March 2024 Parenta Early Years Magazine

Issue 112 

MARCH 2024 

COVER 

Sensory needs: they 

won’t eat! 

Improving team 

culture in the nursery 

Nature’s makerspace: 

the magic of sticks 

+ lots more 

EYFS activities 

inside! 

This month… 

Understanding 

the world 

Getting serious about 

sustainability 

Boosting your setting’s revenue 

The importance of comparing your data with other businesses

12 

34 

24 

Hello 

Welcome to our family 

Welcome to the March edition of Parenta magazine! 

Spring is on its way at last… and with that in mind, don’t forget that the clocks will “spring forward” by one 

hour at 2 am on Sunday 31st March – Easter Sunday! This month, our focus turns to Sustainability – not only within our 

settings and environment but also regarding the long-term viability of our sector. How can we ensure the resilience of our 

industry and educate the children in our care on this vital topic? Your magazine is packed with advice and guidance on these 

very matters. 

Mark your calendars for 13th March and join us for our highly anticipated webinar, “Defining Sustainability” with 

early years guru June O’Sullivan OBE. You can register at www.parenta.com/webinars and don’t forget you will 

earn a CPD certificate if you attend! 

Also in this issue, Joanna Grace looks at eating difficulties, Yvonne Sinclair takes us through safeguarding, Pam McFarlane 

explores early years ethos, Dr Mona Sakr looks at improving the team culture, Frances Turnbull delves into musical medicine, 

Gina Bale discusses movement and Sandra Duncan, together with Dr Zlata Stankovic-Ramirez teach us about ‘nature’s 

makerspace’. 

Don’t forget to share the magic of our magazine with your friends, colleagues, and parents alike. They can receive their own 

copy in digital or printed format by signing up at www.parenta.com/magazine. 

Allan 

22 

Regulars 

10 Write for us 

36 EYFS Activities: Understanding the world 

News 

4 Congratulations to our Parenta Learners 

6 The importance of comparing your data with 

other businesses 

8 Childcare news and views 

Advice 

14 Getting serious about sustainability 

22 British Science Week 

26 Making the most of your staff 

30 Ramadan and Eid 

32 

Industry Experts 

38 

12 Sensory needs: they won’t eat! 

18 The sustainable development goals 

20 EYFS statutory framework update 

24 Ethos in early years 

28 Improving team culture in the nursery 

32 Musical medicine: Building resilience in the 

early years 

38 Child development: Movement, communication skills, 

and vocabulary 

2 March 2024 | parenta.com 

parenta.com | March 2024 3

What do our customers 

say this month? 

“Anita has been amazing with my journey with 

Parenta! She is always there for me and for 

any questions that I have. She is very helpful, 

understanding and most importantly supportive. I am 

thankful that I got her as my tutor.” 

Eleftheria Katsi 

“Parenta have helped me to re-develop my website. 

They have been extremely helpful, polite, friendly and 

efficient. I’m so glad that I decided to use them to help 

with this.” 

Rachel Luntz 

“Thanks to Anita, I’ve had the best Parenta experience 

so far. I honestly couldn’t ask for a better tutor. Anita 

has made sure I’m fully equipped and knowledgeable 

about every aspect of my course. I feel confident and 

reassured that I can complete my Level 3. 

Thank you so much, Anita.” 

Simone Warrick 

“Nour has been an excellent tutor for me because she 

understands what it’s like to have a learning disability. 

She knows so much about Maths that she can explain 

how to do some parts of it that makes sense to me 

so that I can then do that bit of Maths. I liked it when 

Nour first started to help me - she wanted to find out 

exactly what I already knew and what my disabilities 

were that stopped me from passing the exam. She is 

an excellent listener, who I felt took me seriously and 

never put me down. If there was something that I just 

couldn’t understand, she always encouraged me and 

said that if I couldn’t do something we’d find another 

way around it. She was always cheerful. This helped 

me to look forward to her sessions. She never seemed 

to be in a hurry and always had time for me. I am sure 

I wouldn’t have passed my exam without Nour’s help 

and support. She is just brilliant.” 

Bethany Arthey 

“Very good. I think having a good tutor as amazing as 

Laxmi makes all the difference!” 

Amelia Mulholland 

“I am truly happy with the services provided. Laxmi has 

encouraged me to learn new key information during 

my studies. Laxmi has also given me lots of resources 

to reflect on my practice. The resources allow me to 

plan better activities and new ways to support my key 

children in the setting.” 

Krista Jenkins 

“Really happy with the support I received during 

my Level 3. I achieved my goal by gaining my 

qualification.” 

Cheryll Vaughan 

“I am really happy with the services and I don’t think 

I could have a better tutor. Sarah is amazing, very 

helpful and motivates me to do my work to the best of 

my ability.” 

Yasmin Oliveira 

“Very happy with the teaching and learning from 

“My tutor Naomi is fantastic. She has made so much 

my tutor, Prateema. She persisted with me and 

time to support me through my Level 5. She has 

encouraged me to keep going. I am happy to finally be 

simplified a few things so I could understand better 

Level 3 qualified and can continue to progress.” 

and allowed me to keep going back for advice if 

I needed it anytime. I feel very confident that I will 

Just Me 

achieve my Level 5 having had this tutor. 

Thank you Naomi for all your support.” 

Michelle Coker 

Congratulations 

to all our Parenta learners! 

Massive CONGRATULATIONS to Svetlana, who has 

completed her Level 3 EYE and gained 

her qualification! 



The importance 

of comparing 

Dr Allan Presland 

your data with 

other businesses 

Last summer, some bright spark at work 

suggested we have a walking challenge 

between all the staff to see who can 

complete the greatest number of steps in 

10 weeks. Every day we each had to post a 

screenshot from our phones, showing the 

number of steps from the previous day. 

I was thrilled! My dog and I walk 9km 

every morning before starting work, more 

at the weekends. I was convinced that I’d 

win the competition easily. There was not a 

doubt in my mind that I walked more than 

everyone else – I mean, who walks more 

than 9km each day? 

So, the start day came along. As always 

Hector (the dog) and I stepped out for our 

usual jaunt and completed our normal 

9km route. I then took the required 

screenshot, submitted my step count and 

waited for everyone else to submit theirs. 

I was relaxed – I had this. There was 

no doubt in my mind I’d win. And then, 

everyone else’s numbers came in and I 

learned the hard way that what I thought 

was good was quite mediocre. Emma for 

instance had done 22km, and many had 

completed more than 15km. After the full 

10-week challenge, I finished in the bottom 

third – what I thought was exceptional, 

was actually the complete opposite. 

I remember vividly having a conversation 

with a successful nursery owner a few 

years ago at the Parenta HQ. She was 

brazenly telling the whole room how 

successful she was and how much profit 

her setting was making. And yet, I know 

there were people in that room with 

similar-sized settings making three times 

more. Again then, without comparisons, 

you simply cannot know how well you are 

performing. 

This is why we created the Parenta Early 

Years Performance survey (https:// 

scorecard.parenta.com/parenta). It’s a 

relatively simple process that asks users 

39 specific questions about their setting’s 

business performance and provides a 

detailed report about how you compare. 

We cover 5 different performance areas: 

finance, enquiries and onboarding, 

customer experience, staff engagement 

and training. 

And so it is with business. No matter 

how well you think you are doing, or 

not doing, without comparisons your 

data is meaningless. You simply cannot 

make a decision on performance without 

comparative data. 

Of course, the chains, both large and small 

can compare the performance of each 

setting against their others and make 

those comparisons. The vast majority 

though, who operate a single setting 

struggle to get that data, and struggle for 

comparisons. 

So, if you want to know how your setting 

compares to thousands of settings we 

work with, just complete our survey. There 

is no cost. There is no obligation. But we 

can provide you with some extremely 

useful insights. 

Call 0800 002 9242 and quote ’Magazine’ 

6 March 2024 | parenta.com

Childcare news 

and views 

Department for Education Launches 

National Recruitment Campaign to 

Boost Early Years Workforce 

The Department for Education has 

launched a national recruitment initiative 

aimed at addressing the workforce 

shortages in nurseries and early years 

providers across the nation. Alongside this 

campaign, the department is conducting a 

trial offering £1,000 cash sign-on bonuses, 

with the goal of not only meeting the 

staffing needs of childcare settings, but 

also expanding the availability of childcare 

spaces for parents. The trial – which will 

cover 20 local authorities across the UK 

– will give new-starters and returners a 

tax-free cash payment shortly after they 

take up post. 

The decision to launch this recruitment 

drive comes in response to the latest data, 

which reveals that 102,480 children have 

already been registered in the system (as 

of 2nd February). This figure demonstrates 

the pressing demand for childcare services 

nationwide, particularly as the initial phase 

of the largest-ever expansion in free 

childcare is due to begin in April. 

Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan 

said: “Parents shouldn’t have to choose 

between a career and a family and our 

expanded childcare offer is going to 

make sure of that. From April, hundreds 

of thousands of parents of 2-year-olds 

will get 15 funded hours. This is good for 

families and good for the wider economy 

– ultimately putting more money in 

parents’ pockets at the end of the month. 

The fantastic nurseries, childminders and 

professionals across the childcare sector 

are central to the success of this rollout 

and our new recruitment campaign will 

support them in continuing to deliver the 

flexible and high-quality childcare parents 

need.” 

The campaign will look to boost 

recruitment across the sector by 

highlighting the vast array of childcare 

career routes and progression 

opportunities offering on-the-job training, 

flexible hours, and, most importantly, the 

chance to shape and support young lives. 

Purnima Tanuku OBE, Chief Executive 

of National Day Nurseries Association 

(NDNA) said: “We have been calling 

for this national recruitment campaign 

to support the early years sector for 

years, so we very much welcome this 

initiative. Early years practitioners do an 

incredible job educating children and 

supporting families, so it’s great to see 

that two thirds of parents recognise that 

these professionals are among the most 

important people in their child’s life.” 

“The sector needs thousands more staff 

so we hope that the tax-free incentive will 

form part of a comprehensive workforce 

plan if the pilot is successful. The amount 

is still not in line with teacher recruitment, 

so to attract highly-skilled and qualified 

staff the Government must match these 

payments with teacher recruitment 

campaigns.” 

“We know from our research that recruiting 

and retaining staff, especially qualified 

practitioners, is the biggest challenge 

facing all early years providers. This could 

also be the most significant barrier to 

parents being able to find their child a 

place.” 

“NDNA has been calling for the 

Government to speed up local funding 

rate decisions, so bringing forward that 

deadline is a step in the right direction, 

helping providers to plan how many 

places they can offer and giving more 

certainty to parents.” 

“It’s important to stress that this campaign 

comes too late to support nurseries with 

the first phase of the childcare expansion 

which begins in two months. Campaigns 

like this take time to have a positive 

impact and the sector needs qualified and 

experienced staff now. “ 

“Our research with providers suggests 

that 83% are operating at a loss or just 

breaking even. Without addressing funding 

which hasn’t kept pace with rising costs, 

nurseries are unable to pay competitive 

wages that their staff teams deserve so 

they can retain them in their settings. “ 

“The Government must bring forward a 

long-term workforce strategy to address 

underfunding, recruitment, retention and 

career progression to support those who 

care for our youngest children.” 

Read more at: https://www.gov.uk/ 

government/news/childcare-recruitmentcampaign-launched 

Labour analysis reveals early years 

costs have rapidly outstripped inflation 

The Labour Party has released data 

analysis indicating a significant rise in early 

education and childcare costs, beyond the 

inflation rate by more than a third since 

2010. 

The analysis reveals that the average 

expense for a part-time nursery place in 

2024 stands at £146 per week, compared 

to £82 per week in 2010 - an 80% 

increase. This translates to a total cost 

exceeding £5,500 annually for part-time 

early years placements during term-time, 

marking a £2,400 surge since 2010. 

Additional insights from this data show: 

A full-time nursery place has 

experienced a rise of over £70 per 

week since 2017 

In 2023, the monthly cost for a fulltime 

nursery place was £283.95 per 

week, equivalent to approximately 

£9,000 annually for term-time 

positions 

The United Kingdom ranks as the 

third most expensive country globally 

for early education among averageearning 

couples 

This analysis coincides with persistent 

warnings from early years experts 

regarding the sector’s resource shortage 

to fulfil plans for expanding funded hours. 

An estimated 100,000 additional staff will 

be needed to meet the full 30-hour pledge. 

In response to these challenges, Labour 

has commissioned an Early Years Review 

aimed at outlining strategies to enhance 

and ensure the widespread availability 

of early education services throughout 

the country. Chaired by the former chief 

inspector of Ofsted, Sir David Bell, the 

review aims to address critical issues 

and drive meaningful change in early 

education provision. 

Commenting, Bridget Phillipson MP, 

Labour’s Shadow Education Secretary, 

said: “Families are forking out thousands 

of pounds for childcare, all the while being 

sold a shoddy plan by a Conservative 

Government that hasn’t the first clue of 

how to deliver it. “ 

“Families deserve so much better, which 

is why Labour has commissioned a full, 

expert-led early years review to examine 

how we expand access to the flexible 

childcare that meets families’ needs 

without breaking their finances.” 

“The choice couldn’t be starker. A clappedout 

Tory Government that has failed 

families for 14 years, or a Labour Party 

that is ready to reform childcare so it’s 

accessible for families right across the 

country.” 

Neil Leitch, CEO of the Early Years Alliance, 

said: “It comes as absolutely no surprise 

that the cost of early education and 

childcare has risen a third faster than 

inflation over the last 14 years. 

“We know that nurseries, pre-schools and 

childminders have been doing their best 

to deliver early years care and education 

that is both high quality and affordable, 

but years of severe underfunding has 

meant that many have had no choice but 

to increase costs just to keep their doors 

open.“ 

“While recent funding increases for 

younger children are a step in the right 

direction, rates for three- and four-yearolds 

continue to fall way below delivery 

costs, particularly in light of recent 

increases in the national minimum 

and living wage – and this is putting 

unsustainable pressure on early years 

providers already struggling to stay 

afloat. Unless the government commits to 

ensuring that funding levels across all age 

groups are adequate not only today, but in 

the long term as provider costs continue to 

rise, the situation will only get worse.” 

“With early years providers set to become 

even more reliant on government 

funding as a source of income once the 

new extended offers are rolled out, it is 

absolutely crucial that the government 

takes urgent action to tackle the current 

early years crisis. This means investing 

what’s needed to ensure that providers 

can deliver the affordable, accessible 

provision that parents need, and that every 

child – regardless of their family’s income 

or circumstances – can benefit from quality 

early years care and education.” 

Read more at: https://www.eyalliance.org. 

uk/news/2024/02/early-years-costs-haverapidly-outstripped-inflation-2010-labouranalysis-reveals#:~:text=Labour%20 

has%20unveiled%20data%20 

analysis,%E2%80%93%20an%20 



Write for us! 

P R 

I C E 

We continuously seek new 

authors who would like to 

provide thought-provoking 

articles for our monthly 

magazine. 

If you have a subject you’re eager to explore 

in writing, why not submit an article to us for a 

chance to win? 

Every month, we’ll be awarding Amazon 

vouchers to our “Guest Author of the Month.” 

You can access all the information here: 

https://www.parenta.com/sponsored-content/ 

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to our guest author competition winner, Dr Sarah Moseley! 

Congratulations to Dr Sarah Moseley, our guest 

author of the month! Her article, “Inclusive Early 

Years: Meeting The Needs Of All” questions what 

do we need to know to meet the needs of all kinds 

of learners? Well done Sarah! 

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 


Call 0800 002 9242 and quote ’Magazine’

Joanna Grace 

I’m Jo Grace: a Sensory Engagement and Inclusion Specialist and Founder of The Sensory Projects. In this series of articles, I am going to 

share some of my passion for understanding the sensory world with you. 

This is article 9 of a series of 10 articles that 

have taken you on an adventure through 

the wonders of the sensory world. We’ve 

looked at how using sensory engagement 

strategies can support children to engage, 

learn and promote good mental health 

for them and you. We’ve looked at 

changing the sensory environment and 

providing for differing sensory needs 

through environmental adaptations and by 

supplying particular resources in response 

to particular needs. In this article, we 

are going to broach a very serious and 

often very frightening topic for families 

of children with sensory processing 

differences: eating. 

If you process the sensory world differently, 

this is likely to impact your eating. Eating 

is necessary to stay alive, and eating a 

variety of food is necessary to maintain 

Sensory needs: 

they won’t eat! 

good health, so when a child struggles 

to do these things, it is only natural that 

those who care about them find this very 

alarming. Very quickly, a lot of pressure 

can build up around that child, which can 

further exacerbate the situation. You may 

find that as someone one step removed 

from the situation, (yes you love and care 

for that child, but in a professional role, 

you are not as close to them as their 

nearest and dearest), you are better able 

to offer support than someone more 

involved, the distance takes the pressure 

off and allows more freedom to explore. 

In this article, we are going to begin 

by building our understanding of how 

sensory differences can impact eating. 

It is very easy for people to label a child 

struggling with their eating as a ‘fussy’ 

eater, or to view their insistence on only 

eating certain foods (often junk foods) as 

a form of ‘naughtiness’. Families get told 

they are ‘letting them get away with it’ 

and it ends up as a sad muddle. So, to 

avoid that sad muddle, we are going to 

understand it. 

