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Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Our aim as an Early Years Stronger Practice Hub will be to share communication and language and literacy programmes initially. Please keep checking back as we aim to provide recorded and live webinars and face to face drop in's and twilights regarding the programmes we will offer. In the meantime look at the programmes on offer through the Department for Education (DfE): https://help-for-early-years-providers.education.gov.uk/ New Maths Champions 2025 Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

School application form 1/3 Everton Nursery School and Family Centre Child Application Form Child's name Child's date of birth * required Gender Choose an option Type of Place required * Required Two Year Old Funded Place Two Year old Paid Place 3 - 5 Years Old 30 Hours 3 - 5 Years Old 15 Hours Home address Email Contact Phone number (The number will be used to contact parents/carers regarding status of application, please call: 0151 233 1969 if there are any changes) AM. (Preferred sessions required (although your choice cannot be guaranteed) * Required Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri PM. (Preferred sessions required (although your choice cannot be guaranteed) * Required Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Child's information Nationality: Religion: Asylum Seeker * Required Yes No Special Educational Needs Ethnicity: Languages spoken at home: Refugee * Required Yes No Medical Needs Parent 1 full legal name Parent 1 Date of birth * required Parent 1 Address Parents 1 NI or NAS Number Parent 2 full legal name Parent 2 Date of birth * required Parent 2 Address Parent 2 NI or NAS Number Child's Doctor Child’s Health Visitor: Current/Previous Nursery or Childminder Attended: Signed Parent/Carer: Date * required Submit Application Child’s Social Worker: I have seen the data protection sheet: * Required Yes No Staff use Date Name Thank you for your application. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment ENGAGING GROWTH WITH ‘THE GARDEN CLASSROOM’ By Tracie Dowling My name is Tracie Dowling, I have worked in childcare for over 30 years. I’m an OFSTED Registered Childminder, Mentor for the Department of Education , Northwest Childminder Representative and Childminding Network Co-ordinator, PEEP Facilitator and Childminder Employer based in Liverpool. I employ an amazing assistant, Debbie and together we care for eight children under the age of five years. Throughout my career as a Registered Childminder, I have incorporated holistic learning into my practices. Over the years this has evolved, and I refer to my way of teaching as ‘The Garden Classroom’ which you can read about on my blog . Although this way of learning is primarily outdoors, the learning is year-long and therefore I have created ways of learning no matter the season. The Garden Classroom practices always incorporate the three prime areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Characteristics of Effective Teaching and Learning. Read on to learn how I weave these key components into outdoor play. OUTDOOR LEARNING The Garden Classroom is a space where children can learn and grow, connecting to nature and the world around them. Outdoor exploration not only connects toddlers and babies with the seasons and everchanging weather, but also promotes physical activity, a sense of wonder, and an appreciation for the natural environment. Providing gardening activities for my children has proven to be great way to engage them with hands-on learning, including growing food from seed to plate, food sensory education , pond-dipping and lifecycles, and practicing sustainability through composting and recycling. The children learn vital skills such as adaptability and resilience by witnessing their environment going through the cycles. This helps them understand the concept of change and builds resilience in the face of transitions. In one area of our garden, we have a pet cemetery. Here, we have buried our family pets and other creatures who have come and gone. This space allows us to teach the children about the life-death cycle and accept change. Similarly, every year we experience frogspawn, giving us the opportunity to learn about birth and growth as we watch their little tails shrink and their legs grow. To support the children’s cognitive skills, we provide activities to observe and understand nature through investigation. The children’s favourite activities at the moment are pond dipping and growing and harvesting flowers, fruit, and vegetables. Some of the learning objectives within these activities are linked to lifecycles, categorising, comparison and pattern recognition in nature. Supporting the children to experience the wonders of changing seasons has a positive effect on their emotional well-being, mine, and Debbie’s too! The children take naps outside and participate in meditation while the birds are singing away. These activities provide opportunities for relaxation and promote a sense of calm and happiness. It is proven that spending time in nature has mental health benefits as well as emotional and physical benefits . SEASONAL LEARNING Every season and even every different day outdoors, brings a new set of sensory stimulation by exploring the sights, textures, aromas, even the noises of the natural world. The experiences are endless. The children love finding the strawberries and munching away, and there is no better taste than a sun-ripened cherry tomato, if they leave me any! Unfolding the characteristics of seasonal vocabulary during our activities also contributes to early language and provides children with the skills to articulate their observations and experiences. Whether its playing in the muddy puddles, counting the frogs or