3. Nurture is Important for Wellbeing

Staff have been through different experiences and are also reconnecting with one another and the community of their setting. If we nurture our staff, this will create the platform for all relationships and wellbeing. Allow time for staff to talk, share and reconnect. Consider their wellbeing - find out about their concerns and needs. What ideas do they have for moving forward? The Educational Psychology Service has a range of training and development materials. Get in touch if you are looking for support in taking staff well being forward, or for signposting to resources.

Talk with the children about what they have done and how they have managed during lockdown in a developmentally appropriate way, using visuals, stories and puppets. This should be done sensitively, considering where you do it and who else is around. You should be mindful of the different experiences that will have occurred. It is important to accept and value all feelings and emotions – it is ok to not to be ok. Whilst listening and identifying all emotions and feelings, you can look for children’s strengths and ways in which they have coped creatively. Help them see the qualities they have demonstrated and skills they have developed. You can refer to these skills and qualities in relation to their learning experiences.

Continue to follow the children’s lead, enabling them to have choice and control/agency over what they do or how they do it by making it fun according to what they enjoy. Find ways for personalisation and choice in their learning, making it meaningful for them. Promote special interests within the curriculum. This will support children, making them feel understood, valued and successful.

Look for success and achievement. This can be recorded through photos, records and sharing with others. Remember not all children will want the same type of recognition. Think about what will work for individuals, some children value lots of verbal feedback, whilst others may appreciate a ‘thumbs up’ at a discrete moment or sharing their success with another member of staff, while the child is listening in.

Apply the principles of Growth Mindset (Carol Dweck). We should look for effort and persistence, name it and value it in our interactions with children. If a child is displaying self-negating behaviours, eg saying “I can’t” or throwing something in frustration, do not dismiss this out of hand. Let them know when you see observable change and progress. Help them see mistakes as an integral and valuable part of the learning process.