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EDS - EYFS Communication activities in any language 1

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Your home language is important leaflet in English

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EDS - Advice for EAL families with children in EYFS & Preschool

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Unite for Literacy provides free digital access to picture books, narrated in many languages. Literacy is at the core of a healthy community, so we unite with partners to enable all families to read with their young children.

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PACEY - Professional Association for Childcare and Early Years

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Teddy Talk is a structured language development programme for EAL pupils in nursery schools. It is adapted from the original CHAT (Communication , Help and Awareness Team) programme provided by various Speech & Language Therapy services in Scotland.

Teddy Talk is intended for children in the early stages of English language acquisition. It has proven results for quickly developing core vocabulary and self-confidence. EAL children in the 'silent period' will often start to speak after Teddy Talk sessions.

Sessions take about 15-20 minutes, and each session is built around a repeated, predictable framework that includes:

1. Rules of good sitting, listening and looking

2. A Hello Song and greeting

3. Some games

4. A Story

5. A Goodbye song and farewell

A sequence of around 10 sessions is ideal, with each session provided two or three times each week to reinforce language acquisition.

Topics

Choose from any of these topics that support what you are currently doing in your nursery, or use them as a framework for developing your own. Just click the theme title to download a Word document with guidance and visual resources. If possible, use actual objects or toys in preference to flashcards. The topics are ordered in terms of difficulty. The first topics are suitable for pupils new to English and the latter ones for pupils working towards greater fluency:

Parental Permission

If you think parents may be concerned about their child participating in this activity, here's an information and permission slip that will hopefully alleviate any concerns.

Here are a couple of audio files with the Hello and Goodbye songs that are used in Teddy Talk session.

Use any song, but it's important to include names and ask how they are:
Hello Song
Hello, hello, how are you? Piotr, Piotr

Hello, hello, how are you? How are you today?

(Wait for a response, thumbs "I'm good" or thumbs down "I'm not good")

http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Hello-Song-v2.wav

Goodbye Song (to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)

Now it's time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye

Now it's time to say goodbye, goodbye Piotr (or you could use the name of the objects going back into the bag)

http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Goodbye-Song-v2.wav
Kodaly Hello Song
These songs have been slightly adapted from the songs used in Kodaly sessions. If you slap your knees and then clap your hands to the beat this is good for rhythm development too.

http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Hello-song.mp3
Kodaly Goodbye song
http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/goodbye-song.mp3
http://www.bilingualism-matters.ppls.ed.ac.uk
Bilingualism Matters is a centre for research and information on language learning and bilingualism based at Edinburgh University. Links to a variety of resources including a newsletter, language and identity and relevance of language learning in today's society.

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Teddy Talk: Supporting EAL Children in Nursery School

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Teddy Talk is a structured language development programme for EAL pupils in nursery schools. It is adapted from the original CHAT (Communication , Help and Awareness Team) programme provided by various Speech & Language Therapy services in Scotland. Teddy Talk is intended for children in the early stages of English language acquisition.

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Download our My Family, Your Family resources

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Laura Henry-Allain MBE has put together resources to help children and adults have meaningful discussions on family and belonging.

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The myth of speech delay in bilingual toddlers: Top tips for speaking two languages to baby

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Does speaking two languages to a baby confuse them? It is a common myth is that speaking more than one language confuses children and can lead to speech delay. In fact, being able to speak more than one language has plenty of advantages…

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Supporting EAL students in the classroom 

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Supporting EAL students in the classroom 

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EAL (English as an Additional Language) students are those that are learning English, but already speak one or more other languages, although not necessarily fluently. They can be found in classrooms around the country - in 2018, there were 1.6 million in state schools in England alone, making up 19% of students.

Yet despite their numbers, there is a lack of adequate guidance and training for non-specialist teachers on how to support EAL learners in mainstream classrooms. These students need to be communicated with in a slightly different way, and are likely to communicate differently themselves. It is important for teachers to be aware of this, as well as to understand the difficulties the students face, and which teaching strategies could help.

In this article, we will outline the barriers to learning for EAL pupils, and provide you with a range of teaching methods to help multilingual students in your setting.

Other terms that are used for EAL students are 'ESL' (English as a Second Language) and 'bilingual'. These terms were popular in the past, and are still used now. However, it is more inclusive to use 'EAL' and 'multilingual'; English could be a third or fourth language for some children, rather than a second.

Why Should Schools Provide EAL Support?

Providing EAL support leads to benefits for both your school and the individual students. These include:

Increased academic achievement

When students feel supported - and when they are helped to understand and use the language of their curriculum - they are more likely to achieve at the expected level (or above). This is good for the individual, but also for the overall attainment levels of your school. EAL students who have had appropriate support often outperform monolingual students in school, due to their perseverance and higher-level abstract thinking skills that come from speaking more than one language (Bialystok, 2010).

Higher self-esteem

A consequence of feeling supported and being properly included in lessons is higher self-esteem for the student.

Helping to eliminate discrimination

Schools have a legal obligation not to discriminate against any particular group of children. If you don't put strategies in place to help EAL students, then they don't have equal opportunities to achieve the highest possible standards. This is a form of discrimination. EAL students should always be seen and treated as integral parts of mainstream classrooms, not just additions to them. By doing this, you could help to tackle achievement gaps, and build life chances.

