Post-Covid there was a need identified by the Education Endowment Foundation to create high quality, evidence-based programmes to support co/self-regulation skills in Early Years settings. As a response, we adapted our existing programme for social and emotional learning, The BIG 5 for Primary (ages 7-11), to meet the needs of Early Years children (ages 3-6), as we had already realised that starting from age 7 was too late to plant the foundational SEED skills needed for all children to meet stage appropriate development milestones.
We also wanted to address educational inequality as young children in more disadvantaged areas already have a bigger gap in social and emotional skill development than their peers and if this is not addressed early on, is unlikely to ever be equalised. As a result, our first pilot was based in 14 Early Years settings in Newham, East London one of the most deprived areas in the UK and co-created with local experienced practitioners.
We also wanted to address the gap in practitioner confidence in modelling social and emotional learning skills. Typically, Early Years practitioners lack professional training in this area, yet are expected to support very young children during challenging transitions, from home to their first early years setting, and then on to their first experience of school. We were keen to professionalise their role & offer experiential training that they could use in their early years setting straight away with immediate impact.
The BIG 3 + ME is a joyful social and emotional learning programme for 3-6 year olds and their practitioners with 24 sessions themed around the 3 aspects of Being, Doing and Caring. Together everyone gathers around a large centralised mat with 3 special animals sitting in a basket in the middle - Paxton the Peaceful Panda, Tao the Truthful Turtle and Cali the Caring Puppy. Around the mat, children sit for a mini meditations, stand to use British Sign Language to bring to life respectful ways to communicate as a group (e.g Be Calm, Build Trust, Sharing is a Choice etc..) explore inside weather signs for feelings, sing songs and share stories.
The 10-20 minute participatory session can be delivered flexibly to suit the children and uses predictable evidence-backed routines that children and practitioners use to build social and emotional learning skills (emotional regulation, self awareness and building relationships) side by side.
In essence, we believe in planting SEED skills from the earliest age:
SEED:
Slowing down to notice each other and practise mini meditations
Exploring and naming emotions and values
Enabling everyone to access the routines over time
Doing and growing together as practitioners and children
We set up small grant-funded projects targeted at specific areas of disadvantage around the UK (e.g. Coventry, Oxford, Islington/Newham/Haringey in London) with 6-12 settings in one area training together at the same time to cut costs and build a learning community. We also present at education conferences on the theme of SEL skills, Wellbeing or Relationships Education and have created a promo film to showcase the participatory nature of our work and this helps to spark interest in finding out more.
Our programme meets the statutory requirements of the Early Learning Goals in the UK in the area of Personal, Social, Emotional Development, and so nurseries and schools are keen to use our programme to get more support at meeting this expectation. Word-of-mouth between practitioners has worked because teachers love the programme - it is built as much to improve adult wellbeing as children wellbeing by having low level work preparation, a meditation that helps them be calm and rare focussed time to just BE with their children and listen to what they have to say. We are working with Local Education Authorities to spread the word and also some linked nurseries in Private, Voluntary, Independent settings. Our biggest success is when a primary school has tried The BIG 5 and then realises that they want the same impact in their Early Years setting, so go on to try The BIG 3 + ME. This is happening more and more. We run a Parents/Carers workshop which has also lead to more uptake.
The BIG 3 + ME needs to be seen to be fully understood, and up until this year we had to travel to model a live session in each setting. So to prepare for upscaling, we created a practitioner training film of a full length modelled lesson, including informative subtitles, to help teachers from anywhere in the world learn the predictable routines, understand the pacing and experience the interactive nature of the session firsthand.
We have also added films for all the British Sign Language for BIG Feelings using children of their age so show facial expressions more clearly and encourage full participation. We all know that children love to learn from other children most. We have also placed all 40 of our BIG Feelings cards and British Sign Language films in one place on our website so that teachers can access them outside of the session and use with other learning e.g. reading, stories, creative play etc..
Go to our website to find out more:
the-big-think.org
Try a free sample lesson here:
the-big-think.org/free-lesson-kits-enquiry
Watch our promo film here:
https://vimeo.com/1088022226?fl=ls&fe=ec
For further information:
contact@the-big-think.org
