Listening to Young Children in Early Years Settings

Tips and guidance on how to listen to and involve children in decisions and evaluations in early years settings

With practical ideas and suggestions targeted at early years practitioners, this book explains how to listen to children effectively and involve them in decisions about their care, learning and development. It includes examples of how to listen to children's perspectives on classroom design, methods of learning, transitions and more.

It is widely accepted that listening to and involving children in decisions about their care, learning and development can significantly improve the quality of early years provision. This book gives practical guidance on how to do this effectively.

Starting with a discussion about why we listen to children and the policies around this, the book explains how we can involve children in decision-making that is appropriate to their age and level of understanding. Packed full of examples and ideas that can be easily applied in practice, it covers how to listen to children's perspectives and involve them in staff recruitment and appraisals, classroom design, assessment processes for social services and EHC plans, and much more.