We’re close to the end of (a very clammy) June, which means there’s a whole host of new goodies waiting for you this week on The PLAYlist.

But, before we get on with July, here’s one…

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What a month! I hope you’ve made it to the end of June without melting into a puddle on the ground. Anyone who tuned into the live last week may realise that my moustache went a bit D…

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It’s time! I’m about to go live on The PLAYlist to answer your Early Years questions. The live will begin at 7 pm.

You can watch the live by going straight to The PLAYlist homepage. …

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Tonight’s the night! I’m going live at 7 pm this evening to answer all your Early Years questions here on The PLAYlist!

If you’re in the UK, I hope you’re managing to beat the heat! …

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I will be going live at 7 pm tomorrow evening (Wednesday, 24th June), and I’ll be answering questions that you can submit here or ask live on the night!

This month, there is no fixed …

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Hey PLAYlisters…

I hope you’re doing well amid the whirlwind of June!

This month I’ve pulled together a selection of articles, activities and training that I think could genuinely make your life easier (well, that’s what we are aiming for!).

As always, if there is anything (or anyone) you would like to see on The PLAYlist - get in touch, and I will see what I can do.

So, without any further ado, here is The June PLAYlist! Click the red link to be taken straight to your article, interview, or training of choice!

Enjoy 🎉

Note: Anything with [LA🔊] (Listen Along 🔊) means I have recorded an audio version of this article that you can find at the top of the page! So feel free to listen along whilst sunbathing, commuting or… anything really. Get your provision to go!

What’s free this month

• ABC article – What should we do about the boys? [LA🔊] A look at how our environments and expectations can inadvertently squeeze out boys and what we might do to keep them engaged, curious and valued.

• Guest article – Alice Sharp – Childhood shouldn’t live in corners. [LA🔊] I’m thrilled to share Alice’s call for child‑centred spaces where childhood can flourish without being packed into the ‘corners’.

• ABC article - Effective Transitions in the Early Years. [LA🔊]This article goes with James’ 5 brilliant activities that paid subscribers can download and keep. The article helps provide a bit of context on why effective transitions matter and how simple changes can make a big difference.

What’s for paid subscribers

Alongside the free resources above, paid subscribers have access to a bundle of deeper dives and practical support:

• Guest interview – Alice Sharp. Continuing our collaboration, I sat down with Alice to talk about how we can make learning places genuinely inclusive, what drives her work and how to create a sense of belonging with children. It’s always a pleasure chatting to Alice!

• Activities and ABC Article all about Transitions. [LA🔊] James shares his favourite transition activities to help children move calmly and joyfully between parts of the day. I’ve also written an accompanying piece on why effective transitions matter and how simple changes can make a big difference.

• Online training – Challenge in Continuous Provision. Our latest online training module explores how to weave challenge into continuous provision without losing the magic of free play.

• Surgery – ABC live surgery on 24th June (ask anything). We’re hosting a live ‘ask anything’ surgery on 24 June. Please send questions to support@abcdoes.com.

• Bloomsbury Book Giveaway To celebrate the start of summer, our friends at Bloomsbury are offering a book giveaway exclusive to paid subscribers. Keep an eye on your inbox for details on how to enter.

In other news - there are still a handful of places left on our full day training courses in Plymouth and Bristol this month. Here’s a link if you want to find out more:

ABC Does Training

We also have space on the second and third twilight sessions in Wrexham in June. Only £12 a session! Use the link above to find out where and when and to book your place.

Thank you for being part of this community. Whether you’re dipping into the free articles or diving deeper with the paid content, I hope you find something that, challenges your thinking and makes your work with children feel a bit easier!

Fingers crossed for sunshine, good conversations and plenty of moments of joy and wonder in June!

Alistair

Upgrade to PAID

I will be going live at 7 pm on Wednesday, 24th June for an hour (a week today!), and I’ll be answering questions that you can submit here or ask live on the night!

This month, there …

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Hey PLAY People,

Here is this month’s paid subscriber training, which you can watch here and download using the code and link below!

This month’s Staffroom Session focuses on bringing challenge into …

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James here! This month, I’ve made another 5 activities for you to download and keep that you can find here:

Transition Activities (click to view and download):

Moving Day

The Great Di…

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This month’s guest interview with the wonderful Alice Sharp. Join me and Alice as we talk about home corners, belonging and magic moustaches!

