EYFS Masterclass — Key Takeaways

🗣️ The 4 JLK communication moves

Every adult-child interaction · every room · every day

1. Tune in. Notice what the child is looking at, holding, doing. Get to their eye level. Wait 5 seconds before saying anything.
2. Narrate. Comment on what you see, do NOT test. “You're stacking the red one on top” — not “what colour is that?”
3. Expand. Repeat what the child said, adding ONE extra word. Child: “doggy!” Adult: “a big brown doggy.”
4. Pause. After a question or comment, hold the silence for 5 full seconds. Most adults break it too early and miss the child's turn.

🎯 The 6-step statement linking method

From play moment to EYFS statement · Module 4

1. Watch first. 60–90 seconds of real observation, no interruption.
2. Identify what you saw. Verbs. What did the child actually do?
3. Name the strongest area. Which of the 7 areas does this most obviously live in?
4. Check for cross-links. One or two honest additional areas. Maximum three total.
5. Write the next step. Concrete, for this child, this week.
6. Decide the adult input. Is this a wait-and-watch, a scaffold, an extend, or a step-back?

🕸️ Cross-linking — the 2-test rule

Honest cross-links only · Module 5

A cross-link is only valid if it passes BOTH tests:

• Evidence test: if I filmed this activity, would I have concrete proof of THIS statement?
• Intention test: did the adult set the activity up to support this statement, or is it just a bonus if it happens?

Fails one but not the other? It goes in observation notes AFTER the activity, not into the plan.

📋 10-step Meaningful Activity Planning Model

JLK planning template · Module 6

1. Start with the child. Who is this for? What are they currently doing?
2. Name the starting observation. What did I see this week that told me this is the right next step?
3. Name the ONE strongest EYFS statement. Word-for-word from Development Matters, with age band + area.
4. Honest cross-links. Max 3. Each with a named adult move.
5. Environment. What's out. What's put away. Why.
6. Resources. Named specifically. Not “craft stuff”.
7. Adult role. Tune-in, narrate, expand, pause — plus what you will DELIBERATELY NOT do.
8. Inclusion. Adaptations at environment / adult / resource level for any child who needs them.
9. Look-fors. What would tell me it worked? What would tell me to change tack?
10. Next step (pre-drafted). Where would we go if it lands well? Where if it doesn't?

🎭 Adult Role — the 6-rung scaffold ladder

From least to most adult input · Module 7

1. Silence + presence. Just being there.
2. Comment / narrate. No question, no direction.
3. Ask an open question. “What do you think would happen if…?”
4. Suggest a possibility. “Some children try turning it upside down.”
5. Model briefly. Show once, step back.
6. Physical guidance. Hand-over-hand, only if the child is stuck AND requesting help.

♻️ “Instead of X, try Y” adult scripts

Language swaps · Module 7

• ❌ “What colour is that?” → ✅ “You've got a red one and a yellow one.”
• ❌ “Good job!” → ✅ “You kept trying even when it fell over.”
• ❌ “Careful!” → ✅ “Your foot is close to the edge — what will you do?”
• ❌ “Let me show you.” → ✅ “What have you tried so far?”
• ❌ “Are we happy now?” → ✅ “Your face looks calmer. What helped?”
• ❌ “Say sorry to Anna.” → ✅ “Anna is upset. What could you do to help her feel better?”
• ❌ “Well done for sharing.” → ✅ “You gave Yusuf the blue one — he's smiling.”

🔍 Observation — the JLK next-step formula

Every observation ends with a specific next step · Module 9

Every next step must have all four parts:

🏡 Room & Garden — the 5 provision tests

Run this on every zone, every fortnight · Module 8

🌍 Inclusive practice — 3 principles

Every child, same statements, adapted route · Module 10

1. Same EYFS, different route. Every child accesses the same Development Matters statements. We adapt the environment, adult role, and resources — never the destination.
2. Behaviour is communication. Difficult behaviour is telling us something. Ask WHAT it's telling us before we manage it.
3. Adapt before diagnosis. If a child needs support NOW to access the statements, we adapt NOW. We don't wait for a label.

🌡️ Emotional regulation — the 3 R's

JLK response to a dysregulated child · Module 10

1. Regulate. Calm voice. Low posture. Offer proximity or space. NO WORDS yet.
2. Relate. Once they're calmer, name what you saw. “That was really hard. You wanted the truck.” No lecture.
3. Reason. Only when fully regulated. Often the next day, not the same moment.

🌱 The 3 age bands — how to use them

Guidance not gates · Module 3

• Pick primary band based on where most of the child's recent observations sit.
• Look one band down for statements they're still consolidating.
• Look one band up for statements they're reaching into — direction of travel.
• Don't “promote” a child. Widen the current band. Hold high expectation without pushing too early.

💚 The JLK ethos — carry these into every shift

The behaviours that make it a JLK room · all modules

• Development-focused. Every choice traces to a child's growth, not entertainment.
• Behaviour as communication. Ask what before you manage.
• Calm, consistent, emotionally aware. Your regulation is the child's regulation.
• High expectations without pushing. Widen, don't accelerate.
• Meaningful play, not busy play. Every zone earns its space.
• Inclusive access. Same statements. Adapted route.
• Honest observation. Specific, quoted directly, next-step led.