In understanding it, we can get alongside 

the child, and we can equip the family with 

the responses they need to fend off the 

pressure that comes from the unhelpful 

remarks above. The understanding creates 

space, and in that space, change is 

possible. In my next article, we will explore 

some of the practical strategies. If you are 

reading these online and both have been 

published, don’t skip ahead just yet, none 

of the practical things works without the 

foundational understanding to inform their 

provision, and you may find that with the 

understanding, your regular provision can 

be tweaked slightly and you do not need a 

novel idea, just a little adjustment to what 

you already do. 

So: the question is, why does processing 

sensory information differently lead to 

difficulties with eating? 

Let’s imagine you are someone who 

struggles with tactile sensation. We all 

have a level at which touch becomes 

difficult for us, things become too scratchy 

or just plain too icky and we no longer 

want to touch them, they become 

alarming to touch or disgusting to touch. If 

you process tactile stimulation differently, 

likely, this cut-off point of when touch 

becomes problematic happens sooner for 

you. 

Now suppose I offered you a disgusting 

touch sensation – the underside of a 

squished slug perhaps? Imagine I have 

that on a plate, and I am asking that you 

touch it. I expect, if you were in any way 

willing to oblige me, you would stretch out 

a fingertip, it would be far away from your 

body, and the finger itself would stretch 

trying to get away from the hand. You 

would hold yourself as far away from the 

fingertip as you could, you’d lean away, 

only the very tip of your finger would 

approach and touch the slug very, VERY 

quickly and then shoot away to join the 

rest of your recoiled body. You certainly 

would not come close to it, you would not 

bring your face close to it, you would not 

touch it with your face. 

What about with your lips that register so 

much more sensation than your fingers, or 

your tongue on which the nerve endings 

are so close together that it can register 

far greater detail than your fingers? No, 

you wouldn’t want to touch it with those 

things, and if I asked you to touch it with 

your tongue, forced you even, you would 

do with your tongue as you had with your 

finger, extending it, trying to get it away 

from yourself, you certainly would not put 

it inside of you, inside of your face, in your 

mouth. The invasion of doing that would 

be too much to bear. 

Suppose you did not just struggle with 

touch but also with sound. Your ears pick 

up more sounds, you notice more little 

squeaks and pips and squishes than 

other people do. You are not able to filter 

out sounds, you cannot pick out one voice 

from the many, the sound of the cars 

passing by is as present to you as the 

sound of the adult talking to you. When we 

eat, we use our control of the information 

our hearing brings to us to tune out the 

sound of our eating, we know it is not 

useful to hear. We hear it, of course, we 

hear it – our mouths are right next door 

to our ears – we just choose not to focus 

on it by making processing choices in our 

brains. 

Suppose your brain could not do that, you 

would have to listen to all those slurping, 

crunching, sucking, squelchy noises of 

eating, they would be in your head all 

the while you ate, along with the noises 

of other people eating, and talking, and 

cutlery being used, chairs being moved, 

footsteps, voices - it would be too much. 

What if it wasn’t just touch and sound, 

what if it was smell as well? The smell 

is such a powerful sense in terms of its 

ability to pack an emotional punch. The 

smell is processed by the limbic brain, your 

emotional brain, so smelling something 

is an emotional act. Imagine the slug I’m 

offering is rotten, it stinks... you know the 

drill now... would you want to smell it from 

inside your mouth? 

I could continue through the other senses, 

but you understand. Eating is a massive 

sensory ask, and often people are asked 

to process multiple difficult sensations 

at the same time. It is no wonder they 

struggle! 

If you are a person who struggles with 

their sensory world, there is likely someone 

who understands your struggles. Usually, 

the person you have bonded most closely 

with. The person who loves you more 

dearly than they love themselves. It is 

this person who, when it gets too noisy 

at the supermarket, takes you outside 

to wait on a bench until the rest of the 

family have finished the shop. It is this 

person who knows you won’t want to play 

in the sandpit and so takes you over to 

the slide. This person protects you from 

the sensory experiences you find difficult, 

this person is with you, and they’re on 

your side ... except when it comes to the 

terrifying experience of eating it is this 

person who insists you do it. Even this 

person sometimes forces you to do it. In 

this moment of facing all those difficult 

sensations not only are you asked to deal 

with all those difficult things you are asked 

to do it alone. 

It is no wonder that enormous tension and 

fear grow around mealtimes. Of course, 

the person trying to get the child to eat 

is not intending to frighten them and is 

not abandoning them. They’re trying to 

keep them alive and keep them healthy. 

If the child is lucky, they will have more 

than one person care about them, and 

because people care they get desperate. 

They argue with one another about what 

is best to do. “Should we be stricter? Don’t 

give them anything to eat, once they’re 

starving, they’ll eat what we give them. 

Don’t let them leave the table until they’ve 

tried it. Mash it up and hide it in the food 

they will eat.“ 

Trauma occurs when people are not 

able to act to escape situations, they find 

stressful. Trauma builds up swiftly around 

eating for people with sensory differences 

and their families. It is no wonder that the 

sight of a knife and fork, a plate, and the 

suggestion that you come and sit for a 

snack, is enough to send some children 

into a meltdown. As a professional, you 

have the option of joining in with this cycle 

of pressure and panic or staying on the 

outside and trying to find a way to reach in 

and offer a route out. 

In my next article, we are going to think 

about some of the things that you can 

try with children who struggle to eat 

because of sensory differences. Until then 

please feel free to connect with me on 

social media to watch my current sensory 

adventures unfurl. All the connection 

links can be found on my website www. 

TheSensoryProjects.co.uk 

Scan here for 

more resources 

from Joanna: 



Getting serious about 

sustainability 

Do you know if your setting is sustainable 

in today’s modern world? 

Would you be able to show evidence of 

your sustainability if asked? 

Could you do more to meet the challenges 

of sustainability and climate change? 

These are often difficult questions to 

answer, but we should not be afraid to ask 

them. Last month, the UN confirmed that 

global temperatures had exceeded the 

target of 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels 

not once, but consistently for a whole year. 

Unfortunately, this is not akin to being on 

holiday and taking a cardigan off to enjoy 

the warmer weather! Prof Sir Bob Watson, 

a former chair of the UN’s climate body, 

told BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme: 

“Look what’s happened this year with only 

1.5°C - we’ve seen floods, we’ve seen 

droughts, we’ve seen heatwaves and 

wildfires all over the world.” 

The world needs change, and it is now 

obvious that each one of us will need to 

‘do our bit’ to reduce our carbon footprint. 

We must also up our game if we want a 

chance of winning. Filling our recycling 

bins each week is a good start, but we 

now need to address sustainability from 

a ‘must do’ rather than a ‘nice to do’ 

standpoint. 

One article will not change the world, but 

if it can help you make some changes in 

your individual settings, these can start to 

add up. The UK Government have pledged 

to become a net zero country by 2050 in 

line with international agreements. More 

than this, they have pledged to reduce 

carbon emissions to 1990 levels by 2030 

– a 68% reduction. This will not happen 

overnight, but we all need to start planning 

now if we are to reach those goals. 

Your starting point 

Anyone considering making changes 

to their business model or way of 

doing things needs to first assess and 

acknowledge where they are starting from, 

and this will be different for every setting. 

So, whilst the ‘next steps’ and action 

plans for each setting will be different, the 

principle of how and where to start is the 

same… settings need to know where they 

stand on sustainability, recycling and their 

carbon footprint. 

How to make your 

setting sustainable

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Call 0800 002 9242 and quote ’Magazine’ 

Call 0800 002 9242 and quote ’Magazine’

Dr Diane Boyd 

In 2015 in Paris, the global community 

of Heads of State and Government 

representatives gathered as part of 

the 70th session of the UN General 

Assembly. A key element of the session 

was the adoption of the 17 Sustainable 

Development Goals (SDGs) with 

objectives to form a sustainable and 

universal programme with the active 

support of UNESCO. The SDGs formed a 

holistic interconnected programme that 

covered health, care, education, industry, 

community, peace, and gender equality. 

For example, SDG 4 represented “Quality 

education” with a recognition of early 

childhood as a universal right for all 

children. 

SDG 11 highlighted the need for all cities 

and communities to be sustainable 

with an emphasis on safety, resilience, 

and inclusion. These three components 

from SDG 11 resonate with the Early 

Years Framework (DfE, 2024;7) which 

acknowledges a “secure, safe, and happy 

childhood is important in its own right. 

Good parenting and high-quality early 

learning provide the foundation children 

need to fulfil their potential.” This article 

will focus on socio-cultural sustainability 

through the community as it has its roots in 

the foundations of early childhood. 

