Skip to main navigation Skip to main content
Home

Search

  • Donate
  • News & opinion
  • About us
    • Who we are
      • Our 60th anniversary
        • 60 years old but forever young
        • Explore our story!
        • National Children’s Bureau: 60 Years Driving Change for Children
        • 60th takeover! A creative take on our birthday branding
        • Animating our anniversary
      • Our impact
      • Our vision, mission and values
      • Our NCB family
        • Anti-Bullying Alliance
          • Anti-Bullying Alliance membership
        • Childhood Bereavement Network
          • Childhood Bereavement Network membership
          • Childhood Bereavement Network resources
        • Council for Disabled Children
          • Council for Disabled Children
          • Information, Advice and Support Services Network
          • Making Ourselves Heard
          • Special Educational Consortium
          • Transition Information Network
        • Lambeth Early Action Partnership
        • Northern Ireland Anti-Bullying Forum
        • Schools' Wellbeing Partnership
      • Our expertise
        • Leadership Team
        • Trustees
        • Deputy Directors
        • Sector specialists
      • Our process
      • Our accreditation
      • Our annual reports
    • Where we work
      • NCB in Northern Ireland
        • News & opinion
        • NI projects & programmes
          • PEACE IV Shared Education - Impact evaluation Executive Summary
          • Anti-bullying policy and practice
          • LINKS Network
            • LINKS Grant Holder Organisations
              • A - F
              • G - L
              • M - R
              • S - Z
            • LINKS workshops
            • LINKS Young People Advisory Group
            • LINKS Internship
            • The Impact of Covid 19 on LINKS Groups
            • LINKS News
            • LINKS Cluster Group Meetings
          • Early years work in NI
        • Outcomes Based Accountability
        • Resources & Publications
        • Contact the Northern Ireland team
        • Our team
    • Join the team
      • Current vacancies
      • Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion
        • Multi-Ethnic Staff Support Network
        • NCB Board Statement on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
        • NCB Staff Disability and Neurodiversity Network
      • Employee benefits
      • Working at NCB
    • Media centre
      • News & opinion
      • Spokespeople

    About us

    We bring people and organisations together to drive change in society and deliver a better childhood across the UK.

    More
    • Who we are
    • Where we work
    • Join the team
    • Media centre
    Featured

