December 2022 Parenta magazine

Issue 97
DECEMBER 2022
FREE
Industry
Experts
What does leadership look
like when ... you notice
room for improvement?
COVER
Top tips for the terrific
twos - tip four: slow
motion
Inclusive end of year
musical celebrations in
the early years
+ lots more
Write for us for a
chance to win
£50
Jump to page 8
“Staying healthy over
Christmas and New Year”
It’s easy to have a healthier time over the festive season with these few tips and tricks that will mean you can head into
the New Year feeling fighting fit!
NATIONAL TREE WEEK • PREPARING FOR THE NEW YEAR IN YOUR SETTING • NATIONAL GRIEF WEEK

hello
welcome to our family
Hello and welcome to the December edition of the Parenta magazine!
It’s December already, and for many, thoughts turn to celebrations and a relaxing time off during the festive
season. Many of us allow ourselves a few extra ‘luxuries’ during this break: brandy butter, chocolates on the tree,
lazing in front of the TV – to name but a few - and for some of us, this time of year seems to take its toll on our
health more than we would like! But there are few simple things we can do to keep the health of us and our loved
ones on track whilst still enjoying all those little ‘luxuries’ - turn to page 22 for our top tips and tricks.
The festive season can be a difficult time for those who have experienced or are experiencing grief – especially for children, who cannot
process these feelings of loss. December marks National Grief Awareness Week and guest author Sarah Daren helps us identify child
grief stages and signs and gives us her advice as to what we can do to help the children in our care.
Our guest authors always write such invaluable and topical advice for us, and this edition is no exception. Frances Turnbull shares her
wealth of knowledge of international music and treats us to end of year songs from around the world, Gina Bale discusses how ‘less is
more’ regarding children’s toys and how imagination plays such a vital part in play, Helen Lumgair shows us how central stories are in
our relationships and Dr Kathryn Peckham poses the question “what does it mean to be “me”?
We welcome new guest author and SEND expert, Dr Sarah Moseley to the Parenta Magazine family – turn to page 32 for her fantastic
her top ten tips to create engaging-rich literacy environments for all children. Joanna Grace and Mona Sakr continue with their respective
series: Joanna is exploring the “terrific” twos and focuses on the time it takes for information to flow through the brain, while Mona looks
at what leadership looks like when you notice room for improvement in your setting.
As usual, everything you read in the magazine is written to help with the efficient running of your setting, and to promote the health,
happiness and well-being of the children in your care.
Please feel free to share the magazine with friends, parents and colleagues – they can sign up to receive their copy at www.parenta.com/
magazine.
Allan
DECEMBER 2022 ISSUE 97
IN THIS EDITION
Regulars
8 Write for us for the chance to win £50!
34 Craft-Stick Christmas Tree
35 Vegetarian Quesadillas
News
4 Childcare news and views
6 Small stories
39 Congratulations to our Parenta
learners!
Advice
12 How New Year’s Eve is celebrated in
different countries
18 Preparing for the new year in your
setting
22 Staying healthy over Christmas and
New Year
26 National Tree Week
How New Year’s Eve is celebrated in different
countries 12
Staying healthy over Christmas and
New Year 22
Top tips for
the terrific
twos -Tip four:
slow motion
10
A two-year-old’s brain isn’t the
same as an adult’s brain, and
that includes processing time.
Identifying
child grief
stages & signs
14
Helping children cope with
their grief requires us to
understand it. We have to
know how grief progresses in
children and spot the signs...
The individual and
collective nature of
learning stories
Explore how central stories are in our
relationships with parents, and how
crucial they are in terms of building
positive partnerships and community.
24
Industry Experts
10 Top tips for the terrific twos -
Tip four: slow motion
14 Identifying child grief stages & signs:
what you can do to help
20 Inclusive end of year musical
celebrations in the early years
24 The individual and collective nature of
learning stories
28 What does it mean to be “me”?
30 What does leadership look like when ...
you notice room for improvement? –
part 1
36 Salaries or toys?
National Tree Week 26
2 December 2022 | parenta.com
Salaries or toys? 36

Childcare news
and views
“Giving children the best
start in life”: Ofsted Blog
Christopher Russell, National Director
Education has posted a new article on
the Ofsted Early Years Blog in which he
explains what Ofsted will be doing as
part of its early years strategy.
He writes, “In April 2022, we published
our new strategy, which sets out what
we hope to achieve over the next 5
years. One aspect we’re particularly
committed to is to develop what we
know about early years education
and to use that knowledge to raise
awareness and promote a better
understanding of good early education
and care. Because it’s so important
for children to receive good quality
education in their formative years, we
have called this part of our strategy
‘The best start in life’. We know that
a good early education sets the
foundation for children’s later success
and it:
• Enables a strong start at school
• Can avoid unnecessary labelling of
children with special educational
needs
• Increases children’s engagement
with school-age education
• Reduces poor behaviour.”
He continues; “But not all children get
a good early education. To further
develop our understanding of what
high-quality early years learning and
development looks like, we’re going to
focus research in this area. We’ll share
our findings at every stage. We’ll also
use what we learn in our inspector
training. We want our research to be
helpful for those working directly with
children, so we’ll also ask early years
leaders to tell us how they’re using it.”
He explains that Ofsted will be
publishing a 3-part research review
over the next year which will focus on
birth to 4 years – which builds on the
research that Ofsted carried out for the
Education Inspection Framework.
Read the full blog here.
New posts at the
Department for Education
Claire Coutinho, MP for East Surrey,
has been named the new minister for
children, families and wellbeing within
the Department for Education (DfE),
replacing Kelly Tolhurst.
This move sees the responsibility for
early years being handed back to a
junior minister: this will be Coutinho’s
second ministerial role after serving
as an under-secretary of state at the
Department for Work and Pensions
(DWP) and as an MP since 2019.
She worked as the Parliamentary
private secretary at the Treasury for
more than two years from February
2020, resigning her position in protest
at the then Prime Minister, Boris
Johnson’s leadership.
Her responsibilities include:
• Special educational needs and
disabilities (SEND), including high
needs funding
• Alternative provision
• Children’s social care
• Children in care, children in need
and child protection
• Adoption and care leavers
• Early years and childcare
• Family hubs and early childhood
support
• Disadvantaged and vulnerable
children
• Children and young people’s
mental health
• Policy to protect against serious
violence
• Freedom of speech in education
• Online safety and preventing
bullying in schools
Commenting, Purnima Tanuku,
chief executive of the National Day
Nurseries Association, said, “We look
forward to working closely with her to
address some of the challenges the
sector is facing. The minister’s brief
is much wider than early education
and childcare, which includes special
educational needs, social care and
family hubs, but it is important that
early years is given the same level of
attention as schools.
“With her background in finance, we
hope the new minister understands
the pressures on providers as they face
record inflation and stagnant funding.
This sector is vital to the children’s
development and the economy,
enabling parents to work.”
Neil Leitch, chief executive of the
Early Years Alliance, commented,
“There’s no doubt that Ms Coutinho
takes on this new responsibility at
a particularly difficult time for the
early years, with the sector not only
dealing with an array of long-term
challenges, including underfunding
and recruitment, but also the ongoing
uncertainty around the outcome of
government’s deregulation proposals.
“As such, we hope that the new
minister will act as a true advocate for
our vital sector, and work in partnership
with us to fight for greater investment,
better recognition of our workforce, and
the scrapping of proposals that would
actively harm the sector, including plans
to relax ratios.”
The Department for Education has
also confirmed that minister of state,
Robert Halfon, will hold the skills,
apprenticeships and higher education
brief, while Nick Gibb, also a minister of
state, will be in charge of schools.
The full article can be read here, in
Nursery World magazine.
Staff to child ratios in
early years childcare to be
debated in the House of
Commons
On Monday 14th November, a
Westminster Hall debate is being held
on the controversial e-petition regarding
staff-child ratios. The debate will be
opened by Catherine McKinnell MP and
states:
“The Government should not reduce the
existing adult-child childcare ratios as
has been suggested. There are surely
better ways to reduce the cost of living
– potentially endangering children in
trusted care is not how it should be
done.”
The Government responded to the
petition on 17 May 2022, and said
they “will consult in the summer on
moving to the Scottish ratios for twoyear-olds,
from a ratio of 1:4 to 1:5…
[and] will engage fully with the sector
and parents/carers on this proposed
change”.
Background
The Government has published a
consultation on changing childcare
ratios in England, proposing to “improve
the cost, choice and availability of
childcare.” The consultation ran from
the 4 July to 16 September 2022.
The Department for Education’s (DfE)
consultation was seeking views on:
• Changing the mandatory staff to
child ratio for two-year-olds in early
years settings from 1:4 to 1:5;
• Increasing flexibility for
childminders, so they can care for
more than the maximum of three
children under the age of five
“if they are caring for siblings of
children they already care for, or if
the childminder is caring for their
own baby or child”; and
• Making the Early Years Foundation
Stage Statutory Framework (EYFS)
explicit that “adequate supervision”
means children “must be in sight
and hearing of an adult” while they
are eating or drinking.
The Government says the change to
the ratio for two-year-olds could reduce
childcare costs by up to £40 for a family
paying £265 per week.
Some stakeholders have raised
concerns and question whether
the changes will lead to savings for
families. The Early Years Alliance,
for example, labelled the plans
“ludicrous, pointless and potentially
dangerous”. Purnima Tanuku, chief
executive of the National Day Nurseries
Association, welcomed the consultation
but said “tinkering with ratios alone will
not cut costs”. She also warned, given
the impact of the COVID pandemic, it
was not the time to be giving children
less support.
However, others have argued
other countries have less stringent
requirements without compromising
safety.
Read the full Research Briefing on the
official UK Parliament website here.
4 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 5