Stronger learning environments

Bilingual and multilingual students usually have stronger working memories and attention spans (see Adescope, Lavin, & Thompson, 2010). As a result, having EAL students could encourage the rest of your class to focus and pay attention. Research has also shown that students in diverse schools have an enhanced ability to think creatively, and to use higher-order cognitive thinking skills.

Different perspectives

Students from other countries bring different cultures and experiences to the classroom, which helps their peers to better understand other perspectives. This leads to everyone feeling safe and valued in your classroom, and diversity of all kinds being celebrated.

Positive home-school relationships

If parents feel that their children are being supported in school, they are likely to have a better relationship with you. This makes things easier for your school, but also has potential academic benefits for the children - their parents become more involved in their education, and help them to continue learning at home.

It is important to keep in mind that most EAL students do need your support, even if they appear to be fine. In general, children can become conversationally fluent in a second language in two to three years, but they can take four to eight years to catch up with monolinguals in academic contexts (Paradis et al., 2011).

What are the Barriers to Learning for EAL Students?

As an educator, it is your goal - and responsibility - to break down any potential barriers to learning. EAL students often face barriers when they first join a school, some of which may not have occurred to you. For example:

Learning the language

Although this is an obvious point, there might be much more to learning a language than you realise. As well as acquiring vocabulary, picking up pronunciation, and understanding grammar, students also need to be able to learn through the language. This requires them to comprehend the language well enough that they can grasp new, complex concepts expressed through it. Then, they must be able to ask questions, analyse ideas, and use academic language (such as the passive tense and formal vocabulary). This can be extremely difficult for those whose grasp on a language is not yet very firm.

Developmental differences

Children who grow up bilingual or multilingual reach language development milestones in a slightly different way to monolingual children. They do meet the milestones, but only when you consider their speech in both their languages combined (Bialystok & Feng, 2011; Hoff et al., 2012). This is because they hear less of each language than monolingual children do - their time is split between two languages.

This is not an inherent barrier to learning, but teachers who can only communicate with a child in one of their languages might be concerned that it is therefore more difficult to spot a potential problem in the early stages. For example, autism spectrum disorder, neurological impairment, or hearing impairments might all cause different language development. However, multilingual children tend to fall within the 'normal' range, even with their developmental differences. As a result, you should still be able to spot a potential red flag.

Stigma or misinformation

Because EAL students may not initially be able to communicate very well, some people believe that they are less intelligent. They think that the students don't understand the concepts discussed in lessons, rather than simply the language they are discussed with. This is untrue - EAL students are often even more capable than monolingual students, because learning another language gives them cognitive advantages. It is important to remember this, and to convey this to the other students in your class.

Misunderstandings about their behaviour and cultural norms

Cultural differences can lead to EAL students feeling confused and uncomfortable with the expectations of an English classroom. Teachers often don't realise that things they consider to be 'normal' are not commonplace for students from other countries. For example, in China, teachers are authority figures - there is little teacher-student interaction, and talking to the teacher is seen as daring (Wan, 2001; Zhang & Xu, 2007). As a result, it could make a student uneasy if you force them to interact with you and express their own thoughts and ideas.

A sense of discomfort leading to challenging behaviour

When students feel frustrated or embarrassed that they cannot understand or be understood, it may lead to them acting out in class. They might disengage, misbehave, or simply refuse to do any work. This can have a huge effect on their ability to learn.

Teachers' lack of experience

Although all teachers receive some training on EAL students, it's often not enough to deal with the everyday realities. Additionally, research on best practice changes over time; teachers might not be up-to-date with the best methods to use to help English language learners.

By being aware of these potential barriers to learning, you can better empathise with your students. In the next section, we will give you some suggestions of things that have been shown to be helpful to EAL students.

EAL Teaching Methods & Classroom Tips

To help your EAL pupils overcome the challenges that they face in the classroom, we have come up with 14 tips and teaching strategies for bilingual and multilingual students.

1. Use visual learning

For EAL students who are struggling to process spoken language, visual learning can be extremely helpful. Use labelled images and videos to illustrate your lessons, so that when you introduce new concepts, everyone understands what you're referring to. Print these images out for students to stick into their books and refer back to. You could also label everyday items in the classroom, such as scissors, protractors, and other equipment.

Other ways to use visual learning are to write all instructions for the lesson on the board, and to use gestures and facial expressions to engage and aid your students. This has the additional advantage of benefitting non-EAL students too - multiple modalities give everyone maximal opportunities to increase their understanding.

2. Sit them near the front

So that your EAL students can better hear and see during the lesson, sit them near the front of the classroom. You could also consider who they are sitting next to. A native English speaker with high ability (i.e. one who uses a wide vocabulary and complex sentence structures) will be a good language role model for those learning English.

3. More group work

Group work increases students' engagement, and gives EAL pupils a chance to practise speaking in a less intimidating context. They may not be confident speaking out in front of the whole class, but might feel able to contribute to a small group discussion. Choose peers who are supportive and good language role-models to be in a group with EAL students. This will also help to facilitate friendships, giving the students further opportunities to develop their language outside the classroom.

