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Children’s readiness for school involves the development of skills such as speech, language and communication skills, social and emotional skills and gross and fine motor skills. The links and resources on this page provide examples of some of the work of the A Better Start partnerships, illustrating how different projects within each of the partnerships contributed to the child being ready for school.
Learning from A Better Start: What works to enable children to be ready for school?
- Providing engaging, stimulating environments and encourage play to help children develop their social and emotional skills.
- Using the natural, outdoor environment to develop language and communication skills through expanding children’s vocabulary, to develop fine and gross motor skills and to support social and emotional development.
- Using everyday opportunities to develop early literacy skills.
- Using high-quality interactions to engage in conversations with children, including babies and very young children.
- Using stories, songs and rhymes to support social and emotional development and develop children’s vocabulary and knowledge.
Contents of this guide
- Supporting children's social and emotional development
- Outdoor environment
- Everyday opportunities to develop early literacy skills
- High-quality interactions
- Stories, songs and rhymes
- Further resources on school readiness
1. Supporting children's social and emotional development
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Read:
Access and read Play Matters: Why play matters in early childhood PDF by Early Years Reviews
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Think about these questions:
- How do you create engaging, stimulating environments that encourage play and help children develop social and emotional skills?
- How do you support children during play to build confidence and positive relationships?
- What could you do to further strengthen children’s social and emotional development through play?
2. Outdoor environment
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Watch:
Watch this clip from Better Start Bradford’s Come Outside Programme, which shows how work to develop parks and outdoor play areas and activities has benefited young children.
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Think about these questions:
- How do you intentionally use the outdoor environment to support children’s social and emotional development and to extend children’s language and communication skills?
- How do the activities and experiences you provide outdoors help children develop their gross and fine motor skills?
- What strategies or changes could you make to further enhance children’s learning, development, and well-being outdoors?
3. Everyday opportunities to develop early literacy skills
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Watch:
Watch this clip from LEAP’s Sharing REAL with Parents Programme which illustrates that early literacy activities can be part of everyday life between a parent/carer and a young child.
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Think about these questions:
- How do you use every day opportunities such as routines and activities to support children’s early literacy skills?
- How do you support parents to provide meaningful opportunities for children to explore and develop early literacy skills throughout the day?
- What changes or strategies could you use to further enhance children’s early literacy development in daily routines and activities?
4. High-quality interactions
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Watch:
Watch this clip from Better Start Bradford’s Saying What They See which shows how babies’ speech and language can be developed by adults responding to the child’s pointing and vocalisation of different sounds/words.
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Think about these questions:
- How do you engage children in meaningful conversations throughout the day?
- How do you listen to babies and young children and follow their cues and interests, when interacting with them?
- What can you do to further develop and improve the quality of your interactions?
5. Stories, songs and rhymes
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Watch:
Watch this clip from Nottingham’s Small Steps Big Changes (SSBC) Programme’s Story and Rhyme Time which discusses the benefits of young children sharing stories and rhymes together and the impact of this on their social and emotional and interpersonal skills.
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Think about these questions:
- How do you use stories, songs, and rhymes to support children’s social and emotional development?
- How do you use stories and rhymes to build children’s vocabulary and knowledge?
- How could you enhance your use of stories, songs, and rhymes to have an even greater impact?
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6. Further resources on school readiness
Supporting social and emotional development
- The Explainer Series - The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood: A series of animated films explaining brain development in early childhood, and how interactions between babies, young children and caring adults can make a positive difference to their social and emotional development.
- The Shaping Us framework - The Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood: Framework designed to provide an accessible way of focussing on social and emotional skills in early childhood, useful for practitioners and parents.
- Personal, social and emotional development - Help for early years providers, DfE : Information, resources and activities to support practitioners to meet curriculum requirements for personal, social and emotional development.
- Early Years Evidence Store - Education Endowment Foundation: Approaches and practices to support personal, social and emotional development.
- Early Years Evidence Store - Education Endowment Foundation: Approaches and practices to support self-regulation and executive function.
- Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs – DfE: Evidence-informed best practice to personal, social and emotional development, in the early years.
- Anna Freud: Expert advice and guidance for nursery staff on how to manage a range of issues.
- Empathy Lab: Resources and advice on how to raise an empathy-educated generation
Supporting physical development
- Early Years Evidence Store - Education Endowment Foundation: Approaches and practices to support physical development.