A round-up of some news stories that
have caught our eye over the month
Source and image credits to:
Day Nurseries, Nursery World, Swindon Advertiser
Deprived children less likely
to achieve a good level of
development, reveal EYFSP results
Less than 1/2 of children eligible for free
school meals achieved a good level of
development at the end of Reception,
reveal the latest EYFS profile results.
Camilla gives nursery children
Paddington bears left as tribute
to Queen Elizabeth II
Queen Consort Camilla has given nursery
children Paddington Bears which had
been left as tributes for Queen Elizabeth II
after her death.
Nurseries get football donations
in time for FIFA World Cup
As the FIFA World Cup gets underway
in Qatar, nurseries are being gifted
mini footballs to inspire England’s next
generation of lions and lionesses.
Boots offers its staff discounted
childcare at UK’s largest
nursery group
Staff at Boots are being offered reduced
childcare fees if they use Busy Bees
nurseries to care for their children.
Research suggests more needs to
be done to make children’s books
truly representative
Two new reports, published by BookTrust,
shine a spotlight on representation in
children’s books and the impact this has
on children’s desires to read.
Huge rise in parents with SEND
children accessing charity’s
advice service
There has been a 140% rise in the
number of parents/carers of SEND
children contacting Action for Children’s
free online advice service.
Click here to send in
your stories to
hello@parenta.com
Wirral nursery rated
‘outstanding’
Busy Bees Wirral Irby nursery has been
rated ”outstanding” by Ofsted, with
inspectors praising staff for creating a
“language-rich environment”.
Swindon nursery praised in
Parliament after “brilliant work”
A children’s nursery in Swindon was
namechecked in parliament for its
excellent work after a visit by North
Swindon MP, Justin Tomlinson, and an
education minister.
Thousands sign petition to
boost early years funding to
save nurseries
Thousands of people have signed a
petition calling on the government to give
early years settings more funding to keep
nurseries open.
LEYF achieves £1.5m target to
grow the business
Social enterprise LEYF has successfully
raised £1.5m through its charity bond
to help fund the acquisition of more
nurseries.
6 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 7

We’re always on the lookout
for new authors to contribute
insightful articles for our
monthly magazine.
Write for us!
If you’ve got a topic you’d like to write about,
why not send an article to us and be in with a
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the Month”. You can find all the details here:
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Congratulations
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Congratulations to Frances Turnbull, our guest
author of the month! Her article, “Physical health
and music in the early years” explores how science
keeps finding new ways to see inside the body,
and is now starting to identify how music makes
internal changes to us. Well done Frances!
A massive thank you to all of our guest authors for
writing for us. You can find all of the past articles
from our guest authors on our website:
www.parenta.com/parentablog/guest-authors
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8 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 9

Top tips for the terrific twos -
Tip four : slow motion
My second son recently turned two. Friends have commented that my first son skipped the terrible twos. They presume my professional
skill set will get us through them again. I don’t fancy my chances. This series of articles presents ten tips for negotiating this time with
small ones. Know that with every strike of the keys, I remind myself that advice is easy to give and hard to follow. I will be attempting to
practice what I preach this coming year: wish me luck!
The brain of a two-year-old is not the
same as the brain of a grown up, but
when children acquire language, the
tendency of those around them is to
assume that in sounding like us, they also
think like us.
A two-year-old’s brain has far more
neural pathways and connections than
your brain. One little piece of information
going in there can zip all over the place.
This makes it a brain rich with fascination
and interest in the world. It is a brain
that renders the world in technicolour,
high definition luminosity. But it is also a
complicated brain to navigate in, because
the multitude of pathways means that
information can go zipping off almost
anywhere.
Have you ever tried to plan an event that
you are excited about and got carried
away with a daft idea and needed
someone to bring you back to the topic in
hand, and refocus you? That is an every
day occurrence for a two-year-old.
In this article, I want to focus on one
particular aspect of the experience of the
terrific twos, and that is processing time,
i.e. the time it takes for information to flow
through the brain.
All through this series, I have been
talking about communication being a
collaborative act, achieved between
people as a team effort. When there is
a communication breakdown it is not
because one person got it ‘right’ and
another ‘wrong.’ It is because as a team
they either succeeded or failed (and
blaming or crediting one person on the
team with that is not helpful). I have
likened it to water being meaning, and
communication being the pouring of that
water from one cup into another. Well
in this article I am going to extend that
metaphor just a little more. Instead of
cups, now think bottles, and the necks of
these bottles are different sizes.
The quickest way to get the water from
one bottle to the next is to pour at a rate
of flow that exactly matches the neck size
of the bottle. Imagine if this were a water
race, an outdoor summer sports day type
event: a relay with different teams racing
to see who could transport the most water
from one end of the field to another. If
a team member with a big bottle and a
wide neck tipped their bottle up over the
bottle of a team member who was just
holding a small bottle with a narrow neck,
although some of the water might go into
the receiving bottle most would spill on the
floor and the watching crowd would shout
at the player pouring the water to slow
down. It would be obvious to bystanders
that it was the pourer, not the receiver,
who needed to adjust their behaviour.
Two-year-olds often find themselves as
the receivers in this scenario, but sadly
for them, they also often find themselves
being blamed for the water on the floor.
“Didn’t you listen to what I said?” “I’ve told
you twice already”, “I’m getting cross now,
I’ve told you to do this already!”
Yesterday my two-year and I were playing
at quite literally pouring water from one
receptacle into another. I have some
gorgeous clear geo-solids that are great
at developing awareness of shape and
space and we do lots of pouring activities
with them. I think I enjoy it almost as much
as him. In our play, I passed him the half
segment of a sphere. Two pieces of plastic
clip together to make a sphere, it has a
hole in the top that water can be poured
through. I had handed him the half with
the hole in, he began to use it to scoop
water up to fill the other shape he was
holding. He did not notice the hole in it,
so as he scooped the water ran out on its
way to the other shape and on each scoop
he only managed to get a few drops into
his receiving shape.
I watched, amused. I wondered how long
it would take him to notice the hole in his
scoop. It took 8 times of scooping, if I had
timed it we would probably be measuring
in minutes not seconds. I noticed it
instantly, on the first scoop he made. My
brain clicked into action: “Ah, I’ve given
him the one with the hole in, it won’t
carry water, he will need to switch it for a
different one.” His brain took way longer
to understand and process the situation.
And it is the same with speech. If I say to
him “Go and put your shoes on” and then
watch, expecting an instant reaction I am
going to be disappointed. He will not react,
why not?
Is he being defiant? Is he considering
whether to obey? Is he questioning
whether he wants to put his shoes on?
No. He is doing none of those things. In
fact, what he is doing is precisely what
I want him to do: he is listening to my
words. They are making their way through
that neuronal jungle of a brain. They are
locating understanding. They are matching
that understanding up with what he knows
about the world. They are beginning
to instigate motion. Meanwhile, on the
outside, I am still waiting.
What I do in this situation is often the
difference between him getting in trouble,
and having his self esteem slightly dented
as a result of that, and him following the
instruction and receiving praise for having
done so, and learning about himself that
he is someone who can do things. If I wait
for the processing to happen, without
getting agitated by my waiting, then
there is a good chance that he will totter
off to find his shoes. But, if I overlay this
wait with further instructions, basically if I
pass on my agitation to him, his ability to
process what I said first time around will
be compromised and he’s likely to crack
under the pressure.
Think of the water and the bottles. I need
to pour slowly and gradually. I need to
be willing to wait the time it takes for the
water I am pouring to pass through the
comparatively tiny neck of the bottle that
is receiving that water. The race is not
won by me sloshing my water all over
my team mate and running on without
them. Communication is a team effort, and
part of being on that team is showing an
understanding for who your team mates
are and what their capacities are. Many
two-year-olds can play the communication
game, but they are just starting out and
we should not expect them to compete as
adults!
Joanna Grace
Joanna Grace is an international
Sensory Engagement and Inclusion
Specialist, trainer, author, TEDx speaker
and founder of The Sensory Projects.
Consistently rated as “outstanding” by
Ofsted, Joanna has taught in
mainstream and special school settings,
connecting with pupils of all ages and
abilities. To inform her work, Joanna
draws on her own experience from her
private and professional life as well as
taking in all the information she can
from the research archives. Joanna’s
private life includes family members
with disabilities and neurodiverse
conditions and time spent as a
registered foster carer for children with
profound disabilities.
Joanna has published four practitioner
books: “Multiple Multisensory
Rooms: Myth Busting the Magic”,
“Sensory Stories for Children and
Teens”, “Sensory-Being for Sensory
Beings”, “Sharing Sensory Stories
and Conversations with People with
Dementia” and “The Subtle Spectrum”.
Plus three inclusive sensory story
children’s books: “Spike and Mole”,
“Voyage to Arghan” and “Ernest and I”
which all sell globally and her son has
recently become the UK’s youngest
published author with his book,
“My Mummy is Autistic” which was
foreworded by Chris Packham.
Joanna is a big fan of social media and
is always happy to connect with people
via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
Website:
thesensoryprojects.co.uk
10 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 11