4. Adapt your teaching style

To enhance students' understanding of lessons, speak slowly and pronounce every syllable in every word. When you ask a question, give EAL pupils an extra three to five seconds to think before you call on them. They need this time to translate the question into their first language, think of the answer, and translate back - and it could help them to build up their courage. It might also be helpful to repeat instructions several times, and frequently check that your students understand the topic and what they need to do.

Be aware of phrases that might be particularly different for those trying to learn the language. Idioms (such as 'that's the last straw' or 'I'll let you off the hook') as well as slang and words that are specific to English-speaking cultures (think of 'brolly', 'wellies', or a 'Sunday roast') might need an explanation. This is another place where you could use pictures to help EAL students to understand.

You should see yourself as a language teacher; think of ways that you could help your students to increase their progress. For example, you could have a 'word of the day' that could boost your students' vocabulary, or regularly use synonyms in your teaching (e.g. 'the climate - the weather - is very warm'). This not only clarifies the meaning of difficult words, but also widens students' vocabulary, and teaches them which words are interchangeable.

Finally, use sentence frames to scaffold your students' responses. Frames such as 'I disagree with what ___ said, because...' show students how to structure formal, academic sentences. Display your sentence frames on the wall of the classroom, and ask all students to use them regularly in their discussions and writing. For younger children, have 'who/what/where/when' question words on cards to support their learning.

5. Let them use their first language

It is become increasingly accepted that you don't need to separate a learner's languages to encourage fluency. In fact, their first language is a useful foundation to build on - it gives them an opportunity to compare words and sentence structures, and understand more quickly. In the early days of language-learning, the classroom can be extremely intimidating. Allowing EAL students with the same first language to speak it together can help them to relax, and engage with concepts at a higher level. Dictionaries - and apps such as Google Translate - are helpful for the same reason. However, don't let the student become entirely dependent on these aids.

Additionally, if a student is struggling with the language, and unable to complete a written task that you have given the class, let them to try it in their first language. This makes them feel included and less self-conscious. There is some evidence that this strategy helps them to produce higher quality work in their additional language later on (Yigzaw, 2012). This might be because it stops them restricting themselves to words that they know; instead, they try to express what they really want to say.

6. Allow preparation before each lesson

If your EAL students are given the learning materials in advance - for example, an article to read, a link to a video that you will be watching in class, or a list of key terms and phrases - it increases the likelihood that they will understand the lesson. Their confidence will also be boosted. Make sure that you remember to give them the materials a couple of days in advance.

7. Don't force them to talk

It is important to understand that language learners go through several stages on the path to fluency. They can often comprehend language - through listening and reading - before they can produce it themselves, through speaking and writing. Some teachers may see that a child is able to understand and try to make them speak; however, this puts on too much pressure. Accept that it is normal for EAL students to go through a silent period, and let them speak when they feel confident to.

8. Learn about their name and their culture

Make an effort to get EAL students' names right, and encourage your students to do so too. This shows them that you respect their language and identity, and helps them to feel accepted. Similarly, learn exactly where they come from, and research the religion and culture in that area. This will help you to accommodate for your students' needs. For example, in Japanese culture it is preferential not to express your opinions in public. Japanese students might, as a result, feel uncomfortable participating in debates and discussions. Additionally, in many East Asian and Middle Eastern cultures, eye contact is disrespectful. Don't force all your students to look you in the eye, and be aware of other cultural differences.

9. Give feedback

Providing feedback, both positive and corrective, is extremely important. It shows the learner what they are doing right, building on their self-esteem, and gives them models for what they should improve. Strategies for giving feedback on spoken language include:

Repeating what the student has said, but with the correct sentence structure or pronunciation.

Asking for clarification if you don't understand what they have said.

Questioning whether they think the sentence is well-formed or not - for example, 'is that the right word order?'. Let them rephrase it themselves.

Talking about how to structure similar sentences to the one the student said, without directly correcting them. This could help to preserve their self-esteem in front of the class.

Praising them for good attempts at difficult structures, or trying something new, even if it isn't quite right. Don't feel the need to correct every error.

Strategies for giving feedback on written language include:

Acknowledging their effort and what they have done well.

Giving marks for good content, even if there are grammar, punctuation or spelling errors.

Pointing out their use of correct sentences in the wrong context. Try to explain which contexts you would use this structure in. For example, when you're writing instructions in a recipe, you would use command words. You would not tend to use them in a formal letter.

Writing clear examples of structures that the learner is struggling with so that they can practise.

10. Understand that the child may act out

It can be tiring, frustrating, and sometimes embarrassing to feel that you are unable to communicate or understand what is going on in the classroom. As a result, EAL students might display challenging behaviour. By empathising with the challenges they are facing, recognising how well they are doing, and using effective techniques to deal with the behaviour, you can encourage them to keep trying.

Our Challenging Behaviour training course is recommended for professionals who want to have a better understanding of how to respond to the behaviour of the children that they work with. The course includes a series of activities for you to complete in order to help you relate the information given to your setting.

11. Signpost learners to resources

Your students may not be aware of all the resources that are available to them. As well as age-appropriate dictionaries and thesauruses - and Google Translate - introduce them to Simple English Wikipedia, Learn English Kids, and websites like Twinkl with dedicated EAL resources.