- Physical development - Help for early years providers, DfE: Information, resources and activities to support practitioners to meet curriculum requirements for physical development.
- Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs – DfE: Evidence-informed best practice to physical development in the early years.
Supporting communication and language and quality interactions
- Communication and language - Help for early years providers, DfE: Information, resources and activities to support practitioners to meet curriculum requirements for communication and language.
- Early Years Evidence Store - Education Endowment Foundation: Approaches and practices to support communication and language in the early years.
- Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs – DfE: Evidence-informed best practice to communication and language in the early years.
- Serve and return - Centre on the developing child, Harvard University: Information about a key scientific concept related to early childhood development: Serve and return interactions—responsive, back-and-forth exchanges between a young child and a caring adult—play a key role in shaping brain architecture.
- Back and forth interactions - The Centre for Early Childhood’s Explainer series: The Centre for Early Childhood’s explainer on back-and-forth interactions describes the importance of adults responding sensitively to children’s early cues and communication.
- Thinking about babies - Froebel Trust: Guidance for leaders and managers of early years settings to support thinking about baby room practices, and support for those working closely with babies.
Using the natural environment
- Early Years Stronger Practice Hubs – DfE: Evidence-informed best practice to using the outdoor environment in the early years.
- Trees for cities: Resources to support teachers and children learn about trees, nature and food growing.
- Father Nature: A community interest company helping schools, nurseries and communities create green spaces that support outdoor learning, wellbeing, and connection to nature.
- Garden Organic – Schools Growing Advice: Provides expert guidance, lesson ideas, and resources to support organic gardening and hands-on food growing education.
- Young children, the outdoors and nature - The Open University: OpenLearn: Free course exploring the importance of outdoor experiences for babies and toddlers, looking at the benefits of nature engagement and practical ideas to develop meaningful outdoor environments and experiences.
- National Education Nature Park: The National Education Nature Park programme empowers children and young people to make a positive difference to both their own and nature's future. These free programmes provide resources, support and guidance to embed climate and nature into learning.
Early literacy
- Literacy - Help for early years providers, DfE: Information, resources and activities to support practitioners to meet curriculum requirements for communication and language.
- Early Years Evidence Store - Education Endowment Foundation: Approaches and practices to support personal early literacy in the early years.
- Starting Reception: Practical guidance for parents, carers and early years settings to support children to develop skills need to thrive when starting Reception.
- Look, Say, Sing, Play - NSPCC: Fun and easy tips to help parents interact in everyday routines and activities with their children.
- Early years resources - National Literacy Trust: Range of resources and tools to help support children's early language development and parental engagement.
- CBeebies parenting – BBC: Information, advice, activity ideas, videos on a wide range of topics to support parents/carers with young children.
- Best Start in Life - NHS: Trusted advice and guidance for parents and carers about pregnancy, babies, healthy child development, childcare and early education.
Resources for parents
- CBeebies parenting – BBC: Information, advice, activity ideas, videos on a wide range of topics to support parents/carers with young children.
- Best Start in Life - NHS: Trusted advice and guidance for parents and carers about pregnancy, babies, healthy child development, childcare and early education.
Other resources
- A Better Start Southend (2025) Stories of Impact, From Birth to School: Supporting Social, Emotional and Communication Development in Southend. Available at From Birth to School
- Kindred2 (2025) Starting Reception: Your child’s journey to school starts at home. Available at Starting Reception
- Lushey, C., Tura, F., Paechter, C. and Wood, J. (2019) Evaluation of Small Steps Big Changes First Annual Report: 2019. Nottingham Centre for Children, Young People and Families, Nottingham Trent University. Available at Evaluation of Small Steps Big Changes First Annual Report
- National Children’s Bureau (2025) Building a system that delivers for early childhood: Reflections from the NCB Summit. Available atBuilding a system that delivers for early childhood
- National Scientific Council on the Developing Child (2007) The Timing and Quality of Early Experiences Combine to Shape Brain Architecture: Working Paper No. 5. Available at www.developingchild.harvard.edu
- UNICEF (2002) A world fit for children, New York. Available at A World Fit for Children
- UNICEF (2012) School Readiness: a conceptual framework, New York. Available at School Readiness. A conceptual Framework