Your room-shelf reference. The core content from two EYFS Practice courses on 2 pages: School Readiness · Outdoor Learning & Risk-rich Play. For deeper EYFS practice, see the 12-module
EYFS Masterclass and its
Takeaways.
🎒 School Readiness — done the JLK way
Silver · foundations, not drilling
The JLK 6 pillars of real school readiness
- Regulate body and emotions — sit 10 minutes, wait a turn, cope with disappointment.
- Use words — 4–6 word sentences, express a need, ask a question.
- Manage themselves — toilet, wash hands, coat, knife & fork, ask for help.
- Show curiosity — books, materials, ideas, willing to try new.
- Play with peers — enter a game, negotiate, resolve conflict.
- Handle transitions — separate at drop-off, cope with unexpected change.
The child who arrives at Reception confident, able to talk, independent, curious, playful with peers and calm through transitions will overtake the child who arrived reciting letters within a single term.
What JLK does NOT do for school readiness
- Worksheet drilling · formal phonics before 4 · sitting-up-straight carpet time · removing play to make room for "work".
Parent-conversation scripts (short form)
“Should [child] be reading by now?” — “At 3 and 4 we're building the foundations that make reading possible. Formal reading starts in Reception. Pushing now can damage enjoyment. Here's what we're focused on with [child]...”
“My friend's child does phonics daily — are we behind?” — “We lean into research showing formal phonics before 4 doesn't produce better readers — sometimes the opposite. We build phonological awareness through songs, rhymes, listening games. Formal phonics starts in Reception.”
“Can [child] write their name?” — “They're mark-making with letter-like shapes coming through. Some children write their name at 3, some at 5. What we're watching is grip, control, willingness, pride in what they make.”
Pre-school routines that build readiness
- Regulation: visual timetable · 2-min warnings · calm corner · Zones of Regulation language.
- Language: story time twice daily · same book many times · 4 communication moves (tune-in, narrate, expand, pause) · songs, rhymes.
- Independence: self-serve snack · coat, zip, hood · toilet independently · knife and fork every meal · "what could you try before asking me?"
- Curiosity: rotating provocation table · adult modelling of wonder · non-fiction next to fiction · follow the child's question with a real investigation.
- Peer play: uninterrupted time · coach real conflict moments · small-group turn-taking games.
- Mark-making + phonological awareness: mark-making all day · name cards at child height · rhyme, syllable, alliteration play — no worksheets.
Bridge to school: summer term — contact each Reception school, share transition report, invite Reception teacher to visit, support 1–2 child visits to the school. Family involved throughout.
🌳 Outdoor Learning & Risk-rich Play
Silver · twice a day, all weathers, meaningful risk
The 2 JLK outdoor rules
- Every room outside at least twice a day — morning and afternoon — regardless of weather.
- Weather is the child's teacher, not obstacle. Only lightning · ice storm · extreme heat are excuses.
Why we hold this tight: the 3 hidden senses (proprioception, vestibular, interoception) get more input outdoors in 15 minutes than a whole day indoors. Better sleep · better appetite · more language · better mental health for children AND adults. EYFS statutory requirement.
Excuses to challenge, warmly
“It's raining” · “Kids are tired” · “It's cold, they'll get ill” · “Parent said no outdoor today” — suit up, go out. Damp indoor children get more colds than well-dressed outdoor children.
Risk-BENEFIT (not risk-avoidance) — 5 questions
- What's the activity? Be specific.
- What are the DEVELOPMENTAL BENEFITS?
- What are the risks?
- What controls make the benefit possible while managing risk?
- Decision: proceed with controls (not “ban until further notice”).
JLK 3-child rule: if 3 children have taken the risk without real harm, controls are working — keep the activity. If 3 have had near-misses, tighten controls (not ban).
Adult script during physical challenge
- ❌ “Careful!” → ✅ “Your foot is close to the edge — what will you do?”
- ❌ “Get down!” → ✅ “What's the plan for coming back down?”