Sustainability and 

pedagogical approaches 

The Reggio Emilia philosophy promoted 

a social constructivist theoretical 

underpinning where both adult and child 

would be co-constructing and co-learning 

together. Early childhood pioneering giants 

Steiner and Montessori, also advocated 

for all learners and learning environments 

The sustainable 

development goals 

Sustainable cities & 

communities 

to reflect a ‘community of learners’. For 

example, Steiner recognised the adult 

in the early childhood setting was the 

role model who must lead a sustainable 

lifestyle promoting social, economic, 

and environmental values. Traditionally 

in England, children in early childhood 

settings are usually seen as needing 

to be protected and cared for with the 

adult taking a more dominant position in 

learning situations with children listening 

attentively and responding. Roger Hart 

however asks practitioners to reflect on 

whether a child needs ‘protecting’ and 

why can’t children be protagonists of their 

rights? 

Socio-cultural sustainability advocates 

for all children to be empowered and 

be able to critically reflect upon societal 

issues and practitioners must be able 

to feel confident to discuss key topics 

sensitively. Montessori considered that 

children as young as three could discuss 

and experience aspects of social justice 

ensuring within the practice, early years 

children are listened to authentically and 

are decision-makers. 

Socio-sustainability in 

practice 

So, is this easy to do in practice? How can 

practitioners apply socio-sustainability into 

their settings, so children feel valued, and 

listened to and that they feel part of the 

cultural community of learners within the 

nursery? There are supporting documents 

that are available for practitioners to 

download for free to use in their settings 

and help them understand and apply 

the 17 SDGs into practice. Sustainability 

Matters in Early Childhood is on the DfE 

website and highlights the importance 

of children’s rights linking to both the 

17 SDGs and UNCRC 1989. Within this 

document, there are practical examples 

of how diverse early years settings have 

embedded SDG 13 Climate Action into 

their practices - follow the link to find both 

Sustainability Matters and also a useful 

strategy from LEYF on how to embed 

sustainability - Sustainability leadership 

and climate action plans in education - 

GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) 

The other available resource to download 

demonstrates how practitioners can 

embed both the SDGs and STEM (science, 

technology, engineering and mathematics) 

into practice - Early Years Sustainability 

Resource.pdf. This resource will provide 

an introduction to the SDGs and practical 

provocations to encourage children to be 

part of a socio-cultural community that 

questions and critiques societal issues. 

An example from the resource draws 

on a sensitive topic that resonates with 

a lot of children today - food poverty 

and food banks. How do practitioners 

engage with these topics sensitively taking 

into consideration the socio-economic 

characteristics of the children within their 

setting? 

The starting point could be reading 

together the text “It’s a No Money Day” by 

Kate Milner which highlights the difficult 

situation Mum is in – she works hard 

but some days the cupboard and fridge 

are bare. Practitioners must follow the 

children’s thinking and questions as they 

read the story together because to some 

children this could be a reality. This is 

important and reminds practitioners of the 

need to know the children and families in 

your community, because other children 

in the setting may never have had to 

consider where their next dinner is coming 

from. 

Discussing such complex issues as food 

poverty raises further questions and as 

practitioners, you need to follow them. 

It could lead to children reflecting upon 

why supermarkets have boxes to fill 

with food at the checkouts - who are 

they for? Where does the food go? By 

following the thinking of the children, for 

example, the possibility of visiting a food 

bank should be considered. Children 

can process these experiences and 

make informed decisions with safe and 

knowledgeable practitioners. Back at the 

setting, practitioners could highlight food 

poverty by opening their lunch boxes and 

revealing no food inside and this again 

can lead to children starting to develop an 

awareness of empathy and understanding 

that not all children are fortunate. 

In a child case study using the book 

“It’s a No Money Day” the children as a 

result visited a food bank and met with 

volunteers distributing food. The children 

learnt how the food was shared to try to 

ensure all children were able to have food 

in their tummies resonating with SDG 1 

No Poverty, SDG 2 Zero Hunger and SDG 

Good Health and Well-being. Reflecting 

upon their experiences, they started to 

notice situations in their community – and 

ask questions. For example, “Why is that 

man sleeping in a doorway? Does he not 

have a home?“ 

They also started to realise no food could 

mean no home or no Christmas presents. 

The setting engaged with parents and the 

community because of the initial reading of 

this text and the children wanted to ensure 

other children in their locality who were 

less fortunate had Christmas presents and 

so contributed to the local charity collecting 

at the time. SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and 

Communities highlights the need for an 

inclusive and safe locality and the children 

in this example tried to demonstrate this 

goal through their empathetic community 

support. All the 17 SDGs are interconnected 

and holistic, reflecting the holistic 

approach of early childhood, nothing is in 

isolation. 

Scan here for 

more information 

& resources 

from Diane: 



Yvonne Sinclair 

My name is Yvonne Sinclair from 

Safeguarding Support Limited. In this 

article, I will simplify safeguarding around 

the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) 

statutory framework. 

This latest framework came into force on 

4th January 2024 and is mandatory for 

all early years providers in England. The 

updated guidance sets out the standards 

which all early years providers must meet 

to ensure that children learn and develop 

well and are kept healthy and safe. 

What are the 2024 key 

changes? 

From January 2024, there will be two 

versions of the EYFS framework: 

1. Guidance for group and school-based 

providers 

This framework is for all group and 

school-based early years providers 

in England (including maintained 

schools; non-maintained schools; 

independent schools; free schools; 

and academies) and all group-based 

providers on the Early Years Register. 

2. Guidance for childminders 

This framework is for all childminders 

in England caring for early years 

children (aged from 0 until the 31st 

August after their 5th birthday) who 

are registered on the Early Years 

Register or with an early years 

childminder agency (CMA). 

Providers are responsible for ensuring they 

follow the current version of the framework 

for their provider type. 

EYFS statutory 

framework 

The learning and development 

requirements remain covered in Section 

1, the assessment requirements are in 

Section 2, and important changes to the 

safeguarding and welfare requirements 

(Section 3) are summarised below: 

Section 3: safeguarding and 

welfare 

This section of the framework sets out the 

safeguarding and welfare requirements 

providers must meet, and the necessary 

steps a setting must take to keep children 

safe and well. 

For group and school-based providers, 

this means there must be a designated 

practitioner to take lead responsibility 

for safeguarding, and for childminders 

working alone or with assistants, the 

childminder must take lead responsibility 

for safeguarding, being alert to any issues 

of concern in the child’s life at home or 

elsewhere. 

Providers must take all necessary steps to 

keep children safe and well, which means 

they must: 

⚙ Safeguard children 

⚙ Ensure the adults who have contact 

with children are suitable 

⚙ Promote good health 

⚙ Support and understand behaviour 

⚙ Maintain records, policies, and 

procedures 

update 

The safeguarding lead is also responsible 

for liaising with local statutory children’s 

services agencies and with the LSP (Local 

Safeguarding Partners). 

Summary of safeguarding 

updates: 

Safeguard children. Settings must take 

into account the government’s statutory 

guidance including: 

⚙ Working Together to Safeguard 

Children – updated 31st December 

2023 

⚙ The Prevent Duty – updated 31st 

December 2023 

⚙ Keeping Children Safe in Education – 

updated 1st September 2023 

⚙ Early Years Qualification Requirements 

and Standards – updated 4th January 

2024 

⚙ Disqualification under the Childcare 

Act 

⚙ Special educational needs and 

disability code of practice: 0 to 25 

years 

Ensure the adults who have contact with 

children are suitable. Group and schoolbased 

settings must ensure: 

⚙ Setting managers appointed on or 

after 4th January 2024 hold a Level 2 

Maths qualification, or they achieve 

one within 2 years of starting in the 

position (Section 3, Staff:child ratios) 

⚙ All Level 2 and Level 3 staff members 

who gained their qualification in 

June 2016, hold a valid paediatric 

first aid (PFA) certificate, otherwise, 

they cannot be included in the ratio 

(Section 3, Paediatric first aid) 

⚙ They are aware of the new statutory 

document on early years qualification 

requirements and standards 

⚙ It’s understood that while 

qualifications must be verified, 

employees do not have to provide 

physical copies of their qualifications 

(Section 3, Suitable people) 

⚙ Changes to the wording on the validity 

of paediatric first aid (PFA) certificates 

are understood (Section 3, Paediatric 

first aid) 

Group and school-based settings may 

wish to consider applying the following 

flexibilities, if appropriate. 

