Reflective Accounts from units 3.6 - 4.

1 (please tell us about your own experience)

Unit 3.6 WB: Developing children's emergent mathematical skills

6.1. Plan an activity to support children's emergent mathematical development.

The most crucial matter for me as a practitioner is to oversee where the interest of a child is

situated before I engage him in any activity as I want every child to be part of the activity.

There are various activities in that I will engage children to develop their mathematical skills

and knowledge. My activity involves;

-Engaging children in counting songs and nursery rhymes as will foster the child’s

knowledge of numbers.

-Subject the children to searching for patterns in the environment and the school setting, and

enable children to make patterns either through the use of peg boards or using beads.

-In addition, I will engage children in sorting and matching activities by giving different

receptacles for sorting which may include plastic bowls or baskets. The matching and sorting

activities can be based on several methods such as shape, size, and colour.

-I will also subject children to activities that involve estimations such as matters involving

time where the children can approximate things like days of the week.

6.2. Lead an activity to support children's emergent mathematical development.

In conducting an activity to foster children’s emergent mathematical development as a

practitioner, I will be straightforward with every adult engaged in the activity with children to

comprehend their role and provide them with a copy of my planned activity. This will happen

via; giving the adults involved my objectives on the expected learning achievement, materials

needed, and the subsequent steps for learning. Additionally, I will ensure that the activities

are flexible enough to align with the reactions of children. This may involve the simplifying
of the activities whenever the children do not understand by giving them more time to play

before engaging them in a different activity.

7.2. Analyse own role in relation to planned activities which support children's

emergent mathematical development.

My duty in the activity above is the lead person. I am the organizer of the above activity.

Generally, as a practitioner, I try to provide opportunities for mathematical activities readily

to ensure that children are exposed to the nature of mathematics. During the activity, I reflect

on my role and how the children performed in the activity. This includes whether I am

satisfied that the children achieved the goals and if they enjoyed the activity.

7.3. Make recommendations for meeting children's emergent mathematical needs.

There are various methods for me as a practitioner to meet the children’s emergent

mathematical skills such as; providing activities when doing a role play by encouraging

children to count things of play in their respective baskets. Whenever am telling a story to

children, I tell them to count things they have discovered in the story such as trees or

vehicles. I also engage children in counting furniture in the class or school setup.

8.1. Work with parents/carers in a way which encourages them to take an active role in

their child's play, learning and development.

Parents play a significant role in the development of a child. In my position as a practitioner,

having poor communication with parents can be challenging in observing the development of

a child. The more I get the parents engaged in the exercise delegated to children, the more

time children are accorded to be active every day. I speak to the parents directly or give them

hints and tips and they give feedback on what the child enjoys doing. The exercises need not
be sporting activities but even activities such as assisting in the house chores, tidying up

home, or engaging in hiding and seek games. I also invite the parents to various activities

such as games so that they can watch their children

Reflective Account

Unit 3.11 WB: Promoting children's physical development

3.1. Plan an opportunity which promotes the physical development of children aged:

• 0-1 year 11 months

Babies aged 11 months and below require lots of free floor play and movement opportunities

in a secure environment. I will ensure there is an environment that encourages the child to

explore and develop skills like reaching, rolling, sitting up, and crawling, among many

others. A large blanket on the floor for tummy time can be a safe, clean and welcoming place

for babies to practice lifting their heads. This helps them to develop better and stronger

muscles.

• 2-2 years 11 months

Children grow rapidly in the four main areas of development. In focusing on the physical

development of a 24-month-old baby, I will engage him or her in motor skills which will

foster small movements in the hands, toes, wrists, tongue, toes, and fingers. I will also engage

the child in gross motor skills by engaging the child in an activity that will foster the child to

hold up his head, crawl, or sit. I will do this by placing toys nearby so that the baby can move

and reach for them. I will also help the child to explore things around him or her by going on

a walk or wagon ride.

• 3-5 years.
During outdoors, I will make sure I have a place a child can comfortably run. I will also

engage the child in activities such as standing on one foot and counting to see how long the

child can remain still. Engage the child in arts and crafts projects using playdough, scissors,

and small beads on a string. I will also allow the child to assist in the simple house chores. In

addition, I will give the children crayons, markers, and various materials to play with.