How New Year’s Eve is
celebrated in different
countries
At midnight on December 31st, the
champagne corks will pop, the fireworks
will fizz and people around the UK will
cross arms to sing “Auld Lang Syne” with
their friends and family. But by the time
it gets to the UK, 2023 will already have
been welcomed in by several other time
zones around the world, each with their
own way of bringing in the New Year. So
travel with us around the time zones from
East to West to find out about the New
Year’s Eve traditions and celebrations
around the world.
Tonga, Samoa and
Kiribati
Oceania is the first place in the world that
welcomes in the New Year. When we in
the UK are sipping our morning tea at 10
am GMT, the small Pacific Island nations
of Tonga, Samoa and Kiribati are the
first countries to begin the celebrations.
However, these are not usually the same
as the huge events seen in other countries.
In Tonga for example, most people will
celebrate quietly with friends and family by
going to church at sunset and midnight to
give thanks and sing. This usually begins
one week of prayer to usher in the New
Year.
Australia and Japan
The celebrations in Sydney are usually
reported on the British news as Australia
kicks off the New Year with extravagant
firework displays, with the spectacular
Sydney Opera House as the backdrop.
Of course, in the southern hemisphere,
New Year arrives in the summer, so many
Australians head to the beaches too.
In Japan, people eat warm noodles, a
tradition that dates back to the Kamakura
period when Buddhist monks gave
noodles to the poor.
Russia and India
As the world spins on its axis, parts of
Russia join in the festivities and decorate
a spruce tree near the world’s largest
freshwater lake, named Lake Baikal. But
the tree is not on the side of the lake, but
usually 100 feet below the surface and it
is done by two divers names Father Frost
and Ice Maiden.
In the Punjab region of India, New Year is
also a time of festivities. Since India is a
diverse land made up of different states,
some follow the solar calendar and some
the lunar calendar, resulting in different
festivals and celebrations at this time of
the year, but they all involve sharing meals
and time with family and friends.
Greece and South Africa
If you are celebrating New Year in Greece
this year, make sure you bring your
onions! Not only are onions considered
an essential kitchen item in Greece, but
it’s also tradition to hang one outside your
door after returning from church on New
Year’s Day. They are believed to symbolise
growth and fertility for the coming year
due to their ability to resprout.
And in South Africa, the tradition of
throwing old furniture out of house
windows has largely now been replaced
by parties, food and fireworks, much to the
relief of passing pedestrians!
Denmark and Spain
It seems that throwing things is catching
on for New Year’s Eve elsewhere though,
as in Denmark, it is thought that throwing
old plates at your loved ones’ front door on
New Year’s Eve will bring them good luck,
and the more broken pieces of crockery
you have on your doorstep the better!
The Spanish have a more nutritious start to
their year by eating 12 grapes, symbolising
each strike of the midnight clock. The
tradition began in the late 1800s and many
people believed it would ward off evil and
bring them good luck – but they have to
eat all the grapes before the last stroke of
12!
The UK and Ireland
In the UK, Scotland is well-known for its
Hogmanay celebrations and the tradition
of ‘First Footing’ is still strong in that country
and the north of the UK today. It stems
from the Gaelic practice of “qualtagh”
where an individual can bring good luck
to a house by bringing gifts and being the
first to cross the threshold after midnight
on New Year’s Eve heralding in New
Year’s Day. Gifts that are traditionally
offered include a coin (for wealth), bread
(for food), salt (for flavour) and coal (for
warmth and good cheer).
In Ireland though, if you want to ward
off evil spirits and allow in a prosperous
and healthy New Year, they recommend
banging loaves of Christmas bread
against the walls and doors of their home.
Brazil and Greenland
Since Brazil is in the height of its summer
in December, many people celebrate
New Year’s Eve there on the beach, and
immediately after midnight, people are
supposed to jump through seven waves
whilst making seven wishes, one for each
wave. This tradition is for paying your
respects and homage to the goddess,
Yemanja, who is the goddess of water and
people are encouraged to wear white,
representing purity or throw white flowers
into the ocean.
In contrast, Greenland experience a polar
darkness at this time of year so don’t get
any sunlight at this time, so they light up
the sky with impressive firework displays.
Canada and the US
Canada and the US are the last people
across the world to celebrate the New
Year due to their position on the globe
but they do so in style. In Canada, ice
fishing is a favourite pastime, despite sub
zero temperatures with many Canadians
renting heated huts and cooking
equipment to share their catch with their
family.
In the US, thousands of people gather
at the base of the Times Square clock to
watch the ‘ball drop’ down the specially
designed flagpole of number 1 Times
Square at the stroke of midnight. It takes
one minute to descend, heralding in the
New Year in a tradition that dates back
to 1907 when the owner of the New York
Times, Adolph Ochs, created the event to
draw attention to their new headquarters.
Although relatively ‘new’ compared to
many traditions we’ve discussed above,
it’s been an annual spectacle and one
of the most popular New Year’s Eve
celebrations ever since.
And finally…
The last places to see in the New Year are
Baker Island and Howland Island which
are small coral atolls forming part of the
United States Minor Outlying Islands. Both
are uninhabited except for some visiting
sea birds – but THEY keep the secret of
how they celebrate the New Year, very
close to their feathered chests!
12 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 13