⚙ Level 3 practitioners will no longer 

be required to hold a Level 2 Maths 

qualification to count within staff:child 

ratios (Section 3, Staff:child ratios) 

⚙ A manager can now allow students 

and apprentices to count in staff:child 

ratios at the level below their level of 

study, if the manager is satisfied that 

they are competent and responsible 

(Section 3, Staff:child ratios) 

Childminders may wish to consider 

applying the following flexibilities, if 

appropriate: 

⚙ Are no longer required to complete 

training on the EYFS before 

registration, however, childminders 

will still need to demonstrate that 

they have the required knowledge of 

the EYFS at their pre-registration visit 

(Section 3, Safeguarding training) 

⚙ Where judged appropriate by a 

childminder, childminding assistants 

can now fulfil the role of a key person 

for children (Section 3, Key person) 

Maintain records, policies, 

and procedures 

Group and school-based settings 

safeguarding policies and procedures 

must ensure: 

⚙ They include all electronic devices 

with imaging and sharing capabilities, 

not just mobile phones and cameras 

(Section 3, Safeguarding policies and 

procedures) 

Childminders must ensure: 

⚙ Their safeguarding policies and 

procedures at a setting include all 

electronic devices with imaging 

and sharing capabilities, not just 

mobile phones and cameras 

and, as technology changes, they 

should also consider a wider range 

of devices in their policies, for 

example, smartwatches (Section 

3, Safeguarding policies and 

procedures) 

⚙ Be aware that further information has 

been provided in the framework on 

safeguarding responsibilities when 

childminders are working in a group, 

including a change in child protection 

language (Section 3, Safeguarding 

policies and procedures) 

Childminders should also be aware that 

the following updates have been made: 

⚙ The wording has been changed to 

‘suitable person’ to clarify that it is 

the responsibility of the childminder 

agency (CMA) or Ofsted to carry 

out suitability checks on behalf of 

the childminder (Section 3, Suitable 

people) 

⚙ The wording has been changed on 

‘confidential areas’ so rather than 

having a permanent area available, 

a suitable area is made available 

on request (Section 3, Organising 

premises for confidentiality and 

safeguarding) 

⚙ The requirement to display a 

paediatric first aid (PFA) certificate 

has been removed, instead, these 

are available on request (Section 3, 

Paediatric First Aid) 

⚙ A physical copy of the certificate of 

registration is no longer required to 

be displayed, a digital version can be 

used instead (Section 3, Information 

about the childminder) 

⚙ May wish to consider that 

childminders with open-plan kitchenliving 

areas can now utilise safely 

useable areas within this room for 

their provision (Section 3, Indoor 

space requirements) 

Training available 

Please see our website Safeguarding 

Support Ltd for available, up-to-date 

training and CPD courses. 

Resources 

⚙ Early Years Foundation Stage Statutory 

Framework Guidance for GROUP and 

SCHOOL-BASED PROVIDERS 

O Summary of changes for group 

and school-based providers 

⚙ Early Years Foundation Stage 

Statutory Framework Guidance for 

CHILDMINDERS 

O 

Summary of changes for 

childminders 

⚙ What to do if you are worried a child is 

being abused 

Scan here for 


from Yvonne: 



British Science Week 

Do you know? 

(Answers at the end) 

1. The year penicillin was discovered? 

2. When Darwin published “On the 

Origin of Species”? 

3. When the first moon landing was? 

4. When Galileo invented the first 

refracting telescope? 

5. The year that the first iPhone was 

launched? 

6. When British Science Week started? 

Believe it or not, it’s 30 years since the 

launch of the first official British Science 

Week (BSW), and for its 30th anniversary 

year, BSW is partnering with the Royal 

Observatory Greenwich to bring this year’s 

themes and events to life. 

Despite being called British Science Week, 

it is really a 10-day festival and celebration 

of science, technology, engineering and 

maths, often referred to as STEM and is 

marked by educational establishments, 

businesses, museums and libraries across 

the UK. Recently, the addition of arts and 

design to the programmes has resulted in 

the acronym STEAM too! 

How did it all start? 

Since we’ve hopefully whetted your 

appetite for a little bit of science history, 

let’s look back at how it all started. The 

British Science Association (BSA) was 

founded in 1831 in an age of discovery 

when the world was opening up and 

expeditions were sent around the globe 

to learn more about our planet and the 

science secrets it held. As the annual 

meetings grew, they brought scientists 

together to discuss their work, collaborate, 

and importantly, present new findings 

to the public. Some of the most notable 

announcements included the first public 

demonstration of wireless transmission 

in 1894 by Sir Oliver Lodge and J. J. 

Thomson’s discovery of the electron in 

1899. According to the BSW website, it was 

at these meetings that the terms ‘scientist’ 

and ‘dinosaur’ were first coined. 

Nowadays, science is a global business 

and indeed many scientific advances are 

the result of international collaborations 

and shared financial commitments. But it 

all starts with a spark of imagination and 

curiosity, and that’s where the early years 

sector has an important role to play in 

inspiring our ground-breaking scientists of 

the future. 

The theme this year is 

TIME 

This year’s theme is “Time” which 

encompasses so many areas of science, 

technology, engineering and maths, it’s 

hard to know where to start but there 

are lots of resources online to download 

including ones aimed specifically at early 

years. There’s also a poster competition to 

enter and lots of fun activities and events 

to do too. And if that were not enough, 

we’ve put together a few ideas for some 

fun science activities to mark BSW in your 

setting. Who knows where it will lead… 

Science and time 

In biology, time is hugely important to 

things like life cycles, the carbon cycle 

and evolution, and you can interest your 

children in all these by studying some of 

the following:

Ethos in early 

years 

Pam McFarlane 

Over the last two articles, we have 

explored our setting’s culture and 

values. Hopefully, we have spent time 

understanding and cementing these into 

our daily work life. 

ownership regarding the ethos and like with shared values, creates a common purpose 

for all. 

Asking the following questions may be of help in starting this process: 

Why are we here? 

What do we do? 

What is our purpose? 

Why do we exist?

Making the most of 

There is a recruitment crisis in many 

industries in the UK currently. The care 

industry, the NHS and education are 

struggling most to recruit and retain 

high-quality staff to serve the needs of 

the population. The early years sector is 

suffering too, and most settings are aware 

of the challenges they face as they grapple 

with the issues of staff recruitment, underfunding, 

and working out how they will 

fulfil the needs of the upcoming 15 hours 

of free childcare for 2-year-olds, extending 

to those aged 9 months and over from 

September. 

The Government may be investing billions 

in the sector, but without staff to run the 

nurseries, free childcare places will be little 

more than an empty promise. Early years 

managers need answers to questions 

now. How can they recruit new staff and 

retain the ones they already have? 

Over the last few years, there have been 

changes in people’s working patterns. 

Many industries still operate a remote 

workforce long after lockdowns have 

finished. But the early years sector cannot 

do that. We are a personal, face-toface, 

people-focused business. Keeping 

the staff we already have is crucial, so 

we have listed a few ways you can put 

yourself in the best position to do that. 

your staff 

Employee retention 

Employee retention is a term used to 

see how well companies can keep their 

employees against a backdrop of people 

changing careers or leaving the industry. 

High employee retention rates generally 

indicate that there is good employee 

morale and job satisfaction and that 

people find the business an enjoyable 

and rewarding place to work. Usually, 

this is not just related to wages but 

encompasses things such as:

Dr Mona Sakr 

Improving team 

culture in the 

nursery 

Building trust between 

colleagues 

Let’s take the example of staff in the preschool 

room, where one colleague has just 

proudly set up a new activity station for 

the children to inspire maths learning. In 

an organisation where trust is lacking, the 

response of colleagues might be uniformly 

positive, with everyone just saying 

straightaway how great the set-up is. In 

an organisation where trust flows, others 

might be positive but also have some 

critical questions to ask about the activity 

station. They will be unafraid to probe. 

They might want to know more about the 

pedagogical values underlying the activity 

or whether there is enough freedom and 

playfulness in the activity to inspire the 

children’s love of maths. 

These colleagues know that these 

questions will be taken not as criticisms, 

but as constructive critique. If the trust 

is there, the colleague who has set up 

the activity station won’t feel offended 

or disheartened but will be open to the 

ideas and questions of others to create 

something even more effective. 

Practical tips for building 

trust 

Focus on connection 

Trust is an interpersonal phenomenon that 

comes from individuals feeling connected 

to one another. The work of Brene Brown 

has made us all aware of just how 

important it is to be vulnerable with others 

to deepen the relationships we have and 

spark trust in the context of organisations. 

that you purposefully focus on. At the start 

of meetings, it can work well to dedicate 

the first 5-10 minutes to connection and 

use prompts to enable staff to feel seen 

by each other. You could start the meeting 

by asking colleagues to each share their 

‘rose, thorn and bud’ from the week just 

gone. 

⭐ Rose – a positive from the week just 

gone 

⭐ Thorn – a challenge you’ve 

encountered 

⭐ Bud – something you’re working on or 

excited about in the coming week 

These reflections might go beyond just 

what individuals are enjoying to become 

a deeper exploration of areas of practice 

that we feel proud of and those that 

need more development. You might ask 

colleagues to share something that has 

worked well but also invite them to share 

concerns or parts of their practice they feel 

less sure about. 

