Parents and carers

Annalisa Rabotti, an educator in Reggio Emilia wrote: –

‘Children are always throwing out sparks of knowledge, curiosity, and inquiry and adults must be ready to catch those sparks……You have to be ready to catch them as a teacher and blow on them to encourage them to grow bigger and ignite them further.’

This quote sums up clearly the importance of the role of the adult. There are many things to consider when providing experiences for your children to help them at the start of their educational journey. Firstly, know your ‘why?’ – ask yourself why you are providing this experience and what will your child/children gain from it? This will make it purposeful to your child. Secondly, are you following your child’s/children’s interests? Children learn best when they are interested and engaged. Using children’s interests as a basis for your choice of experience ensures that learning is not only interesting but also meaning and relevant.

Young children want to learn how things work and they learn best through play. Spending time playing with your child as a parent / carer or as a member of staff in a Cylch Meithrin/Day Nursery is good for your children’s all-round development. While they are playing, children are thinking, learning, problem-solving and creating. They may also be running, climbing, skipping, lifting, throwing, pulling and pushing and developing fine motor skills. Engaging children in these activities also help to develop self-care skills such as dressing / undressing, eating and toileting and develop their independence. (For further information on play and play-based learning, see Play and play based learning – Meithrin)

By providing invitations to learn/play we are sending out discreet messages to children to come and play here (look out for our explanation on invitations to play/learn coming soon.) You can do this at home or in your setting, indoors and outdoors. How do we do this? As a parent / carer or member of staff we can display a range of carefully selected materials and loose parts based on the interests of the child that will draw their curiosity and attention. This will engage them in a world of wonder and awe and develop their learning across the five developmental pathways – communication, exploration, physical development, belonging and well-being.

Mudiad Meithrin believes in valuing books and nurturing children’s love of books. Children from a young age need to experience handling books, listen to stories, and see the beauty of reading. All you need to do this is a selection of books, loose parts, and some peg dolls/animals etc. Children can then enter a world where there are no limits to their imagination. Books need to be available in all areas of the setting, not just the book corner. Carefully selected books need to be placed within easy access when setting up provocations and invitations to play/learn. Consider using low windowsills, shelves, display cabinets and tuff trays to display books, loose parts and peg dolls. The book is just the starting point, and the resources can be used to act out the story following the children’s thoughts, imagination and creativity. (For further information see Mudiad Meithrin’s training on Story time.)

Outdoor play should be offered to young children as much as possible. There are so many benefits to this and now more than ever we need to recognise its importance of its impact on early years development. Being outdoors has a positive impact on children’s physical and mental health. Mental health issues among young children are on the increase so it is important we find ways to tackle this by ensuring that we place children’s well-being at the forefront of children’s learning. Children best learn when they are happy and free from stress and anxiety. The physical exercise that being outdoors provides, helps to combat issues around increasing obesity in young children. Children naturally have the opportunity to develop their gross and fine motor skills by being outdoors. Time in nature provides children with a break from the demands of everyday life. Not all children are able to conform to the restrictions of being indoors, so being outdoors allows them to burn off excess energy resulting in keeping challenging behaviour at bay. Whatever you provide for children indoors can be replicated outdoors on a bigger, louder scale!

For further information on well-being and outdoor learning, click on the following links:-

meithrin.cymru/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/Astudiaeth_Achos_Bro_Alun_S.pdf

Baby Steps into the Curriculum – Meithrin

View – Hwb (gov.wales)

Cylch Meithrin Sarnau a Llandderfel – Outdoor Learning – YouTube

Ysgol Feithrin Pontypwl Case study (meithrin.cymru)

The benefits of nature play

If you want to provide interesting, relevant experiences to your child/children based on their interests and are not sure where to start, use the following as a guide: –

• Observe how they play
• Write it down
• Listen and talk to them
• Be open to their ideas
• Give them plenty of opportunities

By doing this you will be providing them with positive, authentic experiences around and beyond that interest. Parents, carers and practitioners have an essential role to play here.