    Our NCB family

  • What we do
    • Research & evidence
      • Our research projects
        • Children and Society Journal
        • Health research
        • LINKS Network
        • Outcomes Research
        • Social Care Research
        • Youth justice research
        • Early years research
        • Education research
      • Young Research Advisors
      • Ethical guidelines
      • Research partners
      • Families Research Advisory Group
    • Influencing policy
      • All Party Parliamentary Group
      • General election: manifesto influencing
        • Children at the Table
          • Children at the Table: Policy report
      • Policy campaigns
        • 'It’s Our Care' Day of Action
        • CAMHS Referrals and Outcomes for Adolescents and Children with Social Workers study
        • Children and Young People's Health Policy Influencing Group (HPIG)
          • HPIG and the Health and Care Act
          • HPIG members
          • ICS Working Group
        • Children’s Social Care Review
        • Give us a Chancellor
        • Build Back Childhood
        • A vision for recovery
        • Children at the Heart
      • Reports, briefings and consultation responses
      • Our manifesto
    • Practice and programmes
      • Early years
        • Early Childhood Unit
          • Lunchtime Learning Webinars
          • Our programmes
            • Making it REAL
            • Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs
              • Stronger Practice Hubs: Embedding an evidence-based approach
                • EYSPH professional development programmes
            • Special Making it REAL
            • Healthy Early Years and Healthy Schools London
            • Our work in NI
            • Our work in Lambeth
            • Our work in Lewisham
          • Our training
          • National Quality Improvement Network
          • Our resources
            • Early years leaflets
            • Knowledge Makes Change seminars
          • Early Childhood Unit newsletter
        • A Better Start
        • Early Years SEND Partnership
        • Lambeth Early Action Partnership
      • Health and mental health
        • Child health
          • Participation and co-production
          • Service design
          • Understanding your healthcare rights
        • Integration
          • Alternative provision
          • An outcomes-based approach to data
          • Health and justice
          • Joint commissioning
        • Mental health and wellbeing
          • Schools' Wellbeing Partnership
            • Whole school approach
            • Key resources
            • Recent partnership activity
            • Partnership members
            • Our forum
            • Apply to join the partnership
          • Adolescence, Mental Health and Developing Mind
          • Mental health workforce training
          • Personalised care
          • Wellbeing Award for Schools
          • HeadStart
            • Schools
            • Community approaches
            • Cross systems working
            • Outputs
            • Participation and co-production
            • Workforce development
            • Digital
            • Vulnerable young people
            • Learning from events
            • Reflections from NCB Support and Development contract
        • SEND excellence and improvement
          • Learning disability and autism
          • Research & improvement in SEND excellence
          • Supporting health leaders
          • Supporting parents
      • Social care
        • Sector Awareness and Provider Preparedness
          • About the programme
          • Get involved
            • Digital Learning Platform
            • Join our Online Community of Practice Forums
            • Training and events
            • Sector Intelligence
            • Contact us
          • Involving Young People
          • News
            • Latest news
            • Newsletter
          • Regulations and standards
            • Categories of supported accommodation
          • Resource hub
            • Case Study Learning Example: Sunderland – a local authority registering as a supported accommodation provider
            • Events
            • FAQs
            • Key Learning for Supported Lodging Providers
            • Key Tips for Registering a Supported Accommodation Service
            • Policy Development Resources
            • Provider Information Pack 
            • Registration Process Map
            • Roles and Responsibilities Resources
            • Supported Accommodation - Provider Readiness Tool
            • Timeline to Register
            • Unaccompanied asylum-seeking young people: Young person's information pack
              • Helplines for young people
              • Online resources
              • Other resources for young people
            • eLearning courses 
        • Family Help listing
          • Supporting and strengthening families through early help - A rapid review of evidence
        • Inclusion & SEND
          • Delivering Better Outcomes Together
          • Information, Advice and Support Programme
          • It’s My Life! Decisions, Capacity and Education, Health and Care Plans
        • Safeguarding children
          • National Government action
          • Supporting local systems to protect children
          • Ensuring the voices of those with lived experience are heard
          • Understanding the impact of maltreatment
          • Domestic violence and abuse in local child safeguarding policy
          • Safeguarding Early Adopters
          • Understanding, preventing and responding to sexual and sexist bullying
          • Our people
    • Involving children & young people
      • Young NCB Advisory Group
      • Recent projects with children & young people
      • Involving children & young people in research
      • Listen to Our Turn to Talk podcast
      • Join Young NCB
    • Our strategy

    What we do

    Our impact goes beyond childhood to deliver lasting change for future generations.

    More
    • Research & evidence
    • Influencing policy
    • Practice and programmes
    • Involving children & young people
    • Our strategy
    Featured

    Give us a Chancellor

    Featured

    Reports, briefings and consultation responses

  • Resources
    • All resources
    • Major reports and resources
    • Training, consultancy and events
      • SEND e-learning
      • Early years training and consultancy
    • Covid-19 resources
    • Resources for schools

    Resources

    Information and tools to guide policy and practice development.

    More
    • All resources
    • Major reports and resources
    • Training, consultancy and events
    • Covid-19 resources
    • Resources for schools
    Featured

    Covid-19 resources

    Featured

    Resources for schools

  • Partner with us
    • Trusts and foundations
    • Corporate partnerships
    • Consultancy
    • Individual supporters
    • Leave a gift in your will

    Partner with us

    Help to build a better childhood for every child by getting involved today

    More
    • Trusts and foundations
    • Corporate partnerships
    • Consultancy
    • Individual supporters
    • Leave a gift in your will
    Featured

    Trusts and foundations

    Featured

    Individual supporters

Natural Thinkers - Thinking about the EYFS reforms

Image

Share

  • Share on facebook
  • Tweet this
  • Share linkedin
  • Email

Published

10 Sep 2021

Tags

News & opinion

The updated EYFS framework came into force in September 2021 and at Natural Thinkers, we have been considering how our programme can support aspects of its delivery. One of the focuses of the reforms is on strengthening language and vocabulary development.

