions 4. Use a pin-pusher to minimize damage to notices that need to be taken down frequently 5. Put tags with children’s names on ribbons that can be hung on pegs or models 6. Use lengths of corrugated card for displays, which can be rolled up after each session 7. Keep clearly labelled storage boxes of artefacts 8. Categorize books and keep them in labelled boxes 9. Cut out letters and laminate them to make titles for displays 10. Cut the sides from big cardboard boxes, paint them with emulsion paint and pin things onto them 11. Hang things from coat hangers suspended from hooks or picture rails 12. Use a clothes airer or indoor washing line covered with paper or fabric 13. Use small Velcro® ‘dots’ to fix sheets of card or paper over shared pinboards or display screens 14. Hang canes, cardboard tubes or broom handles from the ceiling and suspend pictures or models from them. (You may be able to leave these in place between sessions.) 15. Use a set of shoe pockets (the transparent sort that hang over a door) to display small things in the pockets. Move it to the inside of a cupboard at the end of the session

An interactive 3D display.

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Seventy-five themes interesting displays: Seventy-five themes for for interesting displays

animals

balls

big and small

birds

bottles

brushes

buttons and

blue (or any other colour)

bubbles and balloons

camouflage

circles

clocks

cogs and pulleys

containers

dolls

eggs

eyes

favourite stories

feathers

footwear

freezing

fruits with seeds

glass jars

greeting cards

hair

hats

heavy and light

herbs and spices

holes

in the air

in the garden

jungle

kites

leaves

letters and cards

lids and tops

lights

magnets

beads

The Thinking Child The Thinking Child

bells

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ResourceBook Book Resource

Supporting independent Supporting independent learning learning

mini-beasts

mirrors

night-time

Noah’s ark

pairs

parties

pots and pans

puppets

rainbow colours

rectangles

root vegetables

salad

seasons

seeds

shiny things

smells

sounds

spirals

squares

stars

story places

teddy bears

textures

things that

things that use

stretch

batteries

things that bend

rough and smooth

transparent

tiny things

tools

triangles

underwater

Watch it grow!

water

wheels

wooden toys

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Twelve extra places for display Apart from the usual pinboards, many practitioners find that they need additional space to fit in all their mind maps, posters and interactive displays. Here are suggestions of other spaces that can be used for display. 1. The ceiling 2. The windows 3. The door 4. The kitchen 5. The cupboard doors 6. A washing line 7. Ribbons from the ceiling 8. A sheet hung from the ceiling 9. Corrugated card stretched between bookcases 10. The back of bookcases 11. A pile of cardboard boxes, covered in fabric or painted 12. ‘A’ frames covered in fabric

Step 2: H  elping children to develop good attention skills ‘Good sitting’ and ‘good listening’ page 87

Good listening skills are essential for effective learning. Some children need considerable help to learn to pay attention and respond appropriately. Listening and sitting are skills that often need to be taught, just like literacy and numeracy skills. Many practitioners refer to these skills as ‘good listening’ and ‘good sitting’.

Listening skills are essential for learning.

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It is statistically likely that out of our four children, three will suffer some hearing deficit at some stage in their formative years. George frequently suffered from ear infections in his first three years. His parents did not find that he showed obvious signs of hearing deficit such as failure to respond when they talked, but they did notice that he often struggled with learning to pronounce new words, such as ‘video’, which he pronounced as ‘bideo’. George underwent a series of speech therapy, which helped his language development and also helped his parents to better understand how to monitor his speech and help him when his hearing levels were low. Carrie lives with just her mother in a flat. There is rarely any background noise in the home, and Carrie and her mother hold many long and detailed one-to-one conversations. Carrie found it easy from a young age to engage in conversation with an adult and could give good eye contact and read non-verbal cues of adults by the time she entered nursery class. However, she found it more difficult to participate when several other children wanted to talk. Turn-taking activities at circle time boosted her confidence in a larger group setting and helped Carrie to develop this skill. By contrast, Kishan’s home is much busier and noisier than Carrie’s. His grandparents live with him, and several times a year the family hosts visitors from Bangladesh. Kishan is used to having to speak out to make himself heard in this busy household, and his teacher had to help him to learn to wait his turn in a class with more than 20 other children vying for her attention! Kishan also found it more difficult to sit still to listen, and had to have the support of an adult as he practised the skills of ‘good sitting’ for several months before he could remain seated through an entire story time. George, Carrie and Kishan each have skills that have evolved partly because of their personality and partly through experience, and all of them will benefit from being explicitly taught how to sit and listen effectively.

A father told us about his son’s repeated temper tantrums in the classroom: ‘Lewis has always been an intense child. He gets very involved in what he is doing and builds really elaborate models. He plays imaginative games that involve a lot of talking about the story, singing songs and making incredible sound effects. One day the teacher asked to speak to me after school. Lewis had thrown a major tantrum at the end of the day and had hidden under the table and refused to come out. When the classroom assistant tried pulling him out, he had kicked her. I was still not convinced that Lewis’ problem was a behavioural one. At home we rarely had tantrums now that he had language to express himself. I went to see the headteacher, who suggested that the teacher began keeping a diary to note what typically set Lewis off with a temper tantrum. After a few weeks it became clear that his tantrums happened at the end of sessions, usually when he was expected to clear up and didn’t want to. At home we rarely put that sort of time limit on activities. We tend to have flexible mealtimes and bedtimes, and if our children are involved in a project we let them finish in their own time. Lewis was simply not accustomed to this more rigid timetable.’ The answer for Lewis was for the teacher and his father to work together. His father worked to help Lewis learn to bring a game to an end once he had been given a time warning. His teacher learned to give a signal to Lewis that the activity was due to end, and set up systems for him to keep models until the next day or to show to his dad before breaking them up. Gradually Lewis learned to manage his emotions. The Thinking Child

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Jane was in her fourth week as an NQT when her school had an Ofsted inspection. She told us: ‘The week before Ofsted arrived I was close to resigning. I was dreading the inspectors seeing what I felt was a lack of attention from the children. It would take me so long to get them to listen that by the time I had their attention, the session would almost be over! I often felt that I was talking to myself. I didn’t like to admit how I was struggling, because the other teachers were under such pressure, especially my mentor who was the deputy. Luckily, my nursery nurse, bless her, realized that things were not going well. At one of our planning sessions she suggested that we asked for help. At the staff meeting I spoke up, and I was amazed by the response! The teachers came up with a list of suggestions of ways to gain the children’s attention. The headteacher came into the class the next day and we practised one or two of the methods until the children understood my expectations. They actually enjoyed the practice. I learned to wait until they were quiet before continuing to speak, no matter how uncomfortable it felt. By the time Ofsted arrived I had cracked it. We still had a few hair-raising moments that week, but I waited it out and insisted that the children listened when I spoke. I learned that there are many techniques for achieving the same goal, and that having the right expectation was the most important thing.’ It is important to give instructions clearly. Here are some principles for ensuring that children hear you and some interesting ways to get their attention.

Principles for ensu

• • • • • • • • • • • • •

ring that children

Make sure that you ha

hear you

ve the child’s attentio

Position yourself in fro

nt of the child and ge

n before speaking

t down to his level seen by facing towards the light Create systems for ke eping the background noise to a reasonable level Speak clearly and a lit tle more slowly than your normal speech Use whole sentences to help children to gr asp the context of wh at you are saying Pause between senten ces and repeat complex sentences or words Keep instructions shor t and clear Ask the child to repeat the instruction or expla in the meaning in his own words Check for understandin g regularly Use appropriate facial expressions and hand gestures Use visual cues to rein force meanings Sit where there is no distraction or moveme nt behind you33 Ensure that you can be

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oo di di ings st ra dist .ovem ct stra ionan ract n or ● Sit where th e is no ctio or m mov en ovem emen be entttbe ere is no distra ion orm hi nd behi yo hind u. ndyo you. u.121212 ction or movem ent behind you. 12 Supporting independent learning

Ten ways to gain children’s attention: Ten Tenways waysto togain gainchildren’s children’sattention: attention: Ten ways to gain children’s attention: Ten ways to gain children’s attention 1. Teach the children to recognize piece of ‘quiet music’ as 1. 1. Teach Teach the the children children to to recognize recognize aaa piece piece of of ‘quiet ‘quiet music’ music’ as as aaa 1.  T each the children to recognize a piece of ‘quiet music’ as a cue cue for silent time. cue for silent time. 1. Teach thesilent children a silent cue for time.to recognize a piece of ‘quiet music’ asfor time. cue for silent time.

Part Two Part Two Part Two Part Two Part Two Part Two

The Thinking Child The TheThinking ThinkingChild Child The Thinking Child



2. Use aaa prop prop such such as as aaa magic magic wand wand or or soft toy as as signal 2. Use toy 2. or aa a soft soft as aaatosignal signal 2.  UseUse a propprop suchsuch as a as magicmagic wand wand or a soft toy as atoy signal gain silence to gain silence without needing to use your voice. to gain silence without needing to use your voice. 2. Use a prop such as a magic wand or a soft toy as a signal to gain silence without needing to use your voice. without needing to use your voice. Encourage the children to recognize Encourage the children to recognize the signal and respond Encourage the to the signal and to gain silence without to use your voice. Encourage the children childrenneeding to recognize recognize the signal and respond respond thequickly. signal and respond quickly. quickly. Encourage the children to recognize the signal and respond quickly. quickly. 3. Teach the children some magic magic signals signals for for silence, such as as 3. Teach the some such 3. Teach the children children for silence, silence, as noses 3. Teach the children somesome magicmagic signalssignals for silence, such assuch rubbing rubbing noses with palms or tummies with thumbs. Ask rubbing noses with palms or thumbs. Ask 3. Teach the children signalswith for silence, rubbing noses withsome palmsmagic or tummies tummies with thumbs.such Ask as with palms or tummies with thumbs. Ask them to invent new signals, and them to invent new signals, and make new signal up each them invent new signals, make aaa new signal rubbing orand tummies thumbs. Ask them to tonoses inventwith newpalms signals, and makewith new signal up up each each make a new signal new up each week and or fortnight. week or fortnight. week or fortnight. them to invent signals, make a new signal up each week or fortnight. week or fortnight. 4. Tap the nearest child and give him the magic signal. He 4. nearest and give him the 4. Tap the nearest child andhim givethe him the magic magic signal. signal. He 4.  TapTap thethe nearest childchild and give magic signal. He thenHe taps the then taps the next child, who passes the signal on around then taps the next child, signal on around 4. Tap the nearest child andwho givepasses him thethe magic signal. He then taps the next child, who passes the signal on around next child, who passes the signal on around the room. the room. the then taps the next child, who passes the signal on around the room. room. the room. 5. Clap your hands, gradually becoming quieter and quieter 5. Clap your hands, gradually becoming quieter and quieter 5. Clap your hands, gradually becoming quieter and quieter 5.  lap your hands, gradually becoming quieter and quieter until you are 5. Clap your hands, gradually becoming quieter and quieter 5. Clap your hands, gradually becoming quieter and quieter 5.Cuntil Clap your hands, gradually becoming quieter and quieter you are tapping three fingers, then two fingers, then until you are tapping three fingers, then two fingers, then until you are tapping three fingers, then two fingers, then until you are tapping three fingers, then two fingers, then page page tapping three fingers, then two fingers, then one finger on your palm. until you are tapping three fingers, then two fingers, then 65 65 page until you are tapping three fingers, then two fingers, then 65 one finger on your palm. Teach the children to copy until ResourceBook Book Resource Book one finger on your palm. Teach the children to copy until one finger on your palm. Teach the children to copy until one finger on your palm. Teach the children to copy until page one finger on your palm. Teach the children to copy until 65 Teach the children to copy untilTeach you silently put your hands inuntil yourResource lap and one finger on your your palm. the children to copyto you silently put hands in your lap and are ready Resource Book you silently put your hands in your lap and are ready to you silently put your hands in your lap and are ready to you silently put you silently put your hands in your lap and are ready to you silently putyour yourhands handsin inyour yourlap lapand andare areready readyto to are ready to speak. speak. speak. speak. speak. speak. speak. 6. Use that keep a prominent When 6. Use tiny bell that you keep in prominent place. When 6. Use aaaatiny tiny bell that you keep in prominent place. When 6.  se aa bellbell that youyou keep in a in prominent place.place. When children 6. Use atiny tiny bell that you keep in place. When 6. Use tiny bell that you keep in prominent place. When 6.Uchildren Use tiny bell that you keep inaaaaaprominent prominent place. When see you see you reach for it, they will often stop before children see you reach for it, they will often stop before children see you reach for it, they will often stop before children see you it, will stop children see you reach for it, they will often stop before reach for it, they willreach often stop before they hear it ring.before Choose children see you reachfor for it,they they willoften often stop beforeita child to they hear it ring. Choose a child to tiptoe around ringing they hear ring. Choose child to tiptoe around ringing they hear ring. Choose child to tiptoe around ringing they hear ititititringing ring. Choose aauntil to tiptoe around ringing they hear ring. Choose aaachild child to tiptoe around ringing they hear it ring. Choose child to tiptoe around ringingititititit tiptoe around it gently everybody is quiet. gently until everybody is quiet. gently until everybody is quiet. gently until everybody is quiet. gently until everybody is quiet. gently until everybody is quiet. gently until everybody is quiet. 7. Start clicking your fingers a rhythm, encouraging the 7.  byby clicking your fingers in a in rhythm, encouraging the children 7. Start by clicking your fingers in rhythm, encouraging the 7. Start by clicking your fingers in rhythm, encouraging the 7. Start by clicking your fingers in encouraging the 7. Start by clicking your fingers in rhythm, encouraging the 7.Start Start by clicking your fingers inaaaaarhythm, rhythm, encouraging the to children to copy. Move your hands in circles as you do so, children to copy. Move your hands in circles as you do so, children to copy. Move your hands in circles as you do so, copy. Move your hands in circles as you do so, growing slower and children to copy. Move your hands in circles as you do so, children to Move your hands inin circles as you do childrenslower to copy. copy. Move your hands circles asare youready do so, so, growing and quieter until you cease and to growing slower and quieter until you cease and are ready to growing slower and quieter until you cease and are ready to growing slower and cease growing slower and quieter until you cease and are ready to quieter until you cease and are until ready to speak. growing slower andquieter quieter untilyou you ceaseand andare areready readyto to speak. speak. speak. speak. speak. speak. 8. Tap your chin with a make a motion, 8.  your chin with a finger, thenthen make a circular motion, tapping your 8. Tap your chin with finger, then make circular motion, 8. Tap your chin with finger, then make circular motion, 8. Tap your chin with aaaaafinger, finger, then aaaaacircular circular motion, 8. Tap your chin with finger, then make circular motion, 8.Tap Tap your chin with finger, thenmake make circular motion, tapping your ears, head, mouth, nose, and so on, while the ears, head, mouth, nose andmouth, so on, while the children copy, until you put tapping your ears, head, mouth, nose, and so on, while the tapping your ears, head, mouth, nose, and so on, while the tapping your ears, head, nose, and so while the tapping your ears, head, mouth, nose, and so on, while the tapping your ears, head, mouth, nose, and soon, on, while the children copy, until you put your hands down and start to children copy, until you put your hands down and start to children copy, until you put your hands down and start to children copy, until you put your hands down and start to your hands down and start to speak. children children copy, copy, until until you you put put your your hands hands down down and and start start to to speak. speak. speak. speak. speak. speak. ® continue all the 9. Brain Gym ®® 9.  BBegin egin aa Brain Gym® exercise andand continue untiluntil all the children are joining ®®exercise ®exercise exercise and continue until all the 9. Begin Brain Gym and continue until all the 9. Begin Brain Gym exercise and 9. Begin Gym exercise and continue until all the 9. Begin Brain Gym exercise andcontinue continueuntil untilall allthe the 9. children BeginaaaaaBrain Brain Gym are joining in quietly. inchildren quietly. children are joining in quietly. children are joining in quietly. children are joining in quietly. childrenare arejoining joiningin inquietly. quietly.

10. Use aaarhyme or song, such as the ones below. 10. Use rhyme or song, such as the ones below. 10. Use rhyme or song, such as the ones below. Use such as the 10. Use aarhyme rhyme or song, such as the ones below. 10. 1 0. Use a arhyme or or song, such as the below. 10. Use rhyme orsong, song, such asones theones onesbelow. below.

Rhymes for gaining children’s attention Rhymes for gaining children’s attention: Rhymes for gaining children’s attention: Rhymes for gaining children’s attention: Rhymes Rhymes for gaining children’s attention: Rhymesfor forgaining gainingchildren’s children’sattention: attention:

Touch your lips, touch your knees, Touch your lips, touch your knees, Touch your lips, touch your knees, Touch your lips, touch your knees, Touch your lips, touch your knees, Touch your lips, touch your knees, Touch your lips, touch your knees, Touch your ears, now listen, please! Touch your ears, now listen, please! Touch your ears, now listen, please! Touch your ears, now listen, please! Touch Touch your ears, now listen, please! Touchyour yourears, ears,now nowlisten, listen,please! please! Point to the ceiling, point to the floor, Point to the ceiling, point to the floor, Point to the ceiling, point to the floor, Point Point to the ceiling, point to the page Pointto tothe theceiling, ceiling,point pointto tothe the­7floor, floor, 5floor, The Thinking Child Point to the window, point to the door, Point to the window, point to the door, Point to the window, point to the door, Point Point to the window, point to the door, Pointto tothe thewindow, window,point pointto tothe thedoor, door, Point to you, point to me, Point to you, point to me, Point to you, point to me, Point Point to you, point to me, Pointto toyou, you,point pointto tome, me,

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Part Two

Point to the ceiling, point to the floor, Point to the window, point to the door, Point to you, point to me, And turn and listen, quietly. Hands on your head, fingers on your nose, Thumbs on your ears, wiggle your toes, Point to your friend, point to your chair, Point to the teacher, hands in the air. Hands on your head, fingers on your nose, Thumbs on your ears, lips firmly closed. Find a partner, find a partner, Hold his hand, hold his hand, Smile as you greet him, smile as you greet him, Then sit down, then sit down. (sung to the tune of ‘Frère Jaques’)

, Let s all come and sit right down, Sit right down, sit right down, , Let s all come and sit right down, Ready for a story. (sung to the tune of ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’)

Practitioner: Children, children, are you ready now? Children: Of course we are, of course we are, Let us show you how. (sung to the tune of ‘Baa, Baa, Black Sheep’)

Six ways to acknowledge good attention skills 1. ‘I notice that Jamie is looking at Mitchell.’ 2. ‘Good, Jonah has his hands in his lap.’ 3. ‘Thank you, Claudia, for waiting until I finished speaking.’ 4. ‘Now that everybody is quiet, I can explain what we are going to do.’

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5. ‘Karla has put down the bricks and is looking at me.’ 6. ‘Great! Blue Group is sitting down, ready to listen.’ Once children are busy playing and working, it can be a challenge to ensure that they maintain a noise level that is appropriate to the activities taking place and conducive to learning. The list below gives some ways in which practitioners can gain, and then maintain, a desirable noise level. CA

U TIO

CA

U TIO

N

It is not possible to define the ‘appropriate’ noise level for the early years, as noise is often necessary for learning! Bear in mind that these suggestions are meant for those times when the group is going off task or becoming too noisy for productive activity to take place. Some of the suggestions are only appropriate for the older children. Also, remember that boys are more likely to find it difficult to be quiet. Try not to make it a gender issue!

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Ways to gain and maintain a desirable noise level

•

Use your hands to illustrate the level of noise that is expected – wide arms mean free use of voices, whereas closed hands mean silence. Encourage the children to do the actions with you and repeat during the activity when necessary

• •

Use the ‘Decibel Clock’ with different types of activities described on it with the level of noise for each type of activity

Decibel Clock page 88

Put individual cards on tables to show groups what type of voice would be suitable for their activity, such as a series of faces with different sized mouths: for example, closed for silence and wide open for a noisy activity

•

Use frequent affirmations that the children in your care know how to use the right ‘sized’ voice for each type of activity

•

Practise using different levels of voice during circle time, and role-play the right noise levels for different activities

•

Use an imaginary volume control to raise or lower the volume. Let children practise turning the volume up and down so they learn what it feels like

• •

Talk about ‘quiet feet’ and ‘quiet voices’ so people who are working, neighbours or others are not disturbed Make a sound or sign such as a raised hand or a small bell when the volume gets too high, and help the children to respond when they notice the sign

• •

Be clear when you want children to play quietly and acknowledge them when they do Limit the time when children need to be very quiet. Do it in short bursts with more relaxed sessions between. Remember that children need to talk about what they are doing

•

Have two soft toys, one who likes quiet and one who likes noise, and get out the toy that likes the noise level that you wish to establish for the activity

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what they are doing. whatthey theyare aredoing. doing. what what they are doing. ● Have two soft toys, one who likes quiet and one who likes noise, and get out ● Have Havetwo twosoft softtoys, toys,one onewho wholikes likesquiet quietand andone onewho wholikes likesnoise, noise,and andget getout out ● ● Have two soft toys, one who likes quiet and one who likes noise, and get out the toy that likes the noise level that you wish to establish for the activity. the toy that likes the noise level that you wish to establish for the activity. the the toy toy that that likes likes the the noise noise level level that that you you wish wish to to establish establish for for the the activity. activity.

Part Two

Ten to up: Ten ways waysto to line lineup: up: Ten Ten ways line Tenways waystotoline lineup: up 1. Move from one place to another without lining up, but by 1. Move fromone one place to another another without lining up,by but by 1. 1. M ove from place toto another without lining up, but following a cue Move from one place without lining up, but by 1. Move from one place to another without lining up, but by following a cue to walk quietly and calmly. following a cue to walk quietly and calmly. following aa cue to walk to walk quietly and following cue tocalmly. walk quietly quietly and and calmly. calmly. 2. Choose leader and last person, then let others join the 2. Choose Choose aa leader and and aa last person, person, then then let let others others join join the the leader 2. aaleader leader and aa last last person, then let others join the 2. 2. CChoose hoose a and a last person, then let others join the line. line. line. line. line. 3. Line up to an upbeat piece of music, or a quiet piece, or 3. 3. LLine ine up an upbeat piece of music, or aor quiet piece, or a foot-tapping 3. Line uptoto to an upbeat piece of music, music, or quiet piece, or aa up an upbeat piece of aaa quiet piece, or 3. Line up to an upbeat piece of music, or quiet piece, or aa foot-tapping piece; whatever suits the mood and activity. foot-tapping piece; whatever suits the mood and activity. piece; whatever suitswhatever the moodsuits and activity. foot-tapping piece; the foot-tapping piece; whatever suits the mood mood and and activity. activity. Supporting independent learning 4. Line up pretending to be cats, dogs, elephants or giraffes. 4. 4. LLine ine up toto bebe cats, dogs, elephants or Supporting giraffes. 4. Line uppretending pretending to be cats, dogs, elephants or giraffes. giraffes. independent learning up pretending cats, dogs, elephants or 4. Line up pretending to be cats, dogs, elephants or giraffes. Supporting independent learning Supporting independent learning

Supporting Supportingindependent independentlearning learning

5. LLine Line up according to physical physical attributes, such as those those with 5. 5.  ine upup according to to physical attributes, suchsuch as those with long hair according attributes, as with 5. Line Line up according to physical physical attributes, suchbrown as those those with long hair first, followed by those with short, or black 5. up according to attributes, such as with longfollowed hair first, followed thosebrown with or short, first, by those withbyshort, blackbrown hair. or black long hair first, first, followed by those those with with short, short, brown brown or or black black hair. hair long followed by page 68 page hair. 68 page page 68 5. up according to physical attributes, such as those with 5. Line Line up according to physical attributes, such as those with The Thinking Child Resource Book 68 hair. The Thinking Child Resource Book hair. The Resource TheThinking ThinkingChild Child ResourceBook Book long hair first, followed by those with short, brown or black long hair first, followed by those with short, brown or black 6. Line Line up up with with those those with with lace-up lace-up shoes shoes first, first, then then those those with with 6. 6. Lhair. ine upup with those withwith lace-up shoes first,first, then those with shoes hair. 6. Line up with those with lace-up shoes first, then those those with shoes with buckles, or those wearing sweatshirts, short or with 6. Line with those lace-up shoes then with shoes with buckles, or those wearing sweatshirts, short or shoes with buckles, or those wearing sweatshirts, short or buckles, or those wearing sweatshirts, short or long sleeves, or long sleeves, sleeves, or caps. caps. shoes with buckles, or those wearing sweatshirts, short orcaps. long or 6. up with those with 6. Line Line up with those with lace-up shoes shoes first, first, then then those those with with long sleeves, or caps. long sleeves, or caps. lace-up shoes with buckles, or those wearing sweatshirts, short shoes with buckles, or those wearing sweatshirts, short or 7. Line Line up up according according to to which which activities activities children children chose chose that thator 7. long sleeves, or long sleeves, or caps. caps. 7. Line up according to built which activities children chose that morning: those who with the bricks first,chose thenmorning: those Line according to which activities children that 7. 7. Lmorning: ine upup according to which activities children chose that those those who built with the bricks first, then those morning: those who built with the bricks first, then those who worked in the sand tray or those who painted pictures. morning: those who built with the bricks first, then those who built with the bricks first, then those who worked in the sand tray who worked in theto sand tray or thosechildren who painted 7. according which activities chose that 7. Line Line up according which activities chosepictures. that whoup worked in the theto sand tray or those thosechildren who painted painted pictures. who worked in sand tray or who pictures. or those who painted pictures. morning: those who built with the bricks first, then those morning: those who built with the bricks first, then those 8. Line Line up up according according to to height, height, shortest shortest to to tallest tallest or or tallest tallest to to 8. worked in sand tray who painted who worked in the the sand tray or or those those who painted pictures. 8. who Line up according according to height, shortest to tallest or pictures. tallest to shortest. Then turn around and lead from the back, or 8. Line up to height, shortest to tallest or tallest to Then turn around and lead from the back,toorshortest. 8. Lshortest. ine up according to height, shortest to tallest or shortest. Then turn around and lead lead from thetallest back, or line. choose a front front and and back leader from the middle middle of the the shortest. Then turn around and from the back, or choose a back leader from the of line. 8. Line up according to height, shortest to tallest or tallest to 8. Then Line up according to height, shortest to tallest or tallest to back turnaaaround and lead thefrom back,the or choose choose front and backfrom leader from the middle aof offront the and line. choose front back leader middle the line. shortest. Then turn around and from the back, or shortest. Then turnto around and –lead lead from the back, or from the middle ofbirthdays the line. 9. leader Line up up according according those who have birthday 9. Line to birthdays –from those who have aathe birthday choose a front and back leader the middle of line. choose a front and back leader from the middle of the line. 9. Line up according to birthdays – those who have a birthday in June June first, followed followed by those those –whose whose birthday March, 9. in Line up first, according to birthdays thosebirthday who have by isisa ininbirthday March, in June first, followed by those whose birthday is in March, orJune May, first, and so so on. by those whose birthday is in March, in followed or May, and on. 9. up to 9. Line Line up according according to birthdays birthdays –– those those who who have have aa birthday birthday or May, May, and so so on. on. or and 9. Line up according to birthdays – those who have a birthday in June first, in in June June first, first, followed followed by by those those whose whose birthday birthday isis in in March, March, followed by those whose birthday is in March, or May, and so on. or May, and so on. or May, and so on. 10. Line Line up up inin alphabetical alphabetical order, order, then then choose choose aa front front and and back back 10. 10. Line up in alphabetical order, then choose a front and back leader. 10. leader. Line up in alphabetical order, then choose a front and back leader. leader. 10. LLine ine alphabetical order, then choose a front and back leader. 10. up alphabetical order, then choose aa front and 10. Lineup upinin in alphabetical order, then choose front and back back leader. leader. Liningup upsongs: songs: Lining Lining up up songs: songs: Lining

Some lining up songs Ten little children Lining up Lining up songs: songs: Ten little children

made aa line line one one day, day, made Ten little children made a line one day, Ten children made line one day, Up to tolittle theTen door and far aaway, away, little children made a line one day, Up the door and far Up to tolittle thechildren door and and faraaaway, away, Up door far Ten made line Ten children made line one one day, day, ‘Oh well done, Mrs little X the said, ‘Oh well done, Mrs X said, Up to the door and far away, ‘Oh and well far done, Mrsto said, ‘Oh well Mrs XXthe said, Up door away, Up to the door far away, so proud of and you, done, everyone!’ I’m so proud of you, everyone!’ I’m Oh well done, Mrs X said, so proud of well you, done, everyone!’ I’m so proud of you, everyone!’ I’m ‘Oh Mrs XXtosaid, ‘Oh well done, Mrs said, (sung the tune of ‘Five Little Ducks’) , , (sung to the tune of ‘Five Little Ducks’) (sung toproud the Itune tune of proud ‘Five Little Ducks’) m so of you, everyone! (sung the of ‘Five Ducks’) so of you, everyone!’ I’m soto proud of you, Little everyone!’ I’m ,

(sung to‘Five the tune of ‘Five Little Ducks’) (sung Little Ducks’) (sung to to the the tune tune of of ‘Five Little Ducks’)

We are are going going to to the the hall, hall, to to the the hall, hall, We We are going to the hall, to the hall, We are going to the hall, to the hall, We are are going going to to the the hall, hall, to to the the hall, hall, We We are going to the hall, to the hall, page 7 ­ 8 We are We are going going to to the the hall, hall, to to the the hall, hall, The Thinking Child line up now beside the door, So So line up now beside the door, So are line up nowto beside theto door, So now the We going the the We are going to the hall, to the hall, We line are up going tobeside the hall, hall, todoor, the hall, hall We are going to the hall, to the hall We are going to the hall, to the hall We line are up going the hall, the hall So now beside the door, So line up now to beside the to door,

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Supporting independent learning

We are going to the hall, to the hall, We are going to the hall, to the hall, So line up now beside the door, We are going to the hall, to the hall. (or the park, story time or other destinations) (sung to the tune of ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’)

Wind the bobbin up, Wind the bobbin up, Walk, walk, Wait by the door, Wind it back again, Wind it back again, Stand, stand, Stand up tall (sung to the tune of ‘Wind the Bobbin Up’)

I hear footsteps, I hear footsteps, , Hark don t you? , Hark don t you? Walking very quietly, Walking very quietly, To the door, To the door. (or mat, wall, or path) (sung to the tune of ‘I hear Thunder’)

Heads and shoulders In the line, in the line, Heads and shoulders In the line, in the line, And eyes and nose must face the front The Thinking Child

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Heads and shoulders In the line, in the line. (sung to the tune of ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’)

, Let s make a line, diddle diddle, , Let s make a line, When we are ready diddle diddle, Things will be fine. (sung to the tune of ‘Lavender’s Blue’)

Step 3: Helping children to stay on task One of our principal aims in the early years is to help each individual child to develop good concentration skills across a wide curriculum. By providing a curriculum that is stimulating and engaging, each child should be able to spend his or her time engaged in purposeful activity. The practitioner then needs to intervene whenever concentration is waning to re-engage the children, or to adapt or expand the activity, or to redirect the children to do something new.

