UPMSP Nursery Teacher Training & Child Care key terms

An approach to nursery teaching that matches activities and expectations to children's typical age-related abilities and to each individual child's interests, background and pace, rather than pushing a fixed academic syllabus downward.

The gap between what a child can already do alone and what the child can achieve with skilled adult or peer help. Nursery teachers plan support inside this gap so learning stays challenging but achievable.

Temporary, gradually withdrawn support an adult gives a child during a task, such as modelling, prompting or breaking a step down. As the child gains control, the helper steps back so the child works independently.

Planning the nursery day so that children learn concepts, language and social skills mainly through self-chosen and guided play with real materials, rather than through formal seatwork and worksheets.

Unstructured play in which the child chooses the activity, materials and partners, with adults only supervising for safety. It supports initiative, imagination and self-regulation in the early years.

Play that keeps a playful, child-led feel while an adult deliberately introduces a learning goal, for example by adding props or asking open questions during pretend play. It balances enjoyment with intentional teaching.

A window in early development when a skill, such as language or attachment, is acquired most easily and is strongly shaped by experience. Missing the window makes later learning harder but not impossible.

A typical skill or behaviour expected around a certain age, such as sitting unsupported or using two-word phrases. Milestones guide observation and screening; they are reference points, not strict deadlines for every child.

A brief, standard check used to flag children whose development may need closer professional assessment. Screening does not diagnose; it identifies who should be referred for fuller evaluation.

Services and teaching adjustments started as soon as a delay or disability is noticed, aiming to reduce later difficulties. In nursery settings it usually combines structured activities, family guidance and referral to specialists.

A written plan for one child with special needs listing current levels, specific goals, the support and accommodations to be provided, who delivers them and how progress will be reviewed.

Placing and supporting children with disabilities or diverse needs in ordinary nursery groups, with adaptations so they take part in the same routines and activities as peers rather than being taught separately.

Planning activities from the start with multiple ways to take in information, express learning and stay engaged, so that varied learners succeed without needing separate materials added later.

Deliberately varying the content, materials, grouping or expected outcome of a task so children at different levels can all work on the same theme at a suitable challenge level.

The enduring emotional bond a young child forms with a primary caregiver. Secure attachment, built through consistent responsive care, supports confidence to explore and later relationships with teachers and peers.

Distress shown by a young child when parted from a familiar caregiver, commonly peaking in toddlerhood. Gradual settling routines and a consistent key person help the child feel safe again.

Assigning each child in a nursery to one named practitioner who builds a close relationship with the child and family, oversees settling, personal care and records, and ensures continuity of care.

A gradual introduction of a new child to nursery, with short visits and a familiar adult present at first, lengthened over days so the child builds trust before staying a full session.

A child's fairly stable inborn style of reacting, such as activity level, intensity, adaptability and mood. Understanding it helps teachers match expectations and comfort strategies rather than label a child as naughty.

Discipline built on clear limits, explanation, modelling and redirection rather than punishment. Adults name feelings, offer acceptable choices and teach the missing skill so children gradually self-regulate.

A child's growing ability to manage attention, impulses and emotions in order to meet a goal or follow a rule, emerging strongly in the preschool years with adult co-regulation and predictable routines.

The set of mental skills used to plan, hold information in mind, switch between rules and inhibit impulses. Nursery games, songs and tidy-up routines strengthen these skills before formal schooling.

The small mental workspace that briefly holds information while a child uses it, for example remembering two instructions while fetching materials. It grows with age and practice and affects how many steps a task should have.

Awareness of the sound structure of spoken language: hearing words in sentences, syllables in words, and rhymes or initial sounds. It is a strong predictor of later reading and needs no letters to teach.

The narrower ability to notice and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words, such as blending c-a-t or saying what is left when the first sound is removed.

Teaching the links between letters or letter groups and the sounds they represent, so a child can decode printed words. In nursery it is kept brief, playful and matched to the child's sound awareness.

The early reading and writing behaviours of young children before conventional literacy, including handling books, scribbling, recognising signs and enjoying rhymes and stories.

Understanding how print works: that text carries meaning, is read left to right and top to bottom, and that words and spaces are separate. Shared reading and labelled displays build it naturally.

An interactive shared-reading method in which the adult asks open questions, prompts the child to say more, repeats and expands the child's answer, and links the story to the child's own experience.

Growth in the number and depth of words a child understands and uses. It is fed by conversation, repeated story reading, naming objects and responding to a child's attempts with richer wording.

Slower than typical development of speech and understanding without an obvious cause such as hearing loss. Nursery staff observe, simplify, model language and refer for assessment when concerns persist.

Matching each object in one set to exactly one object in another, such as giving one cup per child. It is the foundation for counting and comparing quantities accurately.

Understanding that the last number said when counting a group tells how many objects are in it. Children show it when they count four blocks and answer 'four' without recounting.

An informal feel for quantity, order and relationships, such as knowing that four is more than three or that five is made of two and three. It is built through handling real objects, not memorising numerals.

Instantly recognising how many items are in a small group without counting, usually up to about four. Dice, dot cards and finger patterns are common nursery tools for building it.

Repeated patterns in children's play, such as transporting, enclosing, rotating or connecting, which show the ideas a child is currently exploring. Recognising schemas helps staff plan resources that match that interest.

The continuous nursery routine of watching what a child does, judging where the child is in learning, then planning activities and environment changes that extend the next step, and observing again.

Systematic watching and recording of a child's actions, words and interactions, using methods such as narrative notes, time samples or photographs, to understand interests and needs and to inform planning.

Ongoing, low-stakes checking of learning during everyday activities, used to adjust teaching immediately. In nursery it relies on observation and conversation rather than tests or marks.

Demonstrating a skill or behaviour for children to copy, such as showing how to hold scissors safely or how to ask for a turn. It works best when the demonstration is slow, clear and repeated.

A daily food pattern supplying energy, protein, vitamins, minerals and fibre in suitable proportions, with plenty of variety, limited sugary and salty items, and adequate water for young children.

Regularly measuring a child's weight, height and head circumference and plotting them on growth charts, so that faltering growth or excess gain is spotted early and referred appropriately.

Protection against serious infectious diseases given through scheduled vaccines. Nursery records should show each child's vaccination status, and staff should know the schedule and encourage families to complete it.

Cleaning hands with soap and running water at set times, such as before eating and after toileting. It is the single most practical routine for reducing infection spread in group child care.

The nursery's duty to protect children from abuse, neglect and preventable harm, through safe recruitment, secure premises, clear behaviour policies and prompt reporting of concerns to the designated person.

A written set of procedures naming a designated safeguarding lead, describing signs of abuse, how staff record and report concerns, and how the setting works with families and statutory agencies.

A structured check of the environment and activities for hazards, judging how likely and how serious any harm is, and recording the steps taken to remove or reduce that risk before children take part.

The required number of adults per group of children by age, set by regulation so that supervision, personal care and responsive interaction are possible. Ratios are stricter for babies and toddlers.

A defined classroom zone stocked for one kind of activity, such as books, blocks, sand, art or home play, arranged so children can choose, access materials independently and return them.

The predictable sequence of arrival, play, group time, meals, rest, outdoor play and departure. A stable order with warnings before changes gives young children security and helps them self-regulate.

The nursery's planned links with parents, local services and neighbourhood groups, built through meetings, shared records, festivals and invitations, so children's care is consistent between home and setting.

Working with families as equal partners through regular two-way communication about the child's progress, health and interests, shared decision-making, and respect for the family's language and culture.