We started our ‘What Matters to Me’ journey at Sacred Heart when we were still operating in bubbles during Covid. It was easy to see it was more important than ever at this time to really show we were listening to our children and their families – access to the nursery was heavily restricted, transitions were more complicated, and the wellbeing of the children, although always at the forefront of what we do, became even more significant. Over the last couple of years, the ‘What Matters to Me’ initiative has grown and evolved into a vital part of our everyday life at Sacred Heart ELC.

‘What Matters to Me’ is a large part of our transition process. We discuss children’s interests with their families before we meet them, enabling us to arrive on home visits fully prepared, not just with paperwork, but with items from nursery which link to what is important to them at that time. This hopefully sets the scene for the child and plants the seed that, it might be worth popping along to nursery later that week for a better look! First visits to nursery can be daunting for both children and their families. After gaining more information at the home visit, we can create ‘home comforts’ for those first steps into unfamiliar territory. This could be a basket of dinosaurs, bright green playdough with sparkles in it, a favourite book, a favourite song, a football, basically anything that has been highlighted as a child’s special interest or which provides them comfort.

During a child’s time with us we continue to use the information provided by families to plan experiences, spaces and interactions which meet the child’s individual needs. However, we also closely observe them to notice new interests and experiences with which the child shows engagement and excitement. We also discover personal preferences for certain situations, for example, a child who prefers to eat at the end of lunch when there are less people about or who prefers to spend a bit of extra time in the cloakroom in the morning before coming in to join the rest of the group. We can then adapt the environment, introduce different resources, plan new experiences, and approach interactions differently, always keeping ‘what matters’ to that child at the heart of what we do.

We have used children’s interests to create opportunities for others to try out new experiences. A game of football on the grassy area in the school grounds is always a winner, not just for those with an interest in football. We had one child with an interest in golf, and created a crazy golf course in the garden which had the longest queue of children waiting for a turn, all demonstrating just how patient they could be! Confidence is built when children demonstrate skills they have learnt outside of nursery to their friends. We have had children being gymnasts, dancers and Tae kwon do instructors, proudly showing their friends what they can do and encouraging them to have a go.

At the start of this academic year, we introduced our ‘What Matters to Me’ walls. Every child has space where they can display photos, pictures, and anything else they want to share with others. These walls have become an area of great interest for the children, and they enjoy leading their families, and any visitors to nursery, over to have a look. They take interest not only in their own spaces but also those of their friends. When wall spaces are full everything is transferred to the children’s ‘What Matters to Me’ books which are easily accessible in the nursery for the children and their families to look at, or add to, any time they wish.

             

Our ‘What Matters to Me’ journey so far has really shown us the importance of listening and acting on what we see/hear. We know and understand so much more about the children and their families, which has had a positive impact on both vertical and horizontal transitions. Children seem to be settling quicker and feeling more at home (perhaps evident in the amount of shoeless feet we see 😊). As we look forward to August, there will be opportunities for us to further develop and improve ‘What Matters to Me’ through observation, discussion, and collaboration with the new cohort of children, continuing our journey and continuing to put the children at the centre of what we do every day.