12. Communicate with home

If your students' parents understand what they are doing at school, it gives the students an advantage. Ensure that you are communicating effectively with home by making letters clear and accessible. This means using short sentences, no jargon, and translating them into the parents' first language if necessary. Encourage them to come to parents' evenings, and provide a translator if you need to. Give them reminders of the topics you are currently covering, and suggest that they could do research at home in their first language. Additionally, you could give them a list of useful websites for homework or further information about school.

13. Have regular EAL training

Even if you don't have a specialist EAL coordinator in your school, you can still perform EAL training. This might involve a short session where teachers share their experiences and recommendations for good practice. You could even just set time aside to research the latest resources and advice.

If you have a large EAL cohort, consider asking your Local Authority if they can provide support - for example, by arranging translator services, dual text reading books, or translated advice packs for parents.

14. Use an assessment framework

Assessment frameworks, such as The Bell Foundation's EAL Assessment Framework for Schools, help you to understand the specific needs of your EAL students. The framework assesses their proficiency from A (beginner) to E (fluent). It then gives you support strategies and resources to use for each level.

EAL students are a key part of our classrooms, and it is important for every teacher to understand how best to help them learn. We hope that this article has given you awareness of the challenges they face, potential teaching strategies to use, and the benefits that this has for your school and for the individual child.

Further Resources

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How to Support EAL Students in the Classroom

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It is important for teachers to understand how best to support EAL students. We outline the barriers to learning and provide teaching methods, here.

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EMTASMoodle: Astrid Dinneen: Developing Culturally Inclusive Practice in Early Years Settings

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Helping Multilingual Learners feel welcome 

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Helping Multilingual Learners feel welcome 

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Three-year-old Thao was born in Minneapolis to a Hmong family. He does not speak English. At clean-up time, he continues to play rather than pick up the toys, seemingly oblivious to the teacher's requests. He's been in this program for two weeks. His teacher wonders when he will understand classroom rules, and is unsure what to do.

As a consultant and trainer, I've seen educators find creative ways to teach multilingual learners - but I've also seen anxiety. You might be unsure about how to accommodate all your young students too.

In this article, I want to give practical suggestions to help early educators support children like Thao, who are learning in multilingual classrooms.

English is the common language for children and educators in the US and UK, so it's critical that you give children a strong English language base in their early years. At the same time, you need to honor children and families' home languages and cultures. For immigrant and refugee families, language is the strongest emotional connection to their home culture, and it helps them to maintain close relationships.

As an educator, you can help multilingual children feel respected, affirmed and welcomed by using their home language in your classroom, and helping families to maintain it at home.

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Foundation for Success in a Multilingual Child Care Setting

A program that serves multilingual students must consider three key points for success:

Acknowledge the hard work of language learning.
Language learning is like playing a musical instrument. Some might have amazing natural talent and learn to play the guitar by ear. But for most of us, learning the guitar takes a lot of teaching, hard work, and practice. Children are active learners, and they make sense of the meaning and nuances of language, be it their first or second language. But in every case, it takes effort.

Be intentional in teaching language.
Teachers must be intentional in developing children's play by talking about what they are doing, thinking, and feeling as they play. When I observe programs that teach multilingual students, I worry when I see a simplified curriculum of one word sentences, coloring worksheets, and silent play - I worry that children aren't intellectually stimulated.

Intentional teaching looks like:

Educators playing with children and teaching them new words to expand language and concept knowledge

Children talking with each other, even disagreeing and negotiating.

Asking lots of questions during book reading and lessons.

Provide a comprehensive curriculum.
Children use language to process what they're learning - so your lessons need to build children's vocabulary, so they have many different ways to process new thoughts and ideas.

As an example, if I'm teaching about animals, I'll consider many different types of words and questions to discuss what animals are, and how they live: foods, places, actions, descriptors, feelings, objects, and people. I'll include plenty of animal toys, and maybe even bring in a pet for show-and-tell. All of these expand the framework upon which children can "hang" their knowledge.

You can ask your children plenty of different questions - what do animals like to eat? Where do we find them? What do they do all day, and how do they communicate? Approaching your learning themes from many different angles encourages children to be more explorative with their language learning.

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Three Techniques to Teach English

It goes without saying, but children who speak English at home will have a much easier time learning English in the classroom. To help every child in your class feel included and accommodated, here are three language exercises that can be especially helpful for connecting with children who are learning English as a second language.

1. Total physical response (TPR)
TPR is the method used by any tourist who is lost in a foreign country: gestures and smiles. But in your classroom, you can be a bit more strategic. Look at the game "Simon Says": Touch your nose or your arm. Or sit down, stand up, or open your book. TPR helps children associate actions and objects with their English words, in a way that's accessible to children of all language backgrounds.

2. Repeated read-aloud in English
Research shows that reading a featured book several days in a row will result in increased vocabulary learning. This is especially effective when the book connects to a bigger learning theme in your classroom, and if you take the time to go over any unfamiliar vocabulary. As the days progress, the children will understand more and more of the story, can chime in to finish sentences, and begin to use the new words in their play.

3. Modeled talk
Modeled talk means giving children the words they need when you join them in play. For example, Sarita speaks Spanish, and Marian speaks Arabic at home. They're playing in the housekeeping corner, making soup with toy vegetables and pots. They're obviously familiar with cooking, but they are playing silently - because they do not know enough common words to converse. The teacher joins in.