3.2. Provide an opportunity which promotes physical development for children aged:

• 0-1 year 11 months

I will give a lot of supervised tummy time. I will also interact with the child while he is

awake on his tummy for short periods, possibly between 3 to 5 minutes. In addition, I will

increase the amount of time as the infant shows enjoyment. I will continuously place the

infant on her tummy to practice lifting his head and kicking his legs.

• 2-2 years 11 months

I will offer an uncluttered space for the child. I will ensure the play space is away from any

walking path, away from shelving or objects that could fall, and away from rocking chairs or

other potential risks. Establish a comfortable environment for caregivers to be on the floor

level when interacting with infants. Provide more tummy time and encourage the child to

crawl, play, scoot, or roll during the day. I must ensure I never leave the child unattended.

• 3-5 years.

I will encourage the children to engage in and talk about what they enjoy doing, such as

walking, skipping, climbing, rolling, and jumping. Activities such as pinching, threading,

gasping, cutting, and pressing are also very important. Use words in a context that permits the

children to consider their physical movements.

3.3. Reflect on own role in relation to the provision for promoting physical development

in own setting.

I will assist the children by enabling them to explore the environment and choose what they

want to keep doing during the rest of the day. In addition, well-planned adult activities

contribute greatly to a child's development. I should make sure that the activities are

interesting for children for them to desire to engage more, but they should also be interesting

and fun for practitioners.

Reflective Account

Unit 3.13: Support children with additional needs

5.3. Work in partnership with others to provide activities to meet children's additional needs.

Partnership working is normally used to support children with additional needs. This is

because children require more targeted support when a child is not showing the expected

development or is showing significant signs of emotional insecurity. Other professionals such

as speech and language therapists and psychologists can identify what the child requires;

thus, through working with them, children are offered effective support. However,

professionals should always be aware that their services remain confidential and can only be

disclosed under the parental directive.

5.4. Work with parents/carers in a way which encourages them to take an active role in

their child's play, learning and development.

Parents play a crucial role in the development of a child. Therefore, practitioners should

consider how they can assist parents to their children while they are learning. They should

share with the parents the information concerning what type of play and resources their child

is interested in. a lot of this data is shared via photographs or film clips to parents of their
child playing in the setting and explaining to parents how the play is helping the development

of their child. Some settings also offer resources to the parents to use in playing with their

children.

5.5. Reflect on own practice in meeting children's additional needs.

It is an important part of practice to be reflective and to think through how well you have

worked or are working with children. In some ways, the qualities and skills I need to work

with children with additional needs are the same as when working with all children. There are

several points that I can use to assist in reflecting the practice of meeting children's additional

needs, beginning with the quality of relationship that I have developed with the child and his

corresponding family.

Reflective Account

Unit 3.14: Use observation, assessment and planning to promote the development of

children

4.1. Observe in line with current frameworks:

• an individual child

There exist various methods that I will employ to observe an individual child. I need to

carefully consider the intention of the observation toward the child as the beginning point of

observation.

• a group of children

Observing a group of children can be challenging, but one way of doing this is using the free

description method. If I find this difficult, I will consider filming the group's activity and

afterwards using the footage to write the free description.

 • indoor-outdoor provision

Observations can be used to provide information about the provision and how effective it is.

It is not very easy to look at all aspects of the provision simultaneously, so it is worth

choosing a specific area. For instance, indoors, you might consider the mark-making of the

provision, while outdoors, I will consider opportunities to role-play. There are many things

that I will focus on when looking at the provision, such as how much time children spend

there or how much interaction children use when in that area.

4.2. Reflect on outcomes of observations carried out in own setting in relation to:

• an individual child

There are several things that I might reflect on using the information gained from observation

of an individual child. Some of the questions I should ask are; whether the child seems

engaged during the play or activity? Whether the child seemed happy and relaxed? Whether

the child did interact and communicate with other children? How many times did the child

communicate with adults and other children? What physical skills did the child portray?

These questions are very important to be able to reflect on.