Welcome (respectful) disagreement 

Too often in organisations, and particularly 

early years organisations, we see conflict 

and disagreement as a negative thing. We 

imagine that being a helpful team player 

involves being as positive as possible 

about what others do. But meetings 

are healthiest when there is some 

disagreement, as long as it is respectfully 

articulated and met in the right spirit. 

up collaborative critical reflection. To 

understand that it is not going to put any 

personal relationships in jeopardy, a team 

needs to first hear this from a leader. You 

might say “Now, I’ll be surprised if we all 

have the same view on the next topic for 

discussion” or “Please don’t feel awkward 

about disagreeing with the way I’ve laid 

out this issue. I’m keen to hear what you 

genuinely think.” With time, people’s 

tolerance of disagreement will grow and 

they can begin to see how it is a positive 

force for continual improvement as long as 

it is well-handled. 

Involve everyone in the big questions 

Leaders build trust when they invite their 

teams to engage in big discussions. 

This might mean engaging all the staff 

in a discussion about the organisational 

values and whether these still feel relevant 

and appropriate. It might be asking your 

team to brainstorm what can be done for 

the setting in the context of the current 

recruitment and retention challenges. It 

might be wondering together about the 

expansion of the baby room and what 

is going to be possible to respond to the 

upcoming increase in subsidised care. 

By engaging staff with these questions, 

listening to their ideas, and where possible 

acting on them, you are demonstrating 

your deep trust in the team. This trust 

can then ripple through the whole 

organisation. 

Trusting relationships are at the heart of 

a positive team culture in the nursery. 

Trust enables staff to authentically reflect 

together and in doing so, to get better 

together. 

Why is trust so vital? 

Organisational psychologists know that 

trust is an essential element in the culture 

of any organisation, and nurseries are 

no different. In his seminal work “The Five 

Dysfunctions of the Team”, Patrick Lencioni 

explains that the first dysfunction of any 

team is an absence of trust. Without 

trust, teams can’t communicate openly 

and honestly. Without open and honest 

communication, there is little chance of 

confronting the most pressing challenges 

and changing what needs to be changed. 

Trust enables teams to pinpoint 

improvements to make. Members of a 

nursery team who trust one another are 

much more likely to voice their honest 

perspectives in team meetings. They might 

raise questions that are on their mind, like: 

⭐ “Pick-up feels a bit stressful at the 

moment, I feel that the children are 

getting more and more hyper and it 

all gets a bit frantic. I’m wondering if 

we can do anything about that” 

⭐ “It’s Mental Health Week next week 

and you [the manager] have asked us 

to come up with ways to celebrate it 

in our rooms. But I have no idea what 

this is going to look like in the baby 

room or even if it’s relevant to us. 

Does anyone have any ideas about 

this?” 

⭐ “Ever since we changed the tables 

for lunchtime in the toddler room, 

everything seems more chaotic. The 

children push the tables around all the 

time and we have to stop them. I think 

everyone working in the toddler room 

is feeling frustrated about the change” 

With these opinions on the table, change 

can happen based on experiences coming 

from the bottom up. This is central to 

getting better as an organisation. 

Trust is not just about raising questions 

and ideas in team meetings, it is also the 

element that allows colleagues to have 

honest and critical conversations with one 

another in little moments-day-to-day. 

As a leader, strengthening connections 

between colleagues can be something 

Having different perspectives, being able 

to share these and work through areas 

of disagreement is essential for building 

Scan here for 


from Mona: 



Ramadan and Eid 

Ramadan is the ninth month of the Islamic 

calendar and is a very special month for 

all Muslims around the world because 

it is the month of fasting during daylight 

hours and will culminate at the end of the 

month in the 3-day festival of Eid al-Fitr to 

celebrate the end of the fasting. Fasting 

during Ramadan is one of the 5 pillars of 

Islam along with praying, declaring one’s 

faith, doing charitable deeds and making 

a pilgrimage to Mecca. Ramadan also 

strengthens the Muslim communities at 

home and around the world and Eid al-Fitr 

is a joyous community celebration with 

family and friends. 

The Islamic calendar is a lunar calendar 

and so the months of the year are based 

on the cycles of the moon rather than the 

sun. For this reason, the normal Gregorian 

date of Ramadan changes each year 

since there are effectively 13 cycles of the 

moon each year rather than 12. In 2024, 

Ramadan starts on Sunday 10th March 

and ends on Tuesday 9th April. 

How to greet people 

during Ramadan 

During Ramadan, you can greet Muslim 

people by saying “Ramadan Karrem” or 

“Ramadan Mubarak” which translates to 

wishing them a happy Ramadan. On the 

last day (Tuesday 9th April) you can also 

say “Eid Mubarak”. 

Why do Muslims fast 

during Ramadan? 

Ramadan is the holiest month for Muslims 

and their holy scripture, the Quran, 

describes it as a month where there can 

be guidance for mankind. Fasting is a way 

of showing devotion to God and mastering 

self-restraint so that they are better able to 

listen to and follow God’s laws. 

Does everyone have to 

fast? 

Children are usually excused from fasting 

until they are at least 14 years old and 

people who are unwell, pregnant or 

elderly are usually exempt from fasting. 

People who are travelling from one place 

to another are also exempt. 

How to celebrate 

Ramadan in your setting 

Celebrating or acknowledging Ramadan 

in your setting is consistent with the EYFS 

and British Values which promote an 

understanding of the world around us and 

the tolerance of all religions. It is estimated 

that more than 25% of the world’s 

population are Muslims. In schools, many 

Muslim children are given a day off school 

for Eid al-Fitr if it falls on a school day as it 

is as important to Muslims as Christmas 

and Easter are to Christians. 

There are many resources on the internet 

to help you celebrate Ramadan including 

assembly and lesson plans, arts and crafts 

and cooking projects. We’ve collated a few 

of our favourites here under the headings 

of the 7 EYFS learning goals. 

Communication and 

language 

One of the best ways to celebrate 

Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr is by asking 

Muslim children in your setting to share 

what they do and how they celebrate. 

You could do this as part of circle time to 

encourage children’s speaking, listening 

and communication skills. 

Look at some of the similarities and 

differences between Ramadan and other 

religious festivals such as Christmas, 

Hannukah and Diwali such as the 

importance of gifts, giving to others, going 

to a place of worship, feasts and families. 

Personal, social and 

emotional development 

In this area, you could concentrate on 

building confidence in trying new activities 

such as learning some new words “Eid 

Mubarak” or “Ramadan Karrem” for 

example. 

You can also focus on the area of 

“showing sensitivity to the needs of others” 

which would tie in well with the aspect of 

Ramadan that requires Muslims to give to 

charity or do charitable things. You could 

arrange for children to donate something 

that could be given to a charity or even 

bring a toy in to share with other children 

for the day. 

Physical development 

Set up some ‘Ramadan Races’ in your 

setting to promote physical activity. You 

could hide some stars, moons and sun 

images around the setting and get the 

children to find them. Try to hide them in 

places that the children will have to look 

under, climb over things and lift things to 

find. 

Literacy 

There are lots of books and videos that 

you can use in storytime to explain to your 

children about Ramadan. You can find a 

comprehensive list of suitable books on 

the Save The Children website at: https:// 

www.savethechildren.org/us/charitystories/ramadan-reading-list-childrenbooks 

including “It’s Ramadan, Curious 

George” by H. A. Rey and Hena Khan, and 

“Ramadan: The Month of Shukr” by Sidra 

Hashmani. 

Maths 

Use Ramadan to introduce the idea of 

fractions. You can use the phases of the 

moon to show the whole (full moon) and 

halves with a half-moon. You can also use 

the crescent moon to show quarters and 

other fractions. 

You can also use Ramadan to talk to 

the children about time and set up an 

analogue clock in your setting which 

shows the hours of daylight at this time 

of year. See if they can count how many 

hours of daylight there are. 

Understanding the world 

You could make a large wall display 

showing the countries in the world that 

mostly follow the Islamic religion. You can 

find a choropleth map at: https://www. 

nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/World- 

Muslim-Population-map.htm 

Cooking is also a great way to introduce 

children to different places and cultures 

around the world. Although fasting is what 

most people associate with Ramadan, 

Muslims do eat during the month, but only 

when the sun is not up. They can have a 

meal before dawn called the suhoor or 

sehri and another one after sunset called 

the iftar. You can find some child-friendly 

recipes at: https://www.mymodestmama. 

com/10-child-friendly-ramadan-recipes/ 

including delicious date balls and monster 

bars. 

Expressive arts and 

design 

Ramadan is full of joy so why not express 

this through a song or dance? There are 

videos on the internet with songs and 

dances suitable for pre-schoolers or you 

could ask a member of your staff or local 

community to come and teach a song to 

the children. 