Teacher: Sarita and Marian, I see you are making soup. (Girls look up and smile).

Teacher: This is soup with tomatoes, and carrots. (Shows the tomatoes and carrots).

Sarita: Carrots.

Marian: Soup.

Teacher: Yes, you make soup.

Marian: Make soup. (Points to Sarita. Both girls giggle.)

As the teacher moves on, the children continue to play adding one or two words here and there. Through this method, children can boost their common language with intentional support from their teacher.
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Five Techniques for Honoring Home Languages

It's often impossible to have staff who are fluent in all the languages in a diverse child care program - but you can still make all those languages part of your learning. The most practical approach to find speakers of a particular language is to bring in family or community members as guest speakers. Even if you and your team only speak English, there are still some easy ways that you can help honor children's home languages, and make everyone feel included.

1. Individual greetings
Learn how to say hello in all the languages of your group, and practice correct pronunciation for the names of the children and parents. These simple home language greetings are welcoming and help children build relationships.

2. Circle time greetings
Circle time is a great way to practice-greetings and songs in different languages. You can incorporate home languages by choosing a language for different days of the week. It might be in English on Monday, Spanish on Tuesday, and Somali on Wednesday, and so on.

When you do this, be explicit - say, "Today is Spanish day. In our classroom, Sarita, Pablo, and Kevin speak Spanish at home, and we can all say hello and sing together in Spanish too." The point is to have a regular schedule that the children can anticipate.

3. Group songs
Songs are a great way for children to learn how different languages sound, and for children to understand that languages have different words for the same ideas or objects.

For each home language in your room, choose one or two songs in these languages that connect to your lesson plan - you might find these on Youtube, or you can ask children and their families for ideas.

You might listen to a recording together first, to learn the words and the melody. Then turn off the recording and use your own voices. Again, be explicit about what language you're using each time.

4. Read-aloud in the home language
To read aloud in a home language where you're not fluent, you definitely need the assistance of a parent or community member. Pick the same book as the core book you're reading at story time, or at least related to your main theme or topic of study. If you can't find a person to come to your program to read, you could find a YouTube recording instead.

Say to the children, "We have been reading The Hungry Caterpillar in English. But today I want you to listen to the Hungry Caterpillar in French. It's the same story, but the words are in French and will sound different. Angèle and Yana speak French at home, and they will understand the words. Let's all listen carefully now."

5. Educators and families working together for children's success
Families and educators need each other's help to promote both languages. You can engage families in the curriculum by informing them of the topic of study, and by asking them to talk about the same ideas at home. For example, if your topic of study is butterflies, ask families to talk about butterflies at home too, in the home language. Reassure parents that you are teaching about butterflies in English at school. Also let them know that these conversations with their children help them be bilingual, and that's a good thing.

A successful multilingual program is a vibrant community of people sharing life, language, and learning. The techniques I have presented are meant to increase your skills as educators to teach children who speak many different languages at home. By teaching English, you give children the skill of a new language to succeed at school and at work. And by honoring children's home languages, you affirm their culture and identity, and show that you value them and their families as a part of your community.
Angele Sancho Passe is an early education consultant, trainer, and writer based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can learn more at www.angelesanchopasse.com Get free tools now

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Helping Multilingual Learners Feel Welcome | Famly

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Three-year-old Thao was born in Minneapolis to a Hmong family. He does not speak English. At clean-up time, he continues to play rather than pick up the toys, seemingly oblivious to the teacher's requests. He's been in this program for two weeks. His teacher wonders when he will understand classroom rules, and is unsure what to do.

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How to make your setting culturally inclusive 

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How to make your setting culturally inclusive 

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Imagine being a toddler and suddenly realising that we don't all speak the same language. Or that some countries have night when it's daytime for us. It must be completely mind-blowing!

Children have a natural curiosity toward new cultures. But when it comes to exploring these in our Early Years settings, it's worth revisiting our methods - because in many cases, there are better ways to go about it.

For multicultural learning in the Early Years, we want to avoid cultural 'tokenism' - that's when a culture is celebrated because you have to, or in a way that doesn't acknowledge the real and most important aspects of that culture.

To better understand tokenism and cultural inclusion, we'll hear from Deborah Hoger. Deborah's heritage is that of the Dunghutti people in New South Wales, Australia, and her business, Riley Callie resources, fights for the recognition and inclusion of Indigenous Australian cultures in Early Years education. She provides a whole host of cultural resources for settings to use in their continuous provision. Her business highlights the importance of cultural inclusion, how it helps children form a realistic and anti-biased understanding of other cultures, and what it means for the local community.

We'll delve into why being culturally inclusive is hugely important to children's identity and sense of belonging, and how simple it is to create that environment. With a little bit of reflection and dedication, we can make sure we're respectfully and meaningfully celebrating culture together.

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What is cultural inclusion and tokenism?

You might have the absolute best intentions, and engage in tokenism accidentally. That's why we've broken the idea down to show you where to make little changes that make a massive difference. ‍
Let's break it down with an example:

You want to introduce the children in your setting to Chinese culture. It isn't because you have children of asian heritage in your setting or because you want to create a whole topic based on it - you just decide to on a whim.

