Young children are among the least visible members of the community. Their contributions to society are rarely understood or credited and their ideas rarely sought. Early years practitioners – who build relationships with young children by listening and responding to them, and by learning from them – know that even the youngest child consistently makes choices and engages with others on many levels and that this has a major impact on not only what they learn, but how they learn and who they are.
Working in Partnership with Children in the Early Years shows how good practice in the early years can enable and promote young children’s right to express their views and to have them taken seriously. It looks at the practitioner’s role in enabling them to do this and covers:
- The learning environment and day-to-day routine
- Adult-led and child-initiated play
- Promoting children’s independence and resilience
- Recognising achievement.
With reflective practice questions and examples from settings, this book provides practitioners with help and practical guidance on how to provide the right tools and circumstances for young children to become competent, imaginative, thoughtful and able contributors to their early years setting and community.