Kishan’s teacher is often amazed by the length of time that he can concentrate on certain activities. Kishan loves to build and work in three dimensions. When working on a task that involves construction toys, he can concentrate for very long periods. Yet when his teacher wants him to draw a picture or write a short sentence, he finds it difficult to concentrate for more than a few minutes. Kishan is primarily a kinesthetic learner. His teacher needs to ensure that the paper and pencil tasks that she sets for Kishan have a purpose that appeals to him. This makes it easier for him to stay on task. For example, recently she encouraged him to draw a picture of the robot that he made from a construction kit and to write a sentence about his adventures. The classroom assistant stayed close by to make frequent affirmations about Kishan remaining on task. In her first term Carrie found the ‘big school’ daunting. When the class went to assembly, Carrie sat on her teacher’s knee. Her teacher would find out the content of assemblies before making the decision about whether the children should attend, and at first only kept the class in the hall for the first five minutes. Gradually she built up the time that the children were expected to stay, although if Carrie or any of her friends found it too difficult to sit for that length of time, her classroom assistant would quietly bring them out. By the end of the first term, Carrie was confident and happy about attending assemblies.

Samir’s childminder told us about the challenges that faced her when trying to help Samir to settle to activities for longer than a few seconds. Samir’s parents explained to her that he had always been an active child. He walked at nine months and ran by nine and a half. He didn’t seem to stop running for the next two years, and still preferred to

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Part Two

be on the move. He would seemingly ignore both his mother and his childminder when they spoke to him and would often throw spectacular tantrums if they insisted that he followed their instructions. what she thought was a reasonable action, such as taking his hand to As Samir’s worked withand his parents to tryfor to solve this problem, makechildminder him leave his bicycle come inside lunch, would comeshe like a realized that his tantrums were usually caused by the fact that he had not had sufficient bolt out of the blue to Samir. Once the adults began to consciously wait for time toa process her instructions. Therefore what she a reasonable action, few moments after speaking to Samir, so thought allowingwas plenty of processing such as taking his hand to make him leave his bicycle and come inside for lunch, time before calmly repeating the request, the tantrums became less would come like a bolt out of the blue to Samir. Once the adults began to consciously wait for frequent and eventually ceased. a few moments after speaking to Samir, so allowing plenty of processing time before calmly repeating the request, the tantrums became less frequent, and eventually ceased.

The brain-based learning circle The brain-based learning circle Brain-based This structure can be used to help those children who are ready for the introduction learning circle This structure can be used to help those children who are ready for the introduction of literacy of literacy and numeracy sessions. page 81 and numeracy sessions.

T h e b ra in -b ased

Brain-based learning circle page 95

le a rn in g c ir c le

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Gi ve th e Bi g Pi ct ur e

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Re vie w th e se ss ion

As se ss th e st ar tin g po in t

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Ch ec k fo r un de rs ta nd in g an d ac kn ow led ge ac hi ev em en ts

De liv er th e se ss ion in ch un ks th ro ug h VA K

▲ ▲ Bu ild in br ain br ea ks

For full-size photocopiable see end of book. For full-size photocopiable version, see end of version, book.

It is important that practitioners keep in mind the developmental needs of groups and of individual children, especially when often working under pressure to cover a set curriculum in It is important that practitioners keep inquestions mind theoverleaf developmental needs of groups a set amount of time. Taking time to consider the can help to ensure that and of individual children, especially when often working under pressure to the central focus remains the child, not the curriculum. The question, ‘How long should acover childa set inbe a set amount of another time. Taking time‘How to consider the questions remain oncurriculum task?’ should answered with questions. appropriate is the task?’ opposite can help to ensure that the central focus remains the child, not the curriculum. The question, ‘How longpage should a child remain on task?’ should be ­81 The Thinking Child Resource Book answered with another question, ‘How appropriate is the task?’ page

Part Two

Questions to consider about how long a child should remain on task

• • • • • • • • • • •

Is the task appropriate for the child’s needs? Does the task offer the right level of challenge for the child? What is the natural concentration span of the child, at this type of task? Is the child motivated to concentrate on the task? By what criteria would you judge the task to have been successfully completed? What adult support, if any, is available for the child undertaking the task? How frequently, and when, is feedback to be given to the child undertaking the task? Can the task be broken down into smaller chunks? Are brain breaks built into the session to give physical reprieve? At what time of day is the task being undertaken? What is the physiological state of the child as he undertakes the task?

Questions to consider when introducing more formal sessions in literacy and numeracy Remember, you are in control of the introduction of formal teaching of these elements of the curriculum, and from 2011 there will be no legal requirement to adopt any particular methods, although the Foundation Stage goals remain in place. Your knowledge of the developmental stage and individual needs of the children on your care should guide your professional decisions.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Are the children capable of the concentration levels necessary for these sessions? How do we plan for enough variety of activity to cater for the needs of such young children? How are we incorporating the latest guidance and suggested activities for literacy and numeracy as the curriculum changes? How do we decide which children are ready for the sessions? Are we meeting the needs of all the children in the class or group? How do we know? Are we offering all the aspects of Communication, Language and Literacy to all the children? How do we check? How do we use observation to monitor progress and track development in these key skills? Do we provide for brain breaks and movement during the sessions? Do we monitor whether children are on or off task? What do we do about what we find? What do we do if a child appears to be finding the planned activities too difficult or too easy? How do we ensure that the detailed information we have about individuals is used to support them as they move into new groups and classes?

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• • •

When do these concentrated sessions happen? Is it always at the same time of day? Do they have a damaging influence on child-initiated learning?

Part Two Part Two Part Two Part Part Two Two PartTwo Two Part Part Part Two Two

How can we plan integrated sessions where children have opportunities to practise their developing skills in real life, hands-on activities?

doto weincrease share information children’s Ten ways children’s time on task: TenHow ways to increase children’sabout timeon ontask: task: development with parents and carers? Ten ways to increase children’s time Ten Ten ways to increase children’s time on task: Tenways waysto toincrease increasechildren’s children’stime timeon ontask: task: Ten ways to increase children’s time on task: Ten ways to increase children’s time on task: Ten ways to increase children’s time on task: Ten ways to increase children’s time on task 1. Monitor children’s play carefully and intervene when they 1. Monitor Monitor children’s children’s play play carefully carefully and and intervene intervene when when they they 1. are starting to lose concentration. are starting to lose concentration. 1. Monitor children’s play carefully and intervene when they 1. Monitor children’s play carefully and intervene when they starting to loseplay concentration. 1.Mare Monitor children’s play carefully and intervene intervene when they 1. Monitor children’s play carefully and intervene when they 1. Monitor children’s carefully and they 1. Monitor children’s play carefully and intervene when they 1.  onitor children’s play carefully and intervene when when they are starting to are starting to lose concentration. are starting to lose concentration. are starting to lose concentration. are starting to lose concentration. are starting to lose concentration. areconcentration starting to lose concentration. lose 2. Be ready with fresh ideas of how to restructure or develop 2. Be Be ready ready with with fresh fresh ideas ideas of of how how to to restructure restructure or or develop develop 2. an activity when children’s concentration wanes. an activity when children’s concentration wanes. 2. Be ready with fresh ideas of how to restructure or develop 2. Be ready with fresh ideas of how to restructure or develop activity when children’s concentration wanes. 2.Ban Be ready with fresh ideas of how how to restructure restructure or develop develop 2. Be ready with fresh ideas of how to restructure or develop 2. ready with fresh ideas of to or 2.  eBe ready with fresh ideas of how to restructure or develop an activity 2. Be ready with fresh ideas of how to restructure or develop an activity when children’s concentration wanes. an activity when children’s concentration wanes. an activity when children’s concentration wanes. an activity when children’s concentration wanes. an when children’s concentration when children’s concentration an activity activity when children’s wanes concentration wanes. wanes. 3. Ask the children in group what they might do to extend an 3. Ask Ask the the children children in in aaa group group what what they they might might do do to to extend extend an an 3. activity and be ready to help them with gathering new activity and be ready to help them with gathering new 3. Ask the children aa group what extend an 3. Ask the children in group what they might do to extend an and bereorganizing to help them withmight gathering new 3.  sk the children inready ain group what they they might do to do extend an activity 3.Aactivity Ask the children in group what they might doto to extend an and 3. Ask the children in group what they might do to extend an 3. Ask the children in aa group what they might do to extend an materials or themselves. 3. Ask the children in aato group what they might do to extend an materials orbe reorganizing themselves. activity and ready help them with gathering new activity and be ready to help them with gathering new materials or reorganizing themselves. activity and be ready to help them with gathering new activity and be ready to help them with gathering new and be ready to help them with gathering new beactivity ready to help them with gathering new materials or reorganizing activity and be ready to help them with gathering new materials or reorganizing themselves. materials or reorganizing themselves. materials orof reorganizing themselves. materials or reorganizing themselves. materials or reorganizing themselves. themselves 4. At the start a session ask children to tell the group what materials or reorganizing themselves. 4. At At the the start start ofof aa session session ask ask children children to to tell tell the the group group what what 4. they plan to do next and what they aim to achieve. they plan to do next and what they aim to achieve. 4. At the start of a session ask children to tell the group what 4. At the start of a session ask children to tell the group what plan to do and what they aimto totell achieve. 4. they At the the start of next a session session ask children children to tell the group group what what 4. At the start of session ask children to tell the group what 4. At start of aa ask the 4. At the start of anext session ask children to tell the group what plan to do next and what they aim to achieve. they plan to do and what they aim to achieve. 4. Atthey the start of a session ask children to tell the group what they plan to they plan plan to to do do next next and and what what they they aim aim to to achieve. achieve. they plan to do next and what they aim to achieve. they they plan to do next and what they aim to achieve. doBuild next in andreview what they aim tochildren achieve to report back to the 5. times for 5. Build Build in in review review times times for for children children to to report report back back to to the the 5. group about their last activity. groupin about their lastfor activity. 5. Build times children 5. Build in review times for children to report back to the about their last activity. 5. group Build in inreview review times for childrento toreport reportback backto tothe the 5. Build in review times for children to report back to the 5. Build review times for children to report back to the 5. Build in review times for children to report back to the group about their last activity. group about their last activity. 5.  Build in review times for children to report back to the group about their group about their last activity. group about their last activity. group about their last activity. group about their last activity. last activity 6. Use an egg or sand timer to show children how long they 6. Use Use an an egg egg or or sand sand timer timer to to show show children children how how long long they they 6. have spent on a task. have spent on a task. 6. Use an egg or sand timer to show children how long they 6. Use an egg or sand timer to show children how long they spent task.timer 6. have Use an an egg eggon orasand sand timer to to show show children children how how long long they they 6. Use an egg or sand timer to children how they 6. Use or 6. Use or sand timer show long they 6.  Use an an eggegg timer or sand timertotoshow showchildren children how long long they have have spent on a task. have spent on a task. have spent on a task. have spent on a task. have spent on a task. have spent on a task. spent on a task 7. Use timed pieces of music for set tasks. 7. Use Use timed timed pieces pieces of of music music for for set set tasks. tasks. 7. 7. Use timed pieces of music for set tasks. 7. Use timed pieces of music for set tasks. 7. Use timed pieces of music for some activities 7. Use Use timed pieces of music music for set set tasks. 7. Use timed pieces of music for set tasks. 7. timed pieces of for tasks. 7. Use timed pieces of music for set tasks. ® 8. Build in aa brain break or Brain Gym ® activity when children ® 8.BBuild Build brain break or Brain Brain Gym activity when children 8. 8.  uild in in ainbrain break or Brain Gym® activity whenwhen children become a brain break or Gym activity children become distracted. ®® become distracted. 8. Build in a brain break or Brain Gym activity when children 8. Build in a brain break or Brain Gym activity when children ® ® ® become distracted. distracted 8. Build in a brain break or Brain Gym activity when children 8. Build in brain break or Brain Gym activity when children 8. Build brain 8. become Build in in aa adistracted. brain break break or or Brain Brain Gym Gym ® activity activity when when children children become distracted. become distracted. become distracted. become distracted. become distracted. 9. Keep aa checklist of who has taken part in particular 9. 9.  eep aa checklist of who hashas taken part part in a particular activity and 9.KKeep Keep checklist of who who has taken taken part in aaa particular particular checklist of in activity and encourage children to tick their name when they activity and encourage children to tick their name when they they 9. Keep a checklist of who has taken part in a particular 9. Keep a checklist of who has taken part in a particular encourage children to tick their name when they have completed the encourage children to tick their when 9. activity Keepcompleted aand checklist of who who has taken taken part in aa aname particular 9. Keep checklist of who has taken part in particular 9. Keep aa checklist of has part in particular have the task. 9. Keep a checklist of who has taken part in a particular have completed the task. activity and encourage children to tick their name when they activity and encourage children to tick their name when they activity have completed the task. activity and encourage encourage children to to tick tick their their name name when when they they activity and encourage children to tick their name when they activity and children activity and encourage children to tick their name when they have completed the task. have completed the task. have completed the task. have completed the task. have have completed completed the the task. task. 10. Spend time sitting at activities yourself, even when the 10.  time sitting at activities yourself, even even when the activity 10.Spend Spend time sitting at activities activities yourself, even when when the is child 10. Spend time sitting at yourself, the activity is child initiated. activity is child initiated. 10. Spend sitting at 10. Spend time sitting at activities yourself, even when the activity is child initiated. 10.initiated Spendtime time sitting atactivities activitiesyourself, yourself,even evenwhen whenthe the 10. Spend time sitting at activities yourself, even when the 10. Spend time sitting at activities yourself, even when the 10. Spend time sitting at activities yourself, even when the activity is child initiated. activity is child initiated. activity is child initiated. activity is child initiated. activity is child initiated. activity is child initiated. Strategies to use as the children mature and their level of concentration improves

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Some of the following strategies are more suited to the older children. Younger children will In the list opposite, we suggest strategies to use as the children mature and their need a more individualwe approach tostrategies developingto concentration, and willmature be working a Inthe the listopposite, opposite, we suggest strategies to useas asthe thechildren children mature andwith their In list suggest use and their level of concentration improves. Some of these strategies are more suited to the different adult to child ratio, where it is easier tailor expectations and support strategies to In the list opposite, we suggest strategies to use as the children mature and their In the list opposite, we suggest strategies to use as the children mature and their level of concentration improves. Some of these strategies are more suited to the level of list concentration improves. Some of these strategies are moremature suited and to the Inthe the listopposite, opposite,we we suggeststrategies strategies touse use asthe thechildren children mature and their In the list opposite, we suggest strategies to use as the children mature and their In suggest to as their In the list opposite, we suggest strategies to use as the children mature and their older children. Younger children will need a more individual approach to developing the individual child. level concentration improves. of strategies are more to level of concentration improves. Some of these strategies are more suited to the older children. Younger childrenSome willneed need more individual approach todeveloping developing older children. Younger children will aamore individual to levelof of concentration improves. Some ofthese these strategies areapproach moresuited suited tothe the level of concentration improves. Some of these strategies are more suited to the level of concentration improves. Some of strategies are more suited to the level of concentration improves. Some of these strategies are more suited to the concentration and will be working with aathese different adult to child ratio, where it is older children. Younger children will need a more individual approach to developing older children. Younger children will need a more individual approach to developing concentration and will be working with different adult to child ratio, where concentration and will be working with a different adult to child ratio, where ititisis older children. Younger children will need a more individual approach to developing older children. Younger children will need a more individual approach to developing older children. Younger children will need a more individual approach to developing older children. Younger children will need a more individual approach to developing easier to tailor expectations and support strategies to the individual child. concentration will with different adult to child where page concentration and will be working with aaastrategies different adult to child ratio, where it is easier totailor tailorand expectations andsupport support strategies tothe the individual child. ­83 easier to expectations and to individual child. concentration and willbe beworking working withaa different adult to childratio, ratio, whereit itis isResource Book concentration and will be working with different adult to child ratio, where it is concentration and will be working with adult to child ratio, where it is The Thinking Child concentration and will be working with a different different adult to child ratio, where it is easier to tailor expectations and support strategies to the individual child. easier to tailor expectations and support strategies to the individual child. easier to tailor expectations and support strategies to the individual child. easier to tailor expectations and support strategies to the individual child. easier easier to to tailor tailor expectations expectations and and support support strategies strategies to to the the individual individual child. child.

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Observe children carefully to ascertain where and when they find it easiest to concentrate, and build on these successes Stop the class or a group or an individual to ask what they are doing and what they aim to achieve next Use frequent affirmations about groups and individuals, describing how they concentrate well on various activities and tasks Intervene to suggest further development of an activity when you sense that children are starting to lose focus Make labels for children to collect as they start on their chosen activity Make labels on badges, lengths of wool or clips that children can attach to their clothing to show what activity they have chosen to participate in Give challenges to groups that require sustained concentration for successful completion Group children with those with greater concentration skills working alongside others who find it harder to remain on task Talk about what you are doing as you work alongside children, supporting them as they think about how they might extend the task Use calming background music to create the mood for concentration

Step 4: Talking the language of learning Giving positive feedback The language that the child hears at home and within the setting creates for him a set of beliefs about himself, which will strongly influence how he learns. Children need to hear explicit descriptions about desirable behaviours and about themselves. This sort of clear, positive feedback gives power to positive thinking, which in turn leads to high achievement.

A nursery nurse told the story of Cara, who was the fourth of six children: ‘Cara was four years old, going on forty. Her mum was doing her best to keep the children fed and clothed in very difficult circumstances. I had taught the three older girls, but Cara was not quiet and ‘easy’ like her older siblings – she was a very determined little girl! Her mum simply couldn’t cope with a child who questioned her authority at every turn. When her mother arrived early one day to collect the children, Cara did not want to go. She was busy clearing up after a cookery session and wanted to stay until her biscuits had come out of the oven. Cara’s mum had clearly not thought it important to tell the children that she was going to collect them early, and she lacked the skills to negotiate with Cara about needing to leave. “Bad girls don’t get ice cream on the way home. Only good girls get ice cream,” she said to Cara as she pulled her over to the cloakroom. “I like being a bad girl,” shouted Cara, and she grabbed my hand. “My teacher likes bad girls too – don’t you, Mrs. Simpson?”

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I realized that Cara simply categorized herself as a “bad girl”, whereas her older sisters were “good girls” who deserved ice cream. Cara imagined that I agreed with her mother that she was a bad girl, but that I had no preference for either good or bad children. I realized that we needed to be more explicit about giving positive vocabulary to Cara’s good qualities and attributes. For example, if Cara raised her voice to tell another child to return a snatched toy back to a friend, we would draw more attention to her having a strong sense about fairness than to the fact that she had shouted. We started giving labels to her positive behaviours, and gradually she stopped saying that she was “bad”. It was interesting that her dominant behaviour diminished when she was given positive labels for herself. Her mother also found her behaviour easier and their tempestuous relationship gradually calmed down.’

After a role-play activity Carrie’s teacher encouraged the children to discuss what they had liked about one another’s ‘performance’. ‘I liked it when Zack pulled funny faces when he said the dinner was yummy,’ said Carrie. ‘Why exactly did you like that?’ questioned the teacher. ‘Cos he didn’t really like it,’ replied Carrie. ‘Cos his face said it was dis-gusting!’ chipped in another child. So Zack learned that his clowning act had been a success and that his audience had understood the difference between what he had said and what he had really thought. He learned that this technique worked and was motivated to use it again. His classmates learned something too, and some of them were inspired to try out this technique at a later date.

A reception class teacher talked about how the practitioners at her school work hard to speak only positively about the children in their care: ‘Our school is situated on a very tough estate and a very high proportion of our children have free school meals. It is depressing to feel that we are sometimes expected to achieve the same by the end of Key Stage 1 as other schools in the area. Many of their children come into school already able to read. Some of the children in my class can barely speak in sentences. Yet we try very hard to never speak negatively about our pupils, either inside or outside school. We focus on the positive. Sometimes it is difficult, but that’s where you need a strong team and good support from the management. Our headteacher is always quick to pick out the positive, and she comments on progress made, rather than on scores attained. This makes an impact on the morale of the staff and has a positive knock-on effect on the self-esteem of the children.’

Feedback is as important for the development of social skills as it is for academic achievements. George’s key person had been pleased to observe that on Monday George had walked across to the nursery without grasping her hand. George had instead walked with his friend Dinesh. She had told George how she had noticed and how pleased she was to see that he and Dinesh were

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becoming good friends. When it was time to walk across the playground the following Monday, George came to grasp her hand. His key person took his hand gently and called to Dinesh. ‘Do you remember how you walked across to the nursery with Dinesh on Monday?’ she asked. George nodded. ‘Would you like to do the same today?’ she said, putting George’s hand into Dinesh’s. George happily went across the playground with Dinesh. After revisiting the previous experience, George was helped to repeat his success a week later.

Remaining 100 per cent positive can sometimes be challenging for busy practitioners. The activity below can be a useful tool for auditing the language in your setting and ensuring that when you are under pressure, you don’t fall into the negative trap.

Activity: The four-to-one-rule By following the four-to-one rule, you will ensure that you use four positive comments for every neutral one, and simply avoid using negative comments. This may seem a daunting task, and sometimes it takes practice to keep the language in the setting only positive. Use the chart below to monitor the talk in your setting. Ask a colleague or friend to observe you and note what sort of comments you make to children during the normal course of the session. In the first column, the observer should note the names of the child or children who are involved in the interaction. Then she should tick one box, to show whether the comment was positive, negative or neutral. In the right hand column, she may wish to make a brief note to remind her of the context, or of Part Two anything that she might wish to discuss after the observation.

Ob se rv at io n Ch ild ’s na m e

sh ee t: Th e fo ur -t o- on e ru le Po sit ive

Ne ga tiv e

Ne ut ra l

No te s

For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

Examples of neutral comments:

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● ‘Jamie, I would prefer to see you sit on the mat right now.’ ● ‘Natasha, could you show me how you put the paintbrushes carefully in the pots?’

Supporting independent learning

For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book. For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book. For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book. Examples For of neutral comments full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

• • • • • •

Examples of neutral comments: ‘Jamie, I would prefer tocomments: see you sit on the mat right now.’ Examples of neutral Examples of neutral comments: ● ‘Jamie, I would comments: prefer to see you sit on the mat right now.’ Examples of neutral ‘Natasha, could show me how you you put the paintbrushes carefully ● ‘Jamie, Iyou would prefer to see sit on the mat right now.’in the pots?’ ● ‘Jamie, I would prefer to see you sit the right now.’carefully in the pots?’ ● ‘Natasha, could you show me how youon put themat paintbrushes ‘Jamie, I would prefer see youjust sitone on now.’carefully in the pots?’ ‘Jasmine, do you remember thattowe take snack at aright time?’ ● ‘Natasha, could you show me how you putthe themat paintbrushes ● you show me that how you put the ● ‘Natasha, ‘Jasmine, could do you remember we take justpaintbrushes one snack atcarefully a time?’ in the pots?’ ● remember ‘Natasha, could you show methat how you putthe the paintbrushes the pots?’ ‘Jasmine, do you remember we take just one snack at carefully awe time?’ ‘Andy, that we put our own plates into dishwasher when havein finished ● ‘Jasmine, do you remember that we take just one snack at a time?’ ● ‘Andy, remember that we put our own plates into the dishwasher when we lunch.’ ● ‘Andy, ‘Jasmine, do you remember take justinto one the snack at a time?’ remember that we putthat ourwe own plates dishwasher when we have finished lunch.’ ● ‘Andy, remember that we put our own plates into the dishwasher when we have finished lunch.’ ● can ‘Andy, remember thatupwe put our ownright, plates the dishwasher when we ‘Ella, youfinished hang your coat That’s it into goes on the peg.’ lunch.’ ● have ‘Ella, can you hang yourplease? coat up, please? That’s right, it green goes on the green peg.’ have finished lunch.’ ● ‘Ella, can you hang your coat up, please? That’s right, it goes on the green peg.’ ● can you hang That’s right, it on the green peg.’ ‘This the way we wipe our feet, coat wipe ourplease? feet, our feet; this isgoes the way weis wipe ● is‘Ella, ‘This is the way we your wipe our up, feet, wipewipe our feet, wipe our feet; this the our way ‘Ella, can you hang your coat up, please? That’s right, it goes on the green peg.’ ● ‘This is the way we wipe our feet, wipe our feet, wipe our feet; this is the way feet,●before we in from the rain.’ we wipe ourway feet, before we from the rain.’ ‘This is come the we wipe ourcome feet, in wipe our feet, wipe our feet; this is the way we wipe our feet, before we come in from the rain.’ ● we ‘This is the wipewe ourcome feet,in wipe our wipe our feet; this is the way wipe our way feet,we before from thefeet, rain.’ we wipe our feet, before we come in from the rain.’ Seeing negative qualities as as positives negative qualities positives: Seeing Seeing negative qualities as positives: Seeing negative qualities as positives: Seeing negative qualities as positives:

Stubborn Stubborn Stubborn Stubborn Stubborn



Disobedient Disobedient Disobedient Disobedient Disobedient



Mischievous Mischievous Mischievous Mischievous Mischievous



Dogmatic Dogmatic Dogmatic Dogmatic Dogmatic

The Thinking Child The Thinking Child The Thinking Child Naughty The Child Thinking Naughty

Naughty Naughty Naughty







Unco-operative Unco-operative Unco-operative Unco-operative Unco-operative Dogged Dogged Dogged Dogged Dogged Bossy Bossy Bossy Bossy Bossy

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Persistent Persistent Persistent Persistent Persistent





Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive Assertive



Curious Curious Curious Curious Curious Confident Confident Confident Confident Confident

page page page page









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Enquiring Enquiring Enquiring Enquiring Enquiring

Supporting independent learning Supporting independent learning Resource Book Resource Book Resource Book Resource Book

Questioning Questioning Questioning Questioning Questioning Resilient Resilient Resilient Resilient Resilient A natural leader! A natural leader! A natural leader! A leader! A natural natural leader!