The only thing you do is make traditional Chinese lanterns out of paper, and have traditional Chinese clothing in the dressing up box. You also don't discuss the Chinese culture outside of these activities, talk about the languages used or everyday Chinese cultural practices. The next day you move on.

Now, there's absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to make lanterns, or in celebrating a festival like Chinese New Year! We just need to be very mindful of how we do it. And, if we can, bring the children's own heritages to the forefront.

Why tokenism gets it wrong

Tokenistic practices are problematic, and don't encourage a positive relationship with other cultures.

A 2010 study on anti-biased practices calls tokenism a 'tourist' approach: Children look at exotic foods and landscapes for a single day and then go back to their 'real' or 'regular' lives once the day is over. This separates children from other cultures completely, as it reinforces the idea that the child's own culture is normal, and that any other culture is foreign, exotic and a novelty.

"Early childhood settings must be culturally safe spaces in order to foster a learning environment that is conducive to the emotional and academic development of respectful and inclusive children," says Deborah.

Tokenism takes this culturally safe space away. It stops children developing a healthy and respectful relationship to other cultures, even if that culture makes up a big chunk of their own community.

According to Deborah, we should be embracing cultures on a regular basis, not just on a whim. Before we discuss how to do this, let's look at how tokenism affects children's sense of belonging, too.
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Cultural identity

If children associate any culture that isn't their own with 'other', even if it's present in their own community, this can encourage stereotypes and bias to creep in. But don't panic! We've got some great tips coming up to help you evaluate and build on your practice to avoid this.

Firstly, let's take a quick peek at why including other cultures helps include every single child at your setting.

"When [settings] engage in cultural celebrations which are tokenistic and perpetuate stereotypes, children from other cultures are at risk of feeling disengaged, devalued and misunderstood," says Deborah.

Think about how the children in your care who don't come from British homes - when you label Chinese or Japanese culture as 'foreign,' how might they feel about their own culture? Will they feel that their culture is respected by you?

When children feel that their own culture is valued, they feel accepted and that they belong. Embracing and welcoming other cultures involves every single child in the conversation, and ensures that no child feels devalued or excluded. It makes them feel comfortable, welcome and a part of the community.

Your environment speaks volumes

Before we jump into the ways you can bring other cultures to your setting in an inclusive way, start by looking at your own environment.

Take a look at your own environment. What cultures are represented in your community, and in your own setting? Is there a large Turkish community in your area? Or Polish? Understanding your own environment is the first step.

Are your toys representative of the children's cultures, and the community around you? Take your kitchen space - if you've only got a set of English breakfast food toys with bacon and fried eggs, it might be time to rethink and assess. What food do the children in your setting recognise as familiar, and can you make your toys more varied to accommodate them?

Be vigilant about your own practices. Children learn prejudice from prejudice, so if you use language or practices that include harmful negative stereotypes, children will parrot these. You have a big responsibility, but also a wonderful chance to help reduce negative stereotypes and cultural bias for the next generation.

You may already be doing them, but if you need a helping hand to get you started, here are a few points to think about:

It's important to note that, as an Early Year educator, you have the opportunity to stop bias from ever forming. By being culturally inclusive, you're showing each and every child that diversity is something to be celebrated.
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How to embed culture at the heart of learning

Make cultures a part of continuous provision

Culture and the inclusion of culture shouldn't be a one-time event or an activity. By making it a part of your continuous provision, you're celebrating and acknowledging different cultures in a way that lets children know that culture is something to be proud of. It shows them it's a part of daily life.

"When culture is included in a regular and daily way, it fosters an inclusive learning environment where children are encouraged to take pride in the cultural diversity of [their] nation," says Deborah.

Small world play is an excellent place to start! Try making a small world play focused on a specific culture or country to get the ball rolling in your continuous provision. You could have the country flag, objects that mimic the country's landscape, everyday foods and the weather specific to the country. Or how about a small world play for each of the seven continents?

But don't stop there: "[...] small world play should be accompanied by other learning resources, like books, video clips, art activities, incursions, etc., which deepen the learning around the topic and encourage children to think more broadly about that culture," Deborah states.

Try using your small world play as a starting off point to introduce a culture, and build your activities and other elements of that culture around it. It's all about immersing the children in as many ways as possible.

Invite individuals who personally celebrate the culture

"Input around how to share about other cultures in the setting should be coming from people from that culture," states Deborah.

If you're thinking of celebrating a festival like Diwali, have someone who celebrates it come and explain it to the children. Not only does this give the children accurate and detailed information, but it connects them to different cultures in a personal, emotional way.

This is what Deborah urges Australian settings to do. "Engaging directly with Indigenous people is the most effective way to, in a non-tokenistic way, explore in your classroom themes of Indegenous identity, history, connection to country, traditional knowledge and cultural practices."

Do you have a large Turkish community? Ask a few individuals to come to your setting and share their knowledge. It's incredibly important to give the little ones accurate, realistic and personal examples of culture - and what better way than having a real-life person explain it to them?

The children will love this, and they'll have the opportunity to ask all their questions to someone who lives and breathes that culture every single day.