Identifying child grief
stages & signs: what
you can do to help
If you start to notice these signs in a child
under your care, they will likely need extra
support and understanding.
How you can help a
grieving child
Helping a grieving child is very important
for their well-being. It’s also important to
remember that grief doesn’t necessarily go
away. A child who seems to get over their
grief quickly might have it resurface later,
such as during their teenage years.
National grief
awareness week:
normalising grief
The goal of National Grief Awareness
Week is to normalise talking about grief.
In the UK, there is a persistent taboo
surrounding the topic, which makes it very
difficult for people who need help to seek it
out. It also makes it difficult for people who
want to help, because they don’t know
how they can reach out in a way that helps
someone who is grieving.
National Grief Awareness Week is coming
up from December 2-8, and as this
important week approaches, we need
a reminder that adults are not the only
ones who experience grief. Children are
affected by grief too, though they show it
in different ways.
Grief is something we all have to navigate
in our lives. Even as adults, we have
trouble processing it. For children, it is even
more difficult to understand and cope with
grief. As caretakers, it is our responsibility
to help children process their grief in a
healthy way.
Helping children cope with their grief first
requires us to understand it. We have to
know how grief progresses in children
and how to spot the signs of grief so that
children don’t have to go through their loss
alone. Here’s how you can identify signs
and stages of grief in the children you care
for so you can help them through it.
What can cause grief
in children?
When we think about grief, the most
obvious source is usually the loss of
a family member or friend. Even very
young children, who do not necessarily
understand the concept of death yet
and might view the loss of someone as
temporary, grieve when someone they
love is no longer a part of their lives.
However, this is just one source of grief in
children.
Children might experience traumatic grief
after a national crisis that affects their lives,
such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Grief
can also occur after a large change in a
child’s life, even if it seems like the change
is positive. For instance, moving to a new
home is usually an exciting moment for
adults, but can cause grief in children due
to the loss of their previous home and
normal routines.
What are the stages of
grief?
Defining stages of grief in children is
difficult because they are still developing
their understanding of the world and
relationships. Grief stages for children are
not linear and can be different for each
child.
Changes in a child’s behaviour are usually
the best indicators of how a child is feeling
about their loss. There are no tidy stages
that can guide you in how best to support
each child. It’s also important to remember
that once a child has moved on from one
stage of grief, they might return to it later
on.
Signs of grief in
children
Young children typically do not have the
coping skills needed to process their grief
in a healthy way. Therefore, the signs of
grief in children can look quite different
from those seen in adults. Be on alert for
the following signs:

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Preparing for
the new year
in your setting
New Year is traditionally a time of discarding the old and bringing in the new. It is a time to
reflect on what has gone well in the last year and to bring your dreams and goals for the
incoming year to the forefront. New Year’s resolutions abound as we promise ourselves
we will go to the gym more, eat more healthily and start that novel/course/hunt for a new
house…
But how long do these resolutions really
last? For most of us personally, the answer
is “not very long” and very few of us
get to that magical average 66 days of
repeating a new behaviour which research
suggests can then lock it in as a habit. So,
most of us, by the end of January, have
actually changed very little in our lives and
continue much as we were before, reaping
much of the same outcomes as we did in
the previous year.
So how can you ensure that this doesn’t
happen to all your hopes and dreams for
the incoming year in your setting?
The answer involves making sure that any
changes and preparations you want to
implement in your setting are:
☑ Well-planned
☑ Well thought through
☑ Have a buy-in from your staff, and
☑ Are well resourced
The run up to the Christmas break is a
hectic one. It comes at the end of the
longest term of the year (the autumn
term) when there are stresses from all
sides to do more at the festive time of the
year. You may organise a nativity play, or
another festive celebration; or perhaps
you get involved in some charity work or
carol singing; or even just decorating the
setting for the festive season can put extra
pressure of staff, resources and time.
The last thing most of us want to be doing
on the 23rd or 24th December is worrying
about what we are going to do in January.
Staff are tired, they need a break and most
of us are happy to shut the door on the old
year and wait until after Christmas before
we even want to think about the staff rota
for January!
However, it doesn’t take much planning
to help get your setting on a good footing
come January, so that you can infuse
some new energy into the setting and
your staff, AND allow you time off over the
holiday!
Things to do before
Christmas
Here are some tips for getting your setting
ready for the new year.
1. Buy a wall planner for 2023 and mark
in all the days that you know you have
already planned. You may already
have and academic planner which is
a great way to start planning during
the summer, but a visual calendar
focuses the mind. Scheduling things
into a diary/planning system is the
first step in getting things done.
2. Make sure you have communicated
everything to any new intake you
may have in January so that you
don’t have worried or stressed
parents trying to contact you in the
holiday period to confirm things
that should have been sorted out
already. We know that there are
always parents who don’t read their
emails and mailshots, so it might be
worth spending some time on the
phone, checking in with new parents
before Christmas, just to make sure
they have everything they need.
This will also establish your setting
as someone who cares about their
new clients and develops trusting
relationships with their parents.
3. Get your rotas and schedules up to
date before you leave. No one wants
to spend their Christmas concerned
over staffing levels. Planning ahead
and in good time will help everyone
relax and get the rest and holiday
they need.
4. Plan a staff training day in January
before the children come back, where
you can thrash out new ideas, get
some staff voice input or catch up
with some important training that
can make your setting run smoother.
Training is a great way to help
enthuse staff, yet it can often get lost
in the general day-to-day running
of the setting and fall to the bottom
of the agenda. Parenta offer lots of
online and inexpensive CPD that can
help rejuvenate your staff’s attitude
whilst keeping up-to-date with new
ideas and best practice.
Goal setting
Writing down your goals and sharing
your vision is also an important part of
preparing for 2023. Ask yourself some
searching questions, and better still,
include your staff so you get their ideas as
well. Think about:
☑ What worked well last year and is
there anything you need to do to
make sure you keep doing that? It is
important to identify the things that
are going well in your setting and to
recognise the staff for their part in that
too. We all need to know that we are
doing a good job, and what better
time to renew people’s commitment
to you and your setting than over the
New Year period, when people might
be re-evaluating their own personal
and work life too?
☑ What did not go so well, and what
needs to be done to improve? Try not
to spend too much time apportioning
blame – it tends to be demoralising
to staff and does not encourage a
positive attitude for change. It’s better
to look objectively at the problem and
try to find positive solutions rather
than setting up a culture or blame or
judgement
☑ Where do you want to be this time
next year? What goals do you have
and do you have a plan to achieve
them? You might want to open a new
room, expand your age range or staff,
or train up some new apprentices
to relieve the pressure on staffing.
Whatever it is, make sure you take
time to think about where you want to
go and remember to get your staff’s
input too, You might want to set up a
vision board to keep everyone focused
on the goal
However, remember that you don’t
want to change everything all at once –
most people are resistant to change in
some way, and a lot of us are resistant
to change in a lot of ways! If you are
planning changes that affect people’s
way of working or the patterns they are
used to, make sure you have set up a
programme to get their buy-in first. This
could be through a training day, some
consultations or by delegating some of the
responsibilities around the staff, which can
help give them ownership of change.
Whatever you want to do, good planning is
the key to implementing your ideas well.
18 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 19