If you aren’t familiar (yet!), Alice Sharp

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This month’s guest article is brought to us by the brilliant Alice Sharp!

Alice Sharp is a passionate advocate for children, play and authentic childhoods. Through her writing, training and work with schools and settings, Alice encourages us to see children differently and to think more deeply about the spaces, experiences and expectations we create for them.

Her work celebrates creativity, curiosity and connection, always with a strong focus on children’s emotional wellbeing and sense of self. She is known for challenging outdated ideas about learning and reminding us that childhood shouldn’t be rushed, managed or squeezed into corners.

So, without any firther ado, here is Alice’s brilliant article!

Enjoy 🎉´

Childhood Shouldn’t Live in Corners!

By Alice Sharp

I love Home Corner Play, but totally dislike the name. It’s always or mostly a kitchen anyway! I often think ‘corner’, I throw unwanted items, stuff that’s not wanted or needed into a corner. So, it’s time to introduce a new thought.

When we call it a home corner.
A corner.
A leftover space.
A place we fill with unwanted ‘stuff’… Are we leading our children to misunderstand what might happen in this space, are we limiting their possibilities for play?

Ani Olds once said

“Children are miracles… are our spaces worthy of miracles?”

Childhood shouldn’t live in corners.

And right now, more than ever, they can’t afford to.

We are living in a time that feels unsettled. Families look different. Rhythms are faster. Time is tighter. Conversations are shorter. There is more noise, more distraction, more urgency. Even most adults are carrying a lot.

I love the idea of renaming the space…

Number 58 or Number 12, Willow Lane

Or

Hummingbird Cottage or Thistle House.

Using something like this ‘locates’ the space. These options give the space identity, story, a sense that ‘life’ is already happening here!

These names invite you in.

Why not choose a new ‘name’, ‘label’ for this space you share play within it.

(I know Greg Bottril made me reconsider all my spaces. Instead of talking about the water tray he invites children to have an adventure in Water World or journey into the Sand Storms today!)

Make it feel like somewhere children could arrive to return to or belong in.

You could perhaps spark curiosity or narrative by using ‘The House with the Blue Door’ or ‘The Cottage by the Steps’.

The Magic of Home

Whatever name you choose, the magic is it shouldn’t explain the space, it should suggest a life inside it.

‘Number 58’, works because you immediately wonder, Who lives there? What happens there? Can I go in?

“Hummingbird Cottage” works because you can almost feel it, it’s light, fleeting, alive.

Children shouldn’t be separate from this. They should absorb it. They should shape and carry it. In each space they choose to enter, they should be able to use it to make sense, to develop knowledge, to begin to understand, through this amazing, challenging, beautiful world they belong to.

So, when we reduce something as significant as “home” to a corner, are we missing what children might be trying to do there.

Because they are never just “playing house.”

They’re working things out.

They’re replaying conversations they’ve overheard.
They’re trying on roles they don’t understand yet.
Number 58, Thistle Lane is a foundation not a provision!

If we’re serious about education, not just outcomes. If we’re series about our little humans and their learning possibilities, then we need to stop asking:
“What can children do here?”

And start asking:
“Who can children become here?”
“How does this little place we’ve created make them feel?”

Because emotional security isn’t a bolt-on. It sits underneath everything. Attention, language, relationships, risk-taking, thinking, they all rely on a child feeling grounded enough to engage. It should be their anchor.

And yet, we often design our environments for activity rather than for anchoring.

They’re piecing together what it means to belong, to be cared for, to care for others.
They’re testing safety. Rehearsing connection. Making sense of absence, presence, routine, disruption.

In a world that can feel unpredictable, they’re searching for something steady.

That’s why this space matters now more than ever.

From Spaces to Places

A space is simply a location. It has edges, a floor, a set of resources placed in it. It’s functional. It exists.

But a place is something else entirely.

A place carries memory. It holds story. It develops over time through repetition, emotion, relationship, and meaning. A place isn’t just where something happens, it’s where something is remembered as having happened. It gathers layers. It becomes familiar in the body, not just the eye.

Children feel this difference immediately, even if they can’t name it.

They don’t experience environments as neutral layouts of provision. They experience them as emotional geographies.

One corner of a room can feel uncertain, another can feel safe, another alive with possibility. And these feelings shape everything that follows.

When we think about “home corner” as just a space, we are often thinking in terms of activity: cooking, dressing, talking, role play. But when it becomes a place, something deeper begins to form. It becomes a rehearsal ground for life. It becomes somewhere children return to because it holds something for them, not just offers them something.

