1. Being Two at Nurture Nursery Warwick Nursery School A Shared Understandi ng

2. Making Children ’ s Learning Visible About ‘ Being Two ’ Two year olds are a distinct group. They truly are a category all of their own, but are often lumped into a broad category known as the Under - Threes. The developmental changes between children who have just passed their second birthday and children who have almost reached their third birthday are enormous. By two…  …children have become mobile explorers who have started to develop their independence.  …their language skills have not necessarily developed enough for them to make their needs clearly known.  …most do not yet have the social skills to manage turn - taking, sharing or waiting, so their tempers may erupt quickly.  …children need more sleep than three year olds, but are much more active learners than babies. Therefore two year olds need adults…  who are ‘ tuned in ’ to their distinct needs.  who have a good understanding of how young children develop.  who respond, support and plan for their individual needs.  who are aware of, and value, their fluctuating emotional and physical needs. To achieve this we need your help…

3. We believe there are certain qualities and characteristics, which we see all the time, that are essential ingredients that will enable your child and forge sound foundations for their future development and learning. We want to ensure, and assure parents, that we are fostering these qualities and characteristics in our setting. We will share with you how we think your child will benefit from being at Nurture Nursery, but our view is only half of the equation. We want to work with you, our parents, and seek your opinions and ideas, telling us what you hope your little one may gain by being at Nurture Nursery. This will help us reach our aim of… ‘ A Shared Understanding ’ The very heart of our staff ’ s role in Nurture Nursery is to form strong relationships with parents as your children make their first gentle steps of independence. Acting together as a strong partnership in supporting your child ’ s individual needs, well being, development and learning is a huge benefit to us, but most importantly to your child. Our experience working with children at the age of two to three has given us a clear picture of a child who is contented and actively learning. ‘ Image of the Child ’ ‘ A Shared Understandin g ’

4. Nurture Nursery ’ s ‘ Image of the Child ’ Parents often ask us why their child should come to Nurture Nursery? We want to be clear about the positive experience Nurture Nursery can be for young children and also for parents as they learn to trust us to care for their most precious little person. Staff at Nurture Nursery created this list of valuable feelings, qualities and characteristics that we think best describe what we see when a child is happily involved in their play and learning effectively at Nurture Nursery - our ‘ Image of the Child ’. These are our aims for your children when they come to spend time with us. Secure Curiosity and delight ! Optimistic & resilient Achieving & progressing Self - esteem Becoming an effective communicator Being the unique individual they are.

5. Secure Curiosity and delight ! Children ’ s natural curiosity ; the definition of which is ‘ a strong desire to know or learn something ’, leads to exploration, wondering, testing, questioning, so extending their abilities and knowledge. Curiosity often leads to delight. The delight of a two - year - old is something to behold ; a clear indication that a child is being rewarded solely by the sheer pleasure of a new discovery, experience or feeling. This is the essence of learning through play. Our experience tells us that until a child trusts and is comfortabl e with us and our setting, they cannot relax and begin to explore and learn. Feeling secure is the first quality we want to foster in any child who comes to Nurture Nursery.

6. Optimis tic and resilie nt Each child has to believe they can achieve something challenging, in order to be brave enough to try. We think being ‘ optimistic ’ ( the definition of which is someone who takes a favourable view of events and hopes for a positive outcome in a situation ) best describes this characteristic. However, what allows children to cope when they do not achieve what they set out to do… and what encourages them to persevere? We believe it ’ s ‘ resilience ’ ( to withstand or recover quickly from difficulty ). ‘ Optimism and resilience ’ are interlinked, so we see them as a joint characteristic and something we sensitively encourage.

7. Achievi ng & progres sing A child being successful in what they set out to do ; gaining skills and understanding, enables them to move on to the next level of learning. Two essential qualities, achieving and progressing, are connected and one leads to the other. Self - esteem Self - esteem is an essential ingredient in learning, as it makes a child feel worthy of the attention of others ; confident they will be liked ; and that they are able. Self - esteem protects emotionally, when things go wrong.

8. Becoming an effective communicato r Children are communicators from birth – a necessity to stay alive and thrive. A child ’ s early experience of being with others is a really important step in becoming a more effective communicator. Communication is not just about talking, but involves learning to manage their feelings, gaining basic social skills, making themselves understood and learning to understand others. When children discover that others can be a great source of fun, new ideas and experiences, their future learning and life skills can be truly enhanced. ‘ Two - year - olds ’ need to come to this stage naturally.

9. Being the unique individual they are ! In our setting we feel very strongly, and perhaps most importantly, that each child should be able to feel comfortable just being themselves. They should feel accepted as they are and treated with respect for their individual characteristics, quirks, schemas, sensitivities, and difficulties. Just appreciated for being the unique person they are. This information is to help you understand how we hope to see your child developing during their time with us.