learning to sow seeds, the language opportunities are endless. The seasons are also a lovely way to promote cultural celebrations and traditions. We love the harvest festival where we like to gather our produce and share with our families, or Diwali where we cover the garden with lights and have a magical Diwali feast. There are many ways to weave cultural traditions into your very own Garden Classroom. “Lovely to watch her be so interested in how it grows. How she cares for it, and that she’s happy with the end result, we’ve even started growing our own strawberries and sunflowers at home” – Elsie’s Mum. By incorporating a Garden Classroom into your setting, your children can foster environmental awareness, develop a sense of responsibility and appreciation of the natural world, which in turn lays the groundwork for their future environmental consciousness. Seasonal changes spark natural curiosity and wonder within the children, giving them the opportunity for questioning and exploration, cultivating a mindset of inquiry and lifelong learning. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) The Early Years Toolkit brings together the best available evidence on key areas of learning and development. It can support all childminders when making decisions on how to improve learning outcomes. Physical development approaches | EEF educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Other research Useful resource: Garden activities for September :: The Garden Classroom - NurtureStore The Edible Garden – Alys Fowler (book and BBC Series 2010) Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Let’s talk about books By Alex Gower-Jones Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment NELI Preschool Craig Bolton, Headteacher at East Prescot Road Nursery School, Liverpool, introduces the NELI Preschool programme. East Prescot Road Nursery School is a partner of the Stronger Practice Hub. What is NELI Preschool? The Nuffield Early Language Intervention for Nursery (NELI Preschool) combines elements of two successful existing interventions: NELI-R and Parent and Children Together (PACT). NELI Preschool is an enrichment programme, delivered to the whole class, with additional targeted support for children with weaker oral language. The programme is designed for 3 and 4 year olds and runs over 20 weeks. It involves scripted interventions, focusing on dialogic reading, teaching vocabulary, listening and narrative skills. In Reception year, the NELI-R programme follows on and develops children’s phonological awareness and letter sound knowledge. Reading is at the heart of NELI Preschool. The programme is crafted around 20 high-quality, engaging books, including traditional tales, non-fiction and fiction. Ideas are often expanded into language-rich and engaging continuous provision and can become a solid basis for a book-focused sequenced and progressive curriculum. Why did we adopt NELI Preschool? Our school’s top priority had been improving children’s outcomes in communication and language. This became even more pressing following the Covid pandemic. We had devised a strategy for professional development to improve practitioner expertise within the language-rich learning environment. We had already adopted a range of interventions and approaches to assess and support our children’s listening and attention, comprehension and speaking skills. We wanted to build upon our existing approach and to further develop our curriculum to incorporate books and the direct teaching of new vocabulary. The NELI Preschool programme was the ideal complement to our existing provision and offered opportunities for professional development for the whole staff team. The power of NELI Preschool is that it is a whole-school intervention, a universal model. All children explore the same high-quality text, learn the same new words and their meanings and engage in the same learning activities that deepen their conceptual understanding. How does NELI Preschool work? Our whole staff team were very well supported in our preparation phase. We received handbooks, resources, flashcards, training and mentor support. Children were then assessed through an app called ‘Language Screen’, which identifies children needing most support with their language skills. This informs the groupings of children who will receive further support in small groups 3 times per week, and those who will benefit from short individual sessions. There are three elements of the programme: whole-class sessions delivered by a trained practitioner five times a week; targeted intervention in small groups for children with the weakest language skills and weekly individual sessions as a further opportunity to revisit learning. The NELI Preschool structure operates over a five-day cycle, in daily 15-20 minute sessions. The first day involves sharing the book of the week with the whole class. The remaining four days focus on a ‘Special Word’ from the shared text, with interactive learning activities designed to explore the new word and linked concepts in greater detail. The programme is supported by digital resources for the Interactive Whiteboard and scripted handbooks to support the delivery of the sessions. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) is funding a project to further understand delivery of the programme in PVI settings, with interested settings able to register now to take part. In addition, EEF in collaboration with the Department for Education’s Stronger Practice Hubs, are exploring funding a larger trial in 2024 with both state-maintained and PVI settings. What to do if you would like more information about NELI Preschool, or supporting the language and literacy development of children in your setting If you would like to develop your skills or further your knowledge in early language or literacy development for children in your setting, why not explore: The support available through your local Early Years Stronger Practice Hub, which is detailed here . The EEF Evidence Store gives accessible evidence-based information on approaches that practitioners can use when supporting communication and language development, and early literacy . The NELI website can be accessed here. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

