Translating research about child neuroscience into practice in education is a daunting prospect for most practitioners. In fact, many see it as fraught with difficulties and risky. However, the importance of this research has never been more important. The context of the early years in the UK, has seen considerable changes within recent years, with a raft of government regulation and guidance, and a national move to free childcare entitlement at increasingly earlier ages. Combined with a m...

This book will help you to understand what works for the growing brain, and (even more important) what doesn't!It is more and more evident that HOW children learn is much more important then WHAT they learn. Babies are born with a drive to learn, but as babies become children this drive can falter. What are the keys to keeping the momentum going, so children are ready for each stage of their childhood as they reach it?We can influence the quality of learning, without buying s...

This book explores the importance of the environment in the Early Yearsand its effect on learning and emotional development. It providesexamples of excellent settings for learning as well as lots of ideasfor organisation, planning, displays and making changes. It willinspire practitioners with its full colour photos and practical, easyto follow activities!

Why is it that, when children play, some behave like butterflies, flitting around among the flowers of the activities on offer, landing for a moment before moving on to the next attractive flower (activity) while others behave with the single minded concentration of bees?As children grow and learn, they acquire skills through play and practical activities. This recently acquired learning is tenuous and is secured through practice, repeating the skills in different contexts, with dif...

Heuristic Play is a tightly described, but freely accessed activity, using a specific range of 'found' or everyday objects, and, in its pure sense, is only really applicable to a specific age range (from 12 months to about two and a half).However, there is now plenty of evidence that heuristic play has continuing value for children throughout the Foundation Stage and well into the primary years. Collections of objects, carefully selected and offered in both adult-led and child-initi...

Practitioners working within the EYFS are still uncertain of exactly how to manage assessment. This book will take them through the process step by step. It explains the terminology involved, shows practitioners how to turn 'observation' into 'assessment' and in the final chapter sets out how to manage and interpret all the information they have gathered. This book is an essential part of all early years bookshelves as the government expects 80% of the judgements on progress towards the Ea...

What are schemas and why do they matter? Again! Again! provides an introduction to understanding and supporting schemas and schema play in young children. Practitioners will find an overview of schemas with guidance on where they fit within the EYFS. There are examples of schemas, with illustrations and descriptions of common behaviour patterns, and these are set within the general context of child development. The intention is to help early years practitioners identify schemas and to unde...

Developing children as independent learners starts in the early years. Scientific evidence as well as the experience of experts confirms that children between three and six learn most effectively by doing. This work looks at the theory of independent learning and describes how practitioners can plan and resource the early years.

The differences between boys and girls, in development and attitude to learning are well documented, and a formalised early curriculum emphasises these differences. The abilities of most girls to meet goals for learning at an earlier age may result in a tendency to focus on trying to teach boys to learn like girls, instead of recognising their unique gifts and abilities. If we are to help boys to become strong, competent learners from an early age, we must resist the temptation to feel sor...