Using the EYFS Development Matters to support child’s learning

Treasure Baskets and Sensory PlayObservations 2 yr progress checkSession 4

Pippa Williams

Homework

Carry out 4 observations and make sure that you plan the next steps using Enabling Environment and Positive Relationships section, be ready to share next week.

Bring in one item that you could use in a treasure basket, that is non plastic

Why is Play so important

Children engaged in play and exploration are learning through experience, because young children’s development and learning, whether physical, social, emotional, moral or cognitive, requires real, hands on engagement – it cannot be done by means of a worksheet. In play, children can express their fears and re-live anxious experiences in controlled and safe situations. They can take risks and make

mistakes, try things out and make sense of relationships.

The importance of play-play provides

opportunities for children to:

• Develop confidence and self esteem• Realise their potential and feel competent• Use creativity and imagination • Develop reading, thinking and problem solving skills

as well as motor skills• Learn how to control their emotions and understand

and interpret the world around them• Learn relationships and social skills and develop

values and ethics.

Activity-Treasure BasketClose your eyes and uses your senses to

explore your item

Describe the item

The Importance of the Senses for Babies learning

We learn..... 

• 10% of what we read

 • 20% of what we hear

• 30% of what we see

• 50% of what we both see and hear

• 70% of what is discussed with others

• 80% of what we experience

(Source: William Glasser)

 

Good sense 

• The senses are important for learning.

•  They feed and enrich our emotions and this combination of senses and emotions triggers and enhances memory.

• The senses help children to learn and bring about long lasting learning.

• Exploring the world through touch, sight, sound, taste, smell and movement, (sensory and physical explorations) affect the patterns that are laid down in the brain.

•  

6©early links training and consultancy service

What is a Treasure basket?

• The treasure basket is a collection of everyday objects chosen to stimulate the different senses.

• It is one way of giving babies a wide range of experiences that help the brain to make connections and develop happy! 

• Babies learn by looking, touching, sucking, licking, banging, picking up and dropping. 

• It gives babies the chance to explore and decide for themselves what they want to play with.

©early links training and consultancy service

Treasure Basket and Heuristic play Heuristic play was a term coined by a child psychologist Elinor

Goldschmeid in the early 1980's. Heuristic play describes the activity of babies and children as they play with and explore the properties of 'objects'. These 'objects' are things from the real world. For babies and toddlers heuristic play is very different.

We live in a world where plastic toys dominate the shelves of toy shops, and while each rattle may look different each one smells, tastes and feels the same - it is unstimulating to a babies senses. Using heuristic play with babies stimulates all the senses, creating a rich learning experience.

Treasure BasketHeuristic play with babies revolves around the use of the Treasure

Basket - the Treasure Basket can be used with babies from the time that they can sit unaided to around 16-18 months,

The Treasure Basket is a ridged low sided round basket filled with 'objects' from the 'real world' these 'objects' are made from any material but plastic, and come from a variety of sources in nature and the around the house.

It is through handling and exploring these objects that a baby develops contact with the outside world, and begins to make their own choices and decisions.

BUILDING YOUR TREASURE BASKET

The treasure basket comprises of a ridged side round basket and 60-80 different objects.

Every treasure basket will be a unique collection of objects. To make the treasure basket, set aside a couple of days, where your main purpose is to build the foundations of a treasure basket for your child.

Aim to establish a collection of 20-30 objects, which comprise a variety of textures and materials. Once you have built up this 'base' of objects to go in your treasure basket, you can add more to it over time, which will keep your baby interested with a new object to explore every now and then, and will take the pressure off you to find all 60-80 objects at once.

Adults role For a Treasure Basket to be an effective tool in the play and

development of babies, the most important factor is an attentive and calm caregiver, who creates a relaxed atmosphere and is available to the child during their play and exploration. The adults role in the use of the treasure basket is to sit near by and be attentive, responsive and unobtrusive - the baby needs to be able to make their own choices about which objects they are going to pick up and how they are going to explore them without interference.

Treasure Basket and Heuristic play Paper / cardboard objects: Egg boxes, notebook, sturdy cardboard

tubes,greaseproof paper.

Wooden objects: Door wedge, small turned bowl, dolly pegs, egg cup, wooden egg, spoons, curtain rings, coaster, bracelet, block, napkin rings, dowel, empty salt and pepper cellars.

Leather, textile, rubber, or fur objects: Small knitted toy, bean bag, piece of flannel, velvet powder puff, bags of herbs, bag of lavender, leather key ring, coloured ribbons, leather purse.

Rubber objects: Ball, bath plug with chain, soap holder, door stop, coaster.

Metal objects: Honey drizzler, an egg cup, curtain ring, egg poacher, measuring spoons, tea strainer, whisk, powder compact, bells, lemon squeezer, small bowl,

Natural objects: A lemon or orange, coconut shell, grass rope, sheepskin, pumice stone, loofah, shells, pine/fir cones, driftwood, avocado stone, large pebbles.

Brushes: Scrubbing brush, pastry brush, baby's hair brush, nail brush, makeup brush, paint brush, shaving brush, wooden toothbrush.

Other objects: small vanilla essence or food colouring bottle, hair rollers, small mirror, scent bags, bone shoe horn, ceramic bowl

Heuristic play FOR TODDLERS

As babies grow they develop further curiosity about the world around them, and as the question of 'What is it?', is fulfilled with the exploration of the treasure basket, they are no longer content to simply hold, feel and mouth objects, they want to know what they can do with them!For toddlers, the question posed when participating in heuristic play is 'What can I do with this object?'.

