Centre of attention:Good practice: show and tell

Show and Tell sessions can be a time when children are given the opportunity to be the centre of attention or enjoy a greater emphasis on the sharing of ideas in an atmosphere of mutual support. Practitioners will be aiming to build children's confidence and self-esteem, and to promote their listening and communication skills. Children may take part both as a listener and as a speaker.

'Children gain a sense of self-worth when they are invited to show and talk about something they have made, or when the group listens to their account of a family trip at the weekend,' says early years consultant Jennie Lindon. You should allow children to make real choices about what they will present, and help them to deliver these choices in front of others. Encourage everyone to relate to the views and emotions expressed, to understand some of the reasons behind a child's choice of words or object, and perhaps comment on them. This will help with the learning goals for personal, social and emotional development and aspects of communication and language.