Inclusive language is key

Language is more important that you might think, and it's the perfect way to weave inclusivity into your everyday practice. We've written a piece on inclusion and language when we talk about gender, but the way we talk about other cultures than our own plays a huge role.

"Language is such a powerful mode of learning," states Deborah. "It's critical that educators have a high level of self-awareness around how to use language which is inclusive, and does not discriminate against anyone, or position another culture as 'other.'" This could simply be stating that festival clothing is 'exotic,' or calling it 'dress-up clothing.'

Culture and the inclusion of culture shouldn't be a one-time event or an activity. By making it a part of your continuous provision you're celebrating and acknowledging different cultures by respecting that culture, and helping children broaden their understanding.

It's important to note that you don't need to make massive changes - you're already doing a lot of the wonderful things you need to do with regards to including other cultures meaningfully. But by evaluating current practices, you can make sure you're embedding other cultures at the heart of your setting with as much respect as you possibly can.

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How to make your setting culturally inclusive | Famly

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Imagine being a toddler and suddenly realising that we don't all speak the same language. Or that some countries have night when it's daytime for us. It must be completely mind-blowing! Children have a natural curiosity toward new cultures.

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Guiding principles and strategies for practitioners working with learners who use EAL

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Guiding principles and strategies for practitioners working with learners who use EAL

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English as an additional language (EAL) for Early Years - Schools

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Definiton, FAQs, Language Line for early years and childcare settings, plus information on cultural differences, settling in, and some top tips

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Guide for Parents- Primary School (Chinese)

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Guide for Parents- Primary School (Chinese)

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Books suitable for discussing Refugees written with EYFS learners in mind

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This article by Early Education Associate Anni McTavish explores the term "cultural capital", and what it might mean for early years practitioners and their settings. Following the publication of the new Education Inspection Framework (EIF) in May 2019, the updated Ofsted School and Early Years (EY) Inspection Handbooks came into effect from September 2019.

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Bilingual babies and speaking multiple languages at home - BBC Tiny Happy People

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Will hearing me speak more than one language confuse my child? Is the speech of bilingual children delayed? What language should I use at home? Tips for parents on introducing children to more than one language.

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Bilingual babies and speaking multiple languages at home - BBC Tiny Happy People

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Will hearing me speak more than one language confuse my child? Is the speech of bilingual children delayed? What language should I use at home? Tips for parents on introducing children to more than one language.

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Here are a couple of audio files with the Hello and Goodbye songs that are used in Teddy Talk session.

Use any song, but it's important to include names and ask how they are:
Hello Song
Hello, hello, how are you? Piotr, Piotr

Hello, hello, how are you? How are you today?

(Wait for a response, thumbs "I'm good" or thumbs down "I'm not good")

Goodbye Song (to the tune of Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush)

Now it's time to say goodbye, say goodbye, say goodbye

Now it's time to say goodbye, goodbye Piotr (or you could use the name of the objects going back into the bag)
Kodaly Hello Song
These songs have been slightly adapted from the songs used in Kodaly sessions. If you slap your knees and then clap your hands to the beat this is good for rhythm development too.

http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/Hello-song.mp3
Kodaly Goodbye song
http://ealhighland.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/goodbye-song.mp3

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Strategies for Supporting Listening and Talking at Stage 1

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Here are a couple of audio files with the Hello and Goodbye songs that are used in Teddy Talk session. Use any song, but it's important to include names and ask how they are: Hello Song Hello, hello, how are you? Piotr, Piotr Hello, hello, how are you? How are you today?

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PRIMARY New to English EAL Induction Pack   (Big Bear Banter resources included) 

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The benefits of bilingualism in Urdu

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WELLCOMM big book of ideas- online

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At Eastwards Consortium, our focus is primarily on educating and developing the next generation of our society. To assist in this, we use our well-known 'Big Book of Ideas', a set of activities and tasks focused around pupil development. Below you will find a set of tabs which depict these tasks further.

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Download our My Family, Your Family resources

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Laura Henry-Allain MBE has put together resources to help children and adults have meaningful discussions on family and belonging.

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Join Kate Moxley and Kerry Payne in a safe space conversation with Laura Henry in our third podcast in this series exploring, challenging and developing our understanding of race, ethnicity and cultural diversity. Seeking to learn new ways of working, thinking and discovering action for change that informs pedagogy, practice and develops anti-racist educators.

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‎Early Years Conversations: When You Know Better You Do Better on Apple Podcasts

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Join Kate Moxley and Kerry Payne in a safe space conversation with Laura Henry in our third podcast in this series exploring, challenging and developing our understanding of race, ethnicity and cultural diversity. Seeking to learn new ways of working, thinking and discovering action for change that...

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Recent Research - Cambridge University

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Babies Learn Language Best Through Sing-Song Speech, Not Phonetics - Neuroscience News

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New research suggests that parents should use sing-song speech, such as nursery rhymes, with their babies, as it aids language development.

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A beginners guide to Anti-Racism - Black Nursery Manager

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There is currently a great deal of interest in the future of the early years sector. This is clearly a priority as early experiences shape later life chances. However, little attention has been paid in these discussions to children in this age group who speak English as an Additional Language (EAL).

Many of these children face the challenge of adjusting to early years settings and schools while also learning English. Although reports suggest that the gap between EAL learners and their monolingual peers closes over time, evidence suggests that for some children a performance gap remains, particularly for children with low levels of English language proficiency.

