Resources to support 2 year olds
Each child's earliest years play an important role in shaping their later life. As Early Years practitioners we have a crucial role to play in ensuring all children are provided with positive learning experiences which will have beneficial long term effects in all areas of their lives.
We also have a responsibility to identify when children and families are in need of additional help and support, for whatever reason, and should be able to offer or signpost this as appropriate. It is this 'Early Intervention' which has recently been the subject of much research and contributed, in part, towards the introduction of the EYFS Progress Check at Age Two.
The purpose of these resources is to provide you all with the necessary information and resources to fully support and celebrate those fascinating, energetic and inquisitive children aged two. The resources can be used in whatever order – there is no need to follow the listed themes or audits – and you should ideally focus on any areas you have already identified as in need of further improvement before moving on to look at all of the many resources available.
Audit and Action Plans
The following audits and action plans are available to support you to assess how you currently meet the needs of two year olds within your provision. We advise that you first complete the audit/s and then use the action plan to formalise your ideas for addressing the areas identified as in need of improvement. There is no need to complete all of the audits in one go, neither do you need to complete them in the order listed below. Example audits are also provided to support you however please bear in mind the uniqueness of your own situation and consider how you will best meet the needs of the individual children and families you currently work with.
Audit examples
Settings
Childminders
Good Practice
The following case studies have been written by local providers who are currently engaged in working with two years olds. We are hugely grateful for the contributions they have made and look forward to receiving further examples of good practice as this resource develops.
We would like to thank Caterpillar Pre-School and Fleckney Baptist Pre-School for their case studies supplied below.
Resources
Using visual and written information with links to further child development areas including the Characteristics of Effective Learning, Schemas and language skills, this PDF supports practitioners in developing the unique child at this important stage:
“Attachment" is key to young children’s emotional health. When the child is left in the care of practitioners it is crucial that they are able to make close relationships with their childminder or Key Person. This PDF includes visual as well as written information on developing positive relationships:
This PDF includes visual as well as written information on indoor and outdoor environments:
This PDF includes visual as well as written information and includes the characteristics of effective learning alongside the prime areas of learning. This will allow practitioners to support children through this important stage of learning:
These additional resources are intended to provide you with further information to support your provision.
A report by London Early Years Foundation on leadership and how it influences the quality for 2 year olds:
This Glossary of Key Words enables you to have an overview of the meaning of childcare related words.
This resource has been created by 4children and the London Borough of Harrow. It provides further ideas and audits for you to use in your provision: