Learning opportunities
Supporting children's self-help skills is a fundamental aim for Foundation Stage practitioners, so:
* be aware of the incidental and daily learning opportunities that involve children's clothes - and fastenings
* capitalise on children's interest and preoccupation with their clothes
* respond spontaneously to, for example, a child's fascination with hats or new-found skill of fastening zips.
Children's and practitioners' clothes, but particularly those with logos, labels or lettering, can be the starting points for exploring many aspects of literacy and numeracy in meaningful ways.
Planning
* Use a theme like clothes to harness and respond to children's needs and interests and make links with other topics such as materials, colours and pattern, which can run simultaneously.
* Select activities on the basis of their meaningfulness to the children in your setting and provide a balance of adult-led tasks and child-initiated activities.
* Evaluate the children's levels of participation and interest and revise your plans accordingly.
* Revisit repeatedly activities that interest the children and find ways of refining and extending the skills and development. Equally, dispense with an activity if it becomes inappropriate.
* Be creative in the ways you use the ideas in this supplement and match them to the needs and motivations of the children, and adults, in your setting.
Dispositions
Dealing with their clothes provides children with regular opportunities to develop their physical skills but also the disposition to 'persist with difficulty'.
To foster this disposition:
* be sensitive to children's urge to do it for themselves
* offer suggestions for easier ways of doing things
* provide technical assistance when asked
* offer sensitive encouragement appropriate to the individual child
* try to give children enough time to persevere to a personally satisfactory conclusion
* praise and celebrate perseverance
* observe and record children's achievements in self-help skills.
'Taking responsibility' is another disposition closely linked to children and their clothes. Generally, settings focus on individual responsibility, for example, getting a child to put their coat on their coat peg. However, consider promoting a sense of communal responsibility by encouraging children to:
* pick up any coats that have fallen on the floor
* treat others' clothes with respect
* take care of their clothes in playful ways that interest them, for example, by demonstrating how to roll socks together or fold jumpers
* help tidy up the clothes cupboard or dressing-up trolley.
Uniform
The topic of clothes is intrinsically linked with issues of appearance and individuality. Uniforms are currently popular because, it is argued, they reduce the likelihood of discrimination and competition about dress.
However, children can, and should, explore these issues openly, so:
* explore and celebrate the ways we differ in appearance and style of dress
* be aware that clothes are often an expression of individuality
* resist making judgements about people based on the kind or condition of their clothes.
* be aware that some clothes might identify people as members of a group, religion, institution or occupation, but that this is not exclusive and may lead to stereotyping. For example, not all Sikh men wear turbans, and doctors don't always wear white coats.
Getting changed
Be sensitive to some children's anxieties about removing their clothes. If they need to be changed, make sure it is done somewhere discreet. If they need to change for PE, find ways of enabling children who are reluctant to undress to still take part, while still being mindful of health and safety.
For some children, particularly those with emotional needs, undressing can be very stressful. Ask parents' or carers' advice on how to support the child.
Stories and songs
Encouraging children to see connections and make links with their previous experience is a fundamental role for practitioners and is one reason why thematic songs and stories feature prominently in topic planning.
Practitioners will be able to draw up a long list of stories and songs about clothes!
Nursery Topics - Clothes is by Anne O'Connor, an early years consultant; Denise Bailey, a nursery teacher and Carlene Hutchinson-Norris, an assistant head teacher.