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146 articles in this category

Motivational Planning

by Sue Ridgway on October 1, 2011

A description of how one setting moved away from topic planning towards a more child-centred approach.

Thinking Creatively about Creative Development

by Martine Horvath on November 7, 2010

Martine Horvath's belief that all children are born creative is one that many practitioners share. In this article she describes what creativity means in the early years and how we can support this crucial area of learning and development.

Snacks and lunches for early years children

by Amanda Grant on February 27, 2010

A subject regularly raised in the FSF, this article gives advice on healty and tasty eating for young children. Makes your mouth water!

Using Drama in Reception - Bonfire!

by Jacquie Long on October 26, 2010

Jacquie describes a whole group drama approach applied to bonfire night. "Learning through Imagined Experience" from an enthusiastic and experienced reception teacher.

Interactive Story Making

by Lesley Hendy on December 5, 2010

Continuing on from her article on imaginative roleplay, Lesley Hendy makes stories with her children!

Planning!

by Dee Hayday on December 17, 2010

Another humorous article from the darker corners of Dee Hayday's experiences. The usual health warnings apply!

Play and Exploration

by Martine Horvath on October 6, 2010

The importance of play and of practitioners who are "playful"

Positive Behaviour Management

by Helen Edwards on November 11, 2011

What do we mean by "good behaviour"? We are often quite clear about the behaviour that we don't want to see in our settings! Can we be proactive about this and plan consistent positive behaviour strategies where all children feel happy and secure and…

Developing Art in the Foundation Stage: The Project!

by Sue Ridgway on May 17, 2010

A personal account of an exhilarating project to develop creative skills by Nottingham City Council.

Building an accurate picture: Evidencing the Early Years Foundation St…

by Kate Cahill on March 8, 2012

Q: How much evidence do I need? It’s a perennial question and one that is asked on an almost daily basis as moderation visits are underway.Assessment in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFSP) is based very firmly on the use of observation. Watching…

Early years settings and social media

by Kathy Brodie on May 3, 2012

In the last few years the use of social media has grown rapidly. It is now estimated that 65% of all adult Internet users access some form of social networking site. The most well known of the social networking sites are Facebook, Linkedin and Twitte…

Feeling positively positive about the revised Early Years Foundation S…

by Martine Horvath on June 4, 2012

Martine Horvath identifies the significant features of the revised EYFS. She states that "It’s important to stress right from the very beginning that all our energies should be channelled into celebrating the positives, continuing to be the confident…

Nature Deficit Disorder

by Helen Irving on May 5, 2012

Have you heard of the phrase ‘Nature deficit disorder’? Just recently there have been lots of reports, book releases, news articles, and interviews on TV and radio about the need to reconnect children to nature. Many of our children’s lives are well …

Characteristics of Effective Learning: Playing and Exploring

by Martine Horvath on July 7, 2012

In a series of three articles examining the characteristics of effective learning in the revised EYFS framework, Martine Horvath encourages us to consider how to support children's skills in independent learning. Including a link to an inspiring shor…

Aspects of Art

by Juliet Mickelburgh on June 8, 2012

Art is a rich and magical area of learning. It can open children’s eyes to the world around them and offer them new and exciting ways of seeing, thinking and doing. But this doesn’t just happen; presenting children with the opportunity to use clay, p…

Early Years 2012 Conference: June 19th, 2012

by Helen Edwards on June 25, 2012

Helen Edwards attended the recent govnet event, featuring Sarah Teather, Liz Bayram, Ann Gross, Sue Robb, Liz Elsom, Cathy Nutbrown, and Dame Clare Tickell. Here is a summary of the main issues discussed.

Characteristics of Effective Learning: Active Learning

by Martine Horvath on July 3, 2012

What is "Active Learning"? The High Scope approach defines it helpfully as ‘having direct and immediate experiences and deriving meaning from them through reflection’. In this way children can better make sense of their world. It’s in the doing th…

Aspects of Art: Drawing

by Juliet Mickelburgh on September 13, 2012

This is the second in a series of articles about the different aspects of art in the early years. Here we look at ways to approach drawing with young children.

Small Steps: supporting engaged fatherhood

by Chris Randall on September 24, 2012

Chris Randall, an EYP in Brighton, explains how he has worked to develop the relationships between his setting and the children's fathers.

Aspects of Art: Painting

by Juliet Mickelburgh on November 8, 2012

Paint is such a versatile and energetic medium for children to explore. It can be thick or runny, pale or bright. It can be layered up with other things and it can be dabbed, spread, brushed, flicked or squelched. This article is the third in a serie…

Giving children feedback about their learning

by Sue Ridgway on November 27, 2012

How do we give effective feedback to children about what they have learned and what they might do next? Here, Sue Ridgway discusses how to involve children in evaluating their learning and planning future experiences.

Aspects of Art: Printing

by Juliet Mickelburgh on February 13, 2013

We continue our series on Art in the early years with a closer look at printing.

Aspects of Art: Textiles

by Juliet Mickelburgh on April 25, 2013

Here is the fourth in our series on Art in the Early Years. This time the focus is on Textiles. Fabric is a big part of children’s lives. They wear it, they sleep under it and they sit on it. The familiarity of textiles is what makes them so much fun…

Men in childcare, an ongoing debate

by David Wright on November 8, 2017

For those of us interested in such matters, the received wisdom is that the number of men actually working with young children as part of the Early Years workforce in England represents around 2% of the total. This figure, despite much hand-wringin…

Reducing Educational Disadvantage

by Penny Tassoni on January 25, 2018

Narrowing or closing the gap has become a hot topic in education. This is perhaps not surprising as it would appear that how well children do both at school and later in their careers is a postcode lottery which reflects parents’ income. Politician…

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Articles

Articles Professional Learning Toolkit

146 articles in this category