Answer:
As experienced and knowledgeable practitioners, it’s important for us to consider and observe a child’s learning and development holistically, but are we taking a holistic view of the individual child and their individual circumstances and experiences?
Observing learning and development in children is a fundamental part of our curriculum and the children’s learning journey. However, before we can make these observations and link them to the children’s age and stage of development, we must ‘build a picture’ of a child holistically too, to ensure that the observations we are making are relevant and a true reflection of the child and their individual circumstances, their age and stage of development.
The process of ‘building a picture’ of the child should begin from the moment the child steps foot into the setting; and practitioners should endeavour to find out as much necessary information as possible about the child, the family and the child’s home life and family history.
For many children, ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and other life events can have a detrimental impact on the child’s overall wellbeing and, as a result, have a significant impact on their learning and development. ACEs such as childhood trauma, family breakdown, parental death or being placed into care or adoption, can seriously impact a child’s life, even from an incredibly early age. Children who have experienced any trauma like this will need significant levels of understanding and support from us as