There are also lots of arts and craft ideas 

too, including:

Frances Turnbull 

Musical 

medicine 

Building resilience in the 

early years 

Positive ways to cope include using 

a support system (talking to friends), 

relaxation (breathing, meditation, music 

therapy) and physical wellness (yoga, 

cycling, walking). 

In contrast, negative coping responses 

can actually be harmful and cause more 

problems down the line. This includes 

escape and avoidance (ignoring), 

unhealthy comfort zones (e.g. overeating, 

television), and emotional numbing 

(separating through distance). 

One of the best-known grounding 

exercises for helping children to cope is 

often used with adults to manage anxiety: 

the 5-4-3-2-1 exercise. 

1. Name one thing you can taste right 

now. 

2. Name two things that you can smell 

right now. 

3. Name three things that you can hear 

right now. 

4. Name four things that you can feel 

right now (e.g. clothes). 

can be used, along with lavender scents, 

to support calm and relaxing reassurance 

to little ones. 

Sleep little one sleep 

Sleep, sleep, little one sleep 

There outside are all the sheep 

Lambs are penned up, safe from harm 

Sleep my little one, cosy warm 




See the sky is filled with sheep 

Like a flock of clouds drift by 

Led by a moonlit lullaby 



Imagination is a powerful way to bring 

hope in many challenging situations. It 

can work as a distraction or change of 

focus, which can bring things back into 

perspective. It can also provide a mental 

break or holiday from taxing or demanding 

situations, bringing hope and the comfort 

of familiarity. Imagining clouds as mildmannered 

sheep creates a lovely picture 

of safety and security. 

Hopefully, this article has given practical 

suggestions on how to support children in 

different emotional states. 

References: 

Compas, B. E., Jaser, S. S., Dunbar, J. P., 

Watson, K. H., Bettis, A. H., Gruhn, M. A., & 

Williams, E. K. (2014). 

“Coping and Emotion Regulation from 

Childhood to Early Adulthood: Points of 

Convergence and Divergence”. Australian 

Journal of Psychology, 66(2), 71–81. https:// 

doi.org/10.1111/ajpy.12043 

Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). “Stress, 

Appraisal and Coping”. 

Springer.Robb, S. L. (2003). 

“Designing Music Therapy Interventions 

for Hospitalized Children and Adolescents 

Using a Contextual Support Model 

of Music Therapy”. Music Therapy 

Perspectives, 21(1), 27–40. https://doi. 

org/10.1093/mtp/21.1.27 

5. Name five things that you can see 

right now. 

Que sera sera 

YouTube song playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLXcjujGUVdOUOkgdAplWPOBOPIDAli11e 

The world can be overwhelming for 

anyone, but especially children. Trying to fit 

in with the way things are, changing and 

adapting to new people and places, and 

then finding your own place, is no easy 

task. 

Children in ill health or recovering from 

accidents can make life situations even 

more challenging. Studies with children 

in hospital (Robb, 2003) found that music 

helped children to cope better with the 

often painful and/or invasive procedures 

that were necessary to make them well 

again. Approaches used with children 

in hospitals can be used to improve our 

understanding of the effects of stress and 

the ways forward for children. These can 

be thought of as skills for resilience. 

Looking at the theory of coping (Compas 

et al., 2014) a little closer, it is clear that 

coping is a valuable skill that we can 

develop as children and it helps us 

to manage stressful events through 

regulating our emotions. The challenging 

situations from the last few years of COVID, 

lockdowns, and the subsequent cost of 

living crisis are still taking their toll on 

society, so supportive strategies will be 

useful for children and staff alike. 

One of the original definitions of coping 

theory (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) explains 

that coping is the ability to constantly 

change the way that we think and behave. 

This flexibility allows us to manage specific 

external and internal demands. Often 

these demands use more resources than 

a person has available. The success of 

the way we manage helps to build our 

resilience to uncertainty. 

Coping exercises use our mental energy 

to reduce stress. The goal of coping is 

to solve a problem to return ourselves 

to where we feel balanced. The way we 

cope depends on our personality, our 

patterns and perceptions of the world, so it 

is helpful to introduce children to a variety 

of different ideas because resilience is so 

individual. 

Coping strategies are rules that we turn 

to, often automatically. They help us 

to think clearly again, reducing stress, 

overwhelming feelings and can be positive 

or negative. 

Being present and saying these activities 

aloud can help the brain stop following 

negative pathways or predicting the worst 

case. This helps to put everything back 

in perspective and manage feelings that 

may be otherwise overwhelming. Here 

are some musical approaches that can 

be used in situations that may trigger 

negative emotions, helping to build 

resilience. 

Lavender’s blue 

Lavender’s blue, dilly-dilly, lavender’s 

green 

When I am king, dilly-dilly, you will be 

queen 

Who told you so, dilly-dilly, who told you so 

T’was mine own heart, dilly-dilly, that told 

me so 

Sounds as well as scents can bring 

relaxation into challenging circumstances. 

Lavender is well-known for its calming 

effects on people, especially little ones. It is 

often used in bathing soaps and lotions to 

promote peaceful sleep. This gentle song 

When I was just a little girl 

I asked my mother, what will I be 

Will I be pretty? Will I be rich? 

Here’s what she said to me 

Que sera, sera 

Whatever will be, will be 

The future’s not ours to see 

Que sera, sera 

What will be, will be 

This well-known classic uses the idea of 

acceptance to manage the uncertainties 

we face in life. While some children may 

grow up to be protected from situations 

while young, others will not have that 

choice. Songs that reinforce the idea that 

things will be okay can bring hope in the 

most difficult circumstances. 

Music has long been used to support 

people in improving their physical and 

mental health. It is only with relatively 

recent technological developments that we 

have been able to start to understand the 

effects of music, since finding since finding 

new ways to examine the body, e.g. 

x-rays, MRI scans, and EEGs. 

Scan here for 


from Frances: 



Sandra Duncan & 

Dr Zlata Stankovic- 

Ramirez 

Nature’s 

makerspace 

The magic of sticks - part 1 

as a powerful tool for fostering their 

development. 

Nicholson defined loose parts as materials 

that can be moved, carried, redesigned, 

lined up, taken apart, and put back 

together in multiple ways. There are many 

types of loose parts such as manufactured 

or recycled materials. Examples include 

cardboard, metal, and plastic. Another 

type of loose part is “objects from 

the natural world”, such as sticks. As 

illustrated above, loose parts can live 

anywhere in a traditional classroom. Loose 

parts can, additionally, have a dedicated 

space in the classroom, which is often 

called the makerspace. 

Centre 

Maths 

Literacy 

Art 

Home living 

Writing/library 

Music 

Science 

Idea for sticks 

Measuring the length of sticks (short & long or lining up sticks 

according to size (shortest to longest). 

Creating letters of the alphabet with sticks; making the first letter 

of your name. 

Using sticks to paint with on the art easel and creating some 

interesting art. 

Using sticks in the kitchen area or dramatic play to represent 

spaghetti in a pot on the stove. 

Moving a stick through sand or mud to create shapes, letters, or 

objects. 

Playing drums with tapping sticks or adding a bell to the end of 

the stick shaking and making music. 

Using sticks and a flat container of water for children to 

experience the concepts of floating and sinking. 

Sticks are interesting… and we all look at sticks from our own 

unique perspectives. Have you ever noticed, for example, that 

young children are naturally drawn to what’s beneath their 

feet, especially sticks? For young children, finding sticks in the 

great outdoors is exciting. To a child’s imagination, a stick 

holds endless possibilities. Children look at sticks and see 

them as magic wands, powerful knight’s swords, entertaining 

microphones, drumsticks, or even artists’ paint brushes. Adults, 

however, tend to view sticks as perhaps a nuisance - something 

they must step over, toss aside, or pick up from their freshly 

manicured lawn. 

Educators of young children may have a slightly different 

perspective of sticks. This perspective may lean towards the 

notion of keeping sticks at arm’s length to protect children from 

harming themselves. Other educators may only connect sticks 

to the science area but rarely do sticks find their way to other 

spaces in the classroom. Regardless, there are safe and creative 

ways to include sticks in the classroom centres (see sidebar on 

safety tips for including sticks in the classroom). 

In the last decade, there has been a 

growing popularity in adding loose parts 

in early childhood classrooms. Architect 

and artist, Simon Nicholson, (1971) initially 

coined the term “loose parts”. Nicholson 

believed that the environment plays a 

crucial role in fostering young children’s 

creativity, growth, and development. 

He proposed the concept of loose 

parts as a strategy for providing openended 

materials that children can freely 

manipulate and combine to create their 

own play experiences. The theory of 

loose parts aligns with the principles of 

child-centred and play-based learning. It 

emphasises the importance of providing 

children with opportunities for exploration, 

creativity, and problem-solving. The 

loose parts theory highlights the value 

of supporting children’s autonomy and 

agency in shaping their play experiences. 