Inclusive end of year
musical celebrations in
the early years
Towards the end of the year, many
Western countries traditionally celebrate
Christmas. With the increase in travel for
so many reasons, it is clear that even
this one occasion is not celebrated in the
same way in each country and culture. In
the last few years, we have celebrated in
December with special lists of songs about
Christmas: Christmas songs for nurseries,
lullabies from around the world, and even
the Twelve Days of Christmas. This year,
we are introducing celebration songs from
around the world.
A 2021 article from Oxford (https://
migrationobservatory.ox.ac.uk/resources/
briefings/migrants-in-the-uk-anoverview/)
indicates that the top countries
represented in England include India,
Poland, Romania and Italy, and with more
people coming from the Ukraine this year,
we have added this country to our list of
musical celebrations, too. Celebrations
can look so different because of traditions,
customs and even the weather, so we
have included some of the details of these
celebrations from each country that could
be shared in a group setting.
Often it is easier to learn a new language
through music, and relate to other cultures
through music, so we have included a
YouTube link to these songs and hope
that this will inspire you to become a more
inclusive nursery.
India – Diwali
In India, Diwali is celebrated between
October to November as a Festival of
Lights. This often means that the house is
covered in lights and colours, in the hopes
that reducing the darkness will bring hope
and good luck in the new year. Diwali
cards are sent and special celebration
food is enjoyed, with special rituals that
are held during the 5 days before the big
day. On the first day, the house is cleaned;
on the second day, footprints are pasted
around the home to welcome in the light;
day 3 involves buying new clothes or
jewellery; on day 4, the house is decorated
with rangoli, or geometric flower designs;
and day 5 is where lights are placed all
around the home, especially door ways.
To celebrate this light, we use a different
version of “Twinkle, Twinkle”.
Diwali Light
https://youtu.be/meS_G_F5beg
Twinkle, Twinkle Diwali light
How you sparkle in the night
Let’s celebrate Di-Wa-li
Everyone, you and me
Twinkle, Twinkle Diwali light
Keep on shining oh so bright
Poland – boze
Narodzenie
In Poland, Christmas is celebrated with
fasting all day on Christmas Eve (Wigilia)
until the first star appears – then it is
time for a special Christmas Eve dinner
with 12 different dishes. Part of the
celebration includes setting an extra seat
for unexpected guests, as well as building
Christmas cribs. To celebrate this holiday,
we have chosen a lovely Christmas lullaby.
Lulaj
https://youtu.be/mL7MLxlXBJI
Lulajże, Jezuniu, moja perełko,
Lulaj ulubione me pieścidełko.
Lulajże, Jezuniu, lulajże, lulaj,
A ty, Go Matulu, w płaczu utulaj
Translation:
Lullaby, little baby Jesus, my little pearl,
Lull, my favourite little cuddly one.
Lullaby, little baby Jesus, lullaby, lull,
And you, the mama, calm him down when
crying.
For more information on Polish Christmas,
click here:
https://www.poland.travel/en/plan-your-
trip/about-poland/polish-traditions/12-
things-you-should-know-about-christmastraditions-in-poland
Romania - Craciun
Christmas begins early in Romania, with
no meat eaten from 14 November, special
shoe cleaning by children, gifts in shoes,
and letter-writing to Santa. This is followed
by dressing up, feasts, and carolling in
the streets. One carol that has travelled
is “O Christmas Tree”, better known in
German as “O Tannenbaum”. Celebrating
the evergreen fir tree, with the hope for
new life and prosperity in the new year,
we celebrate Romanian Christmas with “O
Brad Frumos”:
O Brad Frumos
https://youtu.be/jyVOS57gHtc
O, brad frumos, o, brad frumos,
Cu cetina tot verde,
Tu ești copacul credincios,
Ce frunza nu și-o pierde.
O, brad frumos, o, brad frumos,
Cu cetina tot verde
For more information on celebrating
Christmas in Romania, click here: https://
theculturetrip.com/europe/romania/
articles/how-do-romanians-celebratechristmas/
Italy - Natale
Italian Christmas is all about the people
and the food, and takes most of the month
to celebrate. Towns put up trees, each
house has a nativity scene, and children
sing in the streets for chocolate. Christmas
Eve involves avoiding meat and only eating
seafood and vegetables. Christmas Day
involves very few gifts, with the focus on
food, and meals can last for hours of at
least 4 courses, where all may eat meat.
To celebrate Italian Christmas, we have
chosen the Latin version of “O Come All Ye
Faithful”:
Adeste Fideles
https://youtu.be/iYorde2pcAU
Adeste fideles
Læti triumphantes,
Venite, venite in Bethlehem.
Natum videte
Regem angelorum:
Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus
Venite adoremus
Dominum
For more information on celebrating
Christmas in Italy, click here:
https://www.languagesalive.com/
christmas-in-italy/
Ukraine - Христос
народився
Traditionally, Christmas only starts in
January in Ukraine, but it is becoming
more common to celebrate in December,
like most other Western countries.
Christmas Eve is a special event where the
family holds a special holy dinner when
the first star is seen, although everyone
will be preparing from early morning.
The meal involves twelve dishes that
represent the twelve apostles of Jesus,
and the main decorations are a sheaf
of wheat, symbolising ancestor’s spirits.
Food is left on the table afterwards for
the visiting ancestors to enjoy. Children
perform puppet shows, and people sing
carols to their neighbours for sweets – the
more carollers, the more good luck you will
have.
For more information on celebrating
Christmas in Ukraine, click here:
https://ukraine.ua/visit/christmas-inukraine/
Зірко, зірко, мерехти
https://youtu.be/9y06y16c4oM
Зірко, зірко, мерехти,
Недосяжна в небі ти!
Сяєш ніжно ти мені,
Мов коштовність у пітьмі!
Зірко, зірко, мерехти,
Недосяжна в небі ти!
Pronunciation:
Zirko, zirko, merekhty,
Nedosyazhna v nebi ty!
Syayesh nizhno ty meni,
Mov koshtovnistʹ u pitʹmi!
Zirko, zirko, merekhty,
Nedosyazhna v nebi ty!
Translation:
Star, star, twinkle,
You are faraway in heaven!
You shine tenderly for me,
Like a jewel in the dark!
Star, star, twinkle,
You are faraway in heaven!
Finding out more about other cultures
helps us to appreciate the similarities and
differences between us. It also helps us
to better understand the traditions that
make our own celebrations meaningful.
Introducing little ones to different cultures
and traditions gives them that same gift,
too.
Frances Turnbull
Musician, researcher and author,
Frances Turnbull, is a self-taught guitarist
who has played contemporary and
community music from the age of 12. She
delivers music sessions to the early years
and KS1. Trained in the music education
techniques of Kodály (specialist singing),
Dalcroze (specialist movement) and Orff
(specialist percussion instruments), she
has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology
(Open University) and a Master’s degree
in Education (University of Cambridge).
She runs a local community choir, the
Bolton Warblers, and delivers the Sound
Sense initiative “A choir in every care
home” within local care and residential
homes, supporting health and wellbeing
through her community interest
company.
She has represented the early years
music community at the House of
Commons, advocating for recognition
for early years music educators, and her
table of progressive music skills for under
7s features in her curriculum books.
Frances is the author of “Learning with
Music: Games and activities for the early
years”, published by Routledge, August
2017.
www.musicaliti.co.uk
20 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 21

Staying healthy over
Christmas and
New Year
It’s that time of year again when we can
allow ourselves a few extra luxuries – a
few more calories with the brandy butter
and chocolates on the tree; a few more
hours lazing in front of the TV; and a few
more mornings under the duvet! Well,
that’s the idea, but for some of us, the
festive season seems to take its toll on
our health more than we would like and
come January, we find we are feeling less
healthy, less energetic, and less happy!
But this is not an inevitability if we
understand that we are still in control of
our health, Christmas or no Christmas,
and there are few simple things we can
do to keep our health on track whilst still
enjoying the best of the season. It’s also
important to look out for the health of our
family at this time too, so read on to hear
our tips and tricks.
Eat and drink healthily
It’s the season of feasting and few of us
want to sit eating a lettuce leaf whilst
everyone else tucks into a roast! However,
it’s also very easy to clock up the calories
unless you are careful. Adult women need
approximately 2000 calories per day
and men approximately 2,500 but this
depends on age, activity and other factors.
See the NHS website on calorie intake
here. Children need differing amounts
depending on age and other factors.
There are a few things you can do here
to stay mostly within your normal calorie
intake, and remember it’s also about
WHAT you eat not just the calories you
consume, so think about:
1. Making some simple substitutions
without compromising on taste such
as swapping full cream for half-cream
or a cream alternative, or using a
sugar substitute in your baking
2. Reducing your portion sizes slightly
– 2 roast potatoes instead of 3, one
mince pie instead of 2 – that way,
you still get to enjoy the little luxuries
without affecting your health
3. Taking a longer-term view of your diet
– for instance, reducing food intake on
one day to allow for a few additional
ones on the days where you are
feasting
4. Remembering there is always another
day – not everything has to be
consumed in one go
5. Going for 3 healthy options for every
less healthy one – remember your
5-a-day and try to put as much colour
on your plate as possible to fill up on
fruits and vegetables
6. Being mindful of children and what
they eat, especially with sweets and
reduce snacking by putting sweet
things into the boxes/bags of an
old advent calendar to help space
them out. Or label them ‘morning’,
‘afternoon’ or ‘evening’ so that you
remind everyone that they don’t need
to eat them all before 11 am!
7. It is advised that children do not drink
alcohol before they are 18, although
some families do allow older children
and teenagers to taste alcohol at
family festivities. However, the NHS
recommends that no one drinks
before the age of 15 – and if they do,
the NHS recommend no more than
one drink a week and children should
be supervised by adults
8. Trying some non-alcoholic alternatives
this year instead of automatically
going for the alcoholic ones – there
are some great recipes on the internet
for non-alcoholic cocktails which could
also up your fruit and vegetable intake
too – see BBC Food for some good
ones
9. Remembering to stay hydrated and
drink water throughout the festive
season
Keep up with exercise
Eating and drinking is only one aspect of
keeping ourselves healthy. The amount
of exercise we get can affect much of our
physical health and our mental health too.
But you don’t have to take the family to the
gym on Christmas Day just to keep up with
your exercise routine. Other ways to get
some fun exercise into your Christmas are:

The individual and
collective nature of
learning stories
The content of this article was inspired by
personal experience which is often the
encouragement one needs to put pen to
paper. Having observed and listened to
people close to me whose children started
at new settings this past September,
I’ve been struck by the rollercoaster of
emotions felt, and the eagerness (and at
times desperation) for feedback from the
practitioners who now spend almost every
day caring for and teaching little people
who not long ago were being rocked in
arms and sleeping in cots, their every
move anticipated and known.
And what came to mind is how central
stories are in our relationships with
parents, and how crucial they are in terms
of building positive partnerships and
community.
What is children’s learning – all our
learning – if not a story? Interestingly. In
New Zealand’s, Te Whāriki early childhood
curriculum, ‘learning stories’ are, in fact,
a technique used to assess children’s
learning whereby teachers write narratives
based on their on-going observations of
the children: a particular incident, a period
carrying out a certain activity or a group
event, interpreting the children’s actions
and resultant learning by considering
their competencies and attitudes in these
given situations. This documentation, often
consisting of photographs or video, along
with the composed learning stories, are
shared with the child and their family, with
this documentation also forming part of
the child’s portfolio.
Viewing learning as a collective of stories
and in fact, viewing life and others through
what I call a story lens is an effective
way to cultivate greater compassion and
strengthen connection. It is simply a way
of seeing the people around us in terms
of their lived stories and as we begin to do
this, it often changes the way we relate to
them.
On a practical level, this means committing
to:

National Tree Week
Did you know?
• A ‘whip’ is a very young tree that
hasn’t yet got any branches
• There is a bristlecone pine tree in
California which is believed to be
5,000 years old
• There are 422 trees for every one
person on earth
National Tree Week is here, running from
November 26th to December 5th 2022.
It’s the largest annual tree celebration
when the conservation sector, volunteers
and tree-lovers come together to plant
thousands of trees and mark the start of
the annual tree-planting season. The best
time to plant trees in the UK is between
October and April (as long as the soil is not
frozen or waterlogged) because the trees
have time to get established and need less
care from humans.
National Tree Week is organised by The
Tree Council, an umbrella charity for UK
organisations who have been involved
in the care, conservation, planting and
celebration of trees for over 40 years
since their founding in 1973. You might
remember the slogan “Plant a Tree in
’73”. National Tree Week started in 1975
and several celebrities, Prime Ministers
and royalty have planted trees to help the
campaign.
The Tree Council want to encourage 3
actions from the general public which are
to:

What does it
mean to be
“me”?
When a child is born, they have no
understanding of themselves as a
separate person, unable to differentiate
themselves as somebody separate from
the others around them. Developing this
individualised sense of being someone
different happens over time as we develop
the mental, emotional and behavioural
functions necessary to see ourselves as a
separate person. As we learn to manage
our bodies and respond to our basic
needs and drives, an awareness of who
we are and what we can do develops,
along with a growing confidence in
ourselves as a person.
When we allow children opportunities to
do things for themselves, to select their
own goals and manage their environment,
they begin to experience this sense of
personal power, developing their selfesteem
and resilience as they feel what
their bodies can do. Opportunities to
engage with other children and adults
within different environments allow these
skills to flourish. But it also places a child in
a position of comparison – what can they
do compared to those around them? And
what do other people think of them when
they try?
Given opportunities to see what they are
capable of, children can experience what
it means to try. As they persevere through
a challenge, they develop a good sense
of who they are and more importantly, a
belief in themselves and who they might
become. They are more likely to try new
things and bounce back quickly after
difficult experiences.
However, children who experience
limited opportunities or frequently have
adults’ step in, don’t develop this sense
of security. Left feeling unsafe within
unfamiliar situations, they may shy away
from new experiences, unsure of their
own abilities. We must then support our
children as they establish a sense of
competence, confidence and worthiness.
But what do these grown-up terms really
mean in the early years?
Competence – the
ability to do something
successfully
To feel competent, a child needs
experiences of seeing something through
to a successful conclusion – no matter how
small. To do this, they need to develop
mental thought processes as they think
about what they want to do. They need a
degree of emotional stability to understand
and manage the emotions they may feel
along the way. And they need verbal
skills to express their thoughts, wants
and needs. Once all these things are
established and with lots of opportunities
to practice, a sense of empowerment
develops. It can be strengthened with
every achievement and reflected in their
behaviours and responses to others.
Confidence – having the
belief that you can do
something successfully
Confidence is then rooted in a child’s faith
or trust in their abilities. This is all about
past experiences, fuelled by every success
and dented when things go wrong. This
is why young children will confidently tell
you they will beat you in a race or perform
cartwheels well beyond their means –
they don’t have much experience of not
being able to! As you allow children to
make memories of doing things with
ease, and when trying again paid off, their
confidence will build. If they doubt their
confidence, simply allow them to try again
so that positive outcomes, even the little
ones, can follow this additional effort. And
always see setbacks or difficulties as part
of the learning process, rather than failures
as you build their resilience. We will look at
this again in The Learning Child when we
explore “motivation and achieving goals”.
Worthiness – feeling
good enough
Worthiness is rooted in our values; our
beliefs about what is good, what is right
and what is important. And how we
ourselves measure up. These are very
complex issues and yet are continuously
communicated to children - when we
mean to as well as when we don’t, so
it is so important to be mindful of the
messages that you are sending. Avoid
comparing children with comments like,
“Look how quick the girls got ready” All this
does is help children take an instant dislike
to the shining example. This is even worse
when the example is an unreasonable
ideal, “I would love it if you could all be
quiet” … really… a group of toddlers on a
Friday afternoon!
Children are growing and developing
through every experience, every day.
Some of this growth is visible, but much
of it is deep rooted. Affecting the ways
they think about themselves and the
world around them. It affects how they
consider themselves to be measuring
up, both in your eyes and anyone else’s
whose opinion they think matters. And
from this, they will be considering the
degree of recognition and respect they
feel they are deserving of. With concerns
regarding child mental health increasingly
on the rise, now more than ever we need
to be mindful of the messages we are
communicating and the opportunities we
are offering to our children. And this starts
far earlier than is often realised.
So, allow children to feel competent
through the tasks they perform – and
complete – for themselves. Don’t be afraid
if this comes with some frustrations, give
them the words to talk this through with
you. Let them see the small victories, rather
than becoming discouraged on root to a
bigger goal and remind them of all the
great things they have achieved when they
put in that extra effort.
Build their confidence through the success
you can offer them. Start small and notice
the victories that are important to them,
even if this is not quite where your focus
may have been. Every time you draw their
attention to these moments, you make
these lasting memories more powerful.
And be careful of the value you
unintentionally attach to things by the
language you use. How you praise their
efforts and achievements; how you refer to
different people and yourself, even when
you think a child is not listening, has a
bearing on this. You are so influential to
the ways their opinions and beliefs are
forming, not just of the world around them
but in the way they view themselves. So,
be mindful of this as you support children
to be competent, confident and full of selfworth.
Next time, as we continue our reflections
of The Happy Child, we will consider the
importance of self-esteem. But in the
meantime, bring focus back to nurturing
all of children’s growth and development
with a Nurturing Childhoods Accreditation.
Whether you are looking for a setting wide
approach to reflective practice and active
CPD or a more personalised approach
with the Nurturing Childhoods Practitioner
Accreditation, gain recognition for the
nurturing practice you deliver. Through 12
online sessions through the year join me
and hundreds of nurturing practitioners as
together we really begin developing the
potential of all children in their early years.
Kathryn Peckham
As Founder of Nurturing Childhoods,
Dr Kathryn Peckham is a passionate
advocate for children’s access to rich and
meaningful experiences throughout their
foundational early years. Delivering online
courses, training and seminars she
works with families and settings to identify
and celebrate the impact of effective
childhood experiences as preparation for
all of life’s learning. An active campaigner
for children, she consults on projects,
conducts research for government bodies
and contributes to papers launched in
parliament. Through her consultancy
and research, she guides local councils,
practitioners, teachers and parents all
over the world in enhancing children’s
experiences through the experiences
they offer. A highly acclaimed author and
member of parliamentary groups, Kathryn
also teaches a Masters at the Centre for
Research in Early Years.
For more information and practical
guidance on developing the features of
lifelong learning, Kathryn has published
a book: “Developing School Readiness,
Creating Lifelong Learners”.
Get in contact at www.kathrynpeckham.
co.uk or email info@kathrynpeckham.
co.uk.
28 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 29