For example, in one of our projects the “home corner” was renamed Number 24. Over time, it stopped being a set of plastic props, the washing machine full of rubbish, the baby dolls discarded naked on a shelf and became a lived-in world.

A group of children began to arrive there each morning “to check on the baby,” to find the baby swaddled in her cot, as left on the previous day.

One child started writing “shopping lists” on scraps of paper because, as she said, “Number 24 always needs food, and they love fresh fruit and fish.” The play wasn’t repeating activity; it was building continuity. They remembered what had happened yesterday and carried it forward into today. The place was holding their thinking.

In another setting, a space became Blackbird Cottage. It began with a small shift: soft fabrics, natural objects, a kettle, a basket of keys. A child who rarely stayed in role play began returning there each day, always choosing to “be the neighbour who brings things back.” He also loved to create situations with lost keys; and wondered where it was lost from, loving it when other children joined his journey.

Over weeks, a quiet narrative emerged about looking after people who were “not in today.” There were letters, small acts of care, conversations about who might be missing and why. The play became slower, more relational, more reflective. The place was anchoring, it became emotional, it was slower, fuller, richer and unrushed.

Anchoring Matters

This is where anchoring matters.

Anchoring is what allows a child to stay with an experience long enough for it to deepen. Without it, play can become fleeting, fragmented, easily abandoned. With it, play gathers weight. It develops narrative. It becomes thinking.

A child who feels anchored isn’t preoccupied with scanning for safety or certainty. They’re free to go further in their exploration. They can risk uncertainty. They can revisit ideas rather than constantly resetting them.

This is why emotional security isn’t an add-on to learning, it’s the condition for it.

We often talk about environments being “stimulating,” but stimulation without anchoring can overwhelm rather than deepen. What children need is not just interest, but continuity. Not just invitation but belonging.

A place like “Number 58” or “Hummingbird Cottage” begins to do this work differently. It suggests continuity beyond the moment. It implies that something lives here, happens here, returns here. It gives children something to step into, rather than something to use.

And over time, that matters.

Because children aren’t just moving through spaces collecting experiences. They’re building an internal map of what it feels like to exist in the world. Whether they’re welcomed into it. Whether they can return to it. Whether it holds them steady enough to explore from.

A strong place in early childhood does something quiet and impactful. It says: you’re safe enough here to think deeply. You’re known enough here to try again. You belong enough here to become more than you were yesterday.

And maybe this is the real shift.

Not designing corners for activity but cultivating places for becoming.

Right now, children need places.

Places that don’t shift every week.
Places that don’t demand performance.
Places that allow them to slow down, return, repeat, and deepen.

This is why the shift matters. Not as a trend, but as a response.

It’s time to move from:

· Provision to intention

· Resources to experiences

· Rotation to ritual

· Theme to meaning

Because the fast pace of the day doesn’t need replicating in our playrooms. It needs balancing.

Find out more about Alice and her work here

I also did a great interview with Alice this month that is available exclusively for paid subscribers. You can find that HERE!

Few topics in Early Years create as much debate as BOYS! Both in terms of their development and attainment.

Concerns around boys’ speech and language, writing, self-regulation and general engagement continue to appear in data analysis, professional discussions and national reports.

In England, the gender gap at the end of the EYFS remains significant, particularly when combined with disadvantage. Boys eligible for free school meals continue to attain at lower levels than many of their peers.

What we don’t want to happen is that discussions about boys become oversimplified. I often hear familiar statements like ‘boys just need to move’, ‘boys don’t like writing’ or ‘boys mature later’. While there are some elements of truth for some children, they are not particularly helpful when they become the basis for the curriculum we design or what we expect of those children.

Research suggests that there may be some small developmental differences between boys and girls, but at the same time, there is equally strong evidence that environment, adult interaction, expectation and social experience are more significant in how differences develop over time.

Biology, Development and Difference

There is now evidence suggesting that some average developmental differences between boys and girls appear early in childhood. Research has shown differences in areas such as language development, inhibitory control, physical activity levels and aspects of neurological maturation (Knickmeyer et al., 2024).

But average differences do not describe all children, so we need to be careful not to make fixed assumptions about ability or potential.

One of the clearest conclusions from current developmental research is that overlap between boys and girls is much greater than difference (Eliot et al., 2021).