The benefits of outdoor play Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment The benefits of outdoor play How childminders use outdoor spaces to enhance children’s learning outcomes. By Tracie Dowling ‘My greatest childhood memories are of playing outdoors. Running around, climbing trees, playing in my treehouse, making mud pies, using my mum’s roses to make perfume (not always fragrant!) and inventing new games that kept me, and my brother occupied for hours – these are all things that contribute to a happy, healthy upbringing’ Introduction My name is Tracie Dowling, and I have been an OFSTED Registered Childminder for over 33 years and a Strategic Partner of Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub. One of my roles has been to support the Deysbrook Childminder Network at the Village Community Centre in West Derby, Liverpool. https://www.evertonnurseryschoolandfamilycentre.org/childminders Not all childminders are lucky enough to have a large outdoor space attached to their setting; however, this does not prevent them from ensuring the children access quality outdoor learning opportunities. The childminders at Deysbrook meet up once a week at the drop-in session and have access to a community garden where they can grow produce, exercise and access activities. They also regularly organise to meet up at the local allotment, parks, farm, forest, zoo and beaches. ‘The Early Years Foundation Stage states that ‘children benefit from spending as much time outside as possible. This makes a significant contribution to the progress they make particularly in their personal, emotional, social and physical development’ Benefits of outdoor learning opportunities Having the opportunity to learn outdoors can be a holistic and essential approach to education, offering a multitude of benefits beyond the traditional educational setting. Here are some of the ways the childminders take advantages of outdoor learning opportunities: Enhanced Physical Development: The childminders regularly take the children to the local forest to experience the natural outdoor spaces which are uneven and inconsistent (logs, trees, pathways) and therefore improve children's balance, coordination, agility and encourage movement in ways that improve their muscles, bones and physical endurance. Cognitive Development: The openair environment of the local park provides opportunities for exploration (plants, wildlife, habitats) problem-solving (how to cross a big puddle?), critical thinking (how to make a den using found objects), decision-making and building essential skills like spatial awareness and adaptability. The children engage in activities such as den building, learning to look after the environment, and exploring nature. Communication and Language Skills: Collaboration between the childminders and peers significantly boosts communication and language development. This provides a natural, engaging environment to practice language, explore new vocabulary and develop social skills. By providing the children with Imaginative play opportunities, exploring the natural world, and interaction with peers all contribute to language acquisition and communication skills which is evident by the children expressing thoughts, asking questions and listening to their childminder and peers. While in the outdoor area the children listen to natural sounds and explore other sensory experiences (e.g., the rustling of leaves, the feel of mud and sand) this broadens and enhanced language development by using words such as squidgy, squelchy, scrunching. Personal, Social, and Emotional Development: When the childminders take the children on visits for instance to the beach this provides abundant opportunities for personal growth and social development. The children learn to manage risks, (being close to water/climbing on slippery rocks/identifying and studying the jellyfish) develop self-confidence, and form positive relationships in the safety of their childminder and experiences with peers. Knowledge and Understanding of the World: Outdoor learning offers a direct relationship with nature, enabling children to explore and understand the natural world, encouraging an enduring interest in science, ecology, and caring for their environment. My personal childminding ethos and curriculum is ‘sustainability in the garden classroom’. I am privileged to have a wonderful outdoor space where I teach the children to care for their environment. We have a wormery to use up food waste and provide our plants with nutrients, water butts to recycle water and feed our fruit and vegetables, habitats for the wildlife such as frogs, bees, bugs etc. We grow plants (not always successfully) using different methods such as hydroponically, using recycled materials and no dig raised beds. We welcome childminders and our community family to share our environment, where we exchange ideas’ share surplus produce and have a swap scheme for instance toys/plants/story sacks to promote positive relationships and encourage cost effective way of living. Literacy and Mathematics: Outside spaces can serve as an environment for literacy and numeracy activities. Children can count objects, (bugs, shells, sticks) write using natural materials (sand, soil, chalk, sticks) or engage in storytelling and creative writing inspired by the environment for instance using the ’anywhere farm’ story sack at the