Personal, social and emotional development (PSED) has taken centre stage within early years frameworks in recent years and has retained its prominent position in the review of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), published in March.
In her review, Dame Clare Tickell describes PSED as one of three curriculum areas (along with communication and language and physical development) that 'play a crucial role in stoking a child's interest and capacity for learning and for life, and in laying the cornerstones for healthy development'. Her conclusion is not surprising, as research has demonstrated time and again that close relationships and a strong sense of self are fundamental to young children's well-being and ability to cope with the later demands of school.
Under the current EYFS framework, PSED is divided into various themes: Dispositions and Attitudes; Self-confidence and Self-esteem; Making Relationships; Behaviour and Self-control; Self-care; and Sense of Community. So how can nurseries and pre-schools make sure that these various strands of PSED are reflected not just through activities but also in the fabric of the environment?
DISPOSITIONS AND ATTITUDES
Dispositions and attitudes refer to the characteristics that children need if they are to become effective learners - traits such as motivation, confidence and independence.
Delivering this aspect of PSED is about inspiring children so that they have a strong desire to be curious, learn, explore and express themselves creatively. We need, therefore, to ensure that the resources and equipment we provide give children new and exciting challenges, as this will help motivate children to persevere.
This is quite a tall order when many children come into settings every day of the week and are there virtually all year round. Even age-old favourites such as the sand and water trays can lose their appeal if children have played with them 500 times before.
We also need to ask whether resources meet the differing needs and interests of children. The solution lies in observing the children and then planning activities accordingly, and in the way that we combine, rotate and organise our resources. It often comes down to three things: clever buying, clever storage and great imagination.
Clever buying
Clever buying is about breadth and variety of materials and resources. It is rarely about buying quantity. A good starting point is to ask 'how will these items allow children to be active and to explore', and 'how will they help children to ask questions and develop their thinking'.
Clever buying also involves looking for open-ended resources that can be put out time and time again but will engage children in different ways. A favourite of mine in this respect is the digital microscope (see pages 11 and 14). It offers children an unending chance to see the natural and man-made world in great detail.
Clever storage
Creating ever-changing, ever-interesting environments and activities also means focusing on storage. A setting undergoing a refurbishment or moving to a new building should consider this issue. Good storage means being able to put things away easily as well as finding them easily.
A trip to a kitchen showroom will show that clever storage requires that containers should earn their keep. A wicker basket containing role-play items makes a great cot for a baby, and a small suitcase-on-wheels for storing bits and pieces is also a wonderful way of giving children a wheeled toy that they can use outdoors.
Use your imagination
Great imagination is a cheap but valuable resource. Settings that are consistently good at helping children to enjoy learning and trying out new things usually have staff with a 'why not?' approach at all levels. They can see possibilities where others only see problems. They are ready to move furniture, use resources flexibly and thus maximise opportunities for learning.
From a child's perspective, it means that instead of the water always being in the water tray, it is sometimes on the floor in a baby bath!
SELF-CONFIDENCE AND SELF-ESTEEM/SELF-CARE
We know that children's self-esteem and self-confidence can be helped by self-care skills. Being able to put their coat on or to go to the toilet helps children to feel independent.
And helping out in the setting - by laying the table, tidying up or choosing what should go out - can make children feel that they are truly part of the setting rather than just bystanders. To this end, time should be spent on thinking about whether the layout, resources and the routine support children's independence.
A good starting point as a team is to create a list of skills that children should have acquired by the time they leave your setting. You might also like to write a list of ways that children can participate in the smooth running of the setting - for example, wiping up spills, helping to clear away lunch and putting out resources.
By clearly establishing these as goals for your setting, you can then consider how the environment needs to be arranged in order to achieve them. Specific resources could be bought to allow children of all ages and developmental levels to 'do their bit' - anything from easi-grip dustpan and brushes to musical toothbrushes.
BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS
For children and their parents, building relationships starts on their very first day. A positive first impression is a great place to start when settling new children. Ask yourself what stares children and their families in the face when they first walk in - a load of out-of-date notices? Warnings? Or missives from the management about the perils of head lice?
Genuinely inclusive settings work hard in this area, recognising that inclusion is about creating a welcoming setting. Personally, I am a great fan of a fish tank. Although it may not suit every setting, an aquarium is a great ice-breaker for adults and children alike. It seems to generate interest in all ages of children from babies upwards and provides a great excuse for a key person to come alongside a new child and spend time with them.
As well as children settling in with their key person, we also need to create spaces where they can get to know other children. Interestingly, many like to do this away from the gaze of adults! Cosy spaces seem to be particularly attractive, and it is important to provide these both in and out of doors. Generally, the smaller the space, the better.
BEHAVIOUR AND SELF-CONTROL
There are a thousand and one things that contribute to children's behaviour. Environment is one of them. So we need to look hard at how children negotiate and access the layout and resources in our settings. Basic things such as whether there is sufficient equipment out so that two-year-olds who are not always up for sharing can play in parallel.
It also means looking at how noisy and potentially chaotic the environment feels for a young child, particularly as the day wears on and their patience wears thin.
What might work well as a large, open layout in the morning might need to be converted into smaller, more compact spaces for children in the afternoon, so that there is a feeling of cosiness and calm later on. Furniture on casters and freestanding screens can create a very different layout in a short space of time.
SENSE OF COMMUNITY
Helping children to develop a sense of community is a long-term journey. At its earliest stages, it is about helping children to feel that they belong and to enjoy being with others. From this point, children need to explore and enjoy each other's differences before learning about groups within our complex society.
There are plenty of resources around to support this aspect of learning, but there are also plenty of pitfalls, too: souvenir dolls, images of unhappy, destitute children in the developing world or trite posters, for instance. Far better instead to look for resources and artefacts from your children and their families, so that they can be properly contextualised - a battered wok that has a story because it comes from Wei's grandmother, or a set of small glasses that Ayse's mother uses to make mint tea.
Finally, although resources can add finishing touches to this aspect of PSED, nothing beats the way that adults interact with children and others, thus modelling what community really looks like.
MORE INFORMATION
- The Early Years: Foundations for life, health and learning - An Independent Report on the Early Years Foundation Stage to Her Majesty's Government by Dame Clare Tickell, www.education.gov.uk/tickellreview
- Penny Tassoni's Practical EYFS Handbook and her Continued Success with the EYFS: Presenting Penny's EYFS Makeover DVD are published by Heinemann