For example, if we assume that boys are naturally less interested in communication or mark-making, we may unconsciously provide fewer opportunities for that sort of engagement.

Also, if we expect girls to be quieter and more compliant, some girls may become overlooked despite having significant developmental needs of their own.

The evidence suggests that biology may influence how some children experience the world, but it does not determine outcomes independently. Development is highly responsive to the environment we create and interactions we have.

Engagement and the Learning Environment

One of the most important findings from research into boys’ learning is that engagement matters deeply. Boys who are highly involved in meaningful activity often demonstrate strong levels of persistence, creativity, collaboration and problem-solving.

The issue is not usually an absence of capability. More often, it is a mismatch between children’s developmental needs and the environments they are expected to learn within.

This is where provision becomes critical.

In less effective Early Years environments, learning can become heavily dependent on adult direction, sedentary activity and narrow ways of recording (usually writing!). In these situations, some boys disengage quickly, particularly those whose learning is more strongly connected to movement, experimentation and active exploration.

What I would also guard against is creating stereotypically ‘boy-friendly’ provision. Filling environments with superheroes, camouflage patterns or cars and dinosaurs. These can create short-term novelty, but it rarely deepens learning.

Instead, effective environments widen opportunities for engagement.

High-quality continuous provision allows children to revisit, rehearse and extend learning through meaningful activity. Well-designed spaces provide opportunities for all of the following (regardless of the gender of the child)

• movement,

• construction,

• storytelling,

• role play,

• investigation,

• collaboration,

• risk-taking,

• and creativity.

Importantly, these opportunities should exist throughout the environment rather than being separated into ‘physical play’ (often outdoor) and ‘learning’ (often indoor).

Lots of you will be familiar with the work of Ferre Laevers’ (if not- look him up) on involvement is particularly relevant here. Deep-level learning occurs when children are emotionally and cognitively engaged in what they are doing. High levels of involvement are far more significant indicators of learning than compliance or sitting still.

This has major implications for boys in particular. Many boys who struggle in formal or highly sedentary environments demonstrate considerable competence when engaged in active, purposeful play.

Physical Development and Learning

The relationship between physical development and cognitive development is now well established. Gross motor development supports balance, coordination and core stability, all of which contribute to fine motor development and later writing fluency.

Yet despite this, many Early Years environments still separate physical development from ‘academic’ learning.

Children may spend significant periods being expected to sit, listen and record before they have fully developed the physical and regulatory systems needed to manage those demands successfully.

Research suggests that boys are more likely to seek movement and sensory input within their play. When environments restrict movement excessively, some children respond through disengagement, dysregulation or disruptive behaviour.

This is not evidence that boys are incapable of self-regulation. More often, it suggests that the environment is not sufficiently aligned with developmental need.

Strong practice recognises movement as part of learning rather than as a break from learning.

Children need opportunities to move both indoors and out.

Movement supports much more than physical development. It contributes to executive function, resilience, confidence and emotional regulation.

This also has direct implications for literacy development. Writing begins long before a child holds a pencil. It develops through physical strength, shoulder stability, hand control, visual tracking and the ability to sustain attention and coordination.

Children who have not secured these skills are often expected to produce written outcomes before they are developmentally ready to do so - and that usually ends in disaster

Language Development and Adult Interaction

One of the most significant areas of concern for boys in the Early Years remains speech and language development. While the EEF highlights that language provides the foundation of thinking and learning and should be prioritised, wider research suggests that boys are more likely than girls to experience delayed language development in the Early Years (EEF, 2018; Adani & Cepanec, 2019).

However, the evidence strongly suggests that high-quality adult interaction can significantly influence outcomes.

Children develop language through responsive, meaningful communication with adults and peers. Language development is strongest when children are emotionally engaged and actively involved in shared experiences. This has important implications for our practice.

Language should not be confined to carpet sessions or adult-led activities. It should exist throughout the provision and be embedded within play, movement and exploration.

This is especially important for boys whose communication may emerge more readily through action than through formal discussion.

For example, a child engaged in constructing a large ramp outdoors may also be exploring prediction, cause and effect, positional language and collaborative problem-solving. The role of the adult is to recognise and extend this learning without taking ownership of the play.

The EPPE project identified sustained shared thinking as one of the defining features of effective Early Years practice. This remains one of the strongest evidence-informed strategies available to practitioners.

Behaviour, Self-Regulation and Emotional Development

Behaviour continues to be an area where boys are disproportionately represented in concerns around exclusion, regulation and school readiness.