urban farm. Expressive Arts and Design: Openair environments encourage creativity and artistic expression. Children can be involved in activities such as drawing, painting, or sculpture using natural materials, (logs, sticks, shells, pinecones) furthering their artistic development. The children are very interested in using flowers and leaves to make natural prints pressing the flowers (from my garden) between two pieces of material to bring out the natural colourings. Conclusion By childminders being creative and giving children opportunities to access various outdoor environments reinforced with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 7 areas of learning is a pathway in a child’s holistic development. The EYFS framework recognises the importance of outdoor learning, and the benefits of this approach are undeniable. By providing children with outdoor environments for physical activity, cognitive growth, social interaction, and a deep connection to nature, we nurture well-rounded children and enable them to be better prepared for the challenges of life and holistic learning. This is the collective responsibility of parents and educators to ensure that all children have access to these inspiring outdoor activities and environments that will profoundly shape their future in positive and meaningful ways. External References and Resources https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/evidence-store Reference to Physical Development, Communication and Language, Literacy and Mathematics https://www.evertonnurseryschoolandfamilycentre.org/strongerpracticehub https://www.gov.uk/early-years-foundation-stage https://www.evertonnurseryschoolandfamilycentre.org/early-years-sustainable-hub https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/research/forest-schools-impact-on-young-children-in-england-and-wales/#research-objectives The Garden Classroom https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHk8MmfrBTc https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/visit/family-friendly/family-friendly-gardens Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Supporting self-regulation in the early years Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Supporting self-regulation in the early years Amanda Quirk is an early years teacher and leader with over 30 years’ experience working with children 0 -5, early years teachers and educators in PVIs and schools. Amanda is an area lead for the DFE Experts and Mentors programme. In my role I am lucky enough to be out and about the North West, supporting many early years’ practitioners, leaders and managers. Working with young children post COVID has brought some even bigger challenges to us all. One current issue I have observed and I hear about is children who lack basic social skills, have poor emotional regulation, no impulse control, lack focus and are unable to adapt to different situations. These behaviours are closed aligned to self-regulation. I am not alone in worrying about this trend and what it may mean in the future for these children. The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers. January 2024, states. ‘Children should be supported to manage emotions, develop a positive sense of self, set themselves simple goals, have confidence in their own abilities, to persist and wait for what they want and direct attention as necessary.’ Self-regulation is what makes self-control possible. Without the skills linked to self-regulation, there is an inability to manage oneself and to control actions linked to strong emotions and feelings. This could lead to conflict with peers and adults, a brake down in friendships, and may become a barrier to learning. As early year’s educators, we are fortunate, in that we have a chance to work with children at their most receptive and responsive. This thought always gives me hope and the belief that in early years, we can be arbiters of change. The OFSTED report ‘Best Start in Life Part 2’ makes clear the research that supports links between strong PSED skills and academic success (follow the link below) Here are 3 key strategies that research advocates in supporting young children to start better self-regulation: Help children to name a range of different emotions. Use yourself, books and stores, pictures, mirror play, photographs and role play to name and recognise different emotions and feelings with children to extend their vocabulary. Help children to understand these different emotions. Talk about how different emotions look or feel like in order to help children better understand themselves. Model a range of feelings and emotions and how to deal with them. : Be a role model by demonstrating positive behaviours. Encourage empathy and understanding by discussing feelings and emotions with children, helping them develop their language and emotional intelligence. Co regulation before self-regulation. Initially narrate the problem and possible solutions with children, then gradually move on to coaching children through real life events that will help to develop language and strategies available to them independently. The good news is that we can teach self-regulation skills, and they can be learnt. The tools and resources you use may not cost a lot but will have a big impact on the lives of the children in your setting. If we help children to identify their emotions and teach strategies to help children to cope with how they are feeling or what is happening, we will be giving the life-long gift of being able to achieve goals and navigate life’s challenges. For further information and reading, please click the links below. OFSTED Research and analysis. Best Start in Life Part 2 Best start in life part 2: the 3 prime areas of learning - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) EEF. Personal Social and Emotional Development. Approaches and practices to support Personal, Social and Emotional development in the Early Years EEF | Personal Social and Emotional Development (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