• a group of children

When looking at the outcomes of observations of groups of children, the focus is often on

how well they play and whether resources interested the children and allowed them to play

and learn together. Some observations also consider group learning and how well adult-led

services are meeting the needs of the group. Various points are worth consideration.; how

well were the children engaged in the activity or play? How much support did children need,
and to what extent did adults provide it?

• indoor provision and outdoor provision.

When assessing the effectiveness of areas within indoor and outdoor provisions, there are

several things to consider. Did the children spend time using the area? Who were they, and

what did they do? What was the quality of their play and interactions? How long did the

children stay and prompted to leave? Using the information gained from the reflection,

settings may look to take the following actions; change the layout, increase the resources

available for children, or consider whether adults need to support children more so they can

access the area.

4.3. Work with others to plan the next steps in relation to the needs and interests of:

• an individual child

The next steps might be to plan activities or to use resources with children. Sometimes where

there are emerging concerns about the child's development, the next step will be to talk to

parents to refer the child to other professionals.

• a group of children.

Following on from assessing the possible outcomes of the observation, the next step is to

consider the next steps for the group of children. This will very much depend on what has

been considered. Some possible next steps that might be appropriate may include; creating

more challenging playing opportunities for children, providing playing opportunities that

build on children observed play interests, and providing more adult support so that children
can communicate and interact with each other further.

4.4. Reflect on own role in meeting the needs and interests of children in own setting.

It is a part of my professional duty when working with children to think about how I might

work to meet their needs and interests. Therefore, observation, assessment, and the

subsequent planning of the next steps are important ways to ensure this occurs. Interestingly,

the main focus is how well I will plan for the individual needs and interests of children.

5.1. Work with parents/carers in a way which encourages them to take an active role in

their child's play, learning and development.

It is good practice and also a requirement by the EYFS that parents get involved in the

observation, assessment, and planning process. This is because they will see a different side

of their child at home than we do in the setting, and also, they will know what type of things

their children enjoy doing it is therefore important to work in ways that will allow parents to

take an active role in this aspect of the child's development.

Reflective Account

Unit 3.15: Use longitudinal studies to observe, assess and plan for children's needs

2.1. Carry out a Longitudinal Study using methods of observation to assess the changing

developmental needs of children.

In applying the observation method, I will begin by seeking permission from my supervisor

to request whether I will be able to accomplish a longitudinal study in the setting. I will

proceed to organise my longitudinal study since it requires much thought and preparation. For

starters, I will begin by identifying children who might be interesting to observe. I also have
to consider the methods of assessment that would be appropriate for the longitudinal studies I

intend to carry out. In addition, the strength of longitudinal studies relies on the observation

quality as this is the source of the material. Therefore, the frequency of observations is vital

for the observation process.

2.2. Maintain records of observation, assessment and planning.

Very vital for longitudinal studies, I am expected to use the observations to make assessments

and then be able to derive a plan from the assessment. Longitudinal studies normally don't

require many organizations, it is important to grasp how I will handle the observation records,

it is vital to keep these records in a vital place, and it's fundamental for these records to

remain on the premises. This is done to promote confidentiality.

2.3. Evaluate observations in relation to:

• expected developmental stages

I will employ various sources to assess a child about expected developmental changes. It is

always important to explain my sources because charts and expected development milestones

can vary.

• current frameworks

I should also focus on making a connection between the assessment and EYFS. To be capable

of doing this, I am required to have a copy of the statutory framework. In addition, read the

areas of learning and development carefully, as well as the Early Goals of each area. I should

also read more about effective teaching and learning, which is also provided in this copy.

• theoretical perspectives.
Immediately after any observation, I should also consider how the observations gathered

connect to the theoretical perspectives that I am aware of. It is crucial to provide a crucial

nexus to them appropriately.

2.4. Create plans which meet the developmental needs and interests of children.

In articulating a plan, it is very important to understand the aim of the activity. This is by

explaining the skill, experience, or knowledge that I want to give the child, including the area

linked to EFYS and other areas of learning and development. I should also write down how

the activity is to be executed so that anyone reading it can understand what the children will

be doing. Resources can be included during this period. In addition, I should also write about

how the child will be encouraged to access resources, make choices, and remain active in the

learning process. I should then make connections to the activity and the relevant theoretical

perspectives.

