Hannah Tyreman, Curriculum Designer, Teacher Development Trust, shares how experiences in the first five years of a child’s life can significantly determine their future.
In the first five years of their lives, children are learning behaviourally, cognitively, physically, and socially at a faster rate than at any other time in their lives (OECD, 2020).
‘Early childhood represents one of the best investments we can make for the long-term health, wellbeing and happiness of our society. Our future outcomes, whether they be academic, economic or health-related (including mental health), are profoundly shaped by our first five years’ (Centre for Early Childhood, 2021, p.5).
As they interact with their environments and connect with the people in them, children develop a wide variety of knowledge and skills, including their understanding of mathematical concepts, vocabulary acquisition, fine and gross motor skills, communication, ability to self-regulate, and sense of self, including the differences and similarities between themselves and others (Agarwal, 2020; Asmussen, Law and Charlton et al., 2018).
A child’s early development in these areas and all others is dependent on a variety of factors including the nature of their home environment, the circumstances in which they grow up, the warmth and security of their relationships, and the quality of their interactions with adults (Evangelou, Sylva and Kyriacou et al., 2009).