Fo rt y p os it iv e ad je ct iv Fo rt to page usyepw os 7ad je ct es itit e­8ild hivch re n :iv es to Fo rt usyepw itit os hivch e ild Fo rt y ac ad je ct n :iv es p os tiv it to us e w itehiv e adre je ct iv ch ild re to us eac n es ge nt le tiv w e it h ch af fe ct io na te ild re n :: ge nt le ac af fe cttiv e io na ac tiv ar tis t e te

Supporting independent learning Supporting independent learning

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Bossy

A natural leader!

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full-size photocopiable version, For For full-size photocopiable version, see endsee of end book.of book.

Activity: Positive thinking Activity: Positive thinking Using a group-list such as the one below, think of positive adjectives to describe each child. This will Using give you good idea such of theas children get page, less ofthink your positive attention duringtothe a agroup-list the onewho on might the next of positive adjectives day. Alternatively, you might prefer to brainstorm a list and then see how many of the Part Two describe each child. This will give you a good idea of the children whom it isadjectives easy to you praise, can use and in one session with the children. those who might get less of your positive attention during the day. Alternatively, you might prefer to brainstorm a list and then see how many of the adjectives you can use in one session with the children. Po sit ive th ink ing Ch ild’s na me

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Po sit ive ad jec tive 1

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Po sit ive ad jec tive 2

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For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

Activities using positive adjectives: UTIO

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The Thinking Child These activities should be used with discretion – some younger children find adjectives confusing!

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Supporting independent learning

Activities using positive adjectives

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At circle time, give each child in turn a card with an adjective printed on it. Read the word and discuss its meaning, then ask the child to give it to somebody who matches the description.

•

At the end of the day, give children stickers with the adjectives written on them, to match an achievement or activity done during the day. Ask them to explain to their parents why they received that sticker.

• •

Before a task begins, discuss one or two attributes that might be useful and write the adjectives up on the board or a poster. Create fun hats with positive descriptions pinned on them, such as ‘thoughtful friend’, ‘good listener’ or ‘careful worker’. When a child is particularly successful, give him the hat to wear for the rest of the session.

• • •

Create a positive adjective board. Pin up a selection of adjectives, then put up photographs of children as they display those attributes in everyday activities. Say, ‘I’m thinking of someone who is kind/friendly/funny’, then get the children to guess who you are thinking about. Make a selection of character cards showing key attributes such as ‘Careful Cat’, ‘Gentle Giraffe’, ‘Helpful Hamster’, ‘Strong Snake’, ‘Musical Monkey’, ‘Mathematical Mouse’, or ‘Scientific Shark’, and ask the children which characters they need to help them with the work they have planned.

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Changing negative comments to positive comments Making positive statements or asking positive questions encourages children to learn good behaviour.

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Useful phrases for giving verbal feedback to young children

• • • • • • • • • • • •

It’s interesting that...... I like the way that you...... I noticed that the...... I see that this part is...... The way that you...... When you......I saw that the other children...... How careful you were being when you...... You were really thinking when you...... You made Kerry feel so much better when you...... Paleb felt so good when you said...... I was looking round the garden when I saw you helping...... Thank you, you stopped to think before you......

Useful phrases to open productive dialogue

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Can you tell me how you...... What do you think would happen if you...... Who might be able to help you to...... If you did this part a little differently what might...... Next time you do this activity what will you...... How many ways could you...... How would you tell your friend to do this...... What do you know now that you didn’t know before...... What did you do first/next/after that? What did you use for...... Who was helping you...... Which part was the best...... Which part did you enjoy doing most? How did you work out the way to...... When/how did you learn to...... Why did you do it like that? Which bit are you really pleased with? Show me how you......

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Pole-bridging

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‘Language is the most important cognitive skill because it is the child’s first symbol system, which is then used to learn other symbol systems such as math. 

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Ronald Kutolak34

Pole-bridging is when you talk about what you are doing, while you are engaged in an activity. Toddlers do this quite naturally as they acquire the language to describe their actions. As children get older they often become more self conscious about talking aloud, yet pole-bridging can be one of the most effective ways of making learning concrete. Adding language to an activity helps children to process their thoughts, link concepts, challenge their thinking, and commit the learning to memory.

George’s key person noticed him working busily in the book corner, sorting the books into categories. She sat down nearby and listened to him before joining in sorting the books. ‘Hungry Caterpillar, now, he’s hungry – very, very greedy, he comes out an egg. Like ducks. Quack quack, ducks, they come out of an egg too!’ (George puts the book Five Little Ducks next to The Hungry Caterpillar) ‘Oh, here’s the brown bear book – yellow duck, yellow duck, what do you see?’ (George puts Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See? next to The Five Little Ducks, which is now next to The Hungry Caterpillar. He then starts to look for other books about ducks.) George’s key person started to look for other books about ducks and eggs. ‘Oh, here’s The Very Quiet Cricket,’ she said. ‘He comes out of an egg too.’ George took the book from her and put it next to The Hungry Caterpillar. She then sorted books quietly, allowing George to continue his task, handing him other books that seemed relevant to his search. They worked companionably, both pole-bridging, until George was satisfied with his reorganization of the books.

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To help children to

learn through pole -bridging Model the process your self whenever you demo nstrate how to do a ta sk. Encourage all the adult s working in your setti ng to pole-bridge as they undertake everyday ta sks.

• • • • • • • • •

Practise pole-bridging

during circle time. In plenary sessions, dr aw attention to childre n who pole-bridged du previous activity. Ask ring the how it helped their lea rning. Draw attention to the specific language need ed for an activity when the Big Picture. giving

Prompt children to po

le-bridge when you mo

ve around the room. Settle alongside child ren as they play, makin g pole-bridging a two-w communication as yo ay u work together on a practical activity. Sit down to participat e in an activity yourse lf – do a drawing, make model, or roll out the a clay, pole-bridging as you do so. Sit down and talk child ren through the activ ity, such as, ‘Kyle, I ca how hard you are work n see ing to thread that bead . That’s it, push the en the string through th d of e hole. Now which on e next? A green one? slipped! Pick it up again Oh dear it’s , that’s right. Now tu rn it round and find th e hole.’

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Part Three

Developing brainbased techniques

Step 1: Teaching children to mind map Mind mapping is one of the most powerful tools that can be used to enrich children’s learning. Young children find mapping very easy. A mind map is like a spider diagram or a flow chart, with the keyword – the topic – of the map written in the middle, supported by a symbol or picture. The map then develops from the centre outwards, with keywords or pictures joined by lines or arrows to show the connections. It can be built and rebuilt as often as children wish, as they talk through their ideas and the connections that they have made between concepts.

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A practitioner on a brain-based learning training course told of her daughter’s ability to map at the age of 13 months: While I was pregnant I often listened to classical music. My daughter Chloe seemed to recognize my favourite pieces of music from birth. One day we had been outside in the garden and Chloe and I had been admiring the pretty flowers. Later that afternoon I put on one of my favourite pieces. Chloe stopped what she was doing and listened intently, moving her hands to the music. ‘Isn’t it pretty?’ I commented. ‘F-f- f-ower,’ she said, in a hushed voice, moving her hands delicately in the air in the way that she had touched the flowers in the garden. After that, classical music became known as ‘flower music’ in our household. At just 13 months old, Chloe had linked the concept of ‘pretty’ from the pretty flowers in the garden to the pleasing music that her mother played in the house. She had learned to categorize the music that she heard around her, as only classical music earned the title ‘flower music’. Her ability to map and make links between concepts was already strongly in place.

Carrie watched a television documentary with her mother about the plight of the elephant and how the species is threatened. At school the next day, Carrie went straight to the technology area. She worked with concentration for almost half an hour, talking to herself as she worked. She carefully stuck together two cardboard tubes, some lolly sticks and a cereal box. She also made a small, highly decorated box, using carefully chosen items from the selection on the shelves. Carrie was making maximum gain from this activity because she was adding language to the experience. Her teacher encouraged her first to pole-bridge, then later to describe her activity to others. At the plenary session, Carrie explained her work to the group. ‘It’s a submarine for rescuing elephants,’ she explained, holding up her model. ‘It can travel through the ocean at the speed of light. It has propellers here that spin really fast. They also work to light the way for the sailors. It can change into a land cruiser, but only when it is dark. It’s on a secret mission to save the elephants from the bad men who want to kill them. I can’t remember…’ ‘Poachers?’ suggested her teacher. ‘Yes – poachers!’ continued Carrie, ‘so the submarine takes the elephants down to a world at the bottom of the sea where they can be safe until after all the, um, the poachers have gone home. Then the wise men will teach the poachers that they must leave the elephants alone. Their wives will show them how to make beautiful jewellery, which they can sell.’ Carrie held up her highly decorated box. ‘See? This is the jewellery that the poachers will make from seashells. Then the submarine can take the elephants back to their land where they are safe because the poachers won’t shoot them any more.’

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th lls. Then seashethey ers will make from where the poachers won’t the poach are safe because nts back to their land elepha the take can rine subma the won’t Then ers lls. poach seashe se from becau make safe will are ers they poach where the landseashells. Then the submarinethe the theirfrom take to can back nts elepha make the will take ers can more.’ poach any rine the them subma the shoot won’t Then ers se the poach won’t make willto they are safe becau poach where lls. the land seashe their from back ntsers elepha ers any sesethe them becau shootnts safe are they where land their totomore.’ back poachers won’t thepoach elepha becau safe are they where land their nts back elepha Developing brain-based techniques any more.’ shoot them onto ideas any learning, her teacher later helped her to put her them her shoot upon To build onto more.’ anymore.’ ideas her them put to shoot her helped later r teache her ng, er. learni her togeth upon map build the mind for her as they builther teacher scribedteache onto aTomind map. The ideas her put to er. helped togeth later r map mind her the ng, built learni they her as her upon for d build To onto scribe r consol ideas been teache her had The totoput that map. her her ctions mind demon a build helped conne n of r rlater patter teache the her ng, idated onto learni ideas and d her upon put strate To her er. helped Carrie togeth later map her teache the mind ng, been learni they built her teache hader. aspatter uponThe for her didated builddemon ctions To conne r scribe n the map. mind a consol togeth d and ’ser. map strate mind Carrie n.that the built rizatio Carrie they catego as ofof her and gthey ddfor sortin scribe of rused skills teache togeth The map and map. mind mind, mind the aamade her in built been had as that her for ctions scribe conne r of n teache ’s patter The Carrie the n. able idated rizatio mind consol catego To build upon her learning, her teacher later helped her to put her ideas onto a mind map. ofher d and and gy, strate demon of sortin skills Carrie had used and that tobeen mind, ctions her conne inmap. r was nnof made teache patter and idated activit consol h the the and been dd had throug that nged demon ctions challe Carrie conne wasstrate of ng ’s thinki patter Carrie the n. idated rizatio consol catego and of and to g strate able sortin demon of was r skills Carrie teache used The teacher scribed for her as they built the mind map together. Carrie demonstrated her and y, and mind, activit her in the h of made ’s throug to and Carrie nged n. map challe the rizatio was used ng catego of later thinki and She g map. sortin the built skills they used as ’s and ng Carrie mind, standi n. her under in rizatio ’s made catego Carrie of and assess to g able sortin of was r skills teache used her and and map y, the activit her used in h the later made She throug consolidated the pattern of connections thaty,had been made in her mind, and usedto map. nged the challe built wasmind, ng they thinki nghas toto rskills of standi able furthe was under rCarrie ’s onto teache Carrie her assess and lead to activit helped the she ng throug mappi nged using challe able By was was ies. r ng activit teache thinki her future tor and and plan map y, the activit used the h later She throug map. nged furthe the challe onto built was ng they Carrie as thinki ng lead to sorting and of categorization. Carrie’s thinking was challenged through the activity, standi helped ’s under ng she Carrie mappi toto assess By using the ies. used activit later She map. plan future the they ng standi map themap ’s usedonto Carrie later assess She ng. r used map.as learni the furthe built theybuilt Carrie asmappi ngas lead to standi helped under ’sunder ng she Carrie assess using her teacher was able to assess Carrie’s understanding they built the map. She By ies. activit future rlater plan furthe onto Carrie ng. activities. By using mapping she helped totolead learni r furthe onto Carrie future lead plan helped she ng using mappi ies. By plan thefuture map plan future activities. By using mapping she helped to lead Carrie onto further ng. toactivit learni ng. learni ng. learni learning.

Five main applicat ions of mind mappi Five main applicatio ng Five main applications of mind mapping: ns of mind mapping : Five m n applicatio ns of mind mapping FiFive maiai pl ica : tio ve mainnap applications nsofofmmininddmmap appiping ng: : se AsAs ss sessinging rre curr knled nten owledan kntow ged an Assessincu unddeun tagnding g curren rstde anrs din t knowge Assessing current kn ledge and understanding owledge and unders As tanding Assesessssininggcu led currrren ent tkn know ow ledge gean anddun unde dersrstatand ndiningg Shar ing ideas and fos tering group-work ShSh arginide arin g id asea ansdan fosdter fos te grou in g p-w grou orpk work Shar ing ideas and fos g rin te rin Sh g ar gr in ou g pid work s an d Shar ing idea fos te rin eas and fosteringggr grou oup-p-wo work rk Making connections be tw een concep Making connections between concepts Mak inginco ts nn ec Mak tio ns be g nnectionstw eetw n ee con ncco epnc ts epts be MMaking coco ec tio ns aking conn be tw ee n nnections betweencoconcepts ncepts Revisiting previous Revisiting previous learning learning Re vis iting pr Re ev iou vis s iti lea ng rn pr Re evev vis ious lea rnin g ing Re visiti iting ngpr previou ious slea learn rniningg Challenging thinking Challenging thinking and extending learning. and extending learn ing. Challenging thinking an Ch alallenging thinking an d extending learning. Ch Ch all enlen d gingin ex g th te g in nd thkin inki g an ngdan exdten exdin tend g in ingrn lea glea lea inrn grnining.g.

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The following case studies are examples of how mind mapping can be used for five specific purposes. Assessing current knowledge and understanding A pre-school group is going to begin a topic on mini-beasts next term. In order to inform their planning, each key person spends some time drawing up a mind map about mini-beasts with their group of children. They find that there is a gap between the understanding and knowledge of the older children and those who recently joined the pre-school. In fact, some of the older children are so knowledgeable that their key person joked with them and started calling them ‘David Attenborough’! The practitioners then planned their topic with this disparity in mind, with some more challenging activities primarily designed for the older children.

Sharing ideas and fostering group work A reception teacher works with a group of children to review their experiences of a fair that visited the green opposite the school last night. The teacher uses a ‘fishbone’ mapping format to help the children use all their senses to remember the sensation of being at the fair. Together, they think about what they heard, what they saw, what they touched, tasted, smelled, and most importantly, how they felt. The teacher helps them to record the experience on the big fishbone map using thick felt pens to make pictures and words. When they have finished the map, it is displayed on a low level board where all the children can see it as they go off to paint, draw and make models of the fair. Some of the children begin to make a big model fairground in the technology area, whilst others make little books in the writing area. In the garden groups of children use the large apparatus to recreate rides and games. For the rest of the week, the children continue to work on the map, adding words and pictures as they share ideas in their groups. Mind mapping has enabled these children to revisit all the sensations of the fair in a safe situation. The activity has enabled them to share experiences, reinforce vocabulary and share their feelings – all preparation for reliving those experiences in the variety of play activities available.

A ‘fish bone’ mind map.

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Making connections between concepts Carmen is two and a half, and she is fascinated by matching and naming similar objects. She rushes into her childminder’s kitchen clutching a model elephant, which she has brought from home. She goes to a drawer and begins to rummage around among the tea towels, saying ‘Elephant, elephant’. She gets more and more frustrated as she looks. Carol, her childminder, asks, ‘What on earth are you looking for?’ ‘Elephant, elephant,’ says Carmen, getting more and more frantic. At last Carol realizes what Carmen is looking for. The day before, they had been shopping and Carol had bought a new tea towel with a border of elephants! At home, Carmen’s memory had been triggered when she played with her zoo animals, and she had even remembered to bring her elephant to Carol’s house the next day. Carol found the tea towel, which Carmen carefully spread out on the table saying ‘Elephant, elephant, elephant,’ as she walked her elephant along the border, delighted to match and reinforce the two images. Later Carol found a cuddly elephant and they played feeding it a banana. Before Carmen went home, they read The Elephant and the Bad Baby together, and Carmen borrowed the book and the tea towel to take home to show her mum and dad.

Revisiting previous learning Fintan is in reception class. In the autumn term the class spent some time learning about harvest and why farmers often use scarecrows to protect their crops. Now it is spring, and the teacher plans to do some work on growth and plants. She wants to help the children to recall what they learned previously. She starts to build a mind map with them, with the central topic being ‘plants’. After a few minutes, Fintan puts up his hand and says, ‘The farmer makes a scarecrow.’ ‘Yes!’ says his friend Bruce, ‘because it can scare the crows away!’ The children start talking about scarecrows and harvest, and gradually, between them, the learning that they did last year is recalled. By the end of the session, the teacher is satisfied that all the children now remember most of what was covered last year. The mind map is quite detailed and can be displayed alongside the old ones from the autumn, and added to as the project work progresses.

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Challenging thinking and extending learning A group of five-year-olds are preparing for a visit to the park. They go the park in all seasons and weathers, sometimes to play and run and shout, sometimes for a particular purpose. Tomorrow, they are going to look for signs of spring. After a discussion with the teaching assistant, they begin a map, working as a group on a large sheet of paper. Their map is a representation of where they might look for evidence of spring. They draw the familiar features of the park – the paths, swings, pond, steps, buildings and other places. As they draw, they mark the places where they will look for evidence. They talk about plants growing, leaves coming out, birds and other creatures they have talked about and begin to plan a route round the park, so that they don’t miss anything. They make a pictorial list in one corner of the map of things they might find at the park, and in another corner, a list of things they need to take. The classroom assistant supports the children as they work. She also observes and assesses their knowledge and understanding of the topic under discussion, their expanding vocabulary and their emerging scientific methods. During the day children come back to add details to the map, and collect the things they need to take with them. The classroom assistant asks questions that challenge the way that the children are thinking. ‘Oh, might we find new plants there?’ she asks, then ponders aloud, ‘I wonder if they will grow in the playground? What’s the playground made of, can anyone remember?’ The children reconsider their idea that daffodils may be growing in the tarmac. ‘But there might be some in the pots,’ says one of the boys, drawing in the flower containers on the map. At home time, children bring their parents in to show them the map and tell them about their plans. When the children go to the park the following day, the map stays at school, but they remember exactly what they are looking for. They look, photograph, draw and collect their evidence, which they add to the map when they return to school. Further discussions follow the visit as the children review the visit, extending their thinking by shared experience and discussion, and using the growing map as a support to their learning.

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Part Three Part Three PartThree Part Three Part Three Developing brain-based techniques

Part Three Part Three Part Three Part Three Part Three

Good reasons to map in the early years: Go odre re Go Go s to od od map re as asas on onon in sss to to m erly map Go eaye ap od in rl in th re theeth as ea on ea rly to m yey ar ap arye s: s:ars Good reasons to map in the early ye ar s: in the early years: Good reasons to map in the early years: Good reasons to  Yo ungin g ch ch Yo ild un re m ap ar thild e re nrly ean areye l lma e na na turara artu Good reasons toYo s: mpp aper ppap pes – inpi rs ma g ng utilizes their –m m ap Yo un un in g g Go th ch ch e ild od ild ea ut re re rly re ili n as n ze ar ye on ar s e na Yo ar s th e na tu to un s: na eir tu ra m g tu ra lch na in Good reasons to map ra l tel tu ild m l in m ra ap lig re th ap l en pe n e in pe ar ce rs ea te rs . e lli rly – na – m ge ye m tu ap nc ap ra ar pi e. ap pi l s: m ng in ap th pe ut e rs utili Yo – mapping ilize rly un ze g sssch ye th th eir ild ng eir s:te na reea tu nna tuera ar ut ra llar ili l in na ze in tu te th ralli lli ge eir l ge nc m nc na ap e. e. tu pe ra rs – in m te ap lli pi gence. ng Yo un g ng utap ilipi ild ze rebe schth n M eir na naar tute tu ra ca lm l as n in usera lli ed rs geap ncpe – m e. Yo an ap un pi ac g ng cu ch ra ild te re ut as n ili se ar M ze ss M e ap ment na ap thca pi tu pisng eir ng ra l ge ca to m nn na tu ol. ap be ra be pe l in us rs us M ed te ap ed Yo –asm  lli as pi un as M ap an ap gsng nc an pi pin ac ca e. ng ac ild cu gch cu be ra ra nnre nus te us ut te be ar as ili eed se ze as na se ed ss tu ss an m as thca Yo m ra en eir an ac en l un cu m ac na g ap ra cu ch tu to pe te ra to ild ol. ra M rs te as ol. l ap re in as se – n pi se te m ss ar ng ssm lli ap m e ge en Yo ca pi na en nc ngtttl. n unze tu t e. be too g sch ra to us l ol. m ut ild ed ap ili re as pe n an rs ar th e – ac eir na m cu ap tu na ra pi ra tu te ng l ra as m l ap se in ss pe te ut m rs lli ili en M ge – ze ap nc m s pi ap th e. ng tout pingt ol. caeir na n be tu ra llas ilize in ed te s th lli an eir nc acge e. naus cu tu ra ra te as in se M te ss A lli ap m m ge pi ent in nc ng d e. ca m apnca tool. ben us beed com ase an a reac cocu rdraof  tewh A M mi as ap se nd at ss pi A ma ng m th A m p en e m in ca ca chtild in d n n d m be be m to ap co kn us ap ol. me ca ed ow ca nnnrsbe spidan as AM be an coco m ap co m rd in un ac m eeeaare ofra cu ng de wh mdap a re ca re atasat te taco n cocu rd ca nd th be rd of s. seeth ch us ofte be ss wh ild ed co Mm wh m m ap en kn as at pi t ows and a an th e ng re e to ac co ca child ol. rd n ra be kn of kn A us ow wh as ow ed s se inrst sdan un as ss an th de m mddd emch an en ap ch un accurate asat de ttild ild an ca de dsun nrs rs ta kn to . be ta nd ol. ow nd co s. s m s. se an e ss a re un en co de rd rs of what the child tands. to ol. A m insdan kn mdapun ow cade n rs beta cond ms. e a record of what th A m in d mdap knap owpi be s ng an co M ms.e a record of what e child un denrs caap ta n ca nd be us A ed m in d e child m anco ca nird kn n ta ngoftool anth bend ow coas s ng m an ea aplre M A d M ap un m ap in pi de pi ddg rs  ng m ca ap M ca m nnnbe ap what dthae child ca be s. pin ho bein n us be dsng us M ca ed for Aet co ap ed n m m as sh pi in as e a ar a us a pl re m ed ca kn pl an co ap g an as ow ni pl rd be ca ni a an ng of pla n ng us an s wh ed d undersbe ol th in oldat as an ms.eawi g an th d too aplnn eng d aea lto ch re cla taco an an co nd ild ss ni rd a th or m kn ofto m et M gr to etow ho wh ap ol ou ho ssd od at pid an p. dan for ng th dme ddsh for un eath ca ch ar nsh de ar ildfor in be rs in ggged ta m us kn pl et nd pl an ow ho ans. sssawi as sh an for ar wi th in pl th sh un g an th ar pla th e de ni in e cla ns ng rs cla ta ss wi pl to ss nd an th or ol s. or th an gr wi e gr ou d cla th ou a p. M ss p. th or e ping cla gr map ou ss etho ca p. or group. d for n usged shbe ar in plas plan ansa wi Min th ni tool thng dpim e cla ap apho s sh ss an cabe ng or dgraoup. n be ca n m re et vis us ite d ed for d as to a ad ar pl d in an ne g plans with th ning M nn tow M in M olco dd ap dpi an m mng ap d ap aoutio e cla an sts. ca ca din nar nnn ss co bein be m be nc or M us et epsca in grec re ho vis ed vis d ite as m p.ns for ite ap M dddpl a ap to sh sca to ca pi an ad ng ad niedddng be gre ne ne pl re w n to an w vis be co ol s co nn ite an us wi nn ec ed d Min th ec tio to a ap as th tio ad pi ns a  ng an cla pl M an ne m M d an ss in et ddco wolco nnnbe d ni or ho com nc ma ng nc dap gr nn ep ps us for ep to ou ts. ca ts. sca p.ns sh ca an as ns ar be ddec in an be reg aatio pl vis d reed an pl co ite vis an ni nc dsadto m ite ng ep wi et ts. to ad ho th to ol d d th ad ne an for e d w cla sh ne co ar ss nn w in co ec or g nn tio m gr pl ns ecou etho M tiop. an s dap nsd for mnc an th the class or gr sh d s ts. ca nar ep g vis beinre plan an coin ncdco wi itesdwi ou ep p. ts. tothad th cla dene wss Th or M co gr in nn pr ou oc ec p. m es tio ap s ns s of ca an m n de dco ap be pi nc revis ng ite epts. fosdteto rs ad grdoune pw leaco M Th rn inpr Th d nc inec nn m g tio pr ap anns oc ocep s.of es d essts. ca co nmap -op an of m be dein er reng at Th appi visfos ion pi ee co ite M ng pr d oc fos d to te es m te rs s ad ap rs of gr d pne grou m ca ap ou w n pi p lea co be ng lea nn rn re M rn fos ec in vis in in tio g te d ite g an rs m an d ap dddns gr an to s co ou d ca ad co -op Th p co -op n ap dd nelea nc er e pr bepi eroc at ep rnnn w reng ates ion inec visfos ion g an ..of s ts. itete . m d rs tio to gr co ns -op adou an er nelea dd co at w co ion nc co ep nn ts. ec tio p  Th an rn e pr in co oc Th g andns nc es ep e pr s ts. co-op oc ma es pppi s er in of at g m ion fos ap ter . ng s gr fos ou p te lea rs M rnin group lea ap ng heslp Th-op rnginan e pi s chap pr g dand oc ildpireng es co n to er at co ion -op tou ..of m fosco er copnc at tenn ion rs ec ep M gr ts M ap ap th pi Th pi ng lea ng e he rn pr he ot lp in oc he lp s gat es s ch rw and s ch ild ise of M ild re apepi m co wo reng nn ap -op n to ng pi er to co he at be co nn Th ion fos nn lea ec sdch te . ul ec tttou rn pr rs co ild ed oc conc gr es re nc in ep sslp epts pnc iso of to ts lea th la m co th at tio ap rn nn at Th pi in n. ec ng g e ot and pr ot co he fos M he oc rw ap te es co rw ep pi ise rs -op ts ise ng of gr wo thgatan er oup learnin wo m athe aplea lpul ion s ddd pi be ch .ul ot be ild fos lea rw reng te rn nrn ed ise rs edcoin to dd wo in cohe iso ul nn -op iso pn. la ecgr er lea laou be tio tla at tio co rn lea ion nc n. in rn ep . g ed ts an in th M at iso ap -op pi tio er ng otco athe herwise n. ion lpul .s d chbe wo ildlea re n to co nn rn ec ed t in co nc isolatio  M Mhe ap aprw pi pin n.epts that ng g he lps lpuls d ot ch chbe ild ildre ise rennrn wo toto coco nn nn ec M ec t co lea ap t co nc pipi M ep nc ed ng ap ts ts ep in is that iso a ng thoth sk la he at erwise ill tio lp th n. s ot at ch he ild wi rw ll be rern ise n ed M to nefit wo ap co uled pi nn d ch wo ng ec be ild uld he t lea re M co lp be M ap ntsfor nc s ap lea pi ep ch pi ng ild rn life. ng in M that re is ap iso is n in a pi a to la sk iso ng sk tio ill co lat otap ill he nn n. M th hepi ion lp th ec at rw s . at t wi ch ise co ng wi ild ll nc wo ll is be re ep be uld a sk ne ts ne fit th fitla illbe co at ch thlea nn ch ild at nwi ild ec rnto re ot t ed re n he co n ll for in rw nc for be ep iso ise ne life. ts fit wo e. tio th ul ch M at n. d ap ild be pi ren for lif otherw ngise is wo rn ed a sk lif e. in iso thlea ulill la d be at wi tio n. lea be rnll ne ed fit in ch iso ild la re tio n n. for M ap lif ping e. ng is is an a skac Mappi illtiv th ll sbeth neatfit children for lif e at prwi oces M ap pi  ng Map ap is ca e. pin a n sk g sti ill M m a M ul th sk ap at pi at ill pi ng e th ng all ll is th be wiwi an ll ne ac se be fit activ ns neth M tivat ch esis eee pr fitat Meap .isan ild ap chca pi pr oc ng ild pi oc es ng es is for nre an for th a sk at ac lif tiv ca e.eelif nnnre ill sti th pr sti m at oc mnul es wi ul M at at llsssbe ap th al pi at ale. lll ne ng th ca fit th e is M e se ap ch a sti se ns sk ild pi ns m es ng ill re ul es . n at th M is . for e at ap an al wi lif acill the sepi ll e. tivth be e pr ne nsng fit oc es.is a sk es ch s ild th at re at n wi ca for ll n be lif sti ne m fit childreul M e al pins le. nges thap n at e se for is. an active process lif e. Meapse pins ngesis. an active proces that can stimulat e all th M ap pipi ng M isisfuan ap n! active proc s that can stimulat e all ng th  eap M se ap ns pin es M g . es ap is an pi thca ng acac M atn can stimulat e all M tive pr ap is pi an pi ng ng oces is is ses Map thssat fu n! ap n! ping nges M th is.fu stimu th e pi an at se ns lateulall activ ca is tivee pr fu n! proc the lsenses. oc es s th at th can e n sti se stim ns es mulat Mth . ap atee al ng all is e pi fu senses. n! Mapping is fun! Mapping is fun! Map appin ping M fu g isisfufu M n!n! Map appi ping ng is is fun! n!

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Part Three

Step 2: Adventures in play Balance in play page 112

One of the practitioner’s principal challenges is providing the right environment for a balance of play activities. Providing opportunities for good quality play enables children to develop physically, cognitively, emotionally, and socially. There needs to be a balance between childinitiated and adult directed play; between indoor and outdoor play; and between the types of play activities. The practitioner’s role is to observe, interact, and provide for the development and enrichment of play activities. Sensitive intervention is an art, not a science. Successful intervention depends upon careful observation and knowledge of the individuals and groups within a setting.

A nursery nurse described an experience that reinforced for her the importance of allowing children time and space to organize their own learning. She asked some children to help her take down a travel agent display that had a role-play element. She left the area briefly to put away some fabric and books. When she returned, the children were sitting on a row of chairs, gazing at the blank wall. ‘What are you doing?’ she asked. They told her, ‘We’re at the cinema, watching Jungle Book. You can come if you like. Get a ticket, it’s 10p.’ The cinema was such a success that it remained the focus for role-play for several days, with different ‘films’ on each day, tickets, ice cream, popcorn and ushers with torches to show the customers to their numbered places. The children’s experience was considerably richer than it would have been if she had ignored their ideas and simply organized her display.

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In the nursery a group of children were busy playing with the toy cars on the mat. Carrie was working nearby, building a large construction from the Duplo® and was trying to decide what to do with it. ‘What is it?’ asked one of the children from the mat. ‘A petrol station,’ replied Carrie, and the children helped her to lift it down onto the mat. A game then ensued using the cars and the petrol station, and the Duplo® box was lifted down so that the children could extend the game. At that moment, the student who was organizing the art activity came over. ‘Who hasn’t done their bubble painting yet?’ she asked. ‘Me,’ replied three of the six children. They went off with her to put aprons on. The game on the mat fizzled out, and Carrie and the other two children wandered off to play elsewhere. A well-intentioned but ill-timed interruption had put an end to independent play.

Some reasons for the provision for high quality play The main reason for play is that, for a young child, it is work. Play is a child’s method of learning about his world and processing events in his life. The following case studies are examples of how everyday play situations help children to develop physically, intellectually, socially and emotionally.

Play helps children to learn to manage their emotions This morning 20-month-old Susie is lining up her teddy bears to feed them. First she offers a plastic apple, ‘Yum yum’, then a drink of water, ‘Tup tup tup’. Next she offers a pretend bowl of porridge, ‘No, no, no, me don’t like!’ squeals the first teddy. The imaginary porridge ends up on the floor. Susie is working through a scene from breakfast time, when she had decided that she would prefer a banana to porridge. Mummy didn’t have any bananas. Susie had cried and thrust the porridge at her mother. She is still cross, and this game is helping her to process her feelings and make sense of what had happened. ‘B’na-na later,’ she tells teddy. Susie’s mother is paying attention and realizes that Susie is working through the episode from that morning. ‘I know you were upset that I don’t have any bananas,’ she says, ‘shall we go to the shops as soon as you’re dressed to buy some for lunch?’ Susie beams a smile at her mother. ‘B’na-na later,’ she says. ‘Yes,’ laughs her mother, ‘we’ll have banana later.’ She validates Susie’s feelings and reassures her that it is acceptable to feel anger, but that it is good to find a way to work through that anger and find a solution to the problem.

Play helps children to develop independence TJ’s favourite game at the moment is to run away whenever his mother wants him to get dressed. Although sometimes his mother gets very frustrated by this, TJ’s play is serving a particular purpose in his development. He is playing out being in charge – being the adult. He is exploring how it feels to be in control. When his mum finally persuades him to get dressed, he insists on doing everything himself, thus practising the activities that he sees adults doing and learning to become independent within the security of his mother’s presence. The Thinking Child

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Play helps children to practise new skills

George often acts out various situations after the event. After an incident at pre-school where he was asked by his key person to share the crayons with the other children in his group, he played a game where he shared out his books in piles for himself, his mum and his dad, making sure that the piles were the same height and that everybody was happy. As he did this, he was processing the earlier experience in the most natural way – through practical play activity that allowed him to experiment with the emotional impact that today’s incident had upon him. ‘Thank you, George, for making sure that we all had the same amount of books,’ said his dad. This reinforced for George the concept that sharing is good and that it brings pleasant consequences.

Play helps children to make sense of past experiences

One of Kishan’s favourite games is playing ‘school’. In the evening, he often lines up his soft toys and involves them in complicated rituals, which are his versions of what he sees adults doing during the day. He acts out snack time, praising ‘good sitting’ and ‘good sharing’. He tells stories, holding up the book so the toys can share the pictures. He leads them in singing his versions of favourite songs. This play activity enables Kishan to revisit his day, making sense and order of what he has experienced.

Play helps children to practise behaviours

One of Carrie’s favourite activities is domestic play. She will set up house in the garden at home or school, selecting a few friends to join her, using leaves for plates and flowers or stones as food. She organizes her friends, playing parent roles with extremely accurate language, tone and action. Her friends love playing with her because she is a natural mimic, and they often end up in heaps of giggles at the things she says! This type of play enables Carrie to ‘try on’ all the behaviours she sees at home and school – to be other people, feel what they feel, try on voices, words, movement and relationships in the same way as she might try on her mother’s shoes or talk on the phone like her childminder. This is the way children make sense of the world, by playing it out over and over again with infinite variations, until they can fit it into their understanding.

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Tina Bruce’s definiti

on of the twelve im portant features of play 1. In their play, child ren use the first hand experiences that they have in life. 2. Children make up rules as they play, and so keep control of their play. 3. Children make pla y props. 4. Children choose to play. They cannot be made to play. 5. Children rehearse the future in their roleplay. 6. Children pretend when they play. 7. Children play alone sometimes. 8. Children and adult s play together, in para llel, associatively, or co in pairs or groups. operatively 9. Each player has a perso

nal agenda, although

they may not be awar e of this. 10. Children playing will be deeply involve d and difficult to distra deep learning. Childre ct from their n at play wallow in th eir learning. 11. Children try out their most recent learn ing, skills and compete they play. They seem ncies when to celebrate what they know. 12. Children at play co-ordinate their ideas , feelings and make se relationships with their nse of their family, friends and cu lture. When play is co ordinated, it flows alo ng in a sustained way. It is called ‘free-flow pla 35 y’.

Following careful observation of children’s play, skilful intervention can enrich and extend the activity. Twelve ways that an adult can intervene with good effect in play activities

1. By joining the domestic play saying, ‘I’m going to make myself some toast. Anyone else want some?’ In this way the practitioner can demonstrate new activities that will enrich play, without directing it. 2. By taking the role of a waiter in a café setting, with an imaginary pad and pen, saying, ‘How can I help you madam? Would you like to see the menu? Would you like juice or tea?’ 3. By asking a group of children outside, ‘Can you think of a way to play football together, so that you don’t get in each other’s way?’

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Remember – always stop and look at what is going on before you intervene. You should always enter children’s play sensitively, aware of what has already happened – don’t assume that you know!

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4. By asking a group of children playing with the bricks, while another child hovers at the edge of the group. ‘Can Jason bring his digger into your building site? I think he needs to deliver some more sand.’ 5. By sitting by children in the sand and asking, ‘What do you think will happen if you throw the sand?’ or, ‘How do you think Travis feels when you keep taking all the sand?’ 6. By offering a basket of pens, small cards and playground chalk to children involved in small world zoo play, to spark interest in mark making. 7. By putting on sunglasses on a sunny day and lying down on a beach towel with a book, and then when the children show interest, asking, ‘Do you want to come and relax with me?’ 8. By leaving surprises – such as putting ice blocks in the water tray, sequins in the sand or dried pasta in the saucepans in the home corner. 9. By offering a simple resource during play – such as some hose pipe and guttering for children experimenting with waterways. 10. By offering support without taking over, such as by asking, ‘Would you like me to hold that while you cut it?’ or, ‘Shall I fetch you some sticky tape?’ 11. By asking children if you may join their play, suggesting they should tell you what your role is and how you can fit in. 12. By giving children time and space for their games, even though this may mean reorganizing your own intentions to accommodate their interests.

Ice blocks in the water tray add an element of surprise.

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Often practitioners have to work in less than ideal conditions. The following list gives suggestions for those who have to share their accommodation with other groups. Ten ways to maximize play opportunities in shared accommodation 1. Let the children help to set out the apparatus, following their suggestions about what should go out and where. 2. Put the equipment out in a different way and in different places. 3. Combine equipment in unusual ways, such as putting zoo animals in the water tray, gloop with cups and saucers, or lengths of ribbon or string with the bricks. 4. Use old cardboard cartons and boxes, the bigger the better! Just leave them for the children to play with and respond if they ask you to help with joining, cutting, painting, sticking or fixing. 5. Cut big boxes such as washing machine cartons to make houses, screens, or shops. 6. Use builder’s trays or grow bag trays for sand, small world play or dough. In this way you can provide for children who want to play independently. 7. Scarves, net curtains, fabric pieces and hats make dressing up more fun – provide some clothes pegs so children can fasten pieces independently to their own clothing. 8. Put a pop-up tent indoors for a quick role-play area. 9. Use washing up bowls for water, sand, gloop, or dry pasta. 10. Offer a basket with some puppets, a tea-set and blanket, or a purse and money. Stand back and watch what happens.

Taking indoor activities outside.

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Maintaining a balance between indoor and outdoor activity can be challenging. Strategies for combining and linking activities across both areas can help to lessen the gap for some children. Twenty-one ways to bring the outdoors in and take the indoors out 1. Put a plastic tunnel over the threshold and have entry and exit through the tunnel (children only!) 2. Put a pop-up tent just outside the door, joined to the tunnel over the threshold. This is good for wet days. 3. Leave a basket of playground chalk, a few white boards and pens, or a basket of clipboards to encourage writing and drawing outside. 4. Make up a picnic basket with a blanket, plates, cups and so on, and leave it by the door so that children can set up house wherever they want. 5. Make a shop outside, and encourage children to move between the inside and outside situations. 6. Put sign-making equipment in the technology area and encourage sign-making for outside games. 7. Have a post office inside and a parcel sorting room outside. 8. Get a length of hose with two funnels and talk through it through a window or other hole in the wall. 9. Spread a blanket or some carpet squares outside, and encourage children to play there with construction toys, books or puzzles. 10. Leave a basket or bowl on an inside table with a sign saying, ‘Brown things in here please,’ or, ‘Red leaves today.’ 11. Put a flipchart or easel outside for drawing or painting. 12. Leave some magnifying glasses out for close looking inside and out, along with paper and mark makers. 13. Encourage children to build railway lines, roads and constructions that link the inside and out. 14. Take some tables outside for reading or drawing. 15. Encourage children to feel free to take inside equipment outside. 16. Bring leaves, sticks, and stones inside for children to look at. 17. Encourage children to use reference books to research birds, insects or animals. 18. Make shelters, homes, shops and dens inside as well as outside. 19. Make sure you have some boots and waterproof clothes so that children can go out every day. 20. Look outside every day – at the weather, the birds, or people passing. 21. Grow plants, seeds and bulbs indoors.

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Children love to mimic their play on real life, which helps them to make sense of their world and process their experiences. Providing real items helps to make role play realistic and more fulfilling. Real life items that promote high quality play

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Mobile phones and cordless phones with the batteries removed Lengths of fabric, scarves, hats, caps and other real clothes for dressing-up Real cutlery and crockery for domestic play Kitchen appliances with the wires and batteries removed Hole punchers and tape dispensers in the writing area Calculators for real maths. Real tools (small size if possible) for gardening or woodwork Decorators’ paintbrushes for painting with paint, water or paste Reflective safety waistcoats and hard hats Fine markers, ballpoints and gel pens Clipboards for making notes and keeping scores Musical instruments Old fashioned artefacts Pairs of glasses with the lenses removed, wigs, badges, overalls, purses, bags and cases Boxes, baskets and containers Small rucksacks and bags Post-it notes and stickers Forms, envelopes, junk mail, newspapers and magazines

Many practitioners find themselves under pressure to cut back on the provision for high quality play experience for the young children in their care. The principles below should help you to remain committed to a child-centred early years curriculum. Monitor your planning for play

• • • •

Ensure that your agenda doesn’t over-ride the need for children to play and experience things first hand. Don’t let the rush and hurry of the new curriculum squeeze out the need for time for high quality play. Don’t let the demands of the new curriculum squeeze out the time for high quality play. Don’t give in to ‘top down’ pressure from colleagues who do not understand the importance of play in the early years.

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Step 3: Maximizing learning through music Learning through music page 116

Music constitutes a very important part of any early years curriculum. Generally, any music that is a ‘good’ example within its genre is suitable for use with young children. In recent years there have been many unrealistic claims made about music making children brainier by raising their IQs. Scientific studies have shown that exposure to music can indeed improve performance in tests, and can lead to improvements, for example, in maths skills. But listening to Mozart will not automatically make a child brilliant. Music should be used in a variety of ways to enrich and enhance learning, without any pressure on children to become mini-Mozarts! Children, just like adults, enjoy hearing familiar pieces of music over and over again. This can be utilized so that music can be used at certain times of the day, such as to signal an activity, or reassure, relax, or energize and excite children. Music can also be used to encourage discussion, to teach concepts, and to create the right atmosphere for learning. It is useful to collect a ‘library’ or list of music, collecting a wide variety, such as opera, pop, film, classics, jazz, dance, and world music. Many practitioners mark individual CDs with stickers noting the numbers of good tracks or keep a notebook in the box with the CDs and ask children to bring favourite music from home to add to the collection. It is illegal to copy these recordings, but borrowing CDs can enable you to make a ‘wish list’ of recordings to buy in the future. Internet resources for downloading music onto an MP3 player have made it far easier than in the past to build up a good, varied collection of music for use with children.

Fascinating Fact

In 1998, Zell Miller, the Governor of Georgia, USA, proposed allocating over $100,000 for the creation of a CD of classical music entitled Build your Baby’s Brain Through the Power of Music, to be distributed free to mothers of new babies across the state, even though nobody has actually determined if this is increasing their IQs.36

Fascinating Fact

In October 2009, after threats of a class-action lawsuit by consumer groups, The Walt Disney Company announced that they would give full refunds to parents who purchased some of their Baby Einstein DVDs, where babies are exposed to classical music along with television images of toys and animals. The New York Times reported that the DVDs, ’may have been a great electronic baby sitter, but the unusual refunds appear to be a tacit admission that they did not increase infant intellect.’   37

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Careful preparation might help less musically experienced practitioners to avoid the mistake of this reception class teacher: ‘The first time I led an assembly I thought I had prepared everything down to the final detail. I was very nervous, as at that stage the Year 1 and 2 children looked enormous to me! I had borrowed some CDs from the school collection and had selected what I thought was a really calm, soothing piece of music to play at the beginning and end of the assembly. Unfortunately, I didn’t think to listen to the whole piece. Even more unfortunately, the Year 2 class was late arriving, so we were well into the track before they had all sat down. That was when I discovered that the piece did not remain calm and soothing – it picked up tempo and became really energetic and rousing. By the time I was ready to begin the assembly, I had 80 children sitting in front of me ready to get up and boogie! I learned two lessons that day: one – that children are profoundly affected by the sound of music, and two – to always listen to a complete track before using it for a specific purpose. I can laugh about it now, but at the time I was mortified. Thankfully my colleagues were really nice about it and told me of their embarrassing mistakes as NQTs, which made me feel better!’

A mother told the story of her son’s introduction to classical music: ‘During my pregnancy I was working alone at home on a project that demanded total concentration. I found that if I worked to certain pieces of classical music such as Mozart, I could focus more fully on the task. I am by no means a music “buff”, but by the end of my pregnancy I was familiar with five or six CDs. My yoga teacher recommended that the women in our class used familiar music to help them to relax during childbirth, and so my son Aiden was born to the sound of Mozart. His birth was peaceful and calm. I didn’t think much about the music, until my husband put on a CD the next morning. I was holding Aiden and was amazed to see his head turn towards the music immediately. We later experimented by playing CDs that I had listened to regularly and some unfamiliar ones. Aiden definitely preferred the familiar tunes: they would calm him if he was upset, whereas the unfamiliar ones would have little effect. I realized that it was not only me who had been listening to Mozart for those nine months – I had helped develop my son’s listening skills before he was even born!’

General guidance In their book Music in the Early Years38, Susan Young and Joanne Glover give some guidance on choosing music as well as some tips for selecting and using music for young children. Choosing music for young children

• •

Children can listen to music of different lengths depending on familiarity and liking. Children are often open to music that adults could find challenging. They are not so ‘set’ in their ideas of what is/isn’t music.

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• • •

Children often like music with a ‘strong’ element: a clear leading/solo instrument/voice; strong beat; gentle dynamics; or ‘funny’ sounds. Children shouldn’t be expected to ‘like’ music because we think they should like it. Children shouldn’t be expected to see or ascertain the composer’s vision. This is sometimes expected with some commonly utilized music, for example Peter and the Wolf, The Planets, or Carnival of the Animals. However, they can be asked for their ‘pictures’ and learn of the composer’s intentions.

Selecting and using music for young children

• • •

Choose music with a vivid timbre (a single voice, one, or two contrasting instruments) drawn from a range of times, places and cultures Choose music with clear melodies and rhythms If using short sections of a piece, fade it in at the beginning and out at the end so children know there is more of the piece. Young children can listen to and enjoy quite lengthy pieces if they know them well.

• •

Use a wide range of types of music. Use the music you like, but add some different types and be aware of what children hear at home and in the community. Children don’t need pictures or stories to understand and enjoy music. ‘They have no trouble in listening to music just as music.’

Listening to music gives the following opportunities

• • •

Getting to know the music Talking about individual responses to music Moving to music

This will lead to

• • • •

Careful listening, concentration and attention Following the music and noticing changes Remembering what is heard Responding to music in words, representations and music

Different types of music to use in the early years Classical music ‘Classical’ is a word used generally to describe music composed in Europe, Australia, and the Americas that is not folk or popular music although it may build on these traditions or borrow from them. From around the nineteenth century, music was more often composed to represent a story or picture. However this sort of music should be used with care as a lot of orchestral music moves the melody around between parts, and young children can find it difficult to engage with it. Pieces with a strong element of rhythm or tune are a good way into classical music.

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Pop music Children usually like current pop music and are aware of ‘pop idols’ very early on, such as winners of TV reality shows. They often know the words and some of the dance steps, which they can learn or show each other. Pop music with its repeated sections can develop movement and knowledge of words, and actions can be introduced by the teacher or leader. Some pop music of the past can also often prove popular, such as The Beach Boys or The Beatles. Music from other cultures Children respond well to music with a good beat, even if the rhythms are complex. They will enjoy moving, for instance, to Latin American music, African music, and music from Asia and the Caribbean, as well as fusion music, popular music that fuses with world music, such as Afro Celt Sound System. Film music Songs from films are often popular, and again offer the opportunity to learn words and create movements. An example would be using Let’s Go Fly a Kite from Mary Poppins, with children using ribbons to make shapes in the air. Films occasionally use music with ‘classical’ links, which can be a good way to introduce pieces of classical music. For example, If I had Words from the film Babe is based on the final movement of Saint Saëns Concerto No.3 for Organ. Part Three Part Three Part PartThree Three

Fifteen times and places for using recorded music Fifteen times and places for using recorded music: Fifteen times and places for using recorded music: Part Three Fifteen Part Three Fifteen times times and and places places for for using using recorded recorded music: music: Fifteen times and places for using recorded music: First thing the morning as children arrive First thing in in the morning as children arrive First thing in the morning as children arrive Fifteen times and places for using recorded music: First thing the children First thing in the morning morning as children arrive arrive Fifteen times and places forin using recorded as music: First thing in the morning as children arrive As children gather on the carpet for group times Aschildren children on carpet for group First thing gather ingather the on morning as children arrive As thethe carpet for group timestimes First thing in the morning as children arrivetimes As gather on for As children children gather on the the carpet carpet for group group times As children gather on the carpet for group times Before time outdoors As children on the carpet for group times Before time gather outdoors As children gather on the carpet for group times Before time outdoors Before outdoors Beforetime time outdoors Before time lunch, outdoors Just before for example to hear a piece which is becoming Just before lunch, for example to hear a piece which is becoming Before time outdoors familiar Before time outdoors Just before lunch, for familiar Just before lunch, for example example to to hear hear aa piece piece which which is is becoming becoming Just before lunch, for example to hear a piece which is becoming familiar familiar familiar Just before lunch, for example to hear a piece which is becoming familiar Just before lunch, for example to hear a piecebodies whichor is hands, becoming Within a dance or music session, for moving or Within a dance or music session, for moving bodies or hands, or Just before lunch, for example to hear a piece which is becoming familiar for listening lying down Within a dance or music session, for moving bodies or hands, or for listening lyingordown familiar Within a dance music session, for moving bodies or hands, or for listening lying down Within a dance or music session, for for moving bodies, hands for listening for listening lying down Within a dance or music session, moving bodies or or hands, or On headphones in a listening corner lying down for listening lying down Within a dance or music session, for moving bodies or hands, or On headphones in a listening corner Within a dance or music session, for moving bodies or hands, or for listening lying On in aa listening On headphones headphones indown listening corner corner for listening lying down On headphones in a listening corner or stimulus During work sessions as background During work sessions as background Onheadphones headphones a listening corner or stimulus On in in a listening corner During work sessions as background On headphones in a listening corner or During work sessions as background or stimulus stimulus During work sessions as background or stimulus At story time before, after or instead of a story During as background At storywork timesessions before, after or instead or of stimulus a story During work sessions as background or stimulus At time before, or of During work sessions asafter background or stimulus At story story time before, after or instead instead of aa story story At story time before, after or instead of a story As a stimulus for painting At story time before, afteror ordrawing instead of a story As a stimulus for painting or drawing At a story time before, afterorordrawing instead of a story As stimulus for painting As a stimulus for painting or drawing

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for listening lying Within a dance or down music session, for moving bodies or hands, or Within a dance ordown music session, for listening lying On headphones in a listening cornerfor moving bodies or hands, or for listening lying down forheadphones listening lying down On in a listening corner On headphones in a listening corner On Onheadphones headphonesinina alistening listeningcorner corner On headphones in a listening corner On headphones in a listening corner During work sessions as background On headphones in a listening corner or stimulus During work sessions as background or stimulus stimulus During work sessions as background or During Duringwork worksessions sessionsasasbackground backgroundororstimulus stimulus During work sessions as background or stimulus During work sessions as background or stimulus During as background At storywork time sessions before, after or instead or of astimulus story At story time before, after, or instead of aof story At story time before, after or instead a story story At story time before, after or instead of a AtAtstory storytime timebefore, before,after afterororinstead insteadofofa astory story At story time before, after or instead of a story At story time before, after or instead of a story At astory time for before, afterorordrawing instead of a story As stimulus painting Asaaastimulus stimulus for painting or drawing drawing As forfor painting or drawing As stimulus painting or As Asa astimulus stimulusfor forpainting paintingorordrawing drawing As a stimulus for painting or drawing As a stimulus for painting or drawing As a stimulus for painting or drawing As background for role play As background background for for role role play play As As background forfor role-play As background role As background for roleplay play As background for role play As background for role play As part background for role play to stimulate imagination and As of a listening session As part of a listening session to stimulate stimulate imagination imagination and and discussion As part of session to As part ofofaa alistening listening session totostimulate imagination and discussion As part listening session stimulate imagination and discussion As of of a listening session, to stimulate imagination and discussion Aspart part a listening session to stimulate imagination and discussion discussion As part of a listening session to stimulate imagination and As part of a listening session to stimulate imagination and discussion discussion discussion Outside, for quiet listening or to stimulate movement Outside, for quiet quiet listening listening or or to to stimulate movement movement Outside, for Outside, for quiet listening orortotostimulate stimulate movement Outside, for quiet listening stimulate movement Outside, forfor quiet listening or toorstimulate movement Outside, quiet listening to stimulate movement Outside, for quiet listening or to stimulate movement At clearing timelistening or to stimulate movement Outside, forupquiet At clearing clearing up up time time At AtAtclearing clearingup uptime time At clearing up time At clearing up time AtAt clearing up up time clearing time For early warning that the end of an activity or time period is For early warning warning that that the the end end of of an an activity activity or or time time period period is is approaching For early For early warning that the end of an activity or time period approaching For early warning that the end of an activity or time periodisis approaching For early warning that the end of an activity or time period is approaching approaching For early warning that the end of an activity or time period is Forearly early warning an activity or period time period is approaching For warning thatthat the the end end of anofactivity or time is approaching approaching After lunch or an outdoor time to help refocus and quieten down. approaching After lunch lunch or or an an outdoor outdoor time time to to help help refocus refocus and and quieten quieten down. down. After After lunch or an outdoor time to help refocus and quieten After lunch or an outdoor time to help refocus and quietendown. down. After lunch or an outdoor time to help refocus and quieten down. After lunch or an outdoor time to help refocus and quieten down. After lunch outdoor time to help refocus and quieten After lunch or or an an outdoor time, to help refocus and quieten down down. page 104

music for your collection

page 104 page 104 page 104 page 104 page 104 page 104 page 104

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Quiet, lyrical music to relax the children, such as ballads, quiet classics, or instrumentals Lively, jolly music to energize the children, such as marches, lively dance music, or salsa Simple, easily recognized, short pieces of music to signal the start or end of an activity, such as TV and film themes, advertisement jingles, nursery rhymes and songs Music to demarcate the time needed for a task, such as short pieces of classics or film music Music to celebrate achievements, such as fanfares, circus music, opera or catchy pop songs Songs that teach certain skills, such as number or alphabet rhymes Music for adding actions, clapping, tapping and clicking fingers, such as jazz or lively dance or pop music

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Useful classics

• • • • • • • • • •

A Midsummer Night’s

Cassation in G (Toy Sy

Dream – Mendelssohn

‘Clog Dance’ from La

mphony) – attrib. Leop

old Mozart

Fille Mal Gardée – He

rold

‘Fingal’s Cave’ from Th

Mikrokosmos (extracts

e Hebrides Overture –

) – Bartok

Mendelssohn

Norwegian Dance No

.2 – Grieg

Peer Gynt – Grieg

The Little Train of th

The Nutcracker Suite

e Caipira – Villa-Lobos – Tchaikovsky

The Sorcerer’s Appren

tice – Dukas

Step 4: Teaching and learning through movement Young children need to interact with the world in a physical way, and need plenty of opportunities for exploration and movement. There are physiological reasons for this. Aerobic movement increases the oxygen supply to the brain. Movement also reduces stress. There is also evidence that specific types of controlled, organized series of cross-lateral movements, called Brain Gym®, can help with learning by connecting both hemispheres of the brain and strengthening neural pathways. The need for children to move as they learn has been recognized with the development of phonics programmes such as Jolly Learning and Letters and Sounds.

