This blog is from one of COBIS' Supporting Associates.

Written by Phil Armstrong, Head of Regional Development, South & International at Early Excellence. Phil is also presenting at the 40th COBIS Annual Conference this May on 'Connecting Learning: Exploring the Learning Journey from Early Years across the Curriculum'.

There can be little doubt that the last two years have had a profound impact upon all of us, not least the youngest children in our schools. Personal, Social and Emotional Development is, quite rightly, one of the prime areas of learning in the EYFS and, now more than ever, our practice should reflect this – no matter the curriculum. With this in mind, there are a number of key principles that teachers and practitioners can use to create practice with the children’s emotional well-being at its centre.

To begin with, we need to consider children’s emotional needs. How do they develop security, confidence and a high level of self-esteem? Well, young children need to feel that:

• Someone cares for them
• Their interests are recognised
• Their feelings are considered
• Their ways of doing things are valued and who they are is affirmed

Strong, close, positive and consistent relationships within the early years are vital. It is through these relationships that children develop a feeling of security and self-confidence begins to develop. Building these strong relationships between staff and children takes time, understanding and skilful interaction. Supporting a child as they play, teaching new skills and challenging their thinking are key aspects of what it is to be an Early Years teacher.

Building a learning environment around what we know will fascinate young children, which will be a crucial first step in recognising and valuing their interests. Young children’s key interests are often, as many researchers and writers have found, based on a powerful, interest in themselves and their world. To offer this is to value how young children learn most effectively and, in turn, promotes the idea that we value our young children and the prior experiences that they bring with them to our setting.

For both adults and children, confidence and security are often built on familiarity. As they access the resources and materials in your classroom, the children’s play will begin to flow in repeating patterns. Groups of children will predictably return to areas of the classroom and particular resources that they enjoy using. Sometimes this predictable aspect to children’s learning is seen as a weakness or an indicator of a lack of challenge. This concern can lead many teachers and practitioners to change classroom layouts and resources in order to overcome this. If children’s confidence and self-esteem really are a prime aspect of our curriculum then we really need to reflect carefully before doing this. If you are going to make changes to your classroom layout or the resources that are available, is it possible to involve the children in these changes as a way of valuing their feelings and input?

If we are going to be able to enter our children’s world with them, then we need to first build their trust. Adults who interact with children using a set of pre-prepared questions often find that children switch off this line of questioning if it does not seem meaningful to them and their world. Mirroring children’s actions as they play and supporting them sensitively to be successful in carrying out their own ideas will be more successful in building trust and will also lay strong foundations for future learning.

Next Steps:

Join us for a series of linked webinars exploring the principles discussed above. The programme will also support you to gain an understanding of how we can measure and support children’s well-being as they develop emotionally, using the international recognised Leuven Scales of Well-being as a framework.  

You will also receive additional resources to support you with monitoring and evaluating provision, practice and pedagogy.