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Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Sharing gifted resource bags Kendal Childminding Network Sharing how resource bags gifted by Liverpool City Region and Beyond Stronger Practice Hub have made an impact to a childminder network. How did you use the resource bag? Thank you so much for the resource box that Tracie (Strategic Childminder Support Lead) brought to our Network Drop in at Beck Community Centre in Kendal. We used the ‘Owl Babie’s’ story sack within the drop in while Tracie was with us. The children absolutely loved the story and used the fabulous puppets. We extended the activity by playing ‘sleeping owls’ then flying around and swooping down to picking up toys to put them away for tidy up time. Please share further information on how the resource bag supported your setting and how the resource bag may inspire or support other childminders? Every week each childminder will take home a different resource bag to share with their minded children and then swap the following week. They will also take it in turns to use a bag within the drop in, for the activity and swap ideas to extend activities within the bags. What impact did this resource bag have on the learning of the children in your setting? The children and childminders absolutely enjoyed using the story sack. Everyone joined in, got excited, had fun and laughed all the way through the story. They learnt all about why babies get upset when their mummy leaves them. It promoted discussion about emotions including how they felt that morning being dropped off at their childminders. The children talked about cuddling their childminders for reassurance and how they felt safe. Some of the children cuddled each other, others cuddled the owls. The children pretended to be sleeping baby owls, when woken they flew around swooping and diving down, before going back to sleep to do the actions again. After the session the children all helped to put the contents back into the bag ready for next time. Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Reddish Vale Nursery School Blog Becoming physical development champions and beyond…. This blog explores the importance of evaluating the opportunities available to promote physical development in the early years, with a particular focus on promotion children’s independence, risk taking and following their lead. Our pedagogy Opportunities for outdoor play are vital in the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS). Reddish Vale Nursery places equal value on outdoor and indoor play, and the well-resourced outdoor area is an important part of the continuous provision. As a team we work on the premise that regular activity is vital for strengthening neural networks, where regular, intense exercise results in the growth of neurons to aid memory and learning. Opportunities in the outdoor area are designed to improve concentration, hand eye coordination, confidence and decision making. The evidence RISE at Manchester Metropolitan University outlines the importance of physical development where ‘Physical development lays the foundation for learning, health and wellbeing. The more physically active we are as young children, the more likely we are to maintain an active lifestyle later in life. This sets a positive health trajectory, promoting long-term physical well-being and reducing the risk of chronic diseases. Encouraging early physical activity is crucial for establishing healthy habits and also impacts greatly on early literacy and the social, emotional, and cognitive development of children.’ Rise x Future Me at Manchester Met (mmu.ac.uk) Children who are given the opportunity to play outdoors are shown to have better planning, attention and inhibition where regular activity reduces stress, and increases self-regulation. Children learn how to control their bodies, develop physical competence and an enjoyment of outdoors and to practice problem solving. The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) on the Early Years Evidence Store key findings in ‘promoting physical activity’ outlines the following: There is evidence that promoting physical activity improves children’s physical development outcomes including a range of movement skills. Encouraging enjoyment through play and a focus on child-directed choice are effective strategies to further support children’s physical development. Motivating children to be physically active through the use of resources or equipment, both outdoors and indoors, can support children’s physical development. Educators have an important role to play in structuring the environment and activities to support children’s physical development. EEF | Physical Development (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Becoming Physical Development Champions Reddish Vale Nursery School engaged in Physical Development Champion training where we evaluated our current environment and made some changes to promote gross motor skills. We removed the majority of chairs from the tables to enable children to stretch for resources. We made group times more physical. We increased activities which help to develop core strength. We corrected W sitting where this was happening. We also provided more opportunities for tummy time. Although we have always promoted independence in children we looked for times of the day where we could increase opportunities for this. We encourage children to pour their own drinks at snack time and peel their own fruit. At lunch time children collect their own lunches and clear away after themselves. There is an absolute wealth