Starting school has traditionally heralded a “step-up” in many respects: turning five years old (and becoming statutory school age), moving from a play-based pre-school setting into a more formal educational environment, wearing school uniform for the first time and starting “proper work” – including homework.
Early Years Settings
Times have changed, however, and this reputation may be largely unfounded now. Although schools often encourage the wearing of school uniform, which brings a certain sense of discipline and conformity, school is not so different from other early years settings when it comes to learning and development.
In England, children in all kinds of registered settings – including schools – should enjoy a play-based curriculum, irrespective of where they are. Learning is facilitated through stimulating, hands-on activities, which encourage creativity, exploration, problem-solving, talk and interaction. Activities are designed to promote multi-sensory learning (visual, auditory and kinaesthetic).
Active Learning in the Early Years
This approach means that early years settings make more use of active learning methods, and rely less on traditional pencil and paper work – children learn through doing rather than listening to teachers and completing work-sheets.
Home learning is still important, however, and this has been shown by research such as the Effective Provision for Pre-school Education study. The EPPE project (Sylva, 2004) found that the quality of the home learning environment is more important for intellectual and social development, than parental occupation, education or income. In other words, what parents do is more important than who they are.
Parental Support
Parental support and engagement with children’s learning is, therefore, essential, but home learning activities for young children may not look like traditional “homework” in the sense of a page of sums or writing exercise.
One of the most valuable home learning activities, is that of simply talking – two-way, open-ended discussions which explore matters of interest to children, and broaden, deepen and challenge their thinking. This goes beyond just answering children’s questions, giving explanations or instructions. It is a genuine “meeting of minds” and can be likened to the kind of conversations that grandparents often have with little ones – when they have all the time in the world and can immerse themselves in the joy of the moment; when nothing matters more than the strange little bug found on a leaf or raindrops on a spider’s web.
Sustained Shared Thinking
This “sustained shared thinking” is now recognised as being a high quality learning process, which can positively impact on children's learning and development. Other valuable home learning activities include:
- role-play (dressing-up and “pretend” play)
- construction (dough, Lego or “junk” modelling)
- drawing, painting and collage
- sharing stories (especially oral story-telling) and making-up stories
- singing, making music and moving to music
- number games
- games which promote phonological awareness such as “I Spy”.
Such activities do not necessarily need to be sophisticated or expensive. What really matters is the thinking that children engage in – how they try to resolve problems, make connections between different areas of learning, use their imagination, explain their ideas, evaluate their own work and so on. These are key transferable skills which will enhance children’s learning across all areas of the curriculum.
Most settings now take a child-centred approach to young children’s learning and development. Home learning is still as important as ever, but the process of that learning is just as crucial as knowing the right answers.
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