Kishan is a strongly kinesthetic learner. He is lively and often boisterous, choosing frequently to engage in physical play outdoors. He shows more interest in activities that involve a practical approach than those that require a lot of looking or listening. For example, Kishan really enjoys 3D mind mapping, where he can gather artefacts, pictures and labels and physically manipulate them. This method of working suits him far better than making a mind map on paper or on a whiteboard. His teacher gives him plenty of opportunities for physical movement during each session. By building in movement and practical activities, she is catering to his natural learning style while also helping him to gradually develop better skills in visual and auditory learning.

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A practitioner told a story about how she had to create more opportunities for physical movement when she took over a reception class: ‘I had always taught in Key Stage 2, but moved to teach Year 2 to fill in for a maternity leave. I thought it would be just for the short-term, but I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed the younger children. When my headteacher asked me if I would be willing to take on reception class the following September, I was excited, although somewhat apprehensive! The first thing I learned was that, although I had provided for brain breaks and practical activities for my older classes, with these young children, I had to work from the basis of practical experience, then build in ways to verbalize and record their learning. The physical activity is the grounding of learning, not an “add-on”. In a roundabout way, I realized that I should have been doing more practical activities with my older classes. If I return to Key Stage 2, that is a lesson that I will take with me.’

Twelve brain break activities: 1. Helicopter spin (gets the fluid in the inner ear moving) Stand in a space with arms outstretched. Spin in one direction, to a count of ten. Spin in the opposite direction, to a count of ten. 2. The owl (cross lateral movement that releases stress and improves hand-eye coordination; particularly good for during fine motor activities) Cross one arm to put hand on opposite shoulder, and squeeze. Turn head in the direction of the same shoulder. Take a deep breath and pull shoulders back. Turn head to look over other shoulder, keeping chin level and tracking with eyes. Turn head back to centre. Drop head to chest and take a deep breath, making a ‘whoo-oo’ when breathing out. Repeat with other arm and shoulder. 3. Miss a word (develops ‘inner speech’ and helps comprehension and reading skills) Choose any familiar song with repetition, such as ‘Row, Row, Row the Boat’, and explain to the children that you are going to practise singing the song inside and outside their heads. Choose a word that is to be sung inside their head, such as ‘merrily’. Sing the song through once with all the words. Sing the song with the chosen word missed. Sing the whole song again.

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4. Body blither (good brain break or energizer) Vigorously wiggle the hands. Add the shoulders, arms, hips, legs and feet. Accompany with the sound that is made when cheeks and lips are relaxed and shaken. 5. The voice (stimulates and increases oxygen to the brain; good preparation for concentration) Stand in a circle. Give three loud sighs using the ‘ah’ sound and breathing out on each. Pick a mid-range tone and sustain this using ‘ah’ for a count of ten. Switch to a high pitch and the ‘ee’ sound for a count of ten (breathing where necessary!). Switch to a low sound and ‘oooo’ for a count of ten. Now let the children choose the sound and the pitch, freely moving from pitch to pitch and sound to sound for a count of 20. Gradually increase the time for each part of the exercise. 6. Fire engines (good brain break or energizer) Sing ‘ah’ with the voice as low as it can go,. Sweep it up to as high as it can go. Sweep down again. Repeat four or five times. 7. Lazy eights (co-ordinates both eyes, improves balance and co-ordination) Reach out with one hand and draw a big ‘8’ on its side, starting in front of the nose. Draw the same kind of ‘8’ with the other hand, making it as large as possible. Follow the hand with the eyes. Repeat each one four or five times. 8. The swing (loosens muscles after sitting, improves balance and co-ordination, increases breathing rate) Stand up and relax knees slightly. Let the head and shoulders hang forward. Swing slowly to the left and right like a pendulum. Repeat up to five times, then slowly uncurl back to standing. Try this standing with legs crossed at the ankles for children with good balance. 9. Bee’s knees (cross-lateral activity) Stand with legs slightly bent and apart. Put hands on knees. Move knees together and as they touch, change hands to opposite knees. Move back as knees come apart. Repeat several times.

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10. Rub your tummy (concentration and focus) Stand up. Rub tummy with one hand, pat head with other. Continue for a count of 20. Change hands and repeat. 11. Secret shapes (sensory learning, concentration, fine motor skills) In pairs: one child draws on the other child’s back (a shape, letter or picture). The partner guesses what it is. Swap and repeat. 12. Finger fun (fine motor control, hand-eye movement) Make a steeple with the fingers in front of the face. Lift each pair of fingers apart in turn.

Action rhymes and

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

songs that can be us

Heads, shoulders, knees

ed for brain breaks

and toes

In a cottage in a wood

Two fat gentlemen

Down in the jungle

There was a princess

long ago

The farmer’s in his de

n

In and out the dusty blu

ebells

Here we go round the

mulberry bush

Ring-a-roses

One finger, one thumb

This old man, he playe

keep moving d one

I am the music man

Two little dickey birds

The wheels on the bus

If you’re happy and yo

u know it

Teddy bear, teddy bear,

touch your nose

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, once I caug

Five little monkeys

When Goldilocks went

Miss Polly had a dolly

ht a fish alive

to the house of the bear

s

Wind the bobbin up

Twinkle, twinkle, little

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Step 5: The place for technology

‘

Investment by schools in computers and other electronic paraphernalia – at least 55 billion dollars in the USA in the 1990s alone – has made no noticeable impact and, despite the blandishments of software manufacturers and the optimism of politicians, standards have not soared. 

’

Sue Palmer39

Teach children how to use a stopwatch to time themselves.

There are many applications of technology that are appropriate for the early years, in addition to computers and high-tech equipment. Authors and researchers such as Jane Healy give guidance about how to monitor the use of technology and ensure that it is used to encourage good learning behaviours. Children need to become competent in using a wide variety of types of technology, while also developing the essential skills that enable them to operate independently of it when appropriate. This can be done through the seizing of everyday opportunities to use technology, such as simply letting children switch on the dishwasher, take photographs with a digital camera, or teaching them to use a stopwatch to time themselves riding the bikes, in addition to a more structured approach towards computer use.

One pre-school leader described how she was concerned that her group of children did not have access to a computer and worried that the children in her care were missing out on an important aspect of their early education: ‘When prospective parents came to visit, they would invariably ask about computers. Whereas the nursery school down the road has an impressive array of technology, we are still somewhat limited, mainly due to funds, but also due to the lack of storage and security for such expensive equipment.

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I was always acutely aware that we simply don’t measure up to what is provided in many other settings. Then one day a family visited with their three-year-old son. The dad told me that he was a computer engineer, so I waited for the inevitable question about our provision for technology, but it didn’t come. This puzzled me, and when the family were about to leave, I commented that he hadn’t asked me about technology and computers. He looked at me in surprise, and said that technology involves far more than computers. He pointed out some ways that he had seen children using technology during their visit: the children who were using the tape recorder and headphones to listen to stories in the book area; the cookery group who helped to set the timer on the oven; and the child who switched on the music at clearing-up time. After this, I made a list of ways that the children in our group used technology on a regular basis, and included it in our pack of information for new parents.’

Groups from George’s pre-school sometimes visit the nursery class in the school, where they use the roamer turtle and simple paint programs on the computer. This is a new and unfamiliar experience for George, whose family does not own a computer. However, George’s friend Jo has been using her mum’s computer in a wide variety of ways since she was very young, and can independently produce pictures, edit them, and print them. The pre-school practitioners are careful to monitor the pairings of children who work together because of this wide range of skills within the group. George learns from Jo’s lead, and Jo listens to their key person, who suggests that she shows George what to do rather than taking control of the activity. This method of allowing one child to teach another has been proved to be highly effective and is used extensively by the pre-school staff. However, they were still surprised by George’s actions when one day the CD player would not work. George took the remote control from his key person, removed the back, and took out the batteries. He then asked for new batteries, which he carefully installed in the correct positions, while explaining what he was doing to his key person. He pressed ‘Play’, and the music started. George clearly had knowledge and skills in technology that his friend Jo, and even some of the practitioners, possibly lacked!

Fascinating Fact

Before the age of five children cannot separate fact from fiction, for example in television viewing. By the age of seven, most children have begun to understand the difference between appearance and reality. However, this development is inversely related to the child’s exposure to television – the more he watches, the less well he can discriminate. Some children still believe that the computer is ‘alive’ at the age of eight or nine!40

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Fascinating fact

A study into children as consumers showed that until they are at least eight years old, children do not understand the difference between adverts and normal television broadcasting. Researcher Dr. Caroline Oates from the University of Sheffield reported to the British Psychological Society in 2002 that until the age of eight or even ten, children rarely understand the intention of adverts. Before the age of eight, many children think that advertisements are shown not only to give viewers a break, but also to give the characters on the television a rest!41

Twenty-four ways to introduce children to ICT without the use of a computer 1. Teach children to help you to set clocks and alarms for timed activities. 2. Provide recorders such as ‘Talking Tins’ and teach children to use them independently.42

ICT = Information and Communications Technology

3. Allow children to use the telephone under supervision, to make a call or send a message. 4. Allow children to help to set the microwave, dishwasher or washing machine. 5. Create a balance in cookery sessions between making things by hand and using modern appliances. 6. Provide equipment for role-play in the home corner, such as telephones, mobile phones with the batteries removed, or remote controls. 7. Allow children to play with pieces of equipment, for example disconnected keyboards from old computers, hairdryers and toasters with the plugs and wires removed. 8. Help children to take apart and fit together old pieces of equipment such as radios or CD players. 9. Borrow a karaoke machine and let the children have fun using it 10. Point out the use of technology in everyday situation such as the weighing scales or scanning equipment at the supermarket. 11. Provide toys such as remote control cars or robots for occasional play sessions. 12. Ask children to help you to set the timer on the DVD player. 13. Encourage children to take digital photographs or help with a video camera on important occasions.

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14. Involve children in real-life situations where you use a calculator and talk through and explain what you are doing. 15. Provide calculators for children to use in play situations, for example when playing ‘shop’. 16. Encourage children to help with everyday tasks, such as using a remote control or the MP3 player to switch on the music for tidy-up time. 17. Go on a technology walk to see what you can find, such as street lights, cameras, automatic doors, checkout tills, parking meters, cash machines, telephones, satellite dishes and petrol pumps. 18. Use a watch with an alarm to time activities. 19. Use an overhead projector or interactive whiteboard to project pictures on walls and screens. 20. When you buy new role play equipment select up-to-date models, even if they don’t really work, such as hands-free or cordless phones rather than ones with wires, and microwaves in addition to traditional ovens. 21. Use electronic bathroom scales to weigh people, teddies and toys. 22. Involve children in making a PowerPoint presentation. 23. Use a digital camera to make books and sequences of pictures of recent experiences, or put a series of photographs onto a digital photo frame. 24. Make a scrapbook of equipment that has digital displays or buttons. Use junk mail and free catalogues to find pictures.

Make use of all different types of technology.

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Guidelines for pre-schoolers who use computers If you have access to computers and the policy in your setting is to use them, these guidelines from Jane Healy’s book43 are a useful basis for monitoring their use.

• • • • • • •

Starting children on computers too early is far worse than starting them too late. A child should be able to understand the cause-effect relationship of moving a mouse or touching the screen to get a reaction before she starts to use a computer. Look for software that makes the child feel independent. Downplay skill-and-drill maths and phonics activities in favour of interactive problem-solving or more open-ended uses. Discourage impulsive clicking. Stop the program occasionally to encourage the child to talk about what is happening, what he is doing and why. Supplement ‘eyes-on’ with ‘hands-on.’ Find real-life experiences that extend and complement the virtual ones. Help the child understand how the computer works and what’s going on as he manipulates a program. Let him see how you physically connect computer, printer, and other components. Keep emphasizing that people control the computer, not the other way around.

• • • • • • •

Don’t let screen time substitute for lap time and don’t expect books on CD-ROM to substitute for interactive reading with loving adults. Consider eliminating the use of clip art if you decide to let your child use digital drawing tools. Evaluate the aesthetic qualities of software, including, of course, CD-ROMS. If your child goes on the internet, closely supervise him. Whenever possible, make computer use a social experience by putting two chairs at the machine and encouraging conversation and collaboration with peers, siblings or adults. If your young child begins to show signs of computer addiction, cut down on or eliminate screen time and make sure plenty of alternative activities are available. Don’t ever forget that the best multimedia, interactive environment is the real world.

Make computer use a social experience whenever possible.

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Twenty-one questions to ask when evaluating the use of computers in your setting 1. Are all programs evaluated before use? 2. Do the programs actually develop the skills claimed by the producers, or are they ‘empty of real learning’? 3. Do the programs move too fast, or too slowly? 4. Are the children encouraged to think before answering? 5. What happens if a child responds impulsively? 6. How are thoughtful responses rewarded? 7. How would children know if their responses were appropriate? 8. Could a child be rewarded for repeatedly guessing? 9. Do the programs encourage independent use by children? 10. Do the adults spend time getting to know the programs before the children use them? 11. Do all the adults have the necessary skills to help children with ICT? 12. Do we promote ICT as a positive, exciting tool or a frightening ‘male’ thing? 13. Are the chairs for children and adults the right height? (Children should be able to sit with their feet on the floor, looking straight ahead at the screen.) 14. Do the computers have enough memory to run the programs without crashing or working so slowly that children become frustrated? 15. Are the mouse mats big enough? 16. Have we considered the use of alternatives such as track balls and larger ‘mice’ for small hands? 17. Have we looked for programs that are interactive and thought provoking? 18. Have we taught children how to adjust the volume of the music and speech so they can hear but not disturb others? 19. Do we offer children headphones to use with the computer to enable them to concentrate? 20. Do we ask children to feed back at group and plenary times, giving ICT status in discussion? 21. Have we shown the children a simple way of recording time spent on ICT, such as tick charts, signing up boards, or Velcro® labels?

The dangers of information and emotional overload The world is very different now from that world that most adults grew up in. High speed internet means that we are able to access information in a way that was unimaginable even twenty years ago. Television shows bring us close to different countries and lifestyles that in the past were too distant to seem real. Children know more about the world outside their homes than we can imagine, and often amaze us with their demonstrations of this knowledge. In many ways, this early knowledge and understanding of the world can be a positive thing. But in many cases, the information that is freely available may be inappropriate for the child’s age and stage of development and it may cause confusion or anxiety. Well-meaning educational writers and designers create television shows, computer games and activities to teach children

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about the dangers to our planet and to themselves, intending to encourage them to be safe and responsible citizens. Unfortunately, the result is that children often feel frightened and helpless instead of enlightened and empowered. Children do not need to suffer from overload. Instead, they need to be given practical ways that they can contribute to their community. This empowers them to feel that they can really make a difference and have some control over their lives.

Samantha’s teacher realized that her class was filling up at least one plastic rubbish bin each day with food waste from snack, lunch, and cooking projects. She set up a composting system, where children would empty their plates into correct containers and then help take the compost bucket outside to the compost bin. Over time, they could watch the materials decay and eventually dig for worms and look for other bugs. It became a science project in addition to being a lesson in environmental responsibility.

A childminder talked about how she managed to involve children in recycling paper and plastic at her home. She bought crates for sorting recyclables, and taped pictures of items that could be recycled on the front of each crate. When children finished eating a yoghurt or helped her open a package, they would wash the containers and then help her sort the materials into the correct crates: ‘After a few months, I noticed that even the youngest toddler was making it clear that she wanted to sort items into the correct boxes. It was like a game to her and often I’d collect items over the weekend for her to help sort on Monday morning. Her mum was amazed and told me that she’d had to set up a similar system at home as her daughter would no longer agree to throw plastics into the bin!’ A parent was concerned that her children were deeply upset by a news story about a group of abandoned pet rabbits that were being chased by dogs and hunted by youths with pellet guns. She contacted the animal organization that was conducting the rescue and asked how her family could help. A few days later, they took delivery of two very frightened and malnourished foster rabbits. Over time, children from her son’s pre-school class became involved in the rehabilitation of these pets – saving vegetables from snack, visiting the rabbits at their home, making them chew toys, and supplying towels and blankets. Instead of feeling angry and confused about the cruelty that the animals had suffered, the children were enabled to help in a positive way. Several months later, the two rabbits were adopted by a family who wrote to the children to thank them for their kindness and commitment to animal welfare. Some ways to empower children so that they make a difference in their world

• •

Collecting practical items for charity, such as blankets and towels for an animal shelter or food for a homeless shelter Creating meal-delivery rotas for families in temporary need, such as after the birth of a new baby or sickness in the family, and encouraging children to help their parents to prepare and deliver a meal

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• • • • • • • • • • • •

Recycling paper and plastics in the classroom or nursery Composting leftover food from snack and mealtimes Collecting pennies for a local charity and seeing how fast they build up Creating a recycling system for shared mealtime areas Delivering baked goods regularly as treats for senior citizens in their homes or at a community centre Creating a garden where you grow vegetables and fruit Writing letters with the children to local politicians about issues that affect them, such as broken play equipment in the park Brainstorming with children about ways to improve their local area, for example, organizing a fun day workforce to pick up litter or to plant flower gardens for senior citizens Organizing a community lunch or tea for local elderly people, where the children help to prepare and serve the food Collecting and re-using such things as CDs and plastic water bottles to make bird scarers for the garden, or bird feeders for the winter Making posters to alert parents and other children to recycling projects in their setting Decorating simple cloth bags for their families to use as shopping bags, shoe bags or toy bags, reducing the use of plastic carriers

Empower children by involving them in their community.

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Teaching for intelligence

Step 1: Creative teaching for better learning One of the most effective ways to challenge children’s thinking and enrich learning is to provide unusual, exciting activities. When the unexpected happens, children need to draw on past experiences to make sense of the new. They need to reconsider their current understanding of the concept and check it against new criteria, often leading to a new level of understanding. The importance of active learning is far greater than simply its influence upon levels of academic attainment. Active learning also positively effects children’s emotional and moral development. It has been shown that the actual process of learning is as important as the learning outcome. By thinking creatively, practitioners provide a stimulating and exciting environment that is best suited to the natural brain development of young children.

As Carrie plays with the cornflour and water mixture, she talks quietly under her breath, ‘Oooh, it’s all ucky, ucky, ucky! Oh, sticky – ugh! Aaah, now it’s – ha, ha, (laughs), it’s soggy now!’ Her teacher plays in the tray next to her. ‘Oh, ugh! It’s quite hard in the tray,’ she says to herself, ‘I have to scrape it up with my fingernails. Oh, but when I hold it up, it gets runny – it’s turned into a liquid!’ After a few minutes, Carrie starts to use the word ‘runny’ in her description. She does not pick up on the word ‘liquid’ but her teacher makes a mental note to introduce that word again in the future with her group.

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When contractors arrived one morning to work on the school grounds, the children in the nursery were really interested in what they were doing. They spent long periods of time hanging on the fence talking about the diggers and machines. The next day, the practitioners made a pile of sand on the nursery playground. Next to it, they put various toy trucks, diggers, shovels and buckets, along with clipboards, pens, tape measures and rulers. The children immediately started working with the sand, measuring, shovelling, and moving it from place to place. Soon they started constructing with the bricks, and two children fetched cones to block off areas of danger. At the end of the session, the group spent twenty minutes sweeping the sand and tidying it back into the sandpit for the next day, when construction work started again.

Forty ways to get creative 1. Put sponges in the sand tray. 2. Put coloured fish tank gravel at the bottom of the water tray. 3. Tie lengths of cardboard tubing around the room and provide a big bag of balls to roll down them. 4. Freeze some ice cubes with food colouring to play with in plastic bowls or in the water tray. 5. Put out ‘bath crayons’ with the water tray. 6. Fill trays with wet, oozy mud from the garden. 7. Put out a variety of paper towels and tissues beside the water tray. 8. Mix cornflour in shallow trays with a small amount of water and food colourings and let children enjoy it oozing through their fingers. 9. Lay out seeds, pots and compost for planting – but add some pasta shells, plastic buttons, wooden beads, marbles and other items that will not grow. 10. Blow bubbles outside or inside. 11. Hang or pin notes and messages on doors, branches, on chairs, or in sheds. 12. Leave a piece of special material such as velvet, sequinned fabric or bright satin for children to discover. 13. Freeze water in wellington boots, rubber gloves and other interesting containers, and then float them in the water tray. 14. Leave something in an unusual place – a teddy in the bathroom, a single shoe in the reading corner, a fireman’s hat in the garden. Ask the children why they think it is there. 15. Use spray bottles or paint brushes with water or weak paint on huge pieces of paper pinned to walls or fences. 16. Make a wormery or an ant farm. Send for a butterfly box so you can watch the caterpillars grow. 17. Leave a small backpack on the outside door handle. Add items such as a pair of binoculars, a disposable camera, a compass or a clipboard to spark imaginative play.

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Challenge children’s thinking by supplying unusual materials.

18. Leave a nest of gold-sprayed eggs (hard boiled) in a corner of the garden. 19. Take time to watch things, such as fish in a tank, ants on the playground, shadows or clouds. 20. Go on listening, smelling or shape walks. 21. Give children carbon paper to experiment with. It emphasizes the permanence of marks and is an old technology that can provide hours of exploration and fun. 22. Have a treasure hunt with picture clues. 23. Write letters to a real or imaginary person. 24. Make a postbox. 25. Watch a puddle evaporate. 26. Bring in some flowers, an unusual plant or some seeds, and leave them on a table. 27. Bring in some unusual fruits or vegetables and let children help to cut them up and look at what is inside.

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28. Fetch unusual things from recycling centres. Don’t worry if you can’t think of a use for them – the children will, and this is part of the fun! 29. Make a dragon from a cardboard box. Tell the children that he wants to talk to them – but he is rather deaf, so they have to write him notes and feed them to him. 30. Combine unexpected things – string in the water tray, stones buried in the sand. 31. Ask the children to help you rearrange an area of the room or the whole room. Draw plans and discuss how you should do it. 32. Hang sound-makers in bushes and on fences. 33. Draw arrows or lines on the floor or outside. 34. Plan an outing with the children. Make lists and preparations, timelines, letters or invitations. 35. Put a message in a bottle. 36. Make a sandwich with a strange filling such as sequins, grass or plastic spiders, and then talk about who it might be for. 37. Bring a small suitcase packed for a story book character’s holiday. 38. Bury things in the garden and let the children dig them up, such as old coins, shells or shiny marbles. 39. Sort out a button box. 40. Put things in a feely bag, such as dough or gloop (a mixture of cornflour and water to make consistency gloopy) in a plastic bag, feathers, a lumpy or spiky seed, or some fur fabric.

Children need little encouragement to go on an adventure!

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Twenty-five items to collect for creative teaching 1. Boxes and containers of all sizes and shapes 2. Baskets and bowls 3. Bags of all sizes and shapes 4. A feely bag or box 5. Beads, buttons and badges 6. Ribbon, tape and coloured string 7. Wrapping paper, gift tags and cards, gift ribbon 8. Stickers of all sizes and shapes 9. Food colouring 10. Junk mail, catalogues and phone books 11. Empty envelopes (used or new) 12. Books, papers and leaflets in other languages 13. Tickets and labels 14. Foreign coins 15. Menus and guidebooks 16. Shiny card and paper for badges and labels 17. Small whiteboards and clipboards 18. Clothes pegs 19. Zip-lock bags 20. Magnifying glasses 21. Felt pens from thin to mega thick 22. Feathers, shells and shiny stones 23. Puppets (finger, hand and bigger) 24. Pieces of interesting fabrics 25. A flip chart to use inside and out

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Part Four Four Part Four Part Part Part Four Four Part Part Four PartFour Four Part Part Four Part Four PartFour Four

Fifteen ‘What ‘What would would happen happen if?’ if?’ questions: questions: Fifteen ‘What would happen if?’ questions: Fifteen Fifteen ‘What would Fifteen ‘What would happen if?’ questions: Fifteen ‘What would happen if?’ questions: Fifteen happen if?’ questions Fifteen‘What ‘Whatwould wouldhappen happenif?’ if?’questions: questions: What would would happen happen if if we we put put the the cardboard cardboard tubes tubes in in the the water water tray? tray? What What would happen if we put the cardboard tubes in the water tray? What would happen if we put the cardboard tubes in the water tray? What would happen if we put the cardboard tubes in the water tray? What would happen if we put the cardboard tubes in the water tray? What would happen if we put the cardboard tubes in the water tray? What would happen if we put the cardboard tubes in the water tray? What would would happen happen ififif we we cut cut the the fruit fruit sideways sideways instead instead of of What would happen we cut the fruit sideways instead of What What would happen ifififif we cut the fruit sideways instead of What would happen we cut the fruit sideways instead of What would happen we cut the fruit sideways instead of What would happen we cut the fruit sideways instead of downwards? downwards? What would happen if we cut the fruit sideways instead downwards? downwards? downwards? downwards? downwards? of downwards? What would would happen happen if if we we hung hung the the wet wet tea tea towels towels out out on on an an icy icy day? day? What What would happen if we hung the wet tea towels out on an icy day? What would happen hung out icy Whatwould wouldhappen happen if we we hung the wet tea towels towels out on an icy day? day? What if ifwe hung thethe wetwet tea tea towels out on anon icyan day? What would happen ifif we hung the wet tea towels out on an icy day? What would happen we hung the wet tea towels out on an icy day? Whatwould would happen we left something outnight? all night? night? What happen if we leftleft something out all What would happen ifif we something out all What would happen we left something out all night? What What would would happen happen ififif if we we left left something something out out all all night? night? What would happen we left something out all night? What would happen if we left something out all night? What happen if we moved this this piece of furniture? Whatwould would happen if we we moved piece of furniture? furniture? What would happen we moved this piece piece of furniture? What would happen ifif moved this of What would happen if we moved this piece What would happen if we moved this piece of furniture? furniture? What of furniture? What would would happen happen ifif we we moved moved this this piece piece of of furniture? What happen if we wrote a letter to ourselves and posted it? Whatwould would happen we wrote letter to ourselves ourselves and posted posted it? What would happen if we wrote a letter to and it? What would happen ififwe we wrote aaletter letter to ourselves and posted it? What would happen if wrote a to ourselves and posted What would happen if we wrote a letter to ourselves and posted it? What would happen if we wrote a letter to ourselves and posted it? What would happen if we wrote a letter to ourselves and posted it? it? What happen if we leftleft oneone of the ingredients out ofout a recipe? Whatwould would happen we left one of the the ingredients ingredients out of aa recipe? recipe? What would happen ifif we we of the ingredients of recipe? What would happen left one of out of What What would would happen happen ififif we left left one one of of the the ingredients ingredients out out of of aaa a recipe? recipe? What would happen we left one of the ingredients out of recipe? What would happen ifif we we left one of the ingredients out of a recipe? Whatwould would happen we put some nesting material ingarden the garden garden in in What happen if we putput some nesting material in thein What would happen ifif we some nesting material the What would happen we put some nesting material in the garden in What would happen ififif we put some nesting material in the garden in What would happen if we put some nesting material in the garden in What would happen we put some nesting material in the garden in spring? spring? What would happen if we put some nesting material in the garden in in spring? spring? spring? spring? spring? spring? Whatwould would happen we put some bird food out? What would happen ifif we some What happen if we putput some birdbird foodfood out? out? What would happen we put some bird food out? What What would would happen happen ifififif if we we put put some some bird bird food food out? out? What would happen we put some bird food out? What would happen we put some bird food out? What would would happen happen we put food colouring in the the water? water? What would happen we put food colouring in the water? What ififif we put food colouring in What if ifwe putput food colouring in the What would happen food colouring in the Whatwould wouldhappen happen we put food colouring in water? the water? water? What would happen ififif we we put food colouring in the water? What would happen we put food colouring in the water? What would would happen happen if if we we painted painted in in the the rain? rain? What What would happen if we painted in the rain? What if ifwe painted in the rain? What would happen painted in rain? Whatwould wouldhappen happen if we we painted in the the rain? What would happen ifif we painted in the rain? What would happen we painted in the rain? What would would happen happen ififif we we put put leaves leaves or or grass grass in in the the freezer? freezer? What would happen we put leaves or grass in the freezer? What What if ifwe putput leaves or grass in the What would happen leaves or in the Whatwould wouldhappen happen we put leaves or grass grass infreezer? the freezer? freezer? What would happen ififif we we put leaves or grass in the freezer? What would happen we put leaves or grass in the freezer? What would would happen happen if we wrote wrote to to the the Queen Queen or or the the Prime Prime Minister? Minister? What we What would happen ififwe we wrote to the Queen or the Prime Minister? What would happen wrote Queen or the Minister? What if ifwe wrote to to the Queen or the Minister? What would happen we wrote to the Queen or the Prime Minister? What would happen ifif wrote to the Queen or the Prime Minister? Whatwould wouldhappen happen if we we wrote to the the Queen orPrime the Prime Prime Minister? What would would happen happen ififif we we mixed mixed sequins sequins in in the the sand? sand? What would happen we mixed sequins in the sand? What What would happen mixed sequins in Whatwould wouldhappen happen we mixed sequins in the the sand? sand? What if ifwe mixed sequins in the sand? What would happen ififif we we mixed sequins in the sand? What would happen we mixed sequins in the sand? What would would happen happen if we could could write write backwards? backwards? What we What would happen ififwe we could write backwards? What would happen could write backwards? What would happen we could write backwards? What would happen ifif could write backwards? What if ifwe could write backwards? Whatwould wouldhappen happen if we we could write backwards?