of evidence based information, videos, case studies and examples for best practice available you can read at your own pace, but did you know that researching, investigating and using the Education Endowment Foundation EEF Evidence Store shows that you are reflecting on your setting so make sure you add these to your personal development record. The furniture was also checked to ensure that this was appropriate for the individual and we changed chairs to enable children to anchor themselves properly when seated, with both feet on the floor. Some chairs with arms are used for children that need extra support. Beyond our Physical Development Champion work – what did we do next? Observation and reflection The EEF studies looked at the benefits of introducing different resources to stimulate interest or encourage nature-based play. Different or new resources could be smaller tools such as hand tools and jigsaws or more dynamic toys such as balls or climbing frames. In nature-based studies, children were encouraged to participate in more risky play through climbing natural structures. Likewise, freedom to play with natural elements such as grass, rocks, and branches was supported. These activities all led to improvements in children’s physical development outcomes. A common theme across the evidence was ensuring that children were provided with choice and a high degree of independence. EEF | Physical Development (educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk) Introducing a gravel pit Gravel pits can bring the following benefits: 1. Sensory Development Gravel offers a unique tactile experience different from sand, water, or soil. This helps children explore texture, weight, and sound, enriching their sensory input. 2. Fine Motor Skills Scooping, pouring, picking up, and sifting small stones promotes hand-eye coordination and dexterity. Using tools like shovels, buckets, or sieves builds grip strength and control. 3. Creativity and Imaginative Play Gravel can be used in pretend construction, road-building, or even as "ingredients" in play kitchens. It encourages open-ended play, allowing children to invent their own games and stories. 4. STEM Learning Children naturally engage in early science and math concepts through sorting by size, counting stones, or experimenting with gravity and volume. Opportunities for cause and effect learning, like observing how gravel moves or shifts. At Reddish Vale Nursery School, the children made their own gravel pit using tarpaulin, sleepers and a huge order of pea sized gravel. Climbing opportunities in the 2s Through observing our 2 year olds we noticed their need for a constructive physical outlet, helping them to burn energy and regulate emotions and behaviour afterward. We therefore introduced a climbing wall where 1.Gross Motor Development Climbing strengthens large muscle groups in the arms, legs, and core. This helps develop balance, coordination, and body awareness. 2. Fine Motor and Grip Strength Grasping climbing holds improves hand strength, finger dexterity, and fine motor control—important for future skills like writing and self-care. 3. Confidence and Independence Climbing challenges young children in a way that lets them experience success, promoting self-esteem and a sense of achievement. It encourages independent decision-making and exploration. Conclusion When did you last evaluate your environment through the physical development lens? Do your routines and environments all offer opportunities for independence? Are your children encouraged to take risks? Are there opportunities for tummy time, even for older children? Look specifically at what the children are already doing and how this could be developed. Do you already have resources that could be introduced in a different way? Are you making the best use of the space you’ve got? References https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/evidence-store/physical-development https://www.reddishvalenursery.stockport.sch.uk/our-curriculum/physical-development-champions https://rise.mmu.ac.uk/topic/the-importance-of-physical-development/ https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/670fa42a30536cb92748328f/EYFS_statutory_framework_for_group_and_school_-_based_providers.pdf Physical Development Physical activity is vital in children’s all-round development, enabling them to pursue happy, healthy and active lives9. Gross and fine motor experiences develop incrementally throughout early childhood, starting with sensory explorations and the development of a child’s strength, co-ordination and positional awareness through tummy time, crawling and play movement with both objects and adults. By creating games and providing opportunities for play both indoors and outdoors, adults can support children to develop their core strength, stability, balance, spatial awareness, co-ordination and agility. Gross motor skills provide the foundation for developing healthy bodies and social and emotional well-being. Fine motor control and precision helps with hand-eye co-ordination, which is later linked to early literacy. Repeated and varied opportunities to explore and play with small world activities, puzzles, arts and crafts and the practice of using small tools, with feedback and support from adults, allow children to develop proficiency, control and confidence. P10. https://child-development-training.education.gov.uk/about/module-5 Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