Teachers we've spoken to as part of our research are also worried about this, stating that they had significant concerns about children learning EAL, as well as children from deprived backgrounds and children with special educational needs (SEN).

What does the data tell us?

In our own research, we looked at the Early Years Foundation Stage Profile (EYFSP) of children learning EAL in the year following the first national lockdown and compared this to their monolingual peers as well as to a pre-pandemic national sample. While non-mandatory in the academic year 2020/21, our schools were still carrying out the EYFSP and shared data for over 3000 children. Our results suggested that children learning EAL were significantly impacted by COVID-19.

61.5% of children learning EAL achieved at least expected levels in Communication and Language compared to 76.5% of their monolingual peers.

53.7% of children learning EAL achieved expected levels in Literacy compared to 63.9% of their monolingual peers.

50.9% of children learning EAL in our sample achieved a good level of development compared to 61% of their monolingual peers.

50.9% of children learning EAL achieved a good level of development in the year 2020/21, compared to 67% in the national cohort 2018/19.

More recently, we began a longitudinal study exploring the impact of lockdown on children in Reception, Year One and Year Two. We collected data on a language measure that included receptive and expressive vocabulary, sentence repetition and listening comprehension. Our regression analysis shows that whether a child has English as an Additional Language is a significant predictor of performance on the language measure, and, to date, a smaller proportion of children learning EAL perform as expected compared to their monolingual peers.

The most recent EYFSP data show that this is still the case. According to the Department for Education (DfE), 70% of children learning EAL are reaching expected levels in Communication and Language compared to 82.3% of children whose first language is English. In Literacy, these figures drop further with 62.5% of children learning EAL achieving expected levels compared to 70% of children whose first language is English.

What does this mean for policy and practice?

If children who are learning EAL do not reach the English language proficiency required to fully engage with the school curriculum, this has the potential to hinder their progress on statutory assessments as they make their way through primary school. Indeed, 57.2% of children learning EAL achieve a good level of development in the EYFSP compared to 67.1% of their monolingual peers, and in Key Stage One SATS, 65% of EAL learners achieve expected levels in reading compared to 70% of their monolingual peers.

It is important to note that the complexity of this cohort is not captured by the categorical labelling of a child as EAL. The language proficiency of those falling into this category varies greatly, with some children being fluent in multiple languages including English and others having little or no English.

In a school system where all children are tested in English...these assessments do not take account of a learner's ability if tested in their own language and are therefore inherently biased towards English language speakers

Yet in a school system where all children are tested in English, like ours, these assessments do not take account of a learner's ability if tested in their own language and are therefore inherently biased towards English language speakers, hindering opportunities for children learning EAL to perform to their full potential. Early years educators and teachers need to be equipped with the tools and skills needed to identify those children who may be in need of additional support. There is little policy guidance available from the DfE to help educators support young English language learners. Educators have to rely on third sector organisations such as The Bell Foundation and NALDIC to support their practice.

The percentage of children learning EAL is increasing, and the needs of these children must be addressed. We feel strongly that the DfE, in considering changes to the early years sector, consider the specific needs of children learning EAL to address the current achievement gap and ensure it does not widen.

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Blog: EAL Children and the Early Years Sector - The Best Start?

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In this blog, Professor Claudine Bowyer-Crane and Dr Silke Fricke look at the achievement gap for EAL pupils in early years, exploring the reality behind the misleading data and what this means for policy.

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We recently met up with Warda Farah in Greenwich to talk to her about the origins of speech and language therapy and how the profession cannot move to the future without confronting and acknowledging its racist and colonial knowledge base. We know that children from Black backgrounds are overrepresented as having Speech & Language Impairments, due to biased assessment protocols. We know that our current models, practice base & service delivery is not good enough to bring about equitable change for these children/families. How can we all use our SLT skills to create meaningful change and social impact?

Good for looking at

Speech and language therapy

Anti-racist practice

Supporting speech and language development

Intersectionality

Chapters

1. Introduction to Warda Farah

2. Deficit based models of learning

3. Intersectionality and its importance for educators

4. Power dynamics in the education environment

5. Creating safe spaces for marginalised children

6. Acknowledge privilege and challenge systemic bias

7. Social justice - get involved

8. Linguistic justice - what it is and its importance

9. Questioning advice from a professional

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In conversation with Warda Farah, speech and language therapist

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We recently met up with Warda Farah in Greenwich to talk to her about the origins of speech and language therapy and how the profession cannot move to the future without confronting and acknowledging its racist and colonial knowledge base. We know that children from Black backgrounds are overreprese

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Below you'll find a huge collection of resources and activities to support teaching on a range of incredible titles from Penguin's (incomplete) Lit in Colour book list.

From incredible adventures to find monsters, to extraordinary stories about extraordinary people, we've got a whole host of brilliant resources to help make the work of writers of colour more visible in schools and homes across the UK.

Explore the Extraordinary Lives of: Katherine Johnson, Rosa Parks and, Mary Seacole!

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Lit in Colour Activities | Teaching Resources | Twinkl

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Browse our collection of resources created in partnership with Penguin to support teaching on a variety of incredible titles from their Lit in Colour book list.