Why Early Years are the most important years in learning

Rose Winter, Head of Early Years Learning and a nursery school teacher (ages 2.5 - 4) at the British International School Bratislava, is often asked by parents “what did my child learn today?” Her reaction? “Where do I start?”

When they arrive in the morning and say goodbye to their caregivers, they are learning to manage their emotions (emotional regulation).

When they go to the cloakroom to take off their coats and put on their indoors shoes, they are learning independence (I need to prepare for the day), responsibility (I need to put on my inside shoes), fine and gross motor skills (getting dressed, changing shoes, carrying stuff in), and physical development. 

In the classroom they choose what to play, which develops decision making, independence and emotional regulation. If they make a tower with blocks, they are building key pre-numeracy skills (balance, weight, shapes, counting). If they look at a book, even if they can’t read, they are looking at pictures and trying to make meaning of them (pre-literacy, literacy, emotional regulation).

Meanwhile, teachers are influencing and subtly directing much of what is available to kids and helping them to make sense of the “work” they do. 

Why play really matters.

Often parents think the most important learning in a child’s life happens when the stakes are highest: in the run up to exams and university admissions. Developmental scientists beg to differ. They point out that ages zero to five are when the foundations of a brain are built. But the way those foundations are laid is not through sitting at small desks or learning to read by age three. It happens through relationships and through play.

“Unlocking the potential within every child fundamentally hinges on one key factor: the profound impact of early relationships,” writes Isabelle C. Hau, director of the Stanford Accelerator for Learning and author of the forthcoming Love to Learn: The Transformative Power of Care and Connection in Early Education.

“When children feel loved, safe, and valued, when they have the space and time to play and explore while being supported by nurturing, positive relationships, they learn,” she writes. 

In these environments, rich with books and dress up corners and blocks and art and choices, toddlers build emotional regulation, self-regulation, and physical and emotional resilience. 

“Without self-regulation, without being able to control your emotions and feelings, and without being able to communicate effectively, it's then hard to learn how to apply yourself to the more academic learning,” says Rose Winter. “If you can speak and listen, you can also think, talk, and write about the ideas too.”

What looks like undirected, spontaneous play is some of the most important learning a child will ever do.

The neuroscience of babies’ brains 