Again, there is a danger that we interpret this too simplistically.

We know that self-regulation develops gradually through repeated experiences of co-regulation with emotionally available adults. Children learn to manage emotion, attention and behaviour through relationships, consistency and support, lots of the behaviour management strategies we are encouraged to use - just don’t work

Some boys may naturally take longer to develop aspects of inhibitory control and emotional regulation. This should not be interpreted as inability, nor should it become an excuse for low expectations.

Behaviour is a form of communication. Children who appear disruptive may actually be communicating stress, frustration, sensory need or disengagement.

Unfortunately, boys tend to experience a disproportionate amount of behaviour management within educational settings. Over time, this will shape their identity as learners and influence their long-term relationship with education.

Implications for Practice

The evidence does not support the creation of a separate approach or curriculum for boys. Instead, we need to focus on developing richer Early Years practice that is linked to typical development rather than gender.

Effective provision for boys, and for all children, should include:

• lots of opportunities for movement,

• high-quality continuous provision,

• emotionally secure relationships,

• strong adult interaction,

• meaningful play,

• broad role-play experiences,

• storytelling and narrative,

• authentic mark-making opportunities,

• and access to ambitious language throughout the environment.

Most importantly, we should remain reflective about their own expectations and how we interact with different children in our space.

Ask yourself:

• Which children receive the most behaviour management and why?

• Which children receive the most positive interactions?

• Which children are viewed as capable?

• Which children are viewed as ‘hard work’?

• Which behaviours are tolerated in some children but challenged in others?

These questions matter because adult perception shapes children’s experience of learning. This is always something useful to discuss as a team and reflect (constructively) on each other’s practice.

What Should we do About the Boys?

The discussion around boys in the Early Years is often dominated by oversimplified stories and observations.

Current research shows that some developmental differences between boys and girls may exist, but those differences are shaped continuously by environment, interaction and experience.

So for us, the key message is clear - Boys do not need lower expectations, a different curriculum or stereotypes. They just need strong Early Years practice which includes movement, communication, emotional security, meaningful play and adults who understand child development.

Ultimately, the goal is not to make boys fit learning spaces more successfully. It is to create environments where all children can engage, participate and thrive as learners.

Alistair.

Some further reading that might be useful…

• Eliot, L., Ahmed, A., Khan, H. & Patel, J. (2021). Dump the “dimorphism”: Comprehensive synthesis of human brain studies reveals few male-female differences beyond size. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 125, 667–697.

• Fine, C. (2017). Testosterone Rex: Myths of Sex, Science and Society. London: Icon Books.

• Knickmeyer, R., Xia, K. & colleagues (2024). Sex differences in human brain structure at birth. Biological Psychiatry.

• Save the Children. (2016). The Lost Boys: How Boys are Falling Behind in Their Early Years. London: Save the Children.

• Rippon, G. (2019). The Gendered Brain: The New Neuroscience that Shatters the Myth of the Female Brain. London: Vintage.

• Weisgram, E. & Dinella, L. (2018). Gender-typed toy play and children’s development. In Gender Typing of Children’s Toys. Washington DC: American Psychological Association.

• Sullivan, J., Sadeh, A. & Henry, M. (2021). Differential teacher responses to boys’ and girls’ behaviour in early childhood classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49(6), 1057–1068.

• Endendijk, J., Groeneveld, M., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M. & Mesman, J. (2016). Gender-differentiated parenting revisited: Meta-analysis reveals very few differences in parental control of boys and girls. PLoS ONE, 11(7).

• Martin, C. & Dinella, L. (2017). Congruence between gender stereotypes and activity preference in children’s play. Sex Roles, 76(9–10), 620–635.

• Bian, L., Leslie, S. & Cimpian, A. (2017). Gender stereotypes about intellectual ability emerge early and influence children’s interests. Science, 355(6323), 389–391.

What a month! May can be a really tricky time as we approach summer, so I hope you’ve had a productive month free from drama (if that’s even possible in our line of work! 🤣)

It’s bee…

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Here is the ‘as-live’ recording of this month’s live Q&A, all about Continuous Provision!

Here is (most of) what we discussed:

[00:22] - What is continuous provision… and what isn’t?

[03…

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As you may know, every month on The PLAYlist, we release a set of 5 activities that centre around a theme! This article is designed to provide some insight and context for those activities.

