Young children deserve time to delight in doing what they find easy-peasy. But that pleasure stems in large part from the fact that building with bricks or riding a bike was until recently a bit of a challenge.
Incorporating challenge into early years provision is essential for young children's development, both emotional and intellectual. Through the challenge of the 'new' or 'harder', children can build up their confidence, self-esteem and feelings of competence. Handled well, challenge can develop children's motivation to learn, their resilience and a recognition of their own limits. Conversely, without exposure to challenge and risk-taking, children may struggle to develop a 'can-do' attitude.
However, challenge needs to be handled sensitively and tailored to the individual child, for although some children may welcome a degree of struggle, others may only tolerate it, or indeed shy away from it. Pitched at the right level, a child will feel 'I want to do this' and 'I'm going to keep trying', rather than 'It's too hard for me' and 'I can't do it.'
Handling challenge effectively requires the right resources, coupled with the right adult support - and these are inextricably linked. An effective key-person approach will ensure that settings know children well enough to judge what level of difficulty suits the individual.
Familiar adults are also ideally placed to encourage young children to go beyond their comfort zone, be that coaxing a baby to 'have a go' in developing their physical skills or stretching young children intellectually with questions such as 'What could we do?' or 'Have a think about ... '
It's important that practitioners act as genuine play partners and avoid controlling the flow of children's play. Bossy grown-ups only leave children feeling daunted - behaviour that is often interpreted as 'off-task' and unco-operative.
ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS
We learn or hone skills and knowledge at any age, narrowing or closing the gap between 'can't' and 'can', between 'don't know' and 'know'. Play resources that provide a friendly push towards new learning tend to be open-ended, providing children with the scope to make of them what they want, whatever their current interest. Allied to that, however, is the need for adults to organise resources in a way that offers children choice.
Take, for example, a setting's sand and water play areas. A range of suitable tools, jugs, scoops and containers is essential in these areas, but it's important that they are positioned by the side of the trays for the children to choose, rather than selected by adults and presented in the sand or water.
And with small-world play, adults should resist creating the house, garage or farm in advance, but allow children to take on the challenge of creating their own small worlds.
Another important consideration in planning for challenge is tools. If children are to rise to the challenge, they need tools that will work properly, whether for digging and gardening, cooking, making their own creations with different art and craft materials or mark-making.
Here, adults should:
- - be on hand to encourage children to use the tools carefully (and store them away)
- - help children make scissors, spades or rolling pins do what they want them to do
- - encourage them to explore through trial and error
- - make them appreciate that some mistakes are inevitable, and
- - explore what everyone has learned from early endeavours.
Resources that offer intellectual challenge come in many forms, though simple board and card games that combine elements of skill and chance are staples. Another is jigsaws: children should have access to some that are difficult but not daunting.
Again, these resources will only 'work' with effective adult support. Children need to be able to approach any unfamiliar resource as an interesting opportunity rather than a source of anxiety.
In this contect, practitioners must:
- - make children feel secure enough to play with a new resource
- - play alongside children until they have learned the logic of a game, as well as turn-taking skills
- - offer strategies for using a resource. For example, when making jigsaws, suggest that the children look first for the corners and edges. (Make sure, too, that the puzzle has a completed picture that children can refer to)
- - help children realise that it is 'alright' if they don't understand something first time. Sometimes, it takes a while for children to realise that they can apply their current skills and knowledge to a different kind of learning experience.
OUTDOORS
The same approach applies outdoors, although here the potential for challenge, as with so many other aspects of outdoor learning, can be on a far grander scale.
An enabling outdoor environment should be organised with spaces for planting as well as areas for vigorous physical activity. Growing vegetables, herbs or fruit that can be eaten offers the challenge not only of gardening but also of waiting for nature to run its course.
As for play equipment, settings should provide resources for climbing, clambering, jumping, balancing and sliding and, ideally, a slope to slide or roll down. Young children happily challenge themselves when presented with such resources and space in which to run around.
Movable equipment - such as planks, firm crates, barrels and frame tunnels - are often more flexible than fixed equipment. Practitioners can organise, often with children's help, an obstacle course or a 'balancing' circuit that fits with their current abilities, interests and motivation.
Dedicated areas for lively physical play can also be created indoors, using room-dividers and foam mats and wedges inside the area.
RISK
With challenge comes risk, but it is only through exposure to risk that children learn how to assess and manage risk themselves. Enabling environments, indoors and out, therefore need to be safe enough for children to take manageable risks. Buying good-quality equipment is a must, as is keeping it well maintained.
Practitioners need to take a realistic view of risk, so when carrying out a risk-benefit assessment (or analysis), they should:
- - focus discussions on the benefits as well as the risks. Consider what children will lose if, for example, you remove the scissors or ban children from climbing trees
- - consider only genuine hazards; avoid fretting over every possible risk and note that an attentive adult will always be on hand
- - discuss how to enable children to practise balancing or using a garden fork safely
- - set boundaries and conditions for the children that will leave them able to 'roam'. For example, they can climb trees but not beyond the reach of an adult.
With this approach, there will still be plenty of scope for children to challenge themselves and feel like they are having adventures every day.
BEST BUYS
Early Excellence established the model of continuous play provision with generous choice for children. This environment is enhanced by practitioners on the basis of their knowledge of individual children and well-supported judgments of what is likely to engage this age group. Flexible resources of crates and poles enable varied outdoors constructions. Children love dens and they can use the EE kits to create different designs. www.earlyexcellence.com/resource_ centre.html
Mindstretchers has a passion for outdoors learning and enabling young children to organise themselves. It offers a range of tools that fit little hands and really work. Natural collections and unusual materials enable children to create something highly individual, as well as master new physical skills. Its 2- and 3-D puzzles will stretch everyone. www.mindstretchers.co.uk/catalogue.html
Reflections on Learning offers a broad range of Reggio-inspired resources. These remind us that young children can manage games of skill, especially with a supportive adult. Reflections' large-scale versions of dominoes (£11.99, pictured), Os and Xs (£8.99) or 4-in-a-Row (£21.99) work well outdoors. www.reflectionsonlearning.co.uk
FURTHER READING
- Hawkins, Cyndy 'Inflated view of risk inhibits children', Nursery World, 11 November 2010
- Lindon, Jennie Planning for Effective Early Learning. Practical Pre-School Books, 2011 - www.practicalpreschoolbooks.com/Pages/Item/1303/Free-download-page.aspx
- Lindon, Jennie Too Safe for Their Own Good? Helping children with risk and lifeskills (second edition, 2011). National Children's Bureau
- Risk It, Mindstretchers (2009) - www.mindstretchers.co.uk/articles/risk-it.html
- Williams-Siegfredsen, Jane 'Run the risk', Nursery World, 4 August 2005
TAKE UP THE CHALLENGE
Outdoor equipment company Fawns has just introduced its Woodland Explore range, designed with challenge in mind. Children will be able to hone both their physical and decision-making skills as they negotiate around, over and across the equipment. The units, which include a scramble net, traversing wall, a tower and a rope swing, start at £1,800. The range is bespoke. For more information, visit www.fawns.co.uk