The Thinking Thinking Child Child The The Thinking Child The Thinking Child The Thinking Child The Thinking Child The Thinking Child The Thinking Child The The Thinking Child The Thinking Child TheThinking ThinkingChild Child

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Step 2: Fostering the beginnings of group-work The importance of fostering good group-work skills is now seen as an important aspect of early years education. Co-operation in groups leads to better quality language and interactions. During the EYFS, there is naturally a mixture of time spent in different types of groups. The balance of time spent in different types of groups will largely depend on the aims of the practitioner, who needs to bear in mind the fact that each child will be at some stage on the continuum between playing alone and working confidently in a group. The practitioner needs to organize activities that help children to develop the social skills that group-work demands, at whatever stage of development they have reached.

When George went through a phase of playing alongside one particular boy in the sand tray for long periods every morning, his key person decided to encourage the boys to interact more by altering the equipment that was provided. She set up the tray one morning with just one very large sand wheel and a selection of spades, moving the buckets to another shelf where the children would have had to actively seek them out if they had wanted them. At first, George and his friend both wanted the sand wheel to themselves, and a gentle tussle took place. Neither boy could pour any sand in and make it spin, because they were too busy trying to dominate the wheel! The key person stepped in and took a spade herself. She stood the wheel back up and started to pour sand in. The wheel spun and both boys were excited. ‘Hey, if you two help, we’ll be able to get it going faster,’ she suggested. George and his friend started to shovel sand into the top of the wheel. After a few minutes the key person withdrew, leaving the children playing together.

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Activity: monitoring group-work Activity: Either whenMonitoring planning orgroup-work when reviewing the week’s activities, use the checklist Either when planning or when thethat week’s activities, the checklist below to monitor the variety of reviewing group-work children willuse experience. Thebelow aim to monitor the variety of all group-work that children experience. Thebe aim should be that should be that the different sorts of will groupings should used during the many week.of the different sorts of groupings shouldofbegroups used during the week. Children work in all sorts of Children should work in all sorts and combinations, someshould self selected, groups and combinations, some self selected, some directed. some directed.

Ob se rv at io n

sh ee t: M on ito rin g gr ou p- w or k

Sin gle ge nd er pa irs Mi xed ge nd er pa irs Fri en ds hip pa irs

Sin gle ge nd er gro up s Mi xed ge nd er gro up s Old er ch ild wit h you ng er ch ild Sin gle ag ed gro up s Mi xed ag ed gro up s Tea ch er se lec ted gro up s Pe er se lec ted gro up s Oth er:

For full-size photocopiable version,For see full-size end of book. photocopiable version, see end of book.

Children love jobs such as unpacking the shopping.

Children love jobs such as unpacking the shopping. The Thinking Child The Thinking Child

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Thirty-five practical jobs for children 1. Watering the indoor and outdoor plants 2. Sweeping up the floor at the end of the day 3. Preparing snack food, cutting and peeling fruit, counting out biscuits and cups 4. Pouring drinks at snack time 5. Washing up after cookery sessions or snacks 6. Cleaning the pets’ cages or fish tanks 7. Handing out notes to parents at the end of the day 8. Mixing paint for the art area 9. Washing paint pots and brushes 10. Tightening bolts on equipment such as tricycles when they work loose 11. Packing the dishwasher and putting it on 12. Unpacking the shopping after a trip to the supermarket 13. Washing and sorting maths equipment 14. Reorganizing the role-play area and choosing a new theme 15. Washing the dolls and dolls’ clothes from the home corner 16. Weeding or sweeping up leaves in the garden 17. Putting up displays – they will soon learn how to do this, if helped 18. Collecting and putting away outdoor apparatus and toys 19. Cleaning whiteboards and putting them away 20. Putting out chairs, mats or cushions for group time 21. Writing shopping and To Do lists 22. Helping to assemble new pieces of equipment 23. Organizing and reorganizing equipment on shelves 24. Making labels and notices 25. Feeding the pets 26. Putting wellington boots in pairs and clipping them with pegs 27. Using a small bell to signal that it’s time to pack up, go to assembly or have snacks 28. Filling water trays and bowls 29. Wiping down tables at the end of the session 30. Helping to carry boxes of equipment to the cupboards at the end of the session 31. Helping to choose new equipment for the setting 32. Filling planters with soil 33. Planting things such as cress, bulbs, cuttings, and plants 34. Sweeping up puddles after rain 35. Sprinkling salt on frosty paths The Thinking Child

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Twenty ways to organize groups 1. By first names beginning with certain letters of the alphabet 2. By surnames beginning with certain letters of the alphabet 3. By alphabetical order 4. By register order 5. By the types of shoes that the children are wearing 6. By the months of children’s birthdays 7. By pets: who has a dog, a cat, a hamster, or no pets 8. By who has brothers, sisters, both, or no siblings 9. By where the children live 10. By clothing, such as tights, dungarees, cardigans or sweatshirts 11. By how the children travelled to school 12. By favourite colours 13. By what the children ate for breakfast 14. By eye colour 15. By curly, straight, long or short hair 16. By what activity the children did that morning 17. By what the children chose to eat at snack time 18. By asking them a question 19. By passing a soft toy round with a song playing – whoever is holding the toy each time the music stops, joins each group in turn 20. By tapping the children on the head and counting to ten – the tenth child joins each group in turn

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The High/Scope model of ‘Plan – Work – Recall’

Teaching for intelligence Teaching for intelligence

The model of ‘Plan – Work – Recall’ is familiar to many practitioners, TheHigh/Scope High/Scope model of ‘Plan – Work – Recall’ while others maymodel be familiar with the similar model of ‘Plan Do – practitioners, Review’.19 The of ‘Plan – Work – Recall’ is familiar to–many TheHigh/Scope High/Scope model of ‘Plan – Work – Recall’ The High/Scope model of ‘Plan – Work – Recall’ while others maymodel be familiar with the similar model of ‘Planto–many Do – practitioners, Review’.19 The High/Scope of ‘Plan – Work – Recall’ is familiar The High/Scope modelbeoffamiliar ‘Plan – Work Recall’ is familiar while others 19 while others may with –the similar model to of many ‘Plan practitioners, – Do – Review’. Plan may be familiar with the similar model of ‘Plan – Do – Review’.44 Plan child decides what they will do during the period and Each Plan shares this decides with anwhat adultthey in a will small is and recorded Plan child Each do group. duringThe the plan period in some way, either by thein practitioner orthe theperiod child, orisshares both Each child decides what they will do during and this shares this with an adult a will small group. plan recorded Each child decides what they do duringThe the period and together. The purpose is to connect children’s interests with with an adult in a small group. The plan is or recorded in some way, either by in some way,with either the in practitioner the child, shares this an by adult a small group. The planorisboth recorded purposeful actions. the practitioner or the child, or both together. The purpose is to connect together. The either purpose to practitioner connect children’s with in some way, byisthe or the interests child, or both children’s interests with purposeful actions. purposeful actions. together. The purpose is to connect children’s interests with purposeful actions. Work Work Work The children begin their chosen activities and continue until The children begin their chosen activities, and continue they have they have completed their plans or changed them. Asuntil theuntil Work The children begin their chosen activities and continue completed their plans or changed them. As the children work, the adults children the adults move them,them. watching closely they havework, completed theirchosen plansamong or changed As the The children begin their activities and continue until movesupporting among them, watching closely and supporting thempart if they need or and them if they need or request it. This of the children work, the adults move among them,them. watching closely they have completed their plans or changed As the request it. This part of the session usually lasts from 45–55 minutes. Then session usually lasts from 45 need to 55or minutes. Then children and supporting them if they request it. This part ofclear the children work, the adults move among them, watching closely children clear unfinished up and storeprojects. unfinished projects. up and store session usually lasts 45 need to 55or minutes. children and supporting themfrom if they request Then it. This part ofclear the up and store unfinished projects. session usually lasts from 45 to 55 minutes. Then children clear up and store unfinished projects. Recall Recall Children with their adult to share what they have done. Adults Recall meet Children meet with their adult to share what they have done. question and discuss the activities. The purpose is to help children to Adults and their discuss theto activities. Thethey purpose to help Recallquestion Children with adult share what have is done. reflect on, meet understand and build on their actions. children to ref lect on, understand and build on their actions. Adults question and their discuss the to activities. Thethey purpose to help Children meet with adult share what haveisdone. children to ref lect on,discuss understand and buildThe on their actions. Adults question and the activities. purpose is to help children to ref lect on, understand and build on their actions.

Step 3: Teaching through VAK Step 3: Teaching through VAK Step 3: Teaching through VAK A simple model for understanding individual learning styles is to break them down into three 3: Teaching through VAK categories: auditory and kinesthetic. These equate to: seeing, hearing andthem doing.down Everybody AStep simple visual, model for understanding individual learning styles is to break

VAK learning VAKpage learning 116

page 116 has a preferred style, butvisual will also utilize all three methods. These These equate preferences may be into threemodel categories: , auditory and kinesthetic to: seeing , strong inVAK learning A simple for understanding individual learning. styles is to break them down some children, meaning that the practitioner has tostyle, work but hardwill to ensure that aall balance is found page 116 hearing and doing. Everybody has a preferred utilize three into three categories: visual, auditory and kinesthetic . styles Thesealso equate to: seeing , A simple model for understanding individual learning is to break them down where there These is an equal demand may uponbe children’s visual, auditory and kinesthetic engagement. SheVAK learning methods. preferences strong in some children, meaning that the page 116 hearing and doing . Everybody has a preferred style, but will also utilize all three into three categories: visual , auditory and kinesthetic These equate seeing , to do this also needs to monitor the timetable toensure ensure that there is a .VAK balance. A to: simple way practitioner has to work hard to that a balance is found where there is an methods. These preferences may beastrong in some children, meaning that hearing and doing . Everybody has style, but will also utilize allthe threealso isequal to include a box with the letters ‘V’, ‘A’,preferred and ‘K’, next tokinesthetic each activity on your planning sheet. If demand upon children’s visual, auditory and engagement. She practitioner has to work hard to ensure that a balance is found where there is an methods. These preferences may be strong in some children, meaning that the you have too many ticks in any one area, you will know to reconsider your planning. needs to monitor thechildren’s timetablevisual, to ensure that there is a VAK balance. A simple way equal demand upon auditory kinesthetic engagement. She also practitioner has to work hardwith to ensure that ‘V’, a and balance is found where there is an to do this is to include a box the letters ‘A’ and ‘K’ next to each activity on needs to monitor the timetable to ensure that there is a VAK balance. A simple way equalplanning demand sheet. upon children’s visual, auditory and kinesthetic engagement. She also your If ayou too many ticks in one area, you willactivity know toon to do this is to include boxhave with the letters ‘V’, ‘A’any and ‘K’ next to each needs to monitor the timetable to ensure that there is a VAK balance. A simple way reconsider your planning. your If ayou ticks youeach willactivity know toon to doplanning this is tosheet. include boxhave withtoo themany letters ‘V’,in‘A’any andone ‘K’ area, next to reconsider yoursheet. planning. your planning If you have too many ticks in any one area, you will know to reconsider your planning.

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Carrie’s mother is often asked how she ‘taught’ Carrie to recognize her letters and read some words. Her mother is puzzled, because Carrie effectively taught herself. But she read to Carrie from the age of four or five months, she takes her to the library every week, she talks about words and signs as they go about their daily routine, and she provides toys and plays games that encourage visual learning. Carrie also had a set of foam letters that she plays with in the bath, building blocks with letters and numbers on them, and an alphabet puzzle. When engaged in play with these toys, her mother adds information about the letters and numbers as she talks, along with information about colours and shapes: ‘Oh, you’re putting the blue brick on top of the yellow one – uh-oh! Will it balance?’ ‘Yep, I think so, anyway, it might do, it might not go crash,’ Carrie says, and her mother comments, ‘You’re right! Well done! You’ve balanced the blue letter “D” on top of the yellow letter “J”!’ For Carrie’s mother this was an instinctive part of the way that she communicated with her child. She did not consider herself to be ‘teaching’ Carrie, but if we analyse what information she was giving in just that short interaction, we can see the potential for Carrie’s learning. She identified the colours of the bricks, along with the positioning of the blue one ‘on top’ of the yellow one. She used the word ‘balance’ and asked Carrie a question about what she thought the outcome would be as she put the final brick on the top. She then responded to Carrie’s reply, and drew her attention to the letters on the bricks that Carrie had balanced, along with repeating the names of the colours.

A nursery teacher was frustrated by the fidgeting that went on during every story time. It seemed that she could never finish a story because she was constantly having to stop to ask children to let go of one another’s clothing or to stop playing with the Velcro® fastenings on their shoes! She asked a colleague to observe a story time to give an insight into what was happening. She was surprised when her colleague told her that the fidgeting always started with the same two children, then ‘spread’ outwards until the whole group was more interested in their shoe fastenings than the story! The colleague suggested giving the children, particularly these two active ones, something more physical to do during story time, such as using more props or involving children in lifting the flaps of the book or doing actions to go with the stories. She also suggested that she could sometimes offer the children beany toys or teddies to hold at story time so they had something to do with their hands and were less likely to disturb others.

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Thirty ways to exploit visual learning 1. Display mind maps for a variety of topics and concepts. 2. Take photographs of activities for group discussions and reflection. 3. Label everyday items around the room. 4. Play lots of visual memory games such as ‘Snap’ and ‘Pairs’ with flashcards and ‘flash pictures’. 5. Use small world toys, puppets or soft toys as props when you tell stories. 6. Use visual cues for labelling places and belongings. 7. Draw maps and plans of journeys and places. 8. Encourage children to add pictures and captions to mind maps. 9. Draw attention to patterns in everyday experiences and give children the chance to copy and repeat them. 10. Make displays and books of photographs of previous experiences. 11. Use pictures and photographs of classroom materials for labelling and organizational purposes. 12. Make posters that demonstrate what has been learned, for example a poster with lots of coloured triangles or squares. 13. Provide a wealth of books and reading resources. 14. Encourage children to play matching games. 15. Go on ‘spotting’ walks to look for shapes, letters, colours or patterns. 16. Use visual recall to help with mapping out memories of experiences, such as, ‘What did you see at the fair?’ or, ‘What did the animals at the zoo look like?’. 17. Encourage children to draw pictures of the things they make, or of events and activities Encourage different ways of recording, such as labelled diagrams, pictures, comic strips, or making little books with no words. 18. Use mirrors to help children look for detail when they draw themselves or things. Visual skills can be encouraged by the use of mirrors. 19. Encourage children to play with jigsaw and other pictorial puzzles. 20. Use close up photographs or partially covered pictures for games, such as guessing the object from a picture showing just a detail or a part of the object. 21. Play ‘I spy with my little eye’, adapting the game to use categories such as, ‘Something with stripes’, ‘Something round and blue’ or ‘Something with a silver top’. 22. Play ‘Guess the person.’ Describe a person in the room in detail, encouraging the children to look at each other carefully. 23. Put some objects on a tray, cover them with a cloth, remove the cloth for a short time, cover it again and see who can remember all the objects.

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Visual skills can be encouraged by the use of mirrors.

24. Next, show the objects, then ask the children to shut their eyes while you remove one, and see who can tell which object is missing. 25. Label children’s coat pegs, snack plates, water bottles, drawers or lockers. Use just a picture to start with, then a picture with the child’s initial, then a picture and the name, then just the name. 26. Play ‘Spot the difference’ each day as the children arrive. Remove or move one or two things, and see if they can spot what has moved. Start with big, obvious things! 27. Play ‘Spot the difference’, but asking the children to notice what is new. Add an item such as a vase of flowers, an unusual fruit in the fruit bowl or a new picture on the wall each day. 28. Make visual links with the stories and events that children experience, such as coloured checks on wrapping paper with Elmer stories, a flower with a walk to the park, or a packet of porridge with The Three Bears. 29. Use story sacks to help children to visualize stories. 30. Wear something significant that is linked to the theme of the day or week, such as red socks, scarf and cap if you are learning about colours, or a floppy hat and big sunglasses if your theme is ‘Summer’.

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Thirty ways to exploit auditory learning 1. Encourage children to pole-bridge. 2. Work alongside children, talking about what you are doing. 3. Allow plenty of time for review sessions. 4. Review mind maps verbally. 5. Give opportunities for learning through music. 6. Go on listening walks in the garden or around your setting. Auditory skills are practised on a listening walk. 7. Use recordings of stories and songs alongside books. 8. Use different voices when you read stories and poems. 9. Ask children to talk through their plans before embarking on an activity. 10. Ask children to talk about what they are doing at various stages of a task. 11. Demonstrate new skills while explaining clearly what you are doing. 12. Talk through mind maps while you make them. 13. Encourage children to put new vocabulary and concepts to music. 14. Make up short ‘raps’ about activities and what has been learned. 15. Use ‘each one teach one’ where each child talks to a friend about what he has discovered. 16. Record children talking, singing or reading, and then play the recordings back and guess ‘Who is this?’ 17. Allow children plenty of time to discuss what they plan to do either with an adult or another child. 18. Pause during stories and group discussions to enable children to talk in pairs about what has happened and predict what comes next. 19. Use pre-recorded CDs to play games such as, ‘Sound lotto’, ‘Spot the animal’, ‘Whose baby is this?’ ‘What is the street sound?’ or ‘Guess which instrument is playing’. 20. Encourage children to make sounds and music to accompany stories, either with you or in small groups to perform to others. 21. Use music sessions to develop skills such as listening, turn taking and sound patterns. 22. Use puppets and soft toys to help establish characters and different voices. 23. Use recall of sound to help with mapping out memories of experiences, such as, ‘What did you hear at the fair?’ or ‘What did the animals at the zoo sound like?’ 24. Use instruments or body sounds to play a version of ‘Simon says’ where you clap or stamp or play a rhythm, and the children copy. 25. Sing songs with a strong rhythmic beat.

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26. Clap, click or make another small noise as you count or spell. 27. Talk through letter and number formation as you draw in the air, such as, ‘Round the ball and down the stick’. 28. Sound out letters as you spell or write them. 29. Use music to recreate or establish a mood or event. 30. Use music or a sound, such as a little bell, chime bar or squeaker to indicate snack time or clearing up time.

Auditory skills are practised on a listening walk.

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Thirty ways to exploit kinesthetic learning 1. Encourage children to manipulate pictures and objects for 3D mind maps. 2. Build 3D practical aspects into your displays. 3. Incorporate movement and actions into story-telling sessions. 4. Practise fine motor skills such as handwriting through large motor activity. 5. Act out stories. If you can get the hall or another big space, use it! 6. Have story or discussion time outside so that children can move and spread out. 7. Encourage children to help to move and rearrange the outside apparatus regularly. 8. In the winter, bring some of the big blocks inside. 9. Provide plenty of opportunity for role play. 10. Include lots of practical music-making in music sessions. 11. Encourage children to make big, extravagant gestures as they tell stories or talk about their play. 12. Give children opportunities to play with and manipulate wooden, foam or magnetic letters and numerals. 13. Encourage children to draw letters and numbers in the air, in sand, on the whiteboard or in finger paints. Writing in the air particularly benefits kinesthetic learners. 14. Teach new playground games and incorporate new concepts into the physical activity. 15. Use recall of movement to help with mapping out memories of experiences, such as ‘What did you do at the fair?’ or ‘How did the animals at the zoo move?’ 16. Use fabrics and other textures to help children to recall experiences. 17. Make or buy a feely bag and use it to explore in three dimensions. 18. Make lots of big, extravagant gestures as you explain an activity or tell a story. 19. Make sure the outside toys and apparatus have multiple uses. Guttering and pipes, ropes, tyres, boxes and crates give far more scope for play than fixed apparatus. 20. Provide plenty of manipulative toys, things with moving parts and construction toys, both large and small. 21. In music sessions, make sure that there is plenty of movement. Accompany movement with sound, make movement in response to sounds, and practise stopping and starting, changing speed and moving in patterns. 22. Provide plenty of malleable materials such as clay, dough, slime, pasta, bubbles, sand, water and finger paints. Try as many of these activities as you can out of doors, with bigger paper, bigger quantities and bigger movements. 23. Offer playground chalk, or paint and big brushes to make tracks and roads on the path outside.

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24. Include children in lots of physical gardening activities. 25. Include tunnels, bridges, balance bars, stepping-stones, and cones in your play equipment. 26. In the winter, try to give children opportunities to use this apparatus in the hall or another big space if you can’t get outside. 27. Provide blankets, rope and pegs and encourage the children to build camps outside or, if the weather is inclement, clear space for them to do it indoors. 28. Make opportunities for children to read and write in role play activities, such as clipboards and whiteboards to use indoors and out, message pads, parking tickets, score pads, telephone books and menus. 29. Provide plenty of equipment for fine motor control, such as bead threading, lacing and sewing cards, marble rolls, sorting and counting apparatus. 30. Encourage children to use their hands and fingers to count, draw and write.

Writing in the air particularly benefits kinesthetic learners.

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Eight intelligences page 139

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Each individual child has a combination of different intelligences in different strengths, and the early years environment will influence how these different intelligences develop and flourish. As with seeking a VAK balance, the practitioner needs to monitor the activities in order to give equal emphasis to the different forms of intelligence and ways of learning. A checklist with the initials for the multiple intelligences can be used when planning to monitor those that are covered within a session, and those that might need more emphasis at a later stage. Caution should be taken, however, against the temptation to identify individual children as being particular types of learners. There is no such thing as a ‘Linguistic’ person any more than there is a ‘Spatial’ or an ‘Intrapersonal’ person. The important thing is to value each type of intelligence, not just traditional ‘school’ achievements, and to ensure that over a period of time, children are offered a wide variety of experiences that engage all the multiple intelligences.

Each of our four children has particular strengths in several areas, and different ability levels in the others. Samantha clearly has a strong linguistic intelligence, but she also has a strong musical intelligence. She has a good sense of rhythm and pitch and can recall a simple pattern and tune after hearing it just once. George, on the other hand, has a leaning towards the naturalist intelligence. He is very interested in nature and notices details about the natural world. For example, he once collected a bucket full of snails from his garden and took them to show the children in his pre-school. Together they took the snails to the wild area at the back of the school to set them free. Carrie has a totally different intelligence profile. One of her greatest strengths lies in her interpersonal skills. This is possibly partly due to her home environment. She spends a lot of time with her childminder, both after school and during the holidays. Carrie loves the attention of the childminder’s two teenage daughters and spends a lot of time following them around. In doing so, she is developing her interpersonal skills. She knows how to take turns in a one-to-one conversation and asks personal questions like, ‘Oh, do you like that?’ and makes comments such as, ‘I bet you want that cake too, don’t you?’ Carrie is beginning to be able put herself in somebody else’s place and imagine what they might be thinking and feeling. Her intrapersonal skills are also a strength. She talks frequently about how she feels and has a strong sense of right and wrong. She will often verbally challenge other children in the nursery if she feels that they have been unfair to her or to somebody else. Kishan, on the other hand, has a strong bodilykinesthetic intelligence and is good at activities that demand logical-mathematical thinking. Samantha’s least developed intelligence is bodily-kinesthetic, whereas Kishan’s least developed intelligences are the interpersonal and intrapersonal intelligences. Their teacher realizes this, and works with Samantha to encourage her to take part in more outdoor and physical, hands-on activities, and with Kishan to help him to learn to manage the moment of impulse and discuss his feelings before acting upon them.

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For full-size photocopiable version, see end of book.

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any type of learner!

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A fun way to identify the intelligences of children Linguistic Linguistic––The TheChatterbox Chatterbox

Part Four Part Four

Part Four

The Thinking Child

• • •

Wakes up talking, talks all day, and even talks in his sleep. ● Wakes up talking, talks all day, and even talks in his sleep. rrives ininthe with a story about his cat, grandma ● A Arrives themorning morning with a story about his his cat,dog, his his dog, his or the dream thatdream he had that last night. grandma or the he had last night. ● A Always hashis hishand hand during story times, plenary sessions lways has upup during story times, plenary sessions and and discussion times, and once he starts talking, simply ® ® talking, simply doesn’t stop! discussion times, and once he starts Logical-Mathematical –– The Lego Logical-Mathematical The LegoEngineer Engineer doesn’t stop!

® ® ® the ● ●Builds amazing models with Lego other Builds amazing with the Legoand and other Logical-Mathematical –models The Lego Engineer Logical-Mathematical – and The Lego® Engineer construction toys is often inin dispute with other construction toys and is often dispute with other children who want a share of her bricks. ® children who want a share of her bricks. ● Builds amazing models withLego® the Lego and other page Builds amazing models with and other construction toys, and 137 the Resource Book ● Is always the first to appear when the computer goes construction toys and is often in dispute with other ● Is always the first to appear when the computer is often in dispute with other children who want a share ofgoes her bricks. wrong, diving under desk toto try toto reconnect the wires children who want a the share of her bricks. wrong, diving under the desk try reconnect the wires Is always the first to appear when the computer goes wrong, before an adult arrives. adult ● Isbefore alwaysanthe firstarrives. to appear when the computer goes diving under the desk totime, try toorganizes reconnect the wires before an adult ● tidy-up time, organizes toys anan fashion and wrong, diving under the desk tointry toorderly reconnect the arrives. wires ●At At tidy-up toys in orderly fashion and gets frustrated with other children who don’t follow her before an adult arrives. gets frustrated with other children who don’t follow her At tidy-up time, organizes toys in an orderly fashion and gets frustrated systems. ● Atsystems. tidy-up time,who organizes toys in orderly fashion and with other children don’t follow heran systems. gets frustrated with other children who don’t follow her systems. Musical The Singer Musical – The Singer Musical –– The Singer

• • • • • •

Is always seeking an audience to whom he sings interesting and endless ● always seeking anan audience toto whom hehe sings interesting ●IsIs seeking audience whom sings interesting Musical – always The Singer versions of nursery rhymes. and endless versions ofof nursery rhymes. and endless versions nursery rhymes. ● bebe located atat any time within the setting byby listening Isbe always seeking anany audience tosetting whom he sings interesting Can located at any time within the by listening for the sound ●Can Can located time within the setting listening for the sound of singing or humming. and versions of nursery rhymes. forendless the of singing or humming. of singing or sound humming. ‘Conducts’ music with his hands inthe assemblies and music ● ●Can be located at any time within setting by listening ‘Conducts’ music with his hands in assemblies and music ‘Conducts’ music with and his hands in assemblies and music or story or story sessions, often puts on tapes of music so that fororthe sound of singing or humming. story sessions, and often puts on tapes of music so that sessions, and often puts on recordings of music so that he can pretend to he can pretend to conduct a symphony. he can pretend to conduct a symphony. ● ‘Conducts’ music with his hands in assemblies and music conduct a symphony. or story sessions, and often puts on tapes of music so that he can pretend to conduct a symphony. Bodily-Kinesthetic –– The Gymnast Bodily-Kinesthetic The Gymnast Bodily-Kinesthetic – The Gymnast

• • •

Is●rarely seenseen indoors. Can be found atfound the at top ofthe the climbing ● IsIs rarely Can bebe found the top ofof the rarely seen indoors. Can at top the Bodily-Kinesthetic –indoors. The Gymnast apparatus, trying to attach a ropetoto aattach nearby tree make a swing. climbing apparatus, trying attach aa rope toto aa nearby climbing apparatus, trying to rope nearby tree to make a swing. to make abeswing. ● Istree rarely seentoindoors. Can found of the Always manages first in thebe line to getattothe PEtop sessions. ● ●Always manages to be first in the line to get to PE climbing apparatus, trying to attach a rope to a nearby Always manages to be first in the line to get to PE Regularly suggests a Brain Gym® session, in which she participates sessions. tree to make a swing. sessions. ® ® enthusiastically and noisily. ● suggests Brain Gym session, inin which Always manages to abea first in the line to get towhich PE she ●Regularly Regularly suggests Brain Gym session, she participates enthusiastically and noisily. sessions. participates enthusiastically and noisily. ● Regularly suggests a Brain Gym® session, in which she participates enthusiastically and noisily. Spatial –– The Sculptor Spatial The Sculptor

The Thinking Child

● ●Works with every conceivable tool and piece ofof material inin Works with every conceivable tool and piece material Spatial – The Sculptor the technology area toto build models that are too big and the technology area build models that are too big and page ­147 elaborate to fit on any shelf. elaborate to fit on any shelf. ● Works with every conceivable tool and piece of material Resource in Book ● ●Is always covered inin paint, and clay, nono matter the technology area to buildglue models that are too big how and Is always covered paint, glue and clay, matter how well you tie her apron. elaborate onapron. any shelf. well youto tiefither

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A light-hearted way to look at children using Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences If you want to address the multiple intelligences in a more light-hearted way, you might considering thethe children in your care in the light of thesethat intelligence While it enjoy is fun to identify with descriptions of these children, remember this is intended toprofiles. be light-hearted, and that young children should not be stereotyped or pigeon-holed as being

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sessions. ● Regularly suggests a Brain Gym® session, in which she participates enthusiastically and noisily. Part Four

Spatial – The Sculptor Spatial – The Sculptor

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with every conceivable tool and material in the in ●Works Works with every conceivable toolpiece and of piece of material the technology area to buildthat models that big andto fit on technology area to build models are too bigare andtoo elaborate to fit on any shelf. anyelaborate shelf.