As a free subscriber, you have access to this listen-along article that you can read below (or click the play button at the top of the page to hear me read it).

If you’d like access to the 5 brilliant, practitioner-crafted activities that go with this article, become a paid subscriber today, and you’ll have access to this month’s activity pack as well as a whole host of other goodies.

Enjoy! 🎉

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The Writing Framework - Do What We Know Works

By Dr Alistair Bryce-Clegg
(Find your 5 Early Writing Activities below this article! )

I have noticed a distinct shift since the writing framework landed. I am involved in more conversations about ‘formal’ handwriting, more questions about ‘appropriate’ expectations and a sense, in lots of places, that things definitely need to get more formal in order to produce results.

The risk is that this is usually the point where Early Years practice starts to disappear and become more like Key Stage 1 (or even 2!).

The framework is far from ideal, but it isn’t asking us to do something radically different to what is developmentally appropriate – it is all about knowledge and interpretation. Writing is a complex process, and it needs to be gradually built, from the foundations upwards.

So, for me, the problem is not the guidance (although it could be better) it is how quickly we default (or are pushed) to the end point, missing out the essential steps in between.

One of the most quoted lines from the framework is that children need to master the foundations of writing, things like handwriting, spelling and sentence construction, and that’s true. But what often gets missed is the line that follows closely behind it, that children should not be expected to write at length before they are ready. That one sentence should shape everything we do, because it gives us permission (or rather, reminds us) to prioritise readiness over output.

But – we need to know what ‘readiness’ looks like.

If you go straight to handwriting as a priority, then you are asking children to perform a complex act before the systems that support it are in place. Writing places a significant load on working memory, creativity, physical development, creative and critical thinking and general cognitive load, which means that if too many elements are competing at once in a developing brain there is only one outcome and that is failure.

What Getting Ready to Write was really about

When I wrote Getting Ready to Write, it was all about helping practitioners to know what those foundations were and how to get them in place in a developmentally appropriate way.

We know that writing doesn’t start with letter shapes, it starts with movement, control, coordination, and the ability to generate and hold ideas. Those early stages of development, the ones that often look like play, are not a precursor to writing. They are writing in its earliest form.

The framework reinforces this, whether it uses that language or not.

It talks about transcription and composition. Transcription being the physical act of handwriting and spelling and composition being the creation and organisation of ideas, and that all starts with talk. Before children can write sentences, they need to be able to say them. If you can’t say it, you can’t write it!

The bit we rush, and shouldn’t

In my experience, if there is one element of writing that consistently gets shortchanged, it is talk. Children need to rehearse sentences out loud. They need to explain, narrate, negotiate, invent. They need to play with language in meaningful contexts. The framework explicitly highlights oral composition as part of early writing development, it is a core element of the process. But this is often the first thing to be squeezed when the pressure is put on.

We need to get way more physical

We talk a lot in Early Years about how important movement is to children’s development and ability to regulate. But, it is often treated as something separate from writing rather than something that sits right at its core. The framework acknowledges the physical demands of handwriting and the need to support them. Without that physical readiness, handwriting becomes a massive effort and that puts children off attempting it. Children get tired quickly, their grip is inconsistent and their control is limited. This in turn again causes their cognitive load to increase, and so the negative spiral continues.

Engagement changes everything

One of the quiet messages within the framework is about motivation. Children need to want to write, they need to see purpose in it. They need to feel that what they are doing has meaning and this is where provision becomes critical. You can have the most beautifully planned fine motor activities, but if they don’t engage the children, then there is no point. The children who most need those experiences will just opt out.

Instead of creating ‘writing activities’, we need to create environments where writing behaviours can emerge. Where children are manipulating, constructing, storytelling, and within that, they begin to represent their ideas in increasingly sophisticated ways.

Recording… or performing?

There is also something to be said about how we document learning. For years, we have created systems that showcase writing, often beautifully, but in ways that are largely adult-owned. Perfect presentation, carefully curated content, and very little genuine child involvement.

If children are going to see themselves as writers, they need to have ownership of the process. They need to make marks that matter to them, revisit them, talk about them, and build on them. Not everything needs to be neat and correct, it just needs to be meaningful.

So where does that leave us?

Reception is not about producing polished pieces of writing. It is about building the foundations that make writing possible.

