Early years blog

Using visual aids and prompts – Early Years Tips

Visual aids and prompts are valuable tools within the early years environment, supporting young children to understand routines, build confidence and develop independence.

Employment Rights Act 2025: What nursery owners need to know now

Running a nursery in 2026 is already tricky enough with staffing pressures and rising costs. Add into that significant employment law changes, and it’s hard to know what you need to know. Our partner Citation have pulled together what’s happened, what’s coming and what you can do now.

Tip tips: Supporting parents with healthy eating at home

Supporting families with healthy eating is an important part of promoting children’s overall well-being. By building positive relationships and sharing simple, achievable strategies, you can help parents feel more confident in creating healthy eating habits at home that work for them and their children.

Early years activity: Making a picture book together

This activity supports practitioners to create a special picture book by inviting children to draw their own ideas as part of a shared story. Adults are there to support each child with their picture and write down their words, helping to build language and confidence. All the pages are then put together into a book to read and enjoy as a group, celebrating every child’s contribution and creating

Top tips: Listening to and acting on the voice of the child

Providing meaningful opportunities for the voice of the child requires adults to genuinely listen, act upon what children are sharing and to teach children the power and importance of their own voice. Review our top tips below to assess your daily practice for including the voice of the child in your setting.

Early years activity: We’re Going on a Shape Hunt

Support children to develop positive attitudes and interests in mathematics through engaging activities to explore shape. Our activity takes children into their local community to identify shapes in a familiar environment.

Top tips: Peer observations

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.

Early years activity: Nature inspired playdough exploration

Playdough offers a rich sensory experience that nurtures creativity, imagination and fine motor development. Create an inviting space where children feel inspired to explore and engage in sensory play. This open-ended experience encourages children to experiment, create and express their ideas freely, supporting their curiosity and individuality.

Early years activity: St George’s big journey

St George never visited England – so what better way to mark his day than by finding out where he came from with this activity guide for nurseries.

Top tips: Adapting teaching to children’s individual preferences

Our tips focus on two areas where individual responsiveness makes a particularly significant difference: the learning environment and inclusive practice.

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