Liverpool City Region and Beyond Early Years Stronger Practice Hub Hub Home Events Newsletters Blogs Programmes Documents Subscribe Childminders Recruitment Literacy Blog, written for Childminders By June Cargill (Childminder) As an Ofsted Registered Childminder with 29 years of experience in the Early Years Sector I know we are unique, being flexible for parents, with a development rich opportunity to offer life experiences and activities in readiness for children to attend school and become adults. Experiences in the first years of a child’s life are crucial and it is an honour to have that in our hands every day, nurturing, caring and sparking children’s imagination, interests and passions…… seeing them flourish and grow is a privilege to behold and we should, quite rightly feel proud. I also appreciate that working with the under-fives can sometimes be intuitive. We know what stages children should be at their expected development ages and that the diversity rich activities and experiences we give children encourage future skills for their next steps. Understanding in depth why we do what we do can be crucial to be able to reflect and review on our own setting as well as working with parents when we identify possible challenges and development delays. Our ongoing personal development is key to broaden our understanding of children’s development, learn new key findings from research undertaken for the early years and broaden our depth of understanding on children’s learning outcomes. There is an absolute wealth of evidence based information, videos, case studies and examples for best practice available you can read at your own pace, but did you know that researching, investigating and using the Education Endowment Foundation EEF Evidence Store shows that you are reflecting on your setting so make sure you add these to your personal development record. What does the evidence say? The Early Years Foundation Stage Framework Early years foundation stage (EYFS) statutory framework - GOV.UK refers to The Development Matters document, a non-statutory curriculum guidance…… ”It is crucial for children to develop a life-long love of reading. Reading consists of two dimensions: language comprehension and word reading. Language comprehension (necessary for both reading and writing) starts from birth. It only develops when adults talk with children about the world around them and the books (stories and non-fiction) they read with them, and enjoy rhymes, poems and songs together. Skilled word reading, taught later, involves both the speedy working out of the pronunciation of unfamiliar printed words (decoding) and the speedy recognition of familiar printed words. Writing involves transcription (spelling and handwriting) and composition (articulating ideas and structuring them in speech, before writing)” Development Matters - Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage The Education Endowment Foundation Evidence Store also highlights the definition of Early Literacy Early Years | EEF “Literacy describes a range of complex skills. It includes the word-level skills of both word reading and spelling and the text-level skills of reading comprehension and writing composition. The overall aim of these skills is for an author to effectively communicate their message and for a reader to understand it. These literacy skills (word reading, spelling, reading comprehension, and writing composition) rely, to some extent, on the same underlying processes and are therefore linked. Learning to be a reader and writer relies on three broad underlying skills or areas of learning: speech, language, and communication skills; physical development, particularly fine motor skills; and executive function skills, including working memory and speed of retrieval from memory. The extent to which these processes are involved differs between aspects of reading and writing and at different points during literacy development. Educators working with early years children play a pivotal role in laying the foundations for literacy by facilitating the development of the skills above, helping children learn how to engage these processes so they work together and, in the latter part of the early years phase, teaching knowledge specifically for literacy (for example, letter-sounds and features of books). EEF | Early Literacy Approaches that support communication and language are fundamental to supporting children’s early literacy. Children with language weaknesses may need more support with such skills to facilitate their literacy learning. Children with language weaknesses include those with a language impairment and may include children with English as an additional language or those from lower income families. Educators should use their own professional judgement and seek additional guidance when applying early literacy approaches to these groups of children. These approaches that the Evidence Store referred to are as follows; I have added examples from my own practice to help unpick what may be unfamiliar words or reference: 1. Interactive reading: actions within the context of shared reading that encourage children to become an active participant in ‘reading’ the book; “Seeing children who are eager lead their own story time, we must recognise this is such an important part of their development. Seeing proof that our story times are fun, interactive and having an impact on their love of books is so rewarding. Having books accessible to children as a continuous provision and making “quiet areas” so children can take the opportunity to sit and look through books is an essential part of any setting. Try and identify a favourite book that children return to which can then assist planning for children’s next steps in Literacy and other development areas” 2. Teaching sound discrimination: supporting children to identify sounds and notice similarities and differences between individual sounds and groups of sounds; “My minded children love interactive sessions when we explore sounds, from their first letter of their name to practice pronunciation or rhyming words that extend their vocabulary but can end up made up words eg Bee, Me, Pee, Fee or Honey, Funny, Punny, Tunny. Satisfaction knowing you can not only extend children’s word knowledge but hear evidence when children giggle at words they understand are not real”. 3. Teaching sound manipulation: supporting children to break down, combine, and change sounds; Again like sounds, using rhyming word string is helpful and I enjoy using clapping to help identify syllables not only during adult let activities but throughout the day to help them “decode” words but I have found the children enjoy this approach and are eager participants. Children love the fact that I only get one clap for my name! Not only will you extend and introduce words like Rhinoceros, Hippopotamus and Tyrannosaurus instead of Rhino, Hippo or TRex but the opportunities to explore syllables are limitless. 4. Teaching sound-letter mapping: learning the written letters (graphemes) that go with particular letter-sounds (phonemes); “This is difficult to map the impact with mapping as evidence shows that children must have a good understanding of sound discrimination and manipulation but in my experience word labels, a self -registration board, name tags and resource labels are an important part of my setting. I can reflect that children that then move to pre-school can all recognise their printed name and are good at recognising printed words in their community 5. Teaching mark-making and letter formation: adults support children to use tools to make marks that represent their thoughts and ideas: “Communication, Language and Physical Development play a huge role in mark making, letter formation and Interactive writing. We all know that a young child who is unable to use palmar, tripod grip or with limited gross movements effectively can impact on all areas of Literacy in their future development. 6. Teaching sound-letter mapping: learning the written letters (graphemes) that go with particular letter-sounds (phonemes); “This is difficult to map the impact with mapping as evidence shows that children must have a good understanding of sound discrimination and manipulation but in my experience word labels, a self -registration board, name tags and resource labels are an important part of my setting. I can reflect that children that then move to pre-school can all recognise their printed name and are good at recognising printed words in their community What can we do? Given literacy’s reliance on other areas of learning, practitioners should be aware of a child’s development in all areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) essential to Early Literacy. We recognise that most of a child’s learning is in their home, we support and observe their development so working with parents is a major part of our role. Difficult conversations can take place when we identify a possible delay and parents do not agree or may be reluctant to see an issue. This can be difficult if as practitioners, we refer to development delays in a negative way. To inform parents that their child cannot use palmar grip effectively to hold a crayon in mark making, use one handed tools in play or mealtimes can counterproductive for their support at home. Negative communication with parents can be detrimental to parents understanding. Instead of stating what a child cannot do something use positive communication, saying that you are concentrating on palmar grip in all areas of play, independence and for meal times explaining, in turn this will develop the child’s ability to use one handed tools effectively, which in turn give them the hand strength abilities to start using mark making and writing skills…. helping parents see the goal you are supporting their child for. Offering suggestions for activities for example nursery rhyme bags, story sacks and books, suggest practical examples how parents can correct or encourage for example how the child holds a spoon and turn pages in a book. Send photographs during the day to see the activities first hand, offer information sheets or resources to borrow. Childminders are unique in knowing not only our children but their families too and can draw on this knowledge to adapt our strategy for home learning support. We know our families and in March 2025 the Government published “18% of children in working families were in low income” Households Below Average Income: an analysis of the UK income distribution: FYE 1995 to FYE 2024 - GOV.UK Knowing our families so well we can understand that buying resources and books could be difficult as well as finding “free” time outside of their working days so by way of sharing resources and ideas as well as embedding an Early Literacy rich environment in our setting is crucial. We also need to be aware of our community and the impact that can have on our minded children from English as an additional language, Areas of Deprivation, poverty and local areas of learning from parks, museums, places of interest and their accessibility for your minded children. I have added some further reading, evidence based practical information and Personal Development suggestions I hope you find useful and remember, log on your personal development 😊 References Early Years Foundation Stage Framework for Childminders EYFS statutory framework for childminders Development Matters Development Matters - Non-statutory curriculum guidance for the early years foundation stage Government Help for Early Years Providers Help for early years providers : Areas of learning The Education Endowment Foundation Evidence Store Early Years | EEF https://educationendowmentfoundation.org.uk/early-years/evidence-store/early-literacy The Governments Free Early Years Child Development Training with 7 modules to access at your own pace Early years child development training : Home page Strategic Partners Stronger Practice Hub Privacy Notice

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