{"id":821,"date":"2021-10-06T16:51:12","date_gmt":"2021-10-06T15:51:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/?page_id=120"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:24:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T17:24:49","slug":"nurture-principle-1-childrens-learning-is-understood-developmentally","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/nurture-principle-1-childrens-learning-is-understood-developmentally\/","title":{"rendered":"Principle 1 &#8211; Children&#8217;s learning is understood developmentally"},"content":{"rendered":"<section id=\"builder-section-text_11\" class=\"builder-section-first builder-section builder-section-text builder-section-next-text builder-section-full-width builder-text-columns-2 layout-9\" style=\"background-size: cover; background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: center center;\">\n<div class=\"builder-section-content\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-row\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-1\" id=\"builder-section-text_11-column-1\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n<h2>\u00a0<\/h2>\n<h2><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-17260 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2025\/11\/24142205\/Wellbeing-Inclusion-Equality-icon.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"50\" height=\"50\" srcset=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2025\/11\/24142205\/Wellbeing-Inclusion-Equality-icon.png 756w, https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/public\/earlylevelportal\/uploads\/sites\/3720\/2025\/11\/24142205\/Wellbeing-Inclusion-Equality-icon-300x300.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 50px) 100vw, 50px\" \/><\/span><\/h2>\n<h1><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/nurture\/\">Nurture<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<h3><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><strong>Nurture Principle 1 &#8211; <small>Children&#8217;s learning is understood developmentally<\/small><\/strong><\/span><\/h3>\n<h3>Key Messages:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Practitioners have a sound understanding of early childhood development and the needs of children throughout their developmental stages.<\/li>\n<li>Practitioners have a sound understanding of <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/attachment\/\" rel=\"noopener\">attachment<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/sensory-processing\/\" rel=\"noopener\">sensory learning<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-2\" id=\"builder-section-text_11-column-2\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n<div class=\"jetpack-video-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"ttfmake-embed-wrapper aligncenter\" style=\"max-width: 960px;\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Nurture Principle 1\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/S0-Dh62hexU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"builder-section-text_26\" class=\"builder-section-prev-text builder-section builder-section-text builder-section-last builder-section-full-width builder-text-columns-1\" style=\"background-size: cover; background-repeat: no-repeat;background-position: center center;\">\n<div class=\"builder-section-content\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-row\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-column builder-text-column-1\" id=\"builder-section-text_26-column-1\">\n<div class=\"builder-text-content\">\n<ul>\n<li>Stimulating, engaging and challenging environments are resourced for the developmental stages of ALL children.<\/li>\n<li>Practitioner understanding of the developmental stages of <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/play\/\" rel=\"noopener\">play<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/schemas\/\" rel=\"noopener\">schemas<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/loose-parts\/\" rel=\"noopener\">loose parts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.froebel.org.uk\/uploads\/documents\/Froebels-gifts-and-block-play-today.pdf\" rel=\"noopener\">block play<\/a> is evident in the planning and resourcing of play spaces and experiences.<\/li>\n<li>Practitioners demonstrate a good understanding of the behaviours they <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/observations\/\" rel=\"noopener\">observe<\/a> and respond\u00a0to the needs of individual children.<\/li>\n<li>Young children are actively encouraged to explore sensory and schematic behaviour patterns.<\/li>\n<li>Children are <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/leuven-involvement-scale\/\" rel=\"noopener\">deeply engaged<\/a> in developmentally appropriate play experiences both <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/spaces-indoor\/\" rel=\"noopener\">indoors<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/spaces-outdoor-learning\/\" rel=\"noopener\">out<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Children have free access to a wide range of natural and open-ended resources.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/learning-journeys\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Learning journeys<\/a> reflect the uniqueness of each child and evidence how practitioners support and <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/supporting-deepening-and-extending-learning-continued\/\" rel=\"noopener\">extend<\/a> developmentally appropriate learning experiences for that individual.<\/li>\n<li>Settings actively support <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/family-partnerships\/\" rel=\"noopener\">families<\/a> in understanding and encouraging schematic behaviours and other developmental play stages their child might display.