That means:

• prioritising physical development alongside fine motor control

• investing a lot in talk and language

• creating meaningful, engaging ways for children to represent their ideas

• teaching transcription, but in a way that is developmentally appropriate and well-sequenced

So, rather than doing more, or by doing it earlier, the real challenge is to do what we already know works based on the science and research about how children learn to write using all of the complex elements that have to come together for ultimate success.

Remember! This article comes with 5 great, practical activities that you can download now! Join as a paid subscriber today to access your activities, as well as a whole host of other goodies!

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Who Makes Our Activities?

Hello PLAYlisters! My name is James Davolls and I am an Early Years Lead and author working at Charborough Road Primary School in Bristol. I currently teach Preschool-aged children and have over a decade of Early Year’s teaching experience (I know, I don’t look that old, thanks guys!) I have two children of my own, 4 and 6, so I am very much living and breathing the Early Year’s life at home and in school. I have worked across several diverse settings across Bristol, leading in all of them.

I am passionate about outdoor and adventurous/risk play and love developing provisions that inspire and challenge children’s development.

Fun Facts....growing up, my dream job was to be a Butlin’s Redcoat (I never achieved this!) I am one of seven children, and I love pizza. My wife always says that without her, I would have the diet of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle!

It’s time! I’m about to go live on The PLAYlist to answer your early years questions all about continuous provision.

You can watch the live by going straight to The PLAYlist homepage…

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I will be going live tonight at 7 pm, taking your questions for an hour!! I’ll be answering questions that you can submit here, or ask live on the night!

This month, our theme is Cont…

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By Dr Michelle Wisbey

It is a real pleasure to welcome Dr Michelle Wisbey as a guest author on The PLAYlist this month.

Michelle brin…

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Literally, where is the year going? So much to do…so little time…

So, here is what’s in The PLAYlist this month to help you out. Up first is what’s available to everyone, an…

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Literally, where is the year going? So much to do…so little time…

So, here is what’s in The PLAYlist this month to help you out.

For all subscribers:

I’ve written a piece on what an ideal day looks like in Early Years. It’s not a timetable, or a list of activities, but what you should actually be seeing if your provision, interactions and routines are doing what they should. - Find It Here!

We also have a guest article from Dr Michelle Wisbey, Trusting the Child: Courage, Resilience and the Montessori Approach. It is a good read, especially around how much trust we place in children, and what happens when we genuinely step back. - Find It Here!

There is also a 10% offer on Tales Toolkit, which is well worth a look if you are thinking about how you support language, storytelling and writing in your setting. - Find It Here!

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Paid subscribers EXTRA bits:

The online training this month is Creating Spaces for Depth, Meaning and Challenge. This is all about how the environments we create either support or limit children’s thinking, and how small changes can have a big impact. - Find It Here!

There is an exclusive interview with Dr Michelle Wisbey, looking at Montessori in today’s context and what we can take from it into our own practice. - Find It Here!

We’ve also got 5 Writing Activities, alongside an article from me, The Writing Framework – Do what we know works. - Find It Here!

This month’s ABC LIVE Surgery is on Wednesday 20th May, focused on Continuous Provision. If that is something you are currently grappling with, or you just want a bit more clarity, then send your questions over to support@abcdoes.com. - Find It Here!

And we have a bonus article on how you can build school-ready brains, using ideas from Boogeymites to explore what is really going on in children’s development and how music can support and enhance it. - Find It Here!

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TRAINING DATES

I have added some new UK and international dates:

3 Wrexham Twilights ( 4.30 - 6pm):

• Continuous Provision - 4th June (SOLD OUT)

• Phonics and Writing - 11th June

• Behaviour Management - 25th June

Strong Foundations in the Early Years
This is all about what actually underpins effective EYFS practice, not the gimmicks, not the bolt-ons, but the things that make the biggest difference to children’s outcomes. We look at environment, interaction, development and how it all fits together in a way that feels manageable and realistic in your setting. Just click the button below.

Plymouth – 15th June 2026
Bristol – 17th June 2026

Best Practice in Early Years (International Dates)
A full day exploring what strong Early Years provision really looks like through a developmental lens, with a focus on practical application in a range of settings.

***NEW DATE: Bucharest 26th September 2026***

Jakarta, Indonesia – 7th November 2026
Bangkok, Thailand – 14th November 2026

For full details and to book, head here

Training Dates

As ever, if you have got any thoughts or feedback on The PLAYlist (or requests), I would love to hear from you. Just send an email over to support@abcdoes.com

Hopefully, see you soon

Alistair