We have provided some ideas on engaging experiences that complement our planning resource based on our calendar of events. We follow the seasons and nature. These ideas can be used on their own or with the planning resource.

For further information contact:-

Judith Grigg BEd (Hons) MAEd, Lead Officer Foundation Learning.

judith.grigg@meithrin.cymru

Click below to see a poster on Things to do with your children during Autumn;

Making Maths Purposeful and Meaningful

This is the first part of a new resource that explores mathematical concepts and discusses how to introduce these concepts to young children. The second part of the resource will explore these concepts in greater depth and will share good practice from Mudiad Meithrin settings. Click on the poster for more information.

Click on the posters for more information.

An introduction to pedagogical approaches

You may have heard the term ‘pedagogy’ on numerous occasions. It is referred to many times in the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings.

The term pedagogy is defined in the curriculum as:

‘the method or practice of teaching’

When we talk about pedagogy in the early years, we mean ‘how’ we teach, or all the things that enabling adults do to foster children’s learning and development.  This includes:

• The enabling adult – warm, trusting relationships with knowledgeable adults support children’s learning more effectively than any number of resources. A knowledgeable practitioner can decide when to stand back, when to interact, and what to offer the child.

• The effective environment – the environment we create in our setting, indoors and outdoors, should be central to children’s authentic experiences. We should continually monitor and review the effectiveness of the environment and adapt accordingly. During the early years, exploration of the environment is a key driver for development. Through exploration of their environment, children begin to develop a sense of belonging and an appreciation of the world around them.

• Engaging experiences – the experiences we offer in the early years should be hands -on, purposeful and meaningful to the child. They should encourage children’s independence, offer risk, challenge and opportunities to experience success along the learning journey. They should be rooted in real-life, authentic contexts, to engage children in deep levels of involvement and long periods of uninterrupted active learning.

The principles of effective pedagogy are embedded throughout the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings. We need to ensure that the learning environment provides consistent opportunities for the following:

• play and play-based learning – play is a fundamental right for all children. They have a strong intrinsic need to play. Through play and playful experiences, children find ways to explore a range of emotions and learn about the world they inhabit with others.
• being outdoors – being outdoors is particularly important for young children. It supports social, emotional, spiritual and physical development, as well as well-being.
• authentic and purposeful learning – relevant and meaningful experiences that are rooted in real-life contexts will enable children to make connections, apply knowledge and consolidate skills. Real-life experiences can enable children to take the lead in asking questions, identifying problems, taking risks and finding solutions.
• physical literacy – it is essential for us to lay the foundations of physical literacy in the early years through modelling positive attitudes towards movement and providing an environment that gives children the opportunity to explore, practise and consolidate a wide range of physical movements in a variety of contexts.

Many early years theorists have developed different pedagogies – your Cylch Meithrin/day nursery may decide to adopt a specific pedagogy. It is always worth researching and reading about the pedagogy you are interested in as this will ensure you are choosing it to directly benefit the children you are caring for. You can use any of the following pedagogical approaches within the curriculum for funded non-maintained nursery settings and adapt to your own setting.

** Mudiad Meithrin does not endorse any specific pedagogical approaches. We have included some examples for information purposes only.

For further information please contact:

Judith Grigg BEd (Hons) MAEd, Lead Officer Foundation Learning.

judith.grigg@meithrin.cymru

For more information click on the poster above.

Getting messy is an important part of child development. It supports children to engage in hands-on exploration, sensory experiences and develops creativity and imagination. This resource supports parents/ carers and practitioners understanding on why messy play is so important.

Click below to see a postcard and poster on messy play;

In this technology driven world the benefits of nature can be forgotten. This resource provides suggestions on what experiences you can provide to your child/children to bring nature into their lives, focusing on its benefits and how to provide experiences in nature even if you are based in a built-up area.

Click below to see a poster on The Benefits of Nature Play;

Storytime is an essential part of children’s daily lives. It supports children’s language development, literacy skills and communication. This resource provides top tips on how to involve young children in Storytime and how to make it exciting and fun filled.

Click below to see a poster on Story time;