Many times in EYFS continuous provision we rely on showing children what to do, we must remember there is a difference between modeling and guiding. It may be easy to hold a child’s hand or do it for them but it will not help teach independence.
Here is a conversation you could have with a child to build independence:
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1. Directed Question independence
A group of children have moved to the outdoor area. The child is still indoors despite it being time for outdoors.
The conversation will go like this:
Adult: Where are your friends?
Child: Outside
Adult: Where do you think you should be?
Child: Lining up
Adult: Are your friends lining up?
Child: *looks around* no
Adult: So where do you think you need to be?
Child: Outside?
Adult: Go ahead and join your friends.
Never give an affirmation but allow the child to come to the conclusion themselves, this helps build up initiative as they grow throughout the year. I always get compliments on how mature my children are due to this technique
2. Ownership:
Giving ownership to the children regarding their continuous provision planning. This supports this as they feel they contribute to the environment. One instagrammer who does this amazingly is Awe and Wonder. I love how she gets children to label their environment themselves. When children feel ownership of the classroom. They are more likely to take responsibility to care for it.
3. Including Child voice in your continuous provision:
Ask your children what they want to learn or what they think should go into the continuous provision and help them create it! The reason for it is that children begin to develop strategies on how to build and create their own projects. They then begin to problem solve on their own. Is a label falling down? bWell the child will stick it back up because they realise that the classroom is their responsibility!
4. Responsibility: Class prefect
I love having a class prefect, rather than monitors. This child takes some responsibilities of the teacher. Meaning that they have the responsibility to pick children who tidy up, is always first in line, they take on the teaching assistant duties in the continous provision and sometimes this extends to teaching. I make sure the child changes everyday using an alphabetical order to keep track. Initially, I begin with the most responsible child to model to the children how to be a prefect and then begin going down alphabetically the following week. It helps those children who tend to rely on instruction grow and learn.
5. Resource layout in continuous provision
The way resources are laid out supports children’s independence. If you have items out of the children’s reach or that can only be accessed by an adult it reduces a child’s ability to explore and be independent as they have to wait for the adult to give them that freedom.
Here are a few ways I encourage independence in my classroom:
- Resources in see through containers
- Individual Trays
- Cut up paper towels
- Child sized broom and brushes
Having these independent children at the beginning of the year helps support building the foundation for a calm setting. That makes you want to come in everday. I’ve experienced polar opposites and it is toture. Get the foundations right!
Bonus: Loose Parts
Loose parts play a huge role in building independence in your continous provision, many inventions and new ideas and to take their play in their own directions. Loose parts are huge part of independently learning and it helps incoporate maths, science, role play and many many more! We have use loose parts in the past to etend play. I have found that over the years children have reached the formerly know early learning goals in EAD much quicker. It also adhears to alot of the requirements in the new EYFS framwork. If you feel really lost you can use some books for guidance my blog post 7 helpful eyfs book.
