Strategies to support everyday practice

Supporting the learning of a large group of children in early years settings and school nursery and reception classes is undoubtedly a challenge. So, it’s promising to note that there are two well-evidenced strategies which educators can use moment-by-moment to improve children’s enjoyment and achievement in their early years. Best of all, these two strategies are already part of most educators’ practice.

They are:

Back-and-forth conversation with children to promote their communication and extend their thinking and learning
Using scaffolding so that children can succeed in a task which is currently too difficult for them to do on their own

These two approaches are at the heart of high-quality interactions which promote children’s learning. They are underpinned by warm, caring relationships and interactions, and in turn they can promote children’s wellbeing and mental health.

Research evidence tells us that developing these high-quality interactions is crucial to every aspect of practice in the early years. High-quality interactions with children are also a guiding principle for all effective professional development in the early years. You can find out more about this in our Guide to Effective Professional Development in the Early Years.

Next chapter:

The importance of shared attention