What does leadership look
like when ... you notice room
for improvement? – part 1
One of the most important aspects of
leadership is recognising when, where
and how things could be improved. In the
context of a nursery, leaders are constantly
assessing what is happening in the
setting and how there might be room for
improvement.
Over this two-part column, we will look at
three principles that can guide you through
the process of making improvements:

Everyone’s a reader - 10 top
tips to create engaging-rich
literacy environments for all
I remember when my son was three
months old, and I had a conversation
with my friend about books that she was
reading to her son who had just been
born. She asked me which books my son
enjoyed and I panicked! I realised that
although we had books in his nursery and
we would often look at some of his board
books or soft books, I didn’t read to him
on a regular basis. At the time I was the
head teacher of a special school and I was
passionate about literacy and supporting
learners to become readers. Yet here I
was at home, not doing something I knew
was a key to early reading development,
developing an understanding of language.
The importance of providing as many
opportunities for young children to enjoy
and experience language and literacy is
well established as fundamental to later
literacy development. But how can we
make the time for this? How do we ensure
that we start building up the routines from
a young age, that make immersing our
children in rich literacy environments easy
and doable?
Learning to read is one of the most
rewarding and enjoyable skills that we
can learn, yet we know that it can also
be one of the most difficult to achieve. For
young children, the process of learning to
read should be an exciting, joyful journey
through the incredible world of literacy.
Many of us will know that this is often not
the case. For many children the complex
journey to becoming a reader can be filled
with negative experiences, failure and a
lack of engagement.
So, what are my tips to help children
to develop the skills needed, to build a
foundation upon which later literacy skills
can grow, whilst maximising the fun,
passion, and enjoyment for us all?
1
Focus on developing children’s
understanding of sound and their ability
to listen, these are key for early literacy
development. Support your child to tolerate
and understand sound, investigate,
explore and discriminate between different
sounds. Provide time for them to recognise
your voice and the difference between the
voices of others. An understanding of oral
language is fundamental to reading. The
ability to hear, identify and play around
with sound, provides children with the
essential skills required in early reading.
These are needed for children to be able
to read by breaking words into the sounds
they contain.
2
Make time to sing and dance together,
play with rhymes, make up your own
or repeat rhythms and beats. Provide
opportunities to remember, repeat and
join in with rhythms and rhymes, as they
support our children’s brains to make
connections needed for early reading.
Children need to sequence and remember
sounds to read words, so lots of memory
games and repetition, enables them to
practice skills needed and strengthen
connections in their brains.
3
Increase exposure to listening experiences
without animation or cartoons. By
providing opportunities for pure listening
activities, a greater depth of learning
about sound and language occurs. (e,g,
Toniebox, Amazon echo dot kids, smart
devices, wireless speakers, Clementoni
once upon a time storyteller, headphones,
Timio). Children’s brains work harder as
they need to create own images, leading
to richer learning opportunities.
4
Increase children’s exposure to hearing
language in many situations and be
aware of how important these are. These
could include playing songs, audio stories,
nursery rhyme CDs during nappy change
time, toileting time, story CDs during long
drives and so much more. Read stories,
poems, nursery rhymes, instructions, or
any text you come across (lists, labels)
to babies and young children. Linking
print and language in a meaningful
and engaging situation is key, so read
everything!
5
Become storytellers. Take time to make up
stories together, tell stories about things
that have happened and encourage
our children to make up and tell stores
based on things they have experienced.
The power of storytelling, and narrative
is culturally and historically proven as it
creates connections in our brain, causing
important physical changes. Create story
journeys, use events, objects and people
to bring stories to life!
6
Increase children’s understanding of a
wider range of words and vocabulary. This
has a direct impact on their reading ability
and later success. So, celebrate words,
draw attention to unusual words and
make it fun! I love the “Word Collector” that
focusing on a young boy who collects lots
of interesting and unusual words. Watch a
link here
7
Be passionate about reading, make books
part of family life (comics, newspapers,
eBooks, audio books, magazines, leaflets
(who doesn’t love an Argos catalogue!)).
Model yourself reading and show our
children how much you enjoy it. Don’t
forget that audio books are fabulous too,
for us and our children. My mum was and
is an amazing storyteller, but some of
my richest memories were of listening to
story tapes from the local library with her.
I remember talking about the story, as we
listened, both enjoying the shared time.
8
Make the most of opportunities to be
involved in books and language in the
community, join the library, attend play
groups, mix with other young children,
watch local plays/dramas, listen to
live singing/choirs, and be involved in
language rich activities.
9
Make the most of what children enjoy,
follow their interest, and use it to gain their
attention or motivate them to listen and
take part in activities. We love Christmas in
my house, so we sing carols, give books
and make the most of the live events that
happen during this time. Look at this link
for book ideas https://wordsforlife.org.uk/
activities/give-the-gift-of-reading-booklist/
10
Make activities fun, enjoyable and
rewarding. Praise and invite participation
as much as you can, while providing
challenge but removing anxiety or stress.
Remember to embrace the joy of literacy!
Here some useful links to
find out more
Speech and Language
Literacy Trust
Reading Rockets
Sarah Moseley
Dr Sarah Moseley is an Educational
Consultant and speaker specialising in
raising outcomes for all learners with
SEND. She works with a wide range
of organisations, as well as families
and learners, providing face-to-face
and online training, coaching, keynote
presentations, information, and support.
Sarah is passionate about making a
positive difference to the lives, attitudes,
and outcomes of those who may
struggle to learn, based on a belief that
every action can make a difference. She
aims to bridge the gap between theory
and learning, to create a culture where
high expectations thrive, improving
outcomes for all pupils.
Sarah has over 30 years’ knowledge
and experience within special and
mainstream education from teaching
assistant to Headteacher, as well being
a parent of a 7-year-old. She has a solid
research background rooted within the
psychology of learning. Her Masters
and PhD were in Special Education and
focused specifically on the teaching of
reading and self-esteem. Sarah has
presented nationally/internationally and
is a published author.
The Teaching of Reading to Learners with
SLD
Her forthcoming publication on the
teaching of reading to learners with
complex needs is due March 2023.
Facebook, Linkedin, Instagram - Dr Sarah
Moseley
Twitter @drsarahmoseley
32 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 33

Craft-Stick Christmas Tree
Vegetarian Quesadillas
What do you need?
• 3 craft sticks, one
with 1” cut from the
end
• 1” x 1” square of
brown card
• Glittery gold/yellow
card
• A piece of string
approx. 6” long
• Glue
• Scissors & craft knife
• Decorations (pipe
cleaners, small
pom poms, buttons,
glitter, gems etc.)
Instructions
1. Cut out a star shape from the glittery gold card.
2. Trim down one of the craft sticks to make the shorter side of the triangle.
3. Apply some glue to each end of the trimmed craft stick and place the two
longer craft sticks on top to make a triangle.
4. Glue the centre of the piece of string, and sandwich between the two loose
ends of the craft sticks.
5. Apply some glue to the back of the glittery star, and place at the top of the
triangle, and glue the brown card to the bottom of the triangle to make the
trunk.
6. Stick down your decorations to the craft sticks. You can add pom poms,
buttons, glitter…anything you choose!
You will need:
• Pinto or black beans
• Grated cheese of your choice
• Tortillas
• Cumin (optional)
• Salsa, sour cream or guacamole
for dipping
Instructions
1. Place the tortillas on a clean work surface.
2. Top each tortilla with a little cheese, then beans, then cheese again.
3. Warm a skillet/frying pan and add a tortilla or two.
4. Once warm, fold over the empty side.
5. Cook, then flip and cook a little more.
6. Tip: you can get creative and add anything you want. Such as, chicken,
kale, spinach, corn etc.
You can find the full the
recipe on “Yummy Toddler
Food” here.
You can find craft
instructions on “One Little
Project” here.

