I was recently lucky enough to be interviewed for Naylor’s Natter discussing traditional teaching methods in EYFS.

This is a blog I have wanted to write for a while but have always been too scared. Since this is the year of Emma being brave now feels like the right time. Confession...I think I am a trad. I wasn’t sure at first. I thought, ‘well I love children so that immediately excludes me’. I smile A LOT. I really love singing with my class. A trad, I could not possibly be.

An important part of the EYFS is purposeful play through physical means. Children are encouraged to be physically literate and should be encouraged to access situations where they are able to manage risk via energetic play. Instead of children recognising letters and sounds as they would in literacy terms; children instead build up a bank of movement. This starts first with learning simple actions which then progress into how those actions relate to each other leading to the creation of a vocabulary bank of movement and development of their own physicality.

Early Years Foundation Stage can seem overwhelming to those on the outside looking in. It’s a complex series of documents that places the child at the centre. All schools and Early Years providers who are Ofsted registered follow the EYFS. It is important to remember that EYFS applies specifically to England. To truly understand the complexities it needs to be understood that the entire foundation stage has been informed by some essential principles that are reflected throughout the framework.

Continuous provision is essentially all of the resources in the environment that have been provided by practitioners to extend the learning of the children in their care. Children are able to access these resources independently and safely, and use them to explore. They are chosen carefully and mindfully by the practitioner so that even in the absence of an adult the children are able to build upon learning.