2.5. Implement plans which meet the developmental needs and interests of children.

Before implementing any activities, it is worth going through them again. It is important to

reflect and evaluate the activities as it is a mandatory task during this period. Various points

such as; did the activity permit the child to be active? How engaged was the child during the

activity? What did you learn from the activity? can assist in evaluation and reflection.

3.1. Critically evaluate the outcomes of a Longitudinal Study.

To begin with, it is worthwhile to introduce an evaluation. Writing about how you organized

the longitudinal studies and how I applied them to assess the children is important. When

writing the critical evaluation, the significant focus is to consider what I have learned about a

child's stage and development. This can include their development about what is expected for
their age group as well as how well they are making the progress. In addition, I should also

consider the role they play during this period. It is also crucial to reflect on how you feel

about the observations you have carried out. Further, I should also explain why they chose

each of the observation and assessment methods. Think about the merits and demerits of each

assessment method that was employed. I must also connect the lessons learned about the

child's age and stage development to the Early Years Foundation Stage Framework. Here, I

should think about how the child's development connects to the relevant area of learning and

development within the EYFS.

Reflective Account

Unit 4.1: Engage in professional development

3.5. Work with others to agree own personal development plan.

Various persons are important in the development of the personal plan. Colleagues can give

suggestions and advice based on how they know me and watch me while on duty. They may

have engaged in recent training and might recommend what they may see as crucial. Line

managers are also very crucial in this plan. This may lead to an appraisal since they may offer

opinions and advice about what I am required to do to enhance my knowledge, experience,

and skills further. The other group I will work with is the in-service trainers. The staff team

will be granted the opportunity to be trained together in what is known as in-service training.

This assists the staff in focusing on particular aspects of their work. Inservice trainers may be

able to suggest further courses, training, or resources that would support the aims of your

development plan.

3.2. Analyse own professional development needs in relation to the role of the Early
Years practitioner.

I should consider my relationship with children. I should consider whether the children enjoy

the company? Whether I develop relationships with children of different ages? My

relationship with the parents of the children is also a very huge determinant. Here are

questions such as; do I feel confident when I engage parents or whether I will maintain a

friendly yet professional manner? In addition, how I relate with colleagues also contributes to

my professional development. In this case, do the colleagues enjoy working with me? Do

they see me as part of the team? Professional development is also fostered by supporting

children's play. This is shown by how I show the children support in the different ways they

engage in play. The questions I should ask myself are; whether I am confident about

supporting play with different age groups of children? Whether I will plan for different

children and maintain a play environment?

3.4. Maintain subject knowledge across curriculum subjects which are of personal

interest.

In many early year settings, individual members of staff tend to take on responsibility for

specific curriculum subjects. How this happens relies on the early year settings, but most

people take on the role because they are specifically interested in the subject area. It then

becomes a role in the early year settings to share information with their colleagues. The most

common ways of maintaining subject knowledge are networking, reading with other

colleagues, and attending training courses. Some websites and organizations have also been

set up to support specific curriculum subjects or aspects of early-year practice.

3.5. Work with others to agree own personal development plan.

Various persons are important in the development of the personal plan. Colleagues can give
suggestions and advice based on how they know me and watch me while on duty. They may

have engaged in recent training and might recommend what they may see as crucial. Line

managers are also very crucial in this plan. This may lead to an appraisal since they may offer

opinions and advice about what I am required to do to enhance my knowledge, experience,

and skills further. The other group I will work with is the in-service trainers. The staff team

will be granted the opportunity to be trained together in what is known as in-service training.

This assists the staff in focusing on particular aspects of their work. Inservice trainers may be

able to suggest further courses, training, or resources that would support the aims of your

development plan.

3.6. Use learning opportunities to support own professional development.

Many learning opportunities exist, such as training, seminars, and much more. However, how

I gain from the different learning opportunities relies on several factors. Additionally, the key

tip is also important to get the basics right, such as arriving on time and not being too tired so

that I can concentrate properly.