It promotes the idea of the environment 

Creating a nature’s 

makerspace 

An easy and inexpensive way to design 

a dedicated makerspace with loose parts 

is to create a nature’s makerspace. After 

you have decided where the makerspace 

is located in the classroom, add storage 

shelves and/or containers along with 

work surface(s) to allow ample space for 

children’s creations. Then, begin cocreating 

with the children with these easyto-do 

steps: 

1. Go on a nature walk with children to 

collect local, natural materials. 

2. Ask children to find and collect 

natural materials in their local 

neighbourhood. 

3. Invite parents to contribute additional 

natural materials to the classroom. 

4. Encourage children to sort, categorise, 

and store the natural materials in 

cardboard boxes or containers. 

5. Co-curate (child and teacher) the 

shelves with found nature’s gifts. 

Be sure objects pass the choking tube test 

and they do not have sharp or pointed 

edges. Daily inspect materials for any 

safety concerns and replace them as 

necessary. 

Make sure to read next month’s 

magazine for part two! 

Palm leaves Pinecones Seashells Rocks Driftwood 

Tree bark Corncobs Pumpkins Gourds Herbs 

Dried flowers 

Acorns 

Grass 

clippings 

Sea grass 

Leaves Maple seeds Mud/dirt/sand Twigs Sticks 

Tree pods Clay Fresh flowers Petrified wood 

Pine boughs 

Maple 

helicopters 

Scan here for more 

resources from 

Sandra & Zlata: 



EYFS activities: 

Understanding 

the world 

Understanding the world in the EYFS curriculum is essential for children’s overall development. Through exploration, 

children develop curiosity, critical thinking, and cultural awareness while expanding language skills, scientific 

understanding, and environmental consciousness. By engaging with their surroundings, children build a strong 

foundation for lifelong learning and develop a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. 

Build your own bug hotel – a favourite with the children! 

Creating a luxury resort for bugs and minibeasts 

is an exciting way for children to dive 

into the wonders of the natural world! 

You will need: 

• Tissue boxes 

• Paints 

• Glue 

• Stickers 

• Labels 

• Natural materials (e.g. sticks, leaves, damp 

bark, pine cones) 

• Play-dough 

• Pencil 

• White or transparent plastic tubs/pots 

• Magnifying glasses 

Get building: 

1. Place a small ball of play-dough inside the 

tissue box on one side. Then, use the pencil 

to make two or three small holes in the box, 

explaining that these are doors for the bugs 

to enter and exit the hotel. 

2. Encourage the children to create labels for 

the bugs they would like to visit their hotels. 

Help them with writing if needed. 

3. Let the children decorate their boxes and fill 

them with damp natural materials. 


4. Place the boxes outside on the ground. 

5. After some time, take the children outside 

to see if any bugs have checked into their 

hotels! 

More on this activity and others can be found 

here: https://muddypuddles.com/blogs/blog/ 

easy-bug-hotels-eyfs 

Musical instrument making – guitar fun! 

Support children in creating their own musical 

instruments using recycled materials. This 

activity is a great way for the children to have 

some fun and sparks an understanding of 

sustainability and the world around them. 


• Tissue box or small cereal box with an oval 

hole cut in the front 

• 2 lolly sticks 

• Long cardboard tube (from a roll of foil or 

baking paper) 

• Elastic bands (different sizes and 

thicknesses) 

• Coloured paper 

• Buttons or decorations (optional) 

• Paintbrushes 

• PVA glue 

• Scissors 

• Sticky tape 

• Newspaper (for the table) 

Making the guitar: 

1. Place the end of the cardboard tube 

against the tissue box and draw around it. 

Carefully cut along the traced line to make 

a hole. 

Musical Instrument Making – Drum Time! 

Inspire children to feel the rhythm with these 

funky DIY drums, while highlighting the value of 

sustainability and caring for the environment. 


• A balloon 

• Scissors 

• A ring-pull tin can or cardboard gravy tub 

• PVA glue 

• Ribbon or decorations of choice 

• 2 paper straws 

• 2 small pom-poms 

Making the drums: 

1. Cut off the neck of the balloon. 

2. Stretch the balloon over the top of the tin 

or tub and pull the sides down so it’s tight 

across the top. Secure this in place with an 

elastic band or tape if needed. 

3. Glue decorations onto the drum and let 

them dry. 

4. Make the drumstick by gluing a pom-pom 

to the end of the straw. 

2. Paint the cardboard tube and lolly sticks 

and allow to dry. 

3. Remove any plastic from the tissue box and 

open it flat. Paint the inside and let it dry. 

4. Cut a piece of coloured paper and stick it to 

the bottom of the tissue box (this will be the 

inside). 

5. Glue the box back together with the painted 

side facing outwards and let it dry. 

6. Insert the cardboard tube into the hole at 

the top and tape it in place. 

7. Glue the lolly sticks on either side of the 

hole at the front of the box and allow to 

dry. 

8. Stretch the elastic bands around the box. 

9. Decorate your guitar with buttons, sequins, 

ribbons, pom-poms, or anything else 

you have around. Try experimenting with 

different elastic bands and create your own 

songs! 


here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/ 

guide/how-make-elastic-band-guitar 

5. Repeat for the second drumstick and allow 

to dry. 

6. Now you’re ready to drum out a beat! 


here: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/ 

guide/how-make-tin-can-drum

Child 

development 

Gina Bale 

Movement, communication 

skills, and vocabulary 

Movement is a wonderful way of 

developing your children’s communication 

skills and enhancing their vocabulary. 

When they engage in movement, they 

encounter a plethora of ‘delicious’ 

descriptive words that relate to actions, 

sensations, and emotions. These 

words then become part of their 

active vocabulary and enhance their 

communication skills - the language 

opportunities are endless. 

Words like ‘twirl,’ ‘stretch,’ ‘leap,’ and ‘glide’ 

are tricky words to understand. However, if 

you combine the words with the embodied 

experience of doing, this then becomes 

kinaesthetic learning which helps to 

anchor language in real-life experiences, 

making it meaningful and memorable for 

your little ones. 

Additionally, movement activities provide 

you with extra opportunities to use 

positional language in a practical context. 

Using words and phrases like ‘over’, 

‘under’, ‘around’, and ‘through’ take on real 

significance as your little ones move their 

bodies around objects and each other. 

This not only reinforces their understanding 

of prepositions but also helps them grasp 

complex spatial concepts in a fun and 

playful way. 

Beyond the development of vocabulary, 

the act of moving and dancing in a shared 

space requires negotiation, anticipation, 

and reaction to others’ movements. These 

are also critical communication skills. 

Your little ones are learning to observe 

and interpret non-verbal clues, predict 

outcomes, and adapt their movements in 

response, which are the foundations for 

effective interpersonal communication. 

When you incorporate stories and guided 

role-play into the movement activities, you 

are creating an environment where you 

can further enhance their vocabulary and 

communication skills. The children’s roleplay 

helps them to sequence events, use 

narrative language, and explore emotions 

which deepens their comprehension and 

expression skills. 

Movement and dance are a multifaceted 

tool for communication development. It 

is a playful and fun way to enrich their 

vocabulary and help them to understand 

language in context. And it gets better - 

just think of all the health benefits for your 

children when you get them moving and 

dancing. 

Listed below are just some of the ways 

movement and dance help your little 

ones develop the foundations of effective 

communication:

Pssst... Let the Littlemagictrain 

take your children on a magical 

journey of learning and lots of 

fun! 

Pssst... 

Let the Littlemagictrain take your 

children on a magical journey of 

learning and lots of fun! 

“Littlemagictrain has helped children to develop 

their confidence and desire to communicate, 

describe, understand, and use new vocabulary. 

FREE 

Training and 

support. 

FREE 

TRAINING AND 

SUPPORT 

By week 6, I observed clear improvement in 

“Littlemagictrain has helped children to develop 

“ 

“ 

attention, memory and narrative skills.” 

their confidence and desire to communicate, 

describe, understand, and use new vocabulary. 

By week 6, I observed clear improvement in 

attention, memory and narrative skills.” 

Liz Shoreman, Senior Speech and Language 

Therapist and Manager, The Speech Bubble 

Liz Shoreman, Senior Speech and Language 

Therapist and Manager, The Speech Bubble 

“The staff always join in and I can honestly 

say it’s one of the best products we’ve 

ever invested in!” 

“The staff always join in and I can honestly 

say it’s one of the best products we’ve 

ever invested in!” 

Scan Me! 

Nicky Sanford, Early Years Teacher, 

Marcham Pre-school 

Nicky Sanford, Early Years Teacher, 

Marcham Pre-school 

“ 

“ 

www.littlemagictrain.com 

www.littlemagictrain.com 

Or email: Hello@littlemagictrain.com 

Or email: Hello@littlemagictrain.com

March 2024 Parenta Early Years Magazine

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