Recently I spent a day in a local nursery; they had generously invited me in and I jumped at the chance. 

Here’s what I did – stomped like dinosaurs, shared stories, tried to make the loudest roar, hand-clapping, jumped off of surfaces, slid down slides, built a motorbike, created towers with tyres, climbed in and out of tyre towers, sat on top of tyre towers and chatted, sang and signed, got put in prison, got attacked by tyres, watched the council workers trim the hedges and trees, collected snails, ate lunch, caught raindrops on tongues, did press-ups, human wheelbarrows, cuddles, nose-wiping and made balls and flowers with playdough. 

You can try and guess which were done by me and which ones I watched, encouraged, guided, questioned, praised, challenged, etc. I had the best day!

What I remembered – I remembered how inquisitive young children are, how many questions about themselves and others they have, how interested in their surroundings they can be, and how much they love being free. I remembered how quickly they become absorbed in the simplest of challenges and how determined they are to see it through. I remembered how physically strong they are, moving large equipment, being on their feet for most of the day, whizzing around the space like they have everlasting energy packs attached to their backs, landing on my feet! I remembered how affectionate they are with their friends, with their families as they arrive and especially when they are reunited at the end of the day, with strangers (me). I remembered how important those staff/child relationships are for making the children feel secure and free to just be. I remembered that the quality of the space is less important than the freedom to explore it. At this setting the outside space is in need of some TLC but the children just didn’t care, or more likely, didn’t notice. They were able to be free in that space; climb a tree, gather bugs, splash in the water, run around. Do cartwheels, and push-ups and star-jumps. (Actually, it needs cold hard cash, so if anyone reading this wants to donate, get in touch and I’ll pass on the money 😉 )

Having me there, an extra pair of hands, enabled the regular staff to spend a little more time with the children settling in, the ones with additional needs, the ones just wanting a little reassurance. So, I also remembered the value of caring, experienced practitioners. 

What next – I will certainly repeat the experience and hope to do this in other settings too. All that fun, and all that remembering, why would I not want more of that?

The main what next is to give even more value to those practitioners who deserve value, praise and recognition for the roles they have in young children’s lives. All young children deserve the very best start in life and we can’t do that unless the sector is properly funded and staff are recognised. I have no control over the funding but I can recognise the value of staff each and every time they come in to a training room, or I step into their setting. I can provide the best possible training experience and show them their worth through words and actions when sometimes they struggle to see it for themselves.  (I can also write a blog about spending the day with them!)

Photos from Unsplash (not actual footage of my day)