Toddlers will investigate with all the physical possibilities of an object, by rolling, filling, stacking, dumping, fitting things inside each other, balancing and manipulating an object in every possible way. Toddlers who are able to freely explore in this way can make satisfying discoveries about how the world works, by exploring area's such as gravity, spacial awareness, density, and simple physics, which builds their cognitive development, hand/eye co-ordination and fine and gross motor skills.

Heuristic play FOR TODDLERSStacking

Boxes, tins with lids, cotton reels, cones, coasters, pieces of wood etc.

Posting

A box with a small slit in the top, tubes, pegs, shells, stones etc.

BalancingDolly pegs to peg around a box or a stainless steel bowl etc.

ThreadingCurtain rings, paper towel holder, cup tree, bangles/bracelets, lengths of chain/beads, ribbon, scarves etc.

RollingBalls or different sizes and textures, tubes, a ramp made from a cardboard box, cones, pompoms, wooden door knob, cone shaped shells etc.Pattern makingshells, stones, pine cones, leaves etc.MatchingContainers and lids, pairs of objects etc.CollectingBaskets with handles, large jars, bags, containers with small and large openings etc.

NestingBaskets that fit inside one another etc.Making noiseMetal objects, small objects to put in jars and be shaken, a wooden stick for banging etc.

What is ‘The Progress check at Two’?

• 2.3 When a child is aged between two and three, practitioners must review their progress, and provide parents and/or carers with a short written summary of their child’s development in the prime areas. This progress check must identify the child’s strengths, and any areas where the child’s progress is less than expected. If there are significant emerging concerns, or an identified special educational need or disability, practitioners should develop a targeted plan to support the child’s future learning and development involving other professionals (for example, the provider’s Special Educational Needs Co-ordinator) as appropriate

“Where parents and carers are actively encouraged to participate confidently in their children’s learning and healthy development, the outcomes for children will be at their best”

Government Agenda-2015 Single Integrated Review

The 27 Month Health and Early Years Review meeting-

Health Visitor/competent Healthy Child Lead Practitioner from setting

Mum, Dad and Laila

Key person

Key person 3.26 Each child must be assigned a key person. Their role is to help ensure that

every child’s care is tailored to meet their individual needs (in accordance with

paragraph 1.11), to help the child become familiar with the setting, offer a settled

relationship for the child and build a relationship with their parents.

Gathering Information- Section 2

Assessment• Ongoing assessment (also known as formative

assessment) is an integral part of the learning and development process. It involves practitioners observing children to understand their level of achievement, interests and learning styles, and to then shape learning experiences for each child reflecting those observations.

The Parent’s VoiceGathering information about Laila at

homeAt home Laila likes to do

everything herself. When I try to help her put her

shoes on she says ‘’mummy no I do it’’. She loves nursery, before bed she says ‘’I go nursery‘’.

Laila loves playing with her dad and she sometimes cries when he goes to

work.

The Child’s voice

‘’I like go Ninas house ’’

The Childminders voice

Laila is happy, bubbly and keen to get involved in all the things we do during the day. Her favourite activities are music and water play and going to the park to feed the ducks

Watching and listening-ongoing observations and dialogue with practitioners and parents

Physical Development –Health and Self Care

Laila at the drop in -Physical Development (Moving and handling)

Reflecting on evidence

What is significant to note? What does it tell me about Laila’s learning , development and next steps?

Addressing needs/concerns

• 2.4 Beyond the prime areas, it is for practitioners to decide what the written summary should include, reflecting the development level and needs of the individual child. The summary must highlight: areas in which a child is progressing well; areas in which some additional support might be needed; and focus particularly on any areas where there is a concern that a child may have a developmental delay (which may indicate a special educational need or disability). It must describe the activities and strategies the provider intends to adopt to address any issues or concerns. If a child moves settings between the ages of two and three it is expected that the progress check would usually be undertaken by the setting where the child has spent most time.

Next Steps

Strategies to support learning through play, development and any additional needs (home and setting)

• Mum and Nina will continue to encourage Laila to let adults know when she needs to use the potty

• Nina will build on her interest in water play by encouraging Laila to fill and empty containers with water.

• She will also support Laila to build her vocabulary through water play by introducing new ‘concept’ and action words eg ‘splash’ ‘pour’ ‘empty’ ‘fill it up to the top’

Sharing information from the Progress Check at Two

• Practitioners should encourage parents and/or carers to share information from the progress check with other relevant professionals, including their health visitor, and/or a teacher (if a child moves to school-based provision at age three).

• Practitioners must agree with parents and/or carers when will be the most useful point to provide a summary. It should be provided in time to inform the Healthy Child Programme health and development review at age two whenever possible

• It should help ensure that health visitors can identify children’s needs accurately and fully at the health review. Providers must have the consent of parents and/or carers to share information directly with other relevant professionals, if they consider this would be helpful.

ActivtyLIFE AT TWO- A day with Mum playing and exploring

AVA 2 years Going for a walk

Write an observation choose one area of learning to focus on and using DM think about what does this tell you about her development.

Progress Check at Two

Watch clip and start to complete one section using the Development matters

Homework

Try to complete a Two year progress check on a two year old you know