Have you ever wondered what the Montessori approach is all about and how it can be used to benefit the young children in your setting? This book explains how the Montessori approach works offering guidance on planning and assessment methods alongside practical activities for practitioners to try. Throughout there are practical examples involving children of different ages in a wide range of settings to show how Montessori principles have been implemented. . This new edition has been fully updated to include: The revised areas of learning in the EYFS and how these link to Montessori practice An examination of early effective learning Approaches to effective learning in Montessori settings A new chapter on Montessori approaches to the assessment requirements of the EYFSquestions for reflection This convenient guide will help early years practitioners, students and parents to really understand what the Montessori approach means to their setting and children.

Incorporating Montessori Principles into Your Early Years Environments will allow readers to understand the developing child in their early years setting and how to adapt a Montessori approach to meet their pupils’ needs. This book shares an insight into Maria Montessori’s extensive research, observations, and findings about child development and education, enabling them to transfer these to their own setting. Based on the scientific observation of the child and the stages of development they go through, Montessori pedagogy can be successfully applied in any setting and is well-known for its child-centred, holistic, and individualised approach to education. By addressing its key principles such as respect for the child, prepared environment, and the role of the adult, chapters highlight the overarching vision Montessori’s approach had and explore how and why it can still be so meaningful in today’s early years classrooms. This book will allow the reader to reflect on the framework they work with and offer examples of adapted practice as well as highlighting the importance of knowing the children, observing their work, and planning suitable resources and activities that will nurture their development. This is an essential reading for trainee Montessori teachers, trainee educators, early childhood professionals, and childminders, empowering them to enhance learning and development for their pupils, whilst instilling love and respect throughout their interactions with them.

The Project Approach in Early Years Provision is designed to help early years students, practitioners and managers understand and manage project work with young children. The project approach is designed to enable early educators to ensure young children are learning in the best possible way by providing motivating learning opportunities. Put the project approach into practice, using the included resources with adaptable and printable planning and observation forms. Link the approach to the requirements of all four British early years curricula. Develop children's personal and social skills by encouraging collaboration with others. Provide a meaningful context for children to practice their literacy and numeracy skills. Promote sustained shared thinking by facilitating projects that involve children in active investigation, discussion and debate. Give each child the freedom to learn according to their individual needs, interests, aptitudes, and abilities.

The outdoor environment is now an integral part of many early years settings and schools, but is it being used to its full potential? Providing extensive, challenging and ever-changing outdoor play experiences is an essential and valuable aspect of early years education. This book offers comprehensive guidance on how the outdoor environment can be used to teach and challenge all children across a range of settings drawing on forest school practice. Following a month-by-month format, each chapter provides a selection of theme-related play experiences alongside planning and evaluations of how the ideas described were carried out, and reveals the impact that they had on the children. Including detailed information on the role of the adult, the environment, planning and using children’s interests to guide their learning and development, the book features: over 100 full-colour photographs to illustrate practice diary entries that reflect how the planning was delivered, what changes were made and how aspects of learning were recorded and assessed examples of practice as well as comprehensive resource lists and safety guidelines links to indoor play and opportunities at home. Written by a leading authority on forest school practice and full of practical ideas that can be adapted to suit individual children’s needs, this book aims to inspire practitioners to make the most of the outdoor environment throughout the year.

This book provides an overview of the proposed changes to the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, raising contemporary issues.

Have you ever wondered about the origins of the kindergarten and the influence of Froebel on early years practice? What did Froebel mean by a garden for children? Why did he believe that play is central in young children’s learning? Bringing the Froebel Approach to your Early Years Practice looks at the founder of the kindergarten and his profound influence on provision and practice for young children today. The Froebelian approach is not a method but includes distinctive principles which shape and guide practice. This new edition has been fully updated in line with the revised EYFS and includes: extra material on using the approach with children of different ages and the role of the adult a discussion of key Froebelian principles such as play, imagination, creativity, learning through self-activity and making connections an examination of block play and how this can be developed in contemporary settings Froebel’s ideas on nature and outdoor play and why these are fundamental to young children’s learning how Froebel used movement, song, rhythm and rhyme to provide key learning experiences With examples of innovative practice and ideas for reflection, this convenient guide will help practitioners and students fully understand what the Froebel approach can offer their setting and children.

By focusing on key figures in early years education and care, this book considers the influential thinkers and ground-breaking approaches that have revolutionized practice. With contributions from leading authorities in the field, chapters provide an explanation of the approach, an analysis of the theoretical background, case studies, questions and discussion points to facilitate critical thinking. Included are chapters on: - Froebel - Psychoanalytical theories - Maria Montessori - Steiner Waldorf education - High/Scope - Post-modern and post-structuralist perspectives - Forest Schools - Vivian Gussin Paley - Te Whatilderiki Written in an accessible style and relevant to all levels of early years courses, the book has staggered levels of Further Reading that encourage reflection and promotes progression. Linda Miller is Professor Emeritus of Early Years, The Open University Linda Pound is a consultant and author, renowned for her work in early years education and care.

Through practical activities and case studies, the authors provide you with straight forward guidelines for implementing the statutory requirements and developing your practice. The book covers the main outline of the document, providing a discussion for the themes and rational as well as making links to current research, theory and practice.

Giving early years practitioners and students the confidence to effectively support scientific exploration and investigation with young children, this book explains the science behind young children′s knowledge and understanding of the world. Linking theory to good early years practice, the emphasis throughout the book is on recognizing young children as competent, creative thinkers and building on their ideas. The reader is encouraged to think carefully about the role of the adult in supporting child-initiated learning and discovery by providing open ended resources, asking productive questions and observing carefully. The authors provide essential background information for all the key areas of scientific knowledge supported by practical ideas suitable for babies, toddlers and children aged 3 to 5 years. For each of these ideas, practice and theory are linked by highlighting the skills, attitudes and dispositions to observe and the questions to ask to challenge young children′s thinking and plan for the next stages in their learning. Chapters cover: - the place of science in early years curricula in the UK - the processes of science and the role of the adult in supporting young children′s scientific learning - using open ended resources to create a science-rich environment - essential background knowledge, covering all areas of early years science - ideas to use as starting points for exploration and investigation, indoors and outdoors - pointers for observational assessment and planning - suppliers of resources and equipment By making clear links to practice, and providing ideas to use with babies and toddlers as well as with 3-5 year old children, this book enables the reader to fully exploit the potential for exploration and investigation in any early years setting. Pat Brunton and Linda Thornton are both Education Consultants based in Cheltenham. They run their own training and consultancy company alc associates, and edit Early Years Update.