The Natural Thinkers programme has been developed to provide a nurturing and stimulating environment that encourages talk, whether it be encouraging children to talk about what they see, ask questions, or discuss the wonder that nature provides us with. The programme provides a wealth of opportunity for practitioners to create a communication rich environment for introducing new vocabulary. The clip below shows how motivated a nursery child is to use mathematical language to describe what he sees.

The EYFS now includes the natural world as part of the early learning goals and asks that children connect with their surroundings by looking at similarities and differences.  They are also encouraged to engage with the seasons. The Natural Thinkers commitments offer a framework that ensures that these goals can be met, such as the one below:  

Children engage with weather and the seasons.

Natural Thinkers commitment

The programme gives practitioners practical ideas on how to implement 10 commitments that are focused on connecting with nature. Practitioners are encouraged to think about the characteristics of effective learning of the EYFS by ensuring that children have the right high-quality opportunities to learn in this way: playing and exploring, active learning, being creative and thinking critically. Natural Thinkers activities are underpinned by the principles of the characteristics of effective learning and offer further exploration for scientific enquiry. Activities that allow opportunity for exploration are vital in encouraging high levels of involvement.

When the children go outside, they seem calmer and freer to explore. We see higher levels of well-being and involvement, which in turn brings vibrant conversation. Our children love engaging with the seasons, we even have weather boxes, that they can choose resources that fit what is happening on the day, such as having streamers to run around with on a windy day.

Lambeth Early Years Practitioner

If you are looking for exciting ways of enhancing and developing children’s language and vocabulary, whilst focussing on children’s well-being and involvement, the Natural Thinkers programme could be what you need to implement in your setting.

To find out more information on how you can access training and become an accredited Natural Thinkers setting then please do get in contact with Jacqui McDermid and Jo Gordon: [email protected]

About us

  • Who we are
  • Where we work
  • Join the team
  • Media centre
    • News & opinion
    • Spokespeople

Share

  • Share on facebook
  • Tweet this
  • Share linkedin
  • Email

Most Recent

  • The Council for Disabled Children appoints new director Amanda Allard 

  • New contract announced to support the implementation of the SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan

  • Rishi Sunak’s promise of new direction for children and families requires sustained investment

  • A new online home for the Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs

  • Children’s Charities Coalition joint statement responding to LGA research on high cost placements in children’s social care

  • Joint statement from Children's Charities Coalition in response to Autumn Statement

Back to top
Home

Sign up to our newsletter

  • About us
    • Who we are
    • Where we work
    • Join the team
    • Media centre
  • What we do
    • Research & evidence
    • Influencing policy
    • Practice and programmes
    • Involving children & young people
    • Our strategy
  • Resources
    • All resources
    • Major reports and resources
    • Training, consultancy and events
    • Covid-19 resources
    • Resources for schools
  • Partner with us
    • Trusts and foundations
    • Corporate partnerships
    • Consultancy
    • Individual supporters
    • Leave a gift in your will

Meet the NCB family : United for better childhood

  • NCB Home

  • CDC Home

  • CBN Home

  • ABA Home

  • SWP Home

© National Children's Bureau 2023

  • linkedin
  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy statement
  • Terms and conditions
  • Cookie Policy
  • Suppliers area
  • Contact us

Registered charity No. 258825. Registered in England and Wales No. 952717.

Registered office: National Children’s Bureau, 23 Mentmore Terrace, Hackney, London E8 3PN. A Company Limited by Guarantee.

Site by Effusion