Salaries or toys?
I have had many conversations with managers and childminders and one recent
conversation has really stuck with me. The manager of a nursery informed me that
she was having to choose between salaries and purchasing toys and resources for the
children. We spent a few minutes discussing the benefits of not having toys, as it will
actually increase their imaginations and communication skills. There is some research
out there that suggests too many toys could actually harm your little ones development.
TIMPANI toy study and “The influence of the number of toys in the environment on
toddlers’play”.
This is a really hard issue for parents and
nurseries as we all feel pressurised to
purchase the latest must-have toy that
they believe will aid their development.
We are starting to discover that this could
actually reduce their attention span.
All babies and toddlers need are their care
giver and a safe nurturing environment.
Going for a walk or a trip to the shops is
full of wonder and fascination for them,
with so many opportunities for learning.
My experience as a
child and mother
Yes, I was someone that felt I was
depriving my own daughter if I didn’t
purchase the must have toy of the week
and wish I knew then what I know now. I
remember a conversation I had with my
mother when she was horrified at the
amount I spent on toys – I should have
known better but the gods of advertising
are strong!
My mother reminded me that when
I was little I didn’t have many toys,
just household items, dolls and the
environment around me. And, horror of
horrors no TV as it wasn’t available in
the country I lived in until 1976. I certainly
didn’t miss out at all as I still have very
fond memories playing outside for hours
with my friends in the woods, role-playing,
dressing up in family member’s clothes,
taking things apart and rebuilding them,
putting parachutes on my Barbie and Ken
and throwing them out of the windows if
they were on some military mission – a
personal favourite.
After our trip down memory lane and
wondering how I actually survived my
childhood intact, we searched for suitable
household items and found a small tin
bucket and clothes pegs. I admit I was
a bit worried about little fingers getting
trapped. I was, and still am, a neurotic
mother and won’t deny it.
Despite all my worries of feeling I was
letting her down, this was very clearly her
favourite activity as she was enthralled.
It cost nothing and turned out to really
capture her imagination and improve her
concentration skills.
with all the different little mice. Taking them
on different adventures going to the shops,
zoo, or landing on the moon. Yes, you will
be pleased to know that they also got mini
parachutes and jumped, from different
heights of furniture, to see what would
happen. The apple doesn’t fall far from the
tree. The Sylvanians are all safely stored
away, as she won’t let me give them away,
for her children to have them one day as
she still remembers all the fun adventures
she went on with her little mouse friends
as they went everywhere with her.
What we know
As babies grow and become toddlers, they
become more curious in the world around
them and want to touch, explore, feel and
taste to make sense of things. This is what
we want from our little explorers and why
they do not need specifically designed toys
as everyday objects are as fascinating as
any expensive developmental toy.
Treasure baskets filled with everyday
items are great examples of heuristic
play as it supports many aspects of your
little ones’ development. These treasure
baskets are the wonderful legacy of Elinor
Goldschmied, a childcare expert who
spoke about young children exploring
objects from the ‘real world’. This type of
activity encourages fine motor movements
and supports their creativity as they
discover what they can do with the items
they find in their treasure basket.
Do take a peek at this article by Penny
Tassoni, ‘A parent’s guide to… treasure
basket and heuristic play’ as it is full of
great ideas
De Spielzeugfreier
Kindergarten
Rainer Strick and Elle Schubert, public
health officers who were concerned
about addictive habits, that start in early
childhood, convinced a nursery to remove
all the toys for three months.
The first day, the children didn’t know
what to do and seemed a little bored
but by the second day they were playing
with blankets and making dens. The
teachers found the noise of the children
playing quite deafening and they all went
home with headaches. The result of this
experience was increased communication,
imagination, creativity and social skills.
Do read this 1999 article “The nursery
that took all the children’s toys away by
Sarah Jewell in the Independent or visit De
Spielzeugfreier Kindergarten.
As teachers and parents, we all know
children learn by doing so what could
be better than active imaginative play?
Find objects (raid that recycling box) and
household items that can be open-ended
activities for your little ones. The process
of using these objects to represent
something else by giving it an action and
motion builds skills in so many essential
developmental areas and best of all we
don’t have to go out and buy them!
Gina Bale
Gina’s background was originally
ballet, but she has spent the last 27
years teaching movement and dance
in mainstream, early years and SEND
settings as well as dance schools.
Whilst teaching, Gina found the time to
has create the ‘Hi-5’ dance programme
to run alongside the Australian Children’s
TV series and the Angelina Ballerina
Dance Academy for Hit Entertainment.
Her proudest achievement to date is her
baby Littlemagictrain. She created this
specifically to help children learn through
make-believe, music and movement.
One of the highlights has been seeing
Littlemagictrain delivered by Butlin’s
famous Redcoats with the gorgeous
‘Bonnie Bear’ on the Skyline stage.
Gina has qualifications of teaching
movement and dance from the Royal
Ballet School, Trinity College and Royal
Academy of Dance.
My daughter spent many hours playing
with the pegs taking them off and putting
them back and then seeing what else
she could put them on. After that, all the
pots and pans and cutlery were next on
the list. My kitchen was a mess but she
was happy and learning so much without
me having to spend a single penny on
toys. The toys I had purchased, were only
played with a couple of times and then
they went off to charity shops or were
swapped with friends. The exception to
this, was her beloved Sylvanian families.
We had so much fun, together, playing
36 December 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | December 2022 37

Testimonials
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to taking over from someone previously I was unaware of the previous errors on the
system from before I started a few weeks ago but am now able to explore issues I
have with invoicing and shouldn’t need further support in correcting them. Alex was
knowledgeable, patient and was really helpful so thank you so much. My query was
resolved in full and extremely quickly! It all made sense also - no confusing jargon or
anything - simple step by step instructions which is perfect for me.”
Anonymous
“Fantastic service-great communication. I have no hesitation in recommending this
company to childcare providers looking for a modern responsive website”
Tahir Bhatti
“Great customer service - issue promptly resolved and also informed how to avoid
this in the future.”
Anonymous
“I was struggling to sign up new learners for an apprenticeship. The government
website was really quite confusing and Billy and the Parenta team took the stress
out of it for me. Billy answered my endless questions patiently and supported me
to get the learners signed up, Richard met with me and the learners and eased their
worries about signing up for a new course, and their tutor. Sachia, is just amazing.
She has been so supportive and knowledgeable. If you would like a friendly but
professional team to support the upskilling of your staff, you cannot go wrong with
Parenta!”
Congratulations
to all our Parenta learners!
Congratulations to all our Parenta learners who completed their apprenticeship
and have now gained their qualifications.
These range from Childcare Level 2, Childcare Level 3 and Team Leading
to Level 3 and Level 5 Management – that’s a huge achievement in the
current climate.
All that hard work has paid off – well done from all of us here at Parenta Training!
Did you know?... Parenta has trained over 20,000 apprentices within the early years sector!
Our Level 3 success rate overall is almost 10% higher than the national average.
That’s down to great work from you, our lovely Parenta learners!
If you have a learner with us who has recently completed their apprenticeship, please send in
a picture to hello@parenta.com to be included in the magazine.
Tatia Singleton
“Karley was very helpful and got back to me very quickly. She really help us on the
phone today I couldn’t thank her enough I was really stressing out and she help
me calm down and help me with what I needed to know and she help the other
apprentice as well she really understood us and was very patient with us I couldn’t
thank her enough and the manger was really thank full for her help. I was really
impressed that a follow up call was given with additional information. I felt heard
and listened to.”
Anonymous
38 December 2022 | parenta.com parenta.com | December 2022 39

PARENT
PORTAL
Gives your parents:
An insight into their child’s day!
Interested? Visit
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