Peer observations are a valuable approach for developing a reflective and supportive culture that promotes high-quality practice. They provide opportunities for practitioners to learn from one another, share ideas and strengthen collaborative working. For leaders and managers, fostering the right environment is essential to ensure that peer observations are seen as purposeful and beneficial. When embedded effectively, they become… Continue reading Top tips: Peer observations
Blog Tag: Tips
Top tips: Supporting parents with children’s dummy use
Dummies can be a helpful way to comfort and settle babies, especially in the early months. However, as children grow, it’s important to balance dummy use with lots of opportunities to talk, listen and interact. These tips will help staff to support parents to make confident, informed decisions about when and how to use a dummy and how to reduce reliance on… Continue reading Top tips: Supporting parents with children’s dummy use
Early years activity: Gardening Week – Supporting Communication and Language
Gardening week is a wonderful opportunity to support children’s communication and language as they take part in a range of sensory activities in both the natural outdoor environment and indoor environments. Learning aims Resources Activity outline Extension ideas Create a small flower garden, either in pots or in a section of your outdoor space. Encourage children to take responsibility… Continue reading Early years activity: Gardening Week – Supporting Communication and Language
Top tips: Cultivating Curiosity through Gardening
There are numerous benefits of involving children in gardening experiences, including access to the natural environment, sensory rich activities, working together, promoting curiosity and observing cause and effect. NDNA products to support you with this activity Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be risk assessed, including for allergies or choking. Children must always have… Continue reading Top tips: Cultivating Curiosity through Gardening
Top tips: Conducting productive team meetings
Effective team meetings are essential. Well-structured meetings help staff stay informed, feel valued and work together more efficiently. By making meetings purposeful and engaging, leaders can strengthen teamwork and improve daily practice. Top tips for conducting productive team meetings NDNA products to support you with this tip Supporting Well-being in the Early Years Workforce – Online course Effective Leadership and… Continue reading Top tips: Conducting productive team meetings
Top tips: Menu planning
Menu planning in nursery settings helps ensure children receive healthy, balanced meals that support their growth and development. A well-planned menu provides a variety of nutritious foods, allowing children to experience different flavours, textures and food groups while developing positive eating habits from an early age. Explore our top tips for successful menu planning. Top… Continue reading Top tips: Menu planning
Top tips: Following the child’s interests
Children learn best when they are motivated, curious and deeply engaged. By following children’s interests, practitioners create meaningful learning experiences that build on what children already know and care about. These top tips for following the child’s interests support early years teams to remain responsive and reflective while keeping the child at the centre of practice. Top tips for… Continue reading Top tips: Following the child’s interests
Top tips: Ensuring staff know and understand your policies
On average, early years settings have over 100 policies in place that set out the setting’s practice. Polices are underpinned by legislation and should reflect a setting’s daily practice. Read our top tips on how you can ensure all staff know and understand your policies. Top tips for ensuring staff know and understand your policies NDNA products to support you with this tip NDNA… Continue reading Top tips: Ensuring staff know and understand your policies
Top tips: Maintaining effective communication with parents
Strong communication between nurseries and parents is essential for supporting children’s well-being, development and sense of security. When families feel informed, listened to and valued, it builds trust and creates a consistent approach between home and nursery. Clear communication helps practitioners share important information, celebrate achievements and work together to support each child’s individual needs. Top tips for supporting new staff Support your team… Continue reading Top tips: Maintaining effective communication with parents
Top tips: Supporting new staff
A supportive start for new staff can help them feel confident and valued and know your expectations from day one. Consistent guidance helps practitioners settle faster, follow routines more accurately and build stronger relationships. This early support boosts quality of practice, improves teamwork and can help to reduce stress and staff turnover. Here are some tips to support you. Top tips for… Continue reading Top tips: Supporting new staff
Top tips: Making Reading Fun at Home
Reading with your child is one of the most valuable things you can do. It strengthens your bond, supports their learning and development, and most importantly – it’s fun! Whether you have five minutes at bedtime or a little longer on a quiet afternoon, those small moments together can make a big difference. The key is to keep reading… Continue reading Top tips: Making Reading Fun at Home
Top tips: Encouraging reading at home
Research tells us that one important thing that parents can do to help their child’s education is to share books with them. This can help to develop a lifelong passion for reading and enjoyment of stories in their earliest years. Parents will have a range of experiences of early reading and formal schooling and this may affect their confidence towards reading with their own child. To… Continue reading Top tips: Encouraging reading at home
Top tips: Time management and prioritsing tasks
Effective time management helps the team stay calm, responsive and focused on what matters most: the children. As a nursery manager, leading good practice in prioritising tasks supports staff well-being and the effective running of the nursery. Top tips for time management and prioritising tasks NDNA products to help you with this tip Disclaimer: Activities with children must always be… Continue reading Top tips: Time management and prioritsing tasks
Top tips: Inclusion in action
The reasonable adjustments you make so that all children can access play, learning and routines alongside their peers don’t need to be complicated or costly. It’s often about planning ahead, being flexible and removing barriers from the environment, communication and expectations. These inclusion in action tips offer simple, everyday strategies you can use to support… Continue reading Top tips: Inclusion in action
Top tips: Supporting your team’s well-being
Educating and caring for young children is an incredibly rewarding role, but it can also be demanding and exhausting. Just as we nurture the children in our care, it’s important to look after our staff and support their well-being at work. Explore our top tips for caring for your team. Top tips for supporting your team’s well-being NDNA… Continue reading Top tips: Supporting your team’s well-being
STEMinists in the making: Encouraging girls’ confidence in science
Early years settings have a powerful opportunity to shape how girls view themselves as problem-solvers, critical thinkers and future scientists. The curiosity you nurture now can grow into the confidence that makes choosing STEM subjects later at school feel normal and achievable. By encouraging the exploration of ideas, valuing their questions and challenging stereotypes, practitioners can lay the foundation for life-long scientific confidence. Here are some ideas to support… Continue reading STEMinists in the making: Encouraging girls’ confidence in science
Top tips: Using mathematical language everyday with young children
The new Statutory Framework for the EYFS places an emphasis on children developing a love of maths. If maths language can be woven into their children’s everyday experiences, they will develop a secure foundation as they make progress in this area. Top tips for using mathematical language everyday with young children NDNA products to help you with this tip Online Courses in… Continue reading Top tips: Using mathematical language everyday with young children
Top tips: Involving children in snack preparation
Involving children in preparing snacks supports independence, communication, early maths skills and healthy eating habits. With planning and supervision, snack preparation can be a fun, safe and meaningful learning experience for the children. Top tips for involving children in snack preparation Ensure all staff follow the same expectations by using a staff meeting to share, discuss and agree how children can be involved… Continue reading Top tips: Involving children in snack preparation
Top tips: Encouraging bird visitors and how to look after them
Attracting and looking after bird visitors at nursery can be a wonderful way to connect children with nature and support local wildlife. Check out our top tips for how to attract and care for bird visitors. Top tips to get encouraging bird visitors and how to look after them NDNA products to help you with… Continue reading Top tips: Encouraging bird visitors and how to look after them
Top tips: Get children talking
Strong communication skills start with rich, everyday interactions. Nursery leaders play a vital role in creating language-rich environments where every child feels heard and confident to express themselves. These simple, playful tips will help spark conversation, extend vocabulary and build confident communicators to help get children talking. Top tips to get children talking NDNA products to help you… Continue reading Top tips: Get children talking