<\/li>\n<li>Primary 1: Children&#8217;s learning is understood developmentally, with learning and play opportunities offered in response to children&#8217;s assessed developmental progress rather than attainment levels associated with chronological age.\u00a0 (This could be part of a whole school play strategy.)\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>\u00a0<\/h3>\n<h3>Ways we can do this:<\/h3>\n<p><cite>&#8220;Positive relationships are at the heart of the school\/Early Learning and Childcare settings and are seen as underpinning all successful learning and teaching.&#8221;<\/cite><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;\">(Applying Nurture as a Whole School Approach, Education Scotland, p. 14)\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Practitioners actively engage with up-to-date and relevant training and put this into practice in the setting.<\/p>\n<p>Developmental milestone trackers gather information about each child (see SBC Developmental Overviews on tabs at the bottom of the <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/emerging-literacy-and-english\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Emerging Literacy<\/a> page).<\/p>\n<p>Team meetings, in-service days, professional reading and discussions, support practitioners to upskill and develop their own knowledge and understanding of child development, including <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/attachment\/\" rel=\"noopener\">attachment<\/a> theory.<\/p>\n<p>Planning reflects the developmental stages of children.\u00a0 Practitioners make high-quality observations of children&#8217;s learning and use these to develop rich learning opportunities based on developmental stage rather than chronological age.<\/p>\n<p>Moderation of learning journeys by Senior Lead Teams\/managers ensures that developmentally appropriate play experiences support and extend the needs of all individuals.<\/p>\n<p>Settings offer targeted interventions to support some <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/family-partnerships\/\" rel=\"noopener\">families<\/a> with understanding the importance of developmentally appropriate play experiences and how to help their child at home.<\/p>\n<p>Settings discuss the importance of developmental play patterns with families.\u00a0 They supply information on <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/play\/\" rel=\"noopener\">play<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/schemas\/\" rel=\"noopener\">schemas<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/loose-parts\/\" rel=\"noopener\">loose parts<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/block-play\/\" rel=\"noopener\">block play<\/a> to help families understand and support their child&#8217;s play and development at home.<\/p>\n<p>&#8216;Stay and Play&#8217; sessions allow families to observe how children can use resources in a developmentally appropriate way.<\/p>\n<p>Speech and Language Therapy (SaLT) actively promote and support a developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum in Primary 1 and above.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Learn More<\/strong> <span class=\"ttfmake-icon mceNonEditable fas\">\uf063<\/span>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/nurture-principle-2-the-environment-offers-a-safe-base\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Nurture Principle 2.\u00a0 The environment offers a safe base<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/principle-3-the-importance-of-nurture-for-the-development-of-wellbeing\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Nurture Principle 3.\u00a0 The importance of nurture for the development of wellbeing<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/principle-4-language-is-a-vital-means-of-communication\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Nurture Principle 4.\u00a0 Language is a vital means of communication<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/principle-5-all-behaviour-is-communication\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Nurture Principle 5.\u00a0 All behaviour is communication<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"padding-left: 40px;\"><span style=\"color: #800000;\"><a style=\"color: #800000;\" href=\"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/principle-6-the-importance-of-transition-in-childrens-lives\/\" rel=\"noopener\">Nurture Principle 6.\u00a0 The importance of transition in children&#8217;s lives<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/section>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0 Nurture Nurture Principle 1 &#8211; Children&#8217;s learning is understood developmentally Key Messages: Practitioners have a sound understanding of early childhood development and the needs of children throughout their developmental stages. Practitioners have a sound understanding of attachment and sensory learning. Stimulating, engaging and challenging environments are resourced for the developmental stages of ALL children. &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7767,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-builder.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-821","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/821","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7767"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=821"}],"version-history":[{"count":61,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/821\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21169,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/821\/revisions\/21169"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.glowscotland.org.uk\/sb\/earlylevelportal\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=821"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}