Role of the adults in EYFS

Why is this important?

If adults are not available to children, to facilitate their learning then how can they be expected to make any progress? The role of the adults within the EYFS is vital. You are the person who is available to move children’s learning on and teach them through those interactions with them. You, you reading this your role with those children is what is important. They need your support and encouragement to become the best that they can be. They need your help to learn new skills, apply what’s been taught and learn vital self-regulation skills. So being readily available to the children is paramount. But how can we ensure we get the balance?

Getting the balance right between child initiated play and adult directed activities?

Now everyone will have their own opinion and experience with how best to work with children and as I’ve mentioned before on this blog, you have to do what is right for you and your setting. Every setting is different and brings with it different experiences. But over time and through different publications it can become confusing or difficult to make sure that we get the balance right between offering children the time they need to play and apply skills, but also the adults directed teaching time to teach and model new skills to the children. For example, if adults don’t explicitly teach children about doubling, then they wouldn’t just discover this on their own. Now how we can do this is through playful exploratory experiences that engage the children’s interests and then offer activities / adults within the environment to apply these taught skills. However, getting the balance right is important. If practitioners are always directing the learning then children will not have the opportunities to apply their skills, however if children are left only to play and adults aren’t supporting their learning through this then again little learning will take place. I am a big believer in Anna Aphgrave’s ‘in the moment planning’. When interacting with children this is how I tend to interact and observe. However, I do too have specific ‘carpet sessions’ where activities are taught. I try to make these during transitional periods so that they can be supportive for children, for example when they come into the setting, before and after lunch and before home time. Therefore, I do not adopt the ‘in the moment planning’ way of working, but we do work in a way that is what is best for the children and the setting. I am currently the only person in the school with any experience of EYFS and to develop knowledge within this area takes time. However, I do encourage my team to work in a way during free flow play that allows staff to take the lead from the children. Do not force activities upon them, but go to them, share in their interests and move their learning on through these experiences. 

Development Matters, 2012.

No matter what way you work, know this, your role is vital. Those children in your care can’t continue to grow and develop without you. Without your support and encouragement. They need you to be readily available to share care and concern, show genuine interest in their interests and support them with understanding and applying new knowledge. You make such a difference every day. Remember, when you interact you have the opportunity to move children’s learning on further. By posing open ended questions, modelling or even providing new language, without you, this can’t happen. Discuss this with your team? Ask them what they do to move learning on? How do they support the children during their play? I know that interacting with children can be hard, even harder when you are used to leading the learning, but be brave and follow the children. See below Ofsted’s definition of teaching:

“Teaching should not be taken to imply a ‘top down’ or formal way of working. It is a broad term which covers the many different ways in which adults help young children learn. It includes their interactions with children during planned and child-initiated play and activities: communicating and modelling language, showing, explaining, demonstrating, exploring ideas, encouraging, questioning, recalling, providing a narrative for what they are doing, facilitating and setting challenges. It takes account of the equipment they provide and the attention to the physical environment as well as the structure and routines of the day that establish expectations. Integral to teaching is how practitioners assess what children know, understand and can do as well as take account of their interests and dispositions to learning (characteristics of effective learning), and use this information to plan children’s next steps in learning and monitor their progress.”

Ofsted, 2015.

I’ve highlighted some keywords here. You know your children, you know what they need. Be brave and let them lead. It’s difficult to begin with, but so beneficial. When discussing this with individuals, I like to give them this example:

The teacher observed Tommy using the scissors to cut the paper to stick on his model. The teacher showed Tommy how to hold the scissors and modelled how to use them when cutting. With this knowledge, Tommy was able to hold the scissors correctly and cut out the paper he needed for his model. 

It shows just how simple an interaction can be in order to move learning on. You can see here that just by showing and modelling how to use the resources Tommy was able to make progress. This would not have happened if the adults were not readily available to offer this support and so progress would not have been made. Tommy would then continue to be able to use the scissors correctly to cut and will continue to make the progress he needs to become confident in this skill. This simple example offers an insight into how even the smallest of interactions can support learning and progress. 

My advice to you is to take a step back and observe the children in your setting, where can you place yourself that you can be of most value to the children? Is there a child who cannot use resources correctly? Is there a child in need of understanding how to use the turn taking game? Is there a child in need of a challenge to extend their learning? Watch, observe and identify where you can step in. Julie Fisher’s ‘interacting or interfering’ book would come in handy with this too. It really allows you to reflect on your practice in order for you to fully understand just how important your role is in supporting children’s learning. 

Happy interacting. 

Mrs Morgan