- ❌ “Hold on tight!” → ✅ “I'm right here.”
- ❌ “Come down before you fall” → ✅ “How does it feel on the top? Look how high you got.”
6-rung climbing ladder
- Steps and low platforms.
- Single-rung wooden frame, soft surface below.
- Multi-rung frame at moderate height.
- A-frame or slanted ladder.
- Climbing wall or trees with visible foot-holds.
- Improvised structures — planks between crates, elevated dens.
Meet each child where they are. Offer the next rung when ready.
The physical challenge principle: a child scared but curious is your target. Support = proximity, presence, language — NOT lifting them up or catching them down. If they can't, they'll stop. If they can with support, they'll do it. If they already can, they'll extend it.
All-weather kit standard
- Waterproof-fleece all-in-one suits (family provides OR JLK provides — never a barrier).
- Spare wellies in every common size on the boot rack.
- Sunhat + warm hat always available.
- Waterproof mittens for babies and toddlers.
- Sun cream on shelf, applied at least daily in warm months.
🚪 Room Transitions
Bronze · readiness not birthday
The core principle: a child moves rooms when they are DEVELOPMENTALLY READY, not because they turned 2 last week.
JLK transition windows (guidance, not gates)
Baby → Toddler
Around 18m ± 3m. Never before 15m.
Toddler → Pre-school
Around 2y 9m ± 3m. Never before 2y 6m.
Pre-school → Reception
September of 4th year (school system decides).
Readiness signals for moving UP
- Consistently outgrowing current room's resources — play looks "done".
- Physical: baby → toddler needs steady walking; toddler → pre-school needs mostly-independent toileting.
- Social: seeking older children, ready for more complex peer play.
- Communication: enough language for the routines of the new room.
- Attachment to key person is secure — strong enough to weather the change.
Reasons to DELAY
- Family upheaval (new baby, house move, bereavement, separation) — wait 4–6 weeks past the event.
- Recent illness or hospitalisation.
- Behaviour signals showing they're not settled where they are.
- Imminent key-person change — don't stack two major changes.
- Peer separation from a strong friendship without another friend already in the new room.
Don't move an unready child for ratio convenience. Weeks of unsettling cost more than a few weeks of tight baby ratios.
JLK 6-week transition sequence
Wk -6 — Family conversation
Current KP + manager + family. Cite observations. Introduce new KP by name.
Wk -5 — New KP visits child
20–30 min in current room. Photo for transition book.
Wk -4/-3 — Short accompanied visits
2–3 × ~30 min. Different times of day. Current KP present.
Wk -3/-2 — Longer independent visits
2–3 × 1–2h. Include a meal or nap. Current KP available but not present.
Wk -1 — Formal handover
Current KP + new KP + manager. 20 min. Transition profile written up, family gets copy.
Move week — Warm welcome
Name at peg. Family wall photo. Extra new-KP time. Old KP hello visit on day 2/3. End-of-day text to family.
Wks +1–3 — Watch & support
Increased observation. Regular family chat. Adjust if unsettling shows.
Family communication essentials
- Introduce new KP to family in person before the move.
- Explicitly acknowledge the current relationship — don't pretend it's neutral.
- Set expectations for the first fortnight — unsettling is normal, we'll adjust.
- Weekly warm updates from new KP for the first month.
- Old KP doesn't disappear — friendly wave in the corridor, but not the handover person any more.
Never: move a child on a Friday · move the same week as a new sibling / house move / return from holiday · move without their comforter or transition object · let the two KPs fall out about "how the room does things".
Reverse transitions are responsive practice, not failure
If a child is genuinely struggling after 2–3 weeks and adjustments haven't landed, it IS OK to return to the old room for 1–2 weeks and try again with different pacing. Normalise this warmly with the family — it's care, not failure.
Transition book (A5 spiral notebook, travels with child)
- Photo of child · photo of family · photo of both key persons together.
- Favourite things list · friendship photo · one JLK Story sample.
- Comfort object description.
- Given to family at end of transition period. Some families frame them years later.