There is nothing more gratifying than seeing children become the best version of themselves. This is why more and more parents are seeing the value of an Early Years Education. A child's development is closely related to their age, and in Early Years, children are in a stage of immense discovery.
It is too early to determine what they want to do in the future or what goals they want to achieve. How, then, can we identify teaching objectives in Early Years Education? Of course, we focus on learning, but it is even more important to look at each child's unique characteristics and attitudes.
Becoming oneself first
At Hiba Nursery, we recognise that every child is unique. We help them to recognise, accept and be proud of what makes them different.
They can explore their surroundings in their own way and forge their own path to becoming the best version of themselves.
Parents should also recognise their children’s unique qualities and characteristics. Both parents and nursery must understand children’s identities, respect their unique qualities and support their personal development.
A relationship of trust between parents and the nursery gives our pupils a sense of security and enables them to explore freely. Trust forms the necessary foundation of a Hiba education.
Even twins are not exactly the same. If we do not identify what makes them unique and help them to do discover it, we do them a disservice.
When the first twins enrolled in Hiba, their parents had the same expectations for them, but teachers found that they were quite different. Our teachers explained this to their parents. In group activities, teachers assigned different tasks to the twins and motivated them to cooperate with others instead of only playing and working with each other.
When the twins entered EY3, they were assigned to different classes, which gave them more opportunities to befriend other children. They developed their own unique personalities, had their own friends and interests and felt comfortable and confident in different environments.
Nevertheless, they remained close to each other. Continued communication with parents and our differentiated support made it possible for these twins to develop independently.
Process is more important
than outcomes
When a child reaches Primary or Secondary School, he or she is faced with standardised assessment, and we are more concerned with academic outcomes. But in Early Years education, the process is more important than the outcome.
We place more emphasis on life skills in Early Years education. Pupils learn to become independent and adaptable, to effectively solve problems. This serves them well in their later academic development.
The child's memory in the stages of Early Years is fleeting. They may not retain basic computation skills for long. But by the time they reach grade 1, they may suddenly find that they can remember a maths problem like 5+5=10 very easily.
This is because they are at a different stage of brain development. Therefore, if we push children to perform age-inappropriate tasks, they may become demotivated or agitated.
It is also important in Early Years to support children’s to develop appropriate self-expression. Whether positive or negative, our teachers will guide them. The more opportunities children have for communication and self-expression, the greater confidence they will develop.
They will feel comfortable sharing negative emotions appropriately and be more inclined to seek help when they encounter tough challenges. Soft skills like these are essential to academic success later in their learning journey, as well as a fundamental support for their wellbeing as they grow.
Wellbeing and involvement
Wellbeing and involvement are also integral to pastoral care in Early Years education.
If you see ten faces in a photo, some are crying, some are smiling and some exhibit no particular expression. Which one attracts your attention first? People tend to notice crying or smiling faces first, but it is those faces with the neutral expressions that need our attention the most, because they are so easily overlooked.
Both wellbeing and involvement are two critical indicators and should be observed and measured because they are conducive for us to assess physical and mental state of a child. According to our observations, we can give them personalised support and understand potential reasons why they are not meeting age related expectations.
Teaching and learning is a constant process and evident throughout the nursery daily routines. Classroom teachers, teaching assistants and Early Years assistants carefully observe what sparks interest in a child, whether they are reading a book, playing or even having snacks. These are all data points from which we develop a comprehensive assessment of a child.
Children’s sharing sessions are another way our teachers get acquainted with our pupils. They explore children’s points of interest through conversational topics and develop and plan thematic activities to stretch them.
During our weekly year group meetings, our teachers discuss our children's most recent areas of interest, try to find a common theme and have a deep group discussion. In the thematic activities, they adapt the curriculum to meet children's needs.
Every child is different, and teachers have a diversified focus on them. Teaching and learning approaches are therefore designed to be varied and customised to extend and enrich each child's learning experience.
Children’s inspiration is given comprehensive feedback, which will in turn motivate them to engage in tailored activities. Their confidence, involvement and happiness are greatly improved by their involvement in this process.
We often hear parents talk about their children becoming fulfilled and more outgoing after entering the nursery. This is proof that our children are learning to express themselves and be a positive influence on those around them.
By keeping an open line of communication our community builds a relationship of mutual understanding and respect as we work hand-in-hand to achieve our vision.
- Content support courtesy of Ms Gong，
Deputy Head of Early Years -
