‘Big steps for small children’ The importance of PSED for smooth transitions

At this time of year, many of us are supporting children as they begin to transition within, or out of, our settings. In my experience, preparing for transitions included thinking carefully about our key person approach, taking time to build relationships with children and their families, creating a welcoming environment and having predictable routines in place.

Personal, social and emotional development

Transitions are ‘big steps for small children’ (Development matters, 2023).

Transitional periods can be emotionally intense for children. Being in a new environment and interacting with new, different, or larger groups of educators and children can be both exciting and challenging.

September can often sharpen our focus on supporting children’s personal, social, and emotional development as we help them adjust to their ‘new normal’.

With that in mind, we have updated our PSED summary poster to include the ‘Promoting self-care' approach. This poster provides an overview of the evidence for each approach in the PSED theme, for example Teaching Awareness of Emotions and Feelings, and how to put the approach into action.

This poster is a helpful starting point when thinking about how to handle transitions in your setting. It is important to consider the evidence in the PSED theme at the approach level as you consider whether to make any changes to your practice. Which approaches are likely to be a priority for the new cohort of children? Does this mean you need to do something new, or should your efforts go towards refining and embedding an approach more consistently?

Professional conversations

It is crucial to use robust research evidence in conjunction with your professional knowledge and expertise. Professional conversations can be a helpful tool for reflecting on existing practice and identifying priorities together.

The Early Years Evidence Store can help teams to develop a shared language and understanding of evidence-informed approaches, as part of professional development or planning for the year ahead.

What next?

Visit the PSED theme of the Early Years Evidence Store to explore the evidence in more depth.

Read The Professional Development Conversation Cycle blog and download the action planning template.