• •

● Is always covered in paint, glue and clay, no matter how Is always covered in paint, glue and clay, no matter how well you tie her well you tie her apron. Teaching for intelligence apron. ● Can use up the entire stock of paper, cardboard, junk and Teaching for intelligence Can usein upone the short entire session. stock of paper, cardboard, junk and glue in one glue Teaching for intelligence short session. Interpersonal – The Best Friend

The Thinking Child

Interpersonal – The Best Friend ● Is often found theFriend home corner organizing the other Interpersonal – The in Best Interpersonal Best Friend children.–IfThe they won’t be organized, she bosses the dolls ● Is often found in the home corner organizing the other around instead. often found the home corner organizing other children. ●Is children. Is often found in won’t the home corner organizing thethe other If in they be organized, shethe bosses dolls If they ●won’t Enthusiastically tells you everybody else’s business, be organized, she bosses the dolls around instead. children.instead. If they won’t be organized, she bosses the dolls around including the staff ’s, the children’s, her parents’ and her around instead. ●Enthusiastically Enthusiastically you everybody business, tellstells you everybody else’selse’s business, including the neighbours’. ●staff’s, Enthusiastically tells you everybody else’s business, including the staff ’s, the children’s, her parents’ and her the children’s, her parents’ and her neighbours’. ● Can be relied upon to know the ins and outs of every including the staff ’s, the children’s, her parents’ and her neighbours’. page 138 Resource Book disagreement or squabble that occurs in the setting, Can be relied upon to know the ins and outs of every disagreement neighbours’. ● Can be relied upon to know the ins and outs of every whether or not she was in the vicinity. squabble that occurs in know the setting, whether or not she was in the ●or Can be relied upon to theoccurs ins and of every disagreement or squabble that inouts the setting, vicinity. disagreement squabble occurs in the setting, whether or notorshe was in that the vicinity. whether or not she was in the vicinity. Intrapersonal – The Sage Intrapersonal – The Sage Intrapersonal – The Sage ● Answers –your questions a lengthy pause, usually by Intrapersonal Sage afterafter Answers your The questions a lengthy pause, usually by asking you asking you another question. ●another Answers your questions after a lengthy pause, usually by question. ● At plenary sessions, tellsafter you a atlengthy length about he feels Answers your questions pause,how usually by asking you another question. Atabout plenary sessions, tells you at length about how he feels about everything that happened to him that morning. asking you another question. ● At plenary sessions, tells you at length about how he feels that happened to him that morning. ●everything When you are really busy, tries youmorning. in a he detailed At plenary sessions, you atto length how feels about everything thattells happened toengage him about that conversation about a previous conversation that you can about everything that happened to him that morning. youyou areare really busy,busy, tries tries to engage you inyou a detailed conversation ●When When really to engage in a detailed hardly remember. ●about When you are really busy, tries to engage you in a detailed conversation a previous you can a previousabout conversation that conversation you can hardlythat remember. conversation about a previous conversation that you can hardly remember. hardly remember. Naturalist TheBug BugHunter Hunter Naturalist ––The

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Naturalist – TheorBug Brings boxes jars Hunter to school regularly containing insects or worms, ● Brings– boxes or jars to school regularly containing insects Naturalist The Bug Hunter which she then wants to release and ‘share’ during story time. or worms, which she then wants to release and ‘share’ ● Brings boxes or jars to school regularly containing insects during story time. hours watching creatures in wormery, or the caterpillar ●Spends Brings boxes or jars to school regularly containing insects or worms, which shethe then wants to the release and ‘share’ ●or Spends hours watching thewants creatures in the wormery, or on. antworms, farm and has to bethen reminded constantly toand put the lid back or which she to release ‘share’ during story time. the caterpillar or ant farm and has to be reminded during story time. ●Can Spends hoursupon watching the creatures in to thetake wormery, or pigs be counted to persuade her the guinea to put the lidthe back on.mother ● constantly Spends hours watching creatures in the wormery, or the caterpillar or ant farm and has to be reminded home for the holidays. ● Can be counted to persuade her to take the the caterpillar orupon ant lid farm andon. has to mother be reminded constantly to put the back guinea pigs home for the holidays. to putupon the lid back on. her mother to take the ● constantly Can be counted to persuade ● Can be pigs counted upon to persuade guinea home for the holidays.her mother to take the guinea pigs home for the holidays.

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Step 5: Taking the time for learning

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The individuals and societies of the West have rather lost touch with the value of contemplation. Only active thinking is regarded as productive. Sitting gazing absently at your office wall or out of the classroom window is not of value. 

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Guy Claxton46

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When I see birches bend to left and right Across the lines of straighter darker trees, I like to think some boy’s been swinging them.  Robert Frost47

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As modern life becomes increasingly hectic, children are often paying the price as they are put under increasing pressure to ‘succeed’. Children are spending an increasing number of hours in school at a younger and younger age. The overemphasis on academic attainment and testing has led to a narrowing of the curriculum and increasing pressure upon children to perform inappropriate tasks at an inappropriate age. Opportunities for children to learn outside the classroom have decreased drastically. We have now reached the point where the government has produced a ‘Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto’ to attempt to address the social trend that their policies largely created.48 The fact is that many children are now quite literally being denied the time and space to think. Children’s home lives have also undergone dramatic changes. Unreasonable work expectations upon adults and difficult economic times have led to an increasing lack of time and attention for many children at home. An industry of organized activities and classes has taken the place of free play for many children. Many parents have been conditioned by an overzealous media to fear ‘dangers’ that are being allowed in many cases to cripple childhood. In many areas, children are completely out of touch with nature as they have lost the freedom to play unhindered out of doors. Serious efforts need to be made to reverse these trends, as we are in danger of raising a stressed-out, needy generation of young people who will grow up to be unable to think independently or take care of themselves. Moreover, these young people who grow up lacking the connections with community and with nature are not having the experiences that build strong characters with empathy and healthy consciences. The importance of thinking skills has been more formally recognized in recent years, with sustained shared thinking now being a requirement as part of the commitment to the EYFS principle of ‘Learning and development’.49 In his book Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind, Guy Claxton describes three different speeds of thinking: the instinctive response type of thinking that stops you from hitting a cyclist who swerves into the path of your vehicle; the deliberate form

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of thinking that you use when figuring out a maths problem, and then a third speed – a slow, unconscious process where the thinker may appear to be aimless, yet after a period of time has come up with a solution to a problem or has developed a deeper understanding of an earlier experience. This ‘tortoise mind’ has become seriously undervalued in our culture, yet has been responsible for many of the greatest discoveries in the history of mankind. We need to resist the pressure to rush children during their formative years, in order to ensure that they have the space and time for this third kind of thinking.

Fascinating Fact

A 2008 survey asked 1800 children to name the one thing that they could not live without. More than one in three responded that they could not live without their computer, and one in five answered that they could not live without television.50

Fascinating Fact

In a 2009 survey of school staff, over 44% thought that health and safety regulations ‘negatively affect pupils’ education’. Among the extreme safety measures described were: a ban on running in the playground, having to wear goggles if using Blu-tac, a ban on egg boxes due to the risk of Salmonella poisoning, wet grass stopping PE lessons, and Year 11 swimmers being forced to wear armbands at a beach in France.51

The Chicago Wilderness alliance in the USA has gone as far as adopting a ‘Children’s Outdoor Bill of Rights.’52 This states that every child should have the right to: Discover wilderness – prairies, dunes, forests, savannas and wetlands Camp under the stars Follow a trail Catch and release fish, frogs and insects Climb a tree Explore nature in neighbourhoods and cities Celebrate heritage Plant a flower Play in the mud or a stream Learn to swim

Help children to explore their local outdoor space.

How about creating your own Outdoor Bill of Rights for the children in your setting?

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A childminder told how she had read an article about sustained shared thinking, and started to consciously analyse her interactions with children. She recorded this conversation between herself and James, a child in her care, as they watched a bowl of tadpoles together: ‘’wimming’ says James. ‘Yes, they are swimming. Can you see their wiggly tails?’ says Amanda. ‘Ossat?’ says James. ‘That’s frogspawn. Those are little tadpoles in their eggs. Can you see that one wiggling about? Why do you think it is doing that?’ replies Amanda. ‘Can’t get out,’ says James. Amanda asks, ‘Shall we get a magnifying glass and see if we can find out what it’s doing?’ They then went off together and return with a magnifying glass and a book about tadpoles to read.

One day, Kishan’s class enjoyed a visit from a music group who played some Irish jigs to the children. Later that day, his teacher heard a thumping sound coming from the book corner. She stood up and noticed that Kishan was lying down on his back, with his legs raised in the air, crashing them together with a slapping sound. She started towards him, bothered by the fact that Kishan was not engaged in the task that she had intended for him, but then she stopped to just observe more carefully. Kishan was lowering his legs, one at a time, before clomping them together. She realized that he was also humming one of the tunes that he’d heard the Irish band play. Yet at first sight – and sound – it had seemed that Kishan was doing nothing more than rolling around and making a noise. Maybe Kishan’s brain was working double-speed to make sense of the musical experience that he’d had that morning. Maybe his legs were moving as he tried to work out how one knee could raise while the other hit the ground as he had attempted (unsuccessfully) to do that morning. We can’t say what was happening in his brain, and maybe he wasn’t really ‘thinking’ at all. Maybe he was just taking a break from the activity, and just enjoying the clomping of his feet, not even aware that he was humming a tune. Kishan’s teacher was tempted to move in and start a conversation. Of course, she would have done so using all the right questioning techniques. After all, she is trained to be sure that every interaction she has with the children in her care is meaningful! However, she had recently read about the need for a balance between different types of thinking, so she backed off. After a further five minutes, Kishan got up and took a book from the shelves, which he started reading.

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Like most young children, George can find very unusual uses for everyday materials. One morning, he wandered over to a table where an art activity had just finished. A pile of paint-covered baking trays were still stacked on the table, along with two trains that another child had left there. George absent-mindedly picked up the trains, one in each hand. He proceeded to roll them over the table, banging them gently into the stack of baking trays. He then started fiddling with the trays, and turned one upside down to make a bridge. The game continued, he added more trays until he had four in a line, then he put the trains down and went off to wash his hands for lunch. George’s key person did not come over to ask what he was doing. Maybe a few days later George got out those trays again and experimented with them to make a longer bridge. But maybe he never returned to explore the concept of trains and baking trays again. Maybe as he was banging the trains, he was thinking about something completely different. If you think about doing a jigsaw, sometimes you need to stand back and look hazily at the parts. Maybe George was just taking a mental break from another task, which became clearer to him as he stood back, rather like the way that sometimes the answer to a crossword puzzle will come to you as you are cooking dinner or mowing the lawn!

A nursery teacher in a school described why she decided to redesign her outside play area: ‘I had always thought I was very fortunate because my class has a large outside area with a ton of play equipment. We have a big sandbox, a large climbing structure with safety mats below, a water play area, space for bikes and trucks, and lots of room for the children to play and run. Then one day I went to visit another school in a very different area to mine. Their playground was not, on first glance, as attractive as mine. They did not have the commercial or purpose-built items that I have. It all looked, to be honest, a bit scruffy. But then I started to watch what the children were doing. One group of children had built a camp in the middle of a scrubby bush area, using branches for a roof and straw for flooring. Another group were digging in the mud, filling buckets and tubs, adding water and using big strainers to sift through their mixtures. Another group were helping a parent to clean out a chicken coop and look for eggs. Two children were sitting on a tree branch in an area that they called “The Forest”. The teacher looked quite relaxed as she stood beneath the tree talking to them. It was such a contrast to my own manicured and manufactured playground! I realized that, while my children were lucky to have such a wonderful space to play and such great equipment, they were missing out on any natural experience. My playground had no connection with nature. Obviously, I could not take out all our equipment – and nor would I want to do so. But we did start to create some natural areas of the playground, giving the children an area to dig freely, and handing over some of the garden bushes to the children for playing in. This took some negotiation with senior management, who were horrified at first at the idea of the children playing in the bushes! I had to explain to parents why I was redesigning the area. But over time we gained a good balance, and now I feel that our playground truly encourages a connection with nature.’

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Twelve ways to get children in touch with nature 1. Create a wild garden area. If you don’t have a large earth area, use containers and pots of all shapes and sizes and grow plants that will attract insects for the children to observe. 2. Raise bugs inside the classroom and observe their life cycle before setting them free. There is no need to always catch your own bugs – commercial sites sell complete kits to successfully raise creatures such as earthworms, ladybirds or butterflies.53 3. Go on regular nature walks in the local environment. Take containers to collect interesting specimens and then use magnifying glasses to observe them. Make sure that you always return items to their original habitat and stress the importance of conservation to the children. 4. Create an area where children are free to take shovels and just dig. Put out buckets for them to fill with mud, sticks or rocks. Supervise closely and model respect for any living creatures that they might find. 5. If you are planning an outing, try going for a hike in a field or some woods rather than a museum, farm or zoo. 6. Try replacing some manufactured play items in the playground with natural ones, for example, by creating stepping stones with logs from a felled tree. 7. Ask gardeners to leave piles of leaves for children to play in, then work together to clean them up. 8. Take spontaneous walks around the neighbourhood to look at trees, flowers, bugs or birds. Do this even in bad weather – wrap up well, but be prepared to get wet and muddy as part of the experience! 9. Keep wellington boots and raincoats at school, with the expectation that you will go outside regardless of the weather. 10. Bring natural items into the classroom for children to look at, for example, branches with moss, or twigs with new growth and buds. Let the children handle items and encourage them to look carefully. Do not always ask them to draw or write about it – this turns the experience for some children into ‘work’, and can detract from the experience. 11. Leave a log, a piece of guttering, or a plank in a secluded corner of your garden or play area. Periodically, let the children lift it to see what they can find. Help them to gently lift the creatures into containers so that they can be examined. 12. Put an old sink or plastic bowl on bricks in the open. Let it fill with water and see what colonizes your wildlife pond.

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Messy activities that every child should experience

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Playing with shaving foam. Give lots of opportunities for free play and exploration. Float foam on bowls of water. Paint the foam over balloons. Spray foam on trays and add watered down paint or food colours. Try mixing it with food colours and white glue, or with paint and sand for an unusual painting material.

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Getting gooey with Glarch. Mix 2 parts white glue to 1 part liquid starch in a bowl. Once it becomes too thick to use a spoon, continue mixing with your hands. This works quicker if your hands are warm.

Shaving foam provides endless opportunities for messy play!

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Experimenting with cornflour gloop. Gradually add water to a bowl of cornflour until it turns into a strange liquid-solid texture. Encourage children to lift handfuls up and let it run through their fingers. Add food colours and watch them disperse. Try creating a big ‘swamp’ in a box and add toy dinosaurs or animals for free play.

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Finger painting with instant whip pudding, thick custard, or chocolate mousse. Try adding sand and paint to create different colours and textures. Finger painting – with feet! Put paper down and let children walk in paint and make footprints. (Take care as this can get slippery). Try pushing toy cars through the paint, then try pushing push-along toys or riding bikes through. Then have fun creating a car wash with buckets of warm, soapy water!

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Playing with ice. Freeze big blocks in unusual containers. Try putting a small jewel or toy animal in the middle before freezing. Put blocks on trays and try dripping food colours or water colours onto them.

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Getting gooey with gak. Mix 1½ cups water, 2 cups white glue and water colour paint. In a separate bowl mix together 1 cup of water and 5 tablespoons of Borax, then pour the Borax mixture slowly into the glue and water mixture. Mix and knead until it becomes one big gak ball. Blow bubbles in gak with short straws, or hang strawberry baskets up high, fill them with gak, and watch what happens!

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Exploring different foods and textures such as mashed potatoes, cooked spaghetti (add a little oil) or jelly. Put it on a tray or in a bowl and encourage children to squish freely. Experimenting with compost or soil. Buy new, sterilized bags of compost or ‘Growbags’, and tip these into builders’ trays or tarpaulins for free play with hands, feet and fingers. Making their own dough of all sorts and textures. Find hundreds of recipes on the internet or in books such as The Little Book of Dough.54 Getting wet with big buckets of soapy water and sponges, with buckets and other containers or chalk circles on walls and patios to throw sponges at.

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Check ingredients of food items before allowing children with allergies to touch them. Some of these activities have contents that are toxic if consumed in quantity, and so are not suitable for babies and young toddlers. Read labels carefully and always supervise children to ensure that they don’t put soaps or other ingredients in their mouths.

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Endnotes

Endnotes 1. Christchurch Health and Development Study, Christchurch School of Medicine, New Zealand, ‘Pediatrics’, vol 101, January 1998 2. Pollitt, E, (1993) ‘Iron deficiency and cognitive function’, in Annual Review of Nutrition, vol 13, pp 521–537 3. Study by Harlene Hayne et al, University of Otago, New Zealand, reported in Psychological Science, May 2002 4. Gardner, Howard, Frames of Mind – The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Basic Books, New York, 1993 5. Maslow, Abraham, Towards a Psychology of Being, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, 1998 6. Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, Welfare Requirements, DCSF, May 2008 7. The Further Evaluation of The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, NFER, September 2007 8. Letters and Sounds, Primary National Strategy, DfES, 2007 9. Jolly Learning at www.jollylearning.co.uk 10. Report by Datamonitor, December 2007, quoted at www.foodsciencecentral.com 11. Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, DCSF, May 2008 12. The Further Evaluation of The School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme, NFER, September 2007 13. Emma Chichester Clark, Follow My Leader, Andersen Press Ltd., 1999 14. Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury, We’re going on a Bear Hunt, Walker Books Ltd., 1993 15. Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, DCSF, May 2008 16. ‘Lamb Enquiry – Special Educational Needs’, DCSF, 2009 17. The Foundation Stage Forum at www.foundation-stage.info 18. Dr. Stanley Greenspan, child development researcher, George Washington University medical school, quoted 14th November 2002, news article, ‘How to boost babies’ brainpower’, www. cnn.com 19. Excellence and Enjoyment: social and emotional aspects of learning, DfES, 2005 20. Goleman, Daniel, Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ, Bloomsbury, 1995 21. Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., Mindset – The New Psychology of Success, Random House, 2006 22. Song used with kind permission of Mindy Dirks of BACAP Pre-school Groups, Los Gatos, California 23. The Children’s Plan – Building brighter futures, DCSF, 2007 24. Tim Gill, No Fear – Growing up in a risk averse society, Calouste Gulbenkien Foundation, 2007 25. ‘Keep it Friendly, Keep it Safe’ are cornerstone philosophies of Parents Nursery School in Palo Alto, California 26. Information about Social Stories™ can be found at the website for The Gray Center at www. thegraycenter.org 27. Lepper, M. R, and Hodell, M,, ‘Intrinsic motivation in the Classroom’. In R. Ames and C. Ames (Editors), Research on motivation in education (Vol. 3): Goals and cognitions, Academic Press, 1989 28. The Early Years Foundation Stage, Effective Practice: Parents as Partners, DCSF, 2007 The Thinking Child

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29. The Children’s Plan, One Year On, DCSF, 2008 30. Implementing an Early Years Single Funding Formula: Practice Guidance, DCSF, July 2009 31. Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, DCSF, May 2008 32. Jim Greenman, Caring Spaces, Learning Places: Children’s Environments That Work, Exchange Press, Redmond, Washington, 1988 33. Further ideas can be found at National Deaf Children’s Society’s website, at www.ndcs.org.uk 34. Ronald Kotulak, Inside the Brain. Revolutionary discoveries of how the mind works, Andrews McMeel Publishing, Kansas City, 1997 35. Tina Bruce, Learning through Play, Babies, Toddlers and the Foundation Years, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 2001 36. The Myths and Promises of the Learning Brain, Harvard Graduate School of Education News, 1st December 2004 37. (1) ‘No Einstein in your Crib? Get a Refund’, The New York Times, 23 October 2009

(2) Prior to the offer of a refund, in 2007 the Federal Trade Commission investigated the matter but decided not to take any formal action

38. Susan Young and Joanne Glover, Music in the Early Years, Falmer Press, London, 1998 39. Sue Palmer, Toxic Childhood – How the Modern World is Damaging our Children and What We Can Do About It Orion Books Ltd, 2007 40. Wright, J.C. et al, ‘Young children’s perceptions of television reality’, quoted in Failure to Connect – How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds – for Better and Worse, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., Simon and Schuster, New York, 1998 41. ‘Youngsters Unaware TV Ads are Sales Pitch’, Reuters Health, 16 April 2002, (article at www. story.news.yahoo.com) 42. ‘Talking Tins’ can be found at http://www.talkingproducts.co.uk 43. From ‘Guidelines for Young Children Using Computers.’ Reprinted with permission of Simon and Schuster from Failure to Connect: How Computers Affect Our Children’s Minds – for Better and Worse by Jane M. Healy, PhD Copyright (c) 1998 by Jane M. Healy. 44. The High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, at www.highscope.org 45. Howard Gardner, Frames of Mind – The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Basic Books, New York, 1993 46. Guy Claxton, Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind, How intelligence increases when you think less, HarperPerennial, 2000 47. Robert Frost, 1874–1963, ‘Birches’ 48. Learning Outside the Classroom Manifesto, DfES, 2006 49. Statutory Framework for the Early Years Foundation Stage, DCSF, May 2008 50. Childwise Monitor Survey, 2008/2009, www.childwise.co.uk 51. ‘Wearing Goggles when Using Blu-tac – Health and Safety Playing it too Safe?’ Teachers’ TV, 19 June 2009, www.teachers.tv/ 52. Chigago Wilderness alliance, at http://kidsoutside.info/ 53. Try sites such as www.insectlore.co.uk for purchasing nature kits 54. Lynn Garner, The Little Book of Dough, Featherstone Education Ltd., 2004 55. Traffic Lights, Good Listening posters and other brain-based learning resources can be found at www.alite.co.uk

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Appendices

Appendices

Some principles for planning

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Planning should be a team exercise involving all individuals who work in the setting. Plans should be shared with parents and carers. Detailed plans for the day should be shared with all adults who work in the setting. Children should have the opportunity to contribute to plans through helping to write the To Do list. What is planned should be connected to what has gone on before. What is planned should be connected to what is likely to happen next. Plans should be linked to group and individual targets. Plans should be clear enough for an outsider such as a supply teacher to follow. Planning should link in clearly to assessment and record keeping, and should identify opportunities for observation and assessment. Plans should be flexible enough to allow for a response to the developing needs and interests of the children. Consideration should be given to meeting physiological needs when planning. Plans should be made for involving children in everyday routines in addition to activities planned by adults and those that children initiate themselves. Consideration should be given to addressing the needs of a wide range of groups and ensuring equal access and opportunity. Plans for indoor and outdoor areas should be linked so that the outdoors becomes an extension of the indoor environment. Consideration should be given to the creation of a healthy balance between child-initiated and adult directed play. Children should be told of the plans for the day or the session when given the Big Picture. Consideration should be given to aspects of brain-based learning such as VAK, the multiple intelligences, use of music, brain breaks and mind mapping. Plans should encompass the emotional and social needs of children along with the cognitive, for example, the promotion of self-esteem and emotional intelligence.

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Key vocabulary Brain-based learning: a term used to describe how to apply theories about the brain to help children to learn more effectively Brain-based learning circle: a structure to use for the more formal learning sessions Give the Big Picture Assess the starting point Deliver the session in chunks through VAK Build in brain breaks Check for understanding and acknowledge achievements Review the session Brain break: a short, physical activity to break up a session and refocus and activate the children Brain Gym®: a brain break activity that involves controlled, cross-lateral movements to connect right and left hemispheres of the brain Brain stem: the ‘primitive brain’ which is responsible mainly for survival systems Cerebral cortex: the largest part of the brain where most high-level thinking processes take place Decibel clock: a clockface that indicates various noise-levels. The practitioner turns the hand to point to the required noise-level for that session Emotional intelligence: Daniel Goleman’s five aspects of emotional intelligence are self-awareness management of emotions self motivation handling relationships empathy Good listening and good sitting: a system for explicitly helping children to develop good attentional skills Good questioning strategies: (cf. The Thinking Child page 101) Observe carefully Embed processing cues Ask open-ended questions Allow processing time Listen attentively Reflect back Summarise Limbic system: the ‘mid-brain’, which is responsible for some basic functions, such as managing our emotions and some aspects of memory

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Maslow’s hierarchy of needs: The basic physical needs that must be met if learning is to take place Hydration Nutrition Sleep Movement Attentional systems Metacognition: having an understanding of the way that you personally learn Mind mapping: a method of creating a diagram, rather like a flow chart, that allows the brain to work freely and creatively, whilst making links between concepts Mindsets: Carol Dweck’s definitions of the growth mindset and the fixed mindset, which influence an individual’s approach to challenge, and ultimately their level of success Multiple intelligences: Linguistic Logical-mathematical Musical Bodily-kinesthetic Spatial Interpersonal Intrapersonal Naturalist Neuron: a brain cell Pole-bridging: talking aloud as you work, describing what you are doing as you actually do it POSITIVE feedback is: (cf. The Thinking Child page 102) P ersonal O bjective S pecific I nformative T imely I nspiring V aried E nthusiastic SMART targets are: (cf. The Thinking Child page 58) S pecific M easurable A chievable R ealistic T ime bonded Synapse: the connection made between the axon of one brain cell to the dendrite of another Sustained shared thinking: when an adult works with a child to think about a concept, problem or activity, sharing their ideas and developing and extending their thinking

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The Big Picture: the overview of the content of the forthcoming session The Three As: a motivational system using Acknowledgement, Approval and Affirmation To Do list: a list developed by the children with an adult at the end of a session, a day or a week, describing what activities and learning they next wish to undertake Traffic Light: a system for checking understanding – red for ‘I don’t understand yet’, amber for ‘I’m not sure’ and green for ‘I understand’55 (cf. The Thinking Child page 96) VAK: Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic learning, or ‘seeing, hearing and doing’

Recommended reading Five books about music and learning 1. The Mozart Effect for Children – Awakening Your Child’s Mind, Health and Creativity with Music, Don Campbell, HarperCollins Publishers Inc, New York, 2000 2. Music with the Under Fours, Susan Young, Routledge, 2003 3. Music Materials for Early Years, Leicestershire Music Publications, at www.LMPi.co.uk 4. Three Singing Pigs – Making Music with Traditional Stories, Kaye Umansky, A&C Black, London, 1994 5. Three Tapping Teddies – Musical Stories and Chants for the Very Young, Kaye Umansky, A&C Black, 2005 Five books about the brain and learning 1. Jossey Bass Reader on the Brain and Learning, Jossey Bass, 2008 2. Endangered Minds – Why Children Don’t Think – and What We Can Do About It, Jane M. Healy, Ph.D., Touchstone Books, Simon & Schuster, New York, 1990 3. What’s going on in there? How the brain and mind develop in the first five years of life, Lise Eliot, Ph.D., Bantam Books, New York, 1999 4. Start Smart – Building Brain Power in the Early Years, Pam Schiller, Gryphon House, Inc, Beltsville, Maryland, 1999 5. The Brain’s Behind It – New knowledge about the brain and learning, Alistair Smith, Network Educational Press Ltd., 2002 Five books about movement and learning 1. Smart Moves – Why Learning is not all in your Head, Carla Hannaford, Ph. D., Great Ocean Publishers, Arlington, Virginia, 1995 2. Brain Gym, Paul E. Dennison and Gail E. Dennison, Edu-Kinesthetics, Ventura, California, 1989

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3. The Learning Gym – Fun-to-do Activities for Success at School, Erich Ballinger, EduKinesthetics, Ventura, California, 1992 4. Rhythms of Learning, Chris Brewer and Don Campbell, Zephyr, Tucson, Arizona, 1991 5. Hopping Home Backwards: Body Intelligence and Movement Play, Penny Greenland, Jabadao, Leeds, 2000 Five books about play 1. Creating a Space to Grow – Developing your outdoor learning environment, Gail Ryder Richardson, David Fulton Publishers Ltd., 2006 2. Like Bees, Not Butterflies – Child-initiated Learning in the Early Years, Ros Bayley et al, Featherstone Education Ltd., 2008 3. Learning through Play, Babies, Toddlers and the Foundation Years, Tina Bruce, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 2001 4. Educating Young Children, Mary Hohmann and David P Weikart, High/Scope Educational Research Foundation, Michigan, 2002 5. Child Care and Early Learning – Good practice to support young children and their families, Jennie Lindon, Thomson, London, 2003 Five books about intelligence 1. Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind – How Intelligence Increases when you Think Less, Guy Claxton, HarperPerennial, 2000 2. Emotional Intelligence – Why it can Matter More than IQ, Daniel Goleman, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, London, 1995 3. Frames of Mind – The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Howard Gardner, Basic Books, New York, 1983 4. Intelligence Reframed – Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century, Howard Gardner, Basic Books, New York, 1999 5. The Unschooled Mind – How children think and how schools should teach, Howard Gardner, Basic Books, New York, 1993 Five books about infant and child development 1. The Philosophical Baby – What Children’s Minds Tell us About Truth, Love and the Meaning of Life, Alison Gopnik, Bodley Head, 2009 2. Building Healthy Minds – the Six Experiences that Create Intelligence and Emotional Growth in Babies and Young Children, Stanley Greenspan, Perseus Publishing, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 1999 3. The Secret of Happy Children, Steve Biddulph, Harper Collins, London, 1998 4. The Social Toddler – Promoting positive behaviour, understanding toddlers and why they do the things they do, Helen and Clive Dorman, The Children’s Project, Richmond, London, 2002 5. Child Development – An Illustrated Guide 2nd edition, Carolyn Meggitt, Heinemann, 2006

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Five books about self-esteem and motivation 1. Mindset – The New Psychology of Success, Carol S. Dweck, Ph.D., Random House, 2006 2. What Young Children Need to Succeed – Working Together to Build Assets from Birth to Age 11, Jolene Roehlkepartain and Nancy Leffert, Ph. D., Free Spirit Publishing, Minneapolis, 2000 3. Self esteem and Early Learning, Dr Rosemary Roberts, Sage, 2006 4. Young Children’s Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Marion Dowling, Sage, 2006 5. Early Childhood Education, Tina Bruce, Hodder Arnold, 2005 Five books about outdoor play 1. Creating a Space to Grow – Developing your outdoor learning environment, Gail Ryder Richardson, David Fulton Publishers Ltd., 2006 2. Nature’s Playground, Fiona Danks and Jo Schofield, Frances Lincoln, 2005 3. Go Wild! – 101 Things to Do Outdoors Before You Grow Up, Fiona Danks, Jo Schofield, Frances Lincoln, 2009 4. Forest Schools and Outdoor Learning in the Early Years, Sara Knight, Sage, 2009 5. Learning Outdoors: Improving the Quality of Young Children’s Play Outdoors, Helen Bilton, David Fulton, 2005 Five books about Inclusion and the key person approach 1. Key Persons in the Nursery: Building Relationships for Quality Provision, Goldschmeid, Elinor, Elfer, Peter, and Selleck, Dorothy, David Fulton Publishers, 2003 2. Penny Tassoni’s Practical EYFS Handbook, Heinemann, 2008 3. Contemporary Issues in the Early Years: Working Collaboratively for Children, Dame Gillian Pugh, Sage, 2006 4. Involving Parents in Their Children’s Learning, Ms. Margy Whalley, Sage, 2007 5. Early Years Foundations: Meeting the Challenge, Janet Moyles, Open University Press, 2007 Five books about preserving and protecting childhood 1. Last Child in the Woods – Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Richard Louv, Algonquin Books, 2005 2. Toxic Childhood – How the Modern World is Damaging our Children and What We Can Do About It, Sue Palmer, Orion Books Ltd, 2007 3. The Hurried Child – Growing Up Too Fast Too Soon, David Elkind, Ph.D., Perseus Publishing, 2001 4. No Fear – Growing up in a Risk Averse Society, Tim Gill, 2007 5. Too Safe for their Own Good? Helping Children Learn about Risk and Life Skills, Jennie Lindon, National Children’s Bureau, 2003

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Appendices

Bibliography Abbott, Lesley and Nutbrown, Cathy (Ed), Experiencing Reggio Emilia, Open University Press, 2001 Ballinger, Erich, The Learning Gym, Edu-Kinesthetics 1996 Basic Skills Agency, Securing Boys’ Literacy, Basic Skills Agency, Tel 0870 600 2400 Biddulph, Steve, Raising Babies – Why Your Love is Best, HarperThorsons, 2006 Biddulph, Steve, Raising Boys, Thorsons, 2003 Biddulph, Steve, The Secret of Happy Children, Thorsons; Harper Collins Publishers, 1998 Bilton, Helen, Outdoor Play in the Early Years, David Fulton, 1998 Boyd Cadwell, Louise, Bringing Reggio Emilia Home, Teachers College Press, 1997 Brewer, Chris and Campbell, Don, Rhythms of learning, Zephyr 1991 Bruce, Tina, Learning through Play, Babies, Toddlers and the Foundation Years, Hodder and Stoughton, 2001 Bunting, Madeline, Willing Slaves – How The Overwork Culture Is Ruling Our Lives, Harper Perennial, 2005 Buzan, Tony with Buzan, Barry, The Mind Map Book- How to Use Radiant Thinking to Maximise Your Brain’s Untapped Potential, Penguin Books, 1993 Campbell, Don, The Mozart Effect, tapping the power of music to heal the body, strengthen the mind, and unlock the creative spirit, HarperCollins Publishers Inc, 1997 Campbell, Don, The Mozart Effect for Children – Awakening Your Child’s Mind, Health, and Creativity with Music, HarperCollins Publishers, Inc, 2000 Ceppi & Zini, Children, spaces, relationships – metaproject for an environment for young children, Reggio Children, 1999 Claxton, Guy, Hare Brain, Tortoise Mind – How intelligence increases when you think less, HarperPerennial, 2000 Cousins, Jacqui, Listening to Four Year Olds, National Early Years Network, 1999 De Becker, Gavin, Protecting the Gift – Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane), Dell Publishing, 1999 Dennison Paul E. & Gail E., Brain Gym, Edu-Kinesthetics, 1989 Donaldson, Margaret, Children’s Minds, Penguin Dweck, Carol S., Ph.D., Mindset – The New Psychology of Success, Random House, 2006 Eliot, Lise, Ph.D., What’s going on in there? How the brain and mind develop in the first five years of life, Bantam Books, 2000

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Elkind, David, Ph.D., The Hurried Child – Growing Up Too Fast Too Soon, Perseus Publishing, 2001 Gardner, Howard, Frames of Mind – The Theory of Multiple Intelligences, BasicBooks, 1993 Gardner, Howard, Intelligence Reframed – Multiple Intelligences for the 21st Century, Basic Books, 1999 Goer, Henci, The Thinking Woman’s Guide to a Better Birth, The Berkley Publishing Group, 1999 Goldschmeid, Elinor, Elfer, Peter, and Selleck, Dorothy, Key Persons in the Nursery: Building Relationships for Quality Provision, David Fulton Publishers, 2003 Goleman, Daniel, Emotional Intelligence, why it can matter more than IQ, Bloomsbury Publishing Plc, 1995 Gopnik, Alison, Meltzoff, Andrew, and Patricia Kuhl, How Babies Think, The Orion Publishing Group Ltd, 1999 Gopnik, Alison, The Philosophical Baby – What Children’s Minds Tell us About Truth, Love and the Meaning of Life, Bodley Head, 2009 Gottman, John, The Heart of Parenting, Bloomsbury, 1997 Greenman, Jim, Caring Spaces, Learning Places: Children’s Environments That Work, Exchange Press, 1988 Greenspan, Stanley M.D., Building Healthy Minds – The Six Experiences that Create Intelligence and Emotional Growth in Babies and Young Children, Perseus Publishing, 1999 Gurian, Michael, Boys and Girls Learn Differently! Jossey Bass, 2002 Hannaford Carla, Ph. D., Smart Moves – Why Learning is not all in your Head, Great Ocean Publishers, 1995 Hart, Betty and Risley,Todd, Meaningful Differences in the Everyday Experience of Young American Children, Paul H Brookes Pub Co, 1995 Harter, Susan, Teacher and classmate influences on scholastic motivation, self-esteem, and level of voice in adolescents, in J. Juvonen and K. R. Wentzel (eds), Social Motivation, Understanding Children’s School Adjustment, Cambridge University Press, 1996 Healy, Jane M., Ph.D., Endangered Minds – Why Children Don’t Think – and What We Can Do About It, Touchstone Books, Simon & Schuster, 1990 Healy, Jane, Ph.D, Failure to Connect – How Computers affect our Children’s Minds – for Better and Worse, Simon and Schuster, 1998 Hendrick, Joanne, The Whole Child, Prentice-Hall Inc, 1996 Howe, Christine, Gender and Classroom Interaction – a research review, The Scottish Council for Research in Education, 1997 Jensen, Eric, Teaching with the Brain in Mind, ASDC (USA), 1998 Kohn, Alfie, Punished by Rewards – the trouble with gold stars, incentive plans, As, praise and other bribes, Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 1993

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Kohn, Alfie, Unconditional Parenting – Moving from Rewards and Punishments to Love and Reason, Atria Books, 2005 Kotulak, Ronald, Inside the Brain. Revolutionary discoveries of how the mind works, Andrews McMeel Publishing, 1997 Lindstrom, Martin, Brand child – Remarkable insights into the minds of today’s global kids and their relationships with brands, Kogan Page Limited, 2003 Louv, Richard, Last Child in the Woods – Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2006 Miles, Elizabeth, Tune your brain – using music to manage your mind, body and mood, Berkley Publishing Group, 1997 Miller, Judy, Never too young – How young children can take responsibility and make decisions, National Early Years Network, 1996 Mosley, Jenny, Quality Circle Time in the Primary Classroom, LDA, 1999 Nutbrown, Cathy, Threads of Thinking, Paul Chapman,1999 Ouvry, Marjorie, Exercising Muscles and Minds, National Early Years Network, 2000 Palmer, Sue, Toxic Childhood – How the Modern World is Damaging our Children and What We Can Do About It, Orion Books Ltd, 2007 Pantley, Elizabeth, Hidden Messages – what our words and actions are really telling our children, Contemporary Books, 2001 Pascal Chris and Bertram Tony, Effective Early Learning (Case Studies in Improvement), Hodder & Stoughton, 1997 Paul, Pamela, Parenting Inc. – How We Are Sold on $800 Strollers, Fetal Education, Baby Sign Language, Sleeping Coaches, Toddler Couture, and Diaper Wipe Warmers – and What it Means for Our Children, Times Books, 2008 Pinker, Steven, How the Mind Works, Penguin, 1998 Reggio Children, The Hundred Languages of Children, Reggio Children, 1996 Richardson, Gail Ryder, Creating a Space to Grow – Developing your outdoor learning environment, David Fulton Publishers Ltd., 2006 Roehlkepartain and Leffert, What Children need to Succeed, Free Spirit, EY Network, 1996 Schiller, Pam, Start Smart! Building Brain Power in the Early Years, Gryphon House, Inc, 1999 Sears, William, MD and Martha, RN, The Baby Book, Little, Brown and Company, 1993 Smith, Alistair, The Brain’s Behind It – New knowledge about the brain and learning, Network Educational Press Ltd., 2002 The Jossey Bass Reader on the Brain and Learning, Jossey Bass, 2008 Tizard, Barbara and Hughes, Martin, Young Children Learning, Harvard University Press, 1984 Trythall, Andrew, Managing ICT from Birth to 7, Featherstone Education Ltd., 2006

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Appendices

Some useful websites www.acceleratedlearning.co.uk Nicola Call’s website. This website gives more information about brain-based learning and updated information about books and resources. There is also a link for contacting Nicola directly www.opitus.uk.com Sally Featherstone’s website where you can find information about her writing, courses and training. You can also email her directly at sally @opitus.uk.com www.dcsf.gov.uk For current government initiatives in education www.publications.dcsf.gov.uk For all government publications www.qcda.gov.uk For curriculum and assessment information in England www.standards.dfes.gov.uk/thinkingskills DCSF site for thinking in primary classrooms www.teachers.tv For TV, video and information on teaching at all ages and stages www.early-education.org.uk The website of the British Association for Early Childhood Education, a voluntary organization www.inclusion.org.uk The website for Inclusion UK – a consortium of four organizations supporting inclusion in education www.thegraycenter.org Website for The Gray Center, a non-profit organization dedicated to individuals with autism spectrum disorders, in particular through the development of Social Stories™ www.alite.co.uk Alistair Smith’s website. Useful site for brain-based articles and publications, researching training options, and purchasing resources. Alistair is one of the UK’s leading trainers in brainbased learning www.braingym.com The official Brain Gym® website www.brainresearch.com An extensive website about brain research, with hundreds of links to related websites and articles www.creative-partnerships.com Creative Partnerships fosters innovative, long-term partnerships between schools and creative professionals, including artists, performers, architects, multimedia developers and scientists. www.foundation-stage.info A site with articles, links and an early years discussion forum

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www.richardlouv.com The official website of Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, with a wealth of information about ways to protect childhood www.suepalmer.co.uk Sue Palmer’s website, with information on publications and links to articles in various publications www.naturalchild.org The website for The Natural Child Project, whose motto is ‘All children behave as well as they are treated.’ Interesting articles about child development and the respectful care of young children www.dana.org The website for the Dana Foundation and the Dana Alliance, an organization of scientists dedicated to advancing education about brain research. www.jlcbrain.com Eric Jensen’s website containing information about training, publications and subscription to a monthly newsletter www.circle-time.co.uk The website for Jenny Mosley’s ‘Quality Circle Time’, containing answers to frequently asked questions about circle time, some free resources and online bookshop www.tactyc.org.uk Training, Advancement and Co-operation in Teaching Young Children

Photocopiable material The following pages contain photocopiable templates of charts and illustrations shown in the book which you may find useful in your early years setting.

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The five aspects of emotional literacy

Self-awareness

Management of emotions

Self-motivation

Handling relationships

Empathy

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Questions for your volunteer visitor: Was your initial telephone call dealt with efficiently and in a friendly manner? Was the building easy to find? How easy would access be for somebody with a disability? Were street directions in literature accurate and easy to follow? Was the entrance welcoming? How long did it take for an adult to approach you? How welcoming was the first interaction with staff? Were you asked to wear a badge or other identification? Were you asked to sign the visitors’ book? Was there somewhere comfortable to wait? Was documentation available in a range of community languages? Were signs or notices written clearly and in positive language? Were signs and notices written in community languages in addition to English? Did you find any documentation or literature about the setting useful? Did it seem consistent with the impression from the visit? Was adequate information given about children’s activities or the curriculum? Did the environment seem tidy and orderly? Did the children seem confident and relaxed about meeting you? Was it clear that the setting encouraged the involvement of parents? Did the staff seem confident and relaxed about the visit? Did people smile? Was there a parents’ notice board to look at? Was the information on the notice board up to date? Was the setting welcoming to both adults and children? Were you welcomed and included in the activities?

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The brain-based learning circle

▲

Give the Big Picture

▲ Assess the starting point

Review the session

▲

▲

Check for understanding and acknowledge achievements

Deliver the session in chunks through VAK

▲

▲ Build in brain breaks

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Observation sheet: The four -to-one rule Child’s name

Positive

Negative

Neutral

Notes

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Forty positive adjectives to use with children:

The Thinking Child The Thinking Child

active

gentle

affectionate

graceful

artistic

healthy

assertive

helpful

calm

imaginative

careful

intelligent

caring

kind

clever

lively

confident

loving

considerate

mathematical

creative

musical

curious

outgoing

determined

peaceful

energetic

persuasive

entertaining

polite

enthusiastic

quick

expressive

scientific

friendly

strong

funny

thoughtful

generous

warm page ­174

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Positive thinking Child’s name 1 2 3

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4 5 6 7 8 9

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10

Positive adjective 1

Positive adjective 2

Positive adjective 3

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Observation sheet: Monitoring group-work Single gender pairs Mixed gender pairs Friendship pairs Single gender groups Mixed gender groups

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Older child with younger child Single aged groups Mixed aged groups Teacher selected groups Peer selected groups

ResourceBook Book Resource

Other:

Index Note: Page numbers in italics refer to photocopiable material.

acknowledgement 57, 59, 86–7 action rhymes and songs 128 active learning 137 adjectives 97–8, 99, 184 affirmation 57, 58, 59–60 aggressiveness 34 allergies 164 amines 22 approval 57, 59 assertiveness 34 attention skills acknowledging good skills 86–7 gaining children’s attention 84, 85–6 giving instructions 84, 91 good listening 82, 168 good sitting 82, 168 lining up strategies 88–90 noise levels 87 attentional systems 22–3 auditory learning 151–2 axons 11, 12 behaviour aggressive 34 assertive 34 auditing your interactions 55–6, 98 impulsive behaviour 33, 35, 38 intrinsic motivation 37, 57 managing 55–60 passive 33 positive comments for 55, 96–8, 100 practising through play 114 rules 55 self-management 33, 35, 36, 38 social awareness 36, 56 temper tantrums 83, 91 Big Picture 170 bodily-kinesthetic intelligence 125, 153–4, 157 brain 11–12 brain-based learning 11, 168 mind mapping 105–11, 125, 169 movement 125–8 music 120–5 play 112–19 recommended reading 170 technology 129–36 useful items 73–4 brain-based learning circle 91, 168, 182 brain breaks 126–8, 168

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Brain Gym® 125, 168 brain stem 168 ‘can do’ attitude 50–2, 76 outdoor activities 52–3 positive self-talk 54 cerebral cortex 168 challenge 57 charity 135–6 child development 171 childhood, preserving and protecting 172 childminding 19, 43, 69–70, 135 circle time activities 46–8 basic rules 45 ending activities 48–50 props 47 self-esteem 45 uses 26, 45 warm up activities 45–6 clowning 95 cognitive development 11, 12 communication with parents 29, 62–3, 179, 180 community involvement 135–6 composting 135, 136 computers 130 evaluating use 134 guidelines 133 information and emotional overload 134–5 concentration 90–1 brain-based learning circle 91, 168, 182 how long? 91–2 increasing time on task 93 intervention 90 literacy and numeracy sessions 92–3 older children 93–4 strategies 93–4 confidence 42–3, 50, 72 conflicts 36 connections, making 109 control 57 cooking 17, 24, 27, 71, 131 creative teaching 137–8 ideas 138–40 items 141 questions 142 cultures 17, 123 curiosity 57

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Index

Decibel Clocks 87, 168 dendrites 11 display changing 78 child participation 71, 72 equipment 79, 82 extra places 82 policy 78–9 purposes 77 shared spaces 79 themes 80–1 emotional intelligence 32–3, 168 empathy 33, 36, 156 five aspects 33, 178 management of emotions 33, 35–8, 83, 113 mindsets 40–2, 169 promoting emotional literacy 39 relationships 33, 35, 36, 37 self-awareness 33 self-motivation 33, 37, 57, 172 strategies 33–7 empathy 33, 36, 156 empowerment 135–6 environment brain-based items 73–4 display 77–82 improving the environment 74–5 independent learning 71–2, 75–6 organization 69–72, 75–6 shared environment 79, 117 see also outdoor activities equipment brain-based items 73–4 circle time 47 creative teaching 141 display 79, 82 outdoor activities 27–8, 50, 52–3, 162 real life items 119 fact vs. fiction 130–1 fantasy 57 feedback 41, 94–8 four-to-one rule 96, 183 POSITIVE feedback 169 useful phrases 101 four-to-one rule 55, 96, 183 gardening 53, 68, 70–1 group-work importance of 143 mind mapping 108 monitoring 144, 186 organizing groups 146 Plan – Work – Recall 147

The Thinking Child

practical jobs for children 145 social skills 37, 143 health 23–8 hearing deficit 83 hierarchy of needs 15, 169 home–school partnerships 29–31, 61–2, 67–8 hydration 16–17 impulsive behaviour 33, 35, 38 inclusion 28–9, 172 see also special needs independent learning attention skills 82–90 concentration 90–4 environment 71–2, 75–6 language 94–103 play 112–13 infant development 171 information and emotional overload 134–5 instructions, giving 84, 91 intelligence and nutrition 12 intelligence, teaching for creative teaching 137–42 emotional intelligence 32–42 group-work 143–7 multiple intelligences 155–8, 169 recommended reading 171 taking time for learning 159–64 teaching through VAK 147–54 interpersonal intelligence 156, 158 intrapersonal intelligence 158 jobs for children 145 key person approach 67–8, 172 key vocabulary 168–70 kinesthetic learning 125, 153–4, 157 language and clowning 95 comments 97, 100 four-to-one rule 55, 96, 183 for growth mindset 41, 42 in the home 94–5 importance of 102 and memory 12 mimicry 114, 119 opening phrases 101 pole-bridging 102–3, 169 positive adjectives 97–8, 99, 184 positive feedback 41, 94–8, 101, 169 positive thinking 98, 185 positive vocabulary 97–8, 99–100 processing time 91 questioning 41, 51, 110, 142, 168 page ­178

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Index

limbic system 168 linguistic intelligence 157 lining up strategies 88–90 listening skills 82 activities 151–2 good listening 82, 168 good sitting 82, 168 hearing deficit 83 music 122 turn-taking 83 see also auditory learning literacy sessions 92–3 logical mathematical intelligence 157 mealtimes 24, 25–6 memory 12 messy activities 164 metacognition 169 mimicry 114, 119 mind mapping 105–7, 169 3D mind mapping 125 applications 107 assessing knowledge and understanding 108 challenging and extending learning 110 group-work 108 making connections 109 reasons for 111 revisiting previous learning 109 sharing ideas 108 mindsets 40–2, 169 motivation 33, 37, 57, 172 movement 20–1, 24, 27–8 brain break activities 126–8, 168 physiological need for 125–6 recommended reading 170–1 multiple intelligences 155, 169 assessing profiles 157–8 balance in teaching 156 bodily-kinesthetic 125, 153–4, 157 interpersonal 156, 158 intrapersonal 158 linguistic 157 logical mathematical 157 musical 157 naturalist 158 spatial 158 see also emotional intelligence; VAK music choosing 121–2 classical music 121, 122, 125 film music 123 listening skills 122 ‘Mozart’ effect 120 other cultures 123 pop music 123

The Thinking Child

preparation 121 purpose 120 recommended reading 170 resources 120 using 56, 120, 122, 123–4 variety 120, 124 see also songs musical intelligence 157 myelination 12 naturalist intelligence 158 nature 159, 160, 162–3 needs, hierarchy of 15, 169 neurons 11, 169 noise levels 87 numeracy sessions 92–3 nursery class 13–14 nutrition 12, 17–18, 23–5, 26–7 outdoor activities 24, 27 for ‘can do’ attitude 52–3 connection with nature 159, 160, 162–3 equipment 27–8, 50, 52–3, 162 indoors and outdoors 118 recommended reading 172 Outdoor Bill of Rights 160 pair work 51, 130, 144 parents and carers communication 29, 62–3, 179, 180 extended provision 66–8 home–school partnerships 29–31, 61–2, 67–8 involving parents 64–6 key person approach 67–8, 172 of special needs children 29–31 welcoming systems 63, 181 workshops 64 passive behaviour 33 pets 51, 135, 145 photocopiable material 178–86 photographs of children 68 physical needs 15 attentional systems 22–3 hydration 16–17 movement 20–1, 24, 27–8, 125–8, 170–1 nutrition 12, 17–18, 23–5, 26–7 sleep 19–20 Plan – Work – Recall 147 planning 119, 167 play adult intervention 112–13, 115–16 balance 112, 118 important features 115 independence 112–13 indoors and outdoors 118 page ­179

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Index

making sense of experience 114 management of emotions 113 messy activities 164 planning 119 practising behaviours 114 practising new skills 114 purpose 113–14 real life items 119 recommended reading 171, 172 in shared accommodation 117 see also outdoor activities pole-bridging 102–3, 169 POSITIVE feedback 169 positive language 97–100 adjectives 97–8, 99, 184 comments 97, 100 feedback 41, 94–8, 101, 169 four-to-one rule 55, 96, 183 self-talk 54 positive thinking 98, 185 pre-school 13 puppets 22, 36, 46, 61, 149 questions for ‘can do’ attitude 51 challenging thinking 110 open-ended 41, 51 strategies 168 ‘What would happen if?’ 142 reception class 13, 14 recommended reading 170–2 recordings of children 68 recycling 135, 136 relationships 33, 35, 36, 37 relaxation 20 rhymes for brain breaks 128 for gaining attention 85–6 rules 55 safety 50–1, 68, 160, 164 self-awareness 33 self-belief 50 self-control 33, 35, 36, 38 self-esteem 42–5, 51, 95, 172 self-motivation 33, 37, 57 self-talk 54 sensory integration disorders 21 shared spaces 79, 117 sharing 114 sitting, good 82, 168 sleep 19–20 SMART targets 169 social skills 33, 36, 37, 56, 95, 114, 143

The Thinking Child

songs for brain breaks 128 for circle time 46, 48, 49–50 for gaining attention 86 for lining up 88–90 spatial intelligence 158 special needs 28–9 choosing the setting 31–2 communication 29 home-school partnerships 29–31 social awareness 56 support systems 32 staying on task see concentration sustained shared thinking 159, 161, 169 synapses 11, 169 technology computers 130, 133–5 information and emotional overload 134–5 skills 129, 130, 131–2 television 130, 131, 134–5 variety 129–30, 131–2 without a computer 131–2 television 130, 131, 134–5 temper tantrums 83, 91 The Three As 55, 57–60, 170 Acknowledgement 57, 59, 86–7 Affirmation 57, 58, 59–60 Approval 57, 59 thinking, positive 98, 185 thinking skills 159–60, 161–2 sustained shared thinking 159, 161, 169 thinking places 34 time for learning 159 connection with nature 159, 160, 162–3 messy activities 164 recommended reading 172 thinking skills 159–60, 161–2 time on task 91–2, 93 ‘To Do’ lists 51, 145, 170 ‘Traffic Light’ system 170 turn-taking 35, 83 VAK (visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning) 147–8, 170 auditory learning 151–2 balance in teaching 147 kinesthetic learning 125, 153–4, 157 visual learning 149–50 visual learning 149–50 water (hydration) 16–17

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