Wherever you are with children, you need to walk a fine middle line between two equally unhelpful extremes. Adults can be so detached from children's play that they cannot suitably extend their learning. On the other hand, the unwise can behave in such a directing way that they interfere in the enjoyable flow of play for the children.
Recently there has been a great deal of discussion about the best role for early years practitioners and the proper balance between child-initiated and adult-initiated experiences. The EPPE research identified that the best nursery practice with children from about three years of age worked out with at least a 50-50 split between such experiences. (Find out more on www.ioe.ac.uk/cdl/eppe). Any such opportunities occur with the backdrop of a well-resourced indoor and outdoor learning environment that children can access in their own time and their own ways.
But what is meant by the phrases, adult-initiated and child-initiated? Adult-initiated activities or experiences are just that: started and offered by adults but then guided by the children's interests, attention spans and preferred ways of learning. Child-initiated experiences are genuinely chosen and organised by children themselves from what is freely available.
Of course, as a nanny you need to reflect on how your professionalism works within a family home. But once you understand the ideas of good practice that truly support early learning, it becomes clear that you do not need to turn family life upside down. In fact, really good nursery practice is built around a home-like feel for the learning environment and flexible, child-friendly routines.
A BALANCED APPROACH
For example, Janita has been a nanny with her current family since the birth of their twins Harry and Don, now four years old. In partnership with the children's parents, Janita has organised a balance between ideas that she prepares for any day and those following the lead set by either child.
At the beginning of this week, Janita suggested that the boys might like to make some bread rolls with her. She had ensured they had all the ingredients and reminded the boys about aprons and handwashing at the outset. The bread making was initiated by Janita, but she let the boys set the pace of the activity. They did all the mixing and kneading and chose the shapes and flavouring of their own rolls. Janita demonstrated sensible behaviour in the kitchen by using oven gloves and reminding the children how they needed to let the cooked rolls cool down a bit, before enjoying them.
Later in the same morning, Janita followed the boys' lead when they started to play 'running our cafe' in the garden. Janita accepted Harry's invitation to 'be our customer' and joined in the pretend play, which was mainly about the cost of the cafe items and paying. Harry and Don were able to launch this child-initiated activity because their home was well resourced. The pretend food was chosen from their basket of corks and fir cones, which become anything the boys could imagine, and they built the cafe from their store of cardboard boxes.
Janita did not take over the boys' play, nor try to bring in anything about bread or bakers. In the afternoon, Don got out their store of playdough and spontaneously began to use the kneading actions he had learned in the morning. He announced, 'I'm making lots more bread rolls. Long, wiggly ones this time.' Janita sat alongside, working on her own lump of dough, and made relevant comments about the shape and size of Don's pretend bread.
Thinking over their bread-making session, Janita feels that both boys were interested and it would be well worth offering again. She plans that next time they will make a shopping trip the previous day to buy ingredients and maybe visit the bakery for more ideas. Janita will also ask Harry and Don if they would like to create their very own recipe book. If the boys seem interested, then she will search with them for a suitable blank book or file and see about getting a camera to create illustrations for their recipes.
These are adult-initiated opportunities, yet Janita is leaving plenty of scope for Harry and Don to say, 'No thanks' as well as 'Ooh, yes, let's!'
She also recalls that Harry had said thoughtfully that afternoon, 'Can we all go to a proper cafe one day - you know, not just pretend?' Janita knows an attractive cafe that would be welcoming to children. But it would involve a short bus ride, so she plans to ask the boys' parents about such a trip before sharing that proposal with Harry and Don.
Helpful adults join in play and conversation on children's terms. For instance, you might join children on the floor with their building blocks in a child-initiated experience. You can admire their buildings, offer to steady a wobbly, high tower and quietly build something of your own. There will be natural opportunities to ask, 'I need some more of the long bricks, can you spare some?' or 'I think I might get two more bricks on top of my tower and that will make one, two, three...' and so on as you count.
A good balance between adult-initiated and child-initiated experiences will help children to feel able to organise themselves and make real choices and genuine decisions. Ben is the nanny for Maisie, now nearly four years old, and 20-month-old Christopher. Their previous nanny felt she always had to be in charge and had planned each day in fine detail. It took a few weeks for Ben to coax Maisie from waiting to be told what to do each day. Ben started Maisie on the road to greater independence when together they undertook the task of re-organising her toys and books, so Maisie could get them out herself. The conversation flowed as they chose what would go on low shelves and what had to be kept out of Christopher's clutches at the moment. A basket full of flexible play resources like containers and cardboard tubes provided both children with interest, and Ben regularly joined them on the floor as an involved and equal play companion.
RISK AND CAUTION
Maisie just needed opportunities to stretch her skills of independence.
Part of a wise adult role is that you ensure that children's environment is safe enough and watch over them - without becoming Nagger-in-Chief of the Safety Police. For example, Harry and Don like to go climbing and clambering in the local play park, so Janita and the boys enjoy this outing at least twice a week. Janita is close by and reminds Harry in particular to check his landing place before he jumps. Maisie and Christopher are thrilled that Ben is pleased to get out the paddling pool, which their previous nanny regarded as too risky. Ben is close by the pool all the time and at no more than arm's length when Christopher is in the water.
Of course you have to keep children safe enough in their environment, but you do not help them by being an over-anxious nanny. In fact, children will start to ignore adults who think that something is always likely to go wrong. You support happy, child-initiated play in the garden, for instance, when you say a friendly 'watch out' to the keen user of a wheelbarrow heading for people's feet. If you give patient reminders about hand washing 'when we've been digging' and 'before we eat our snack', then soon this habit of hygiene will be automatic to children.
Some safety issues will not seem obvious to children and you need to explain with care. For instance, Ben recalls from last winter how he needed to explain clearly to Maisie, 'We don't tread on the ice of the pond at all. It doesn't matter how carefully we step, we could fall through.'
Maisie had thoughtfully said that she would try the ice first, then Ben could join her with the baby.
CASE STUDY
Claire has just started working as a nanny and her previous nursery experience was of very structured, adult-led activities rather than 'free play' time with minimal adult involvement. The reactions of three-year-old Tim and five-year-old Isabelle are making Claire re-think her approach.
Isabelle has been forthright in challenging Claire's wish to organise their artwork towards neat end products. Isabelle has been confident enough to say, 'But I don't want to make a leaf print like yours!'
On the other hand, both Tim and Isabelle want Claire to be a playful companion when they dress up for their Dragons and Princes game. They draw Claire in from her position on the sidelines with instructions to 'help me with my cloak please' and 'no, don't move the box, it's the Dragon's cave'.
Claire begins to relax, especially when told firmly by Tim, 'You're a baby dragon. So why do you keep asking all these questions?' Claire has slipped into interfering with remarks such as 'I like your cloak, what colour is that?' and similar additions that are irrelevant from the children's perspective. Claire realises she can follow the children's lead in words, commenting on what they are doing - 'That looks like a big strong sword' - and speculating fairly - 'I wonder what noises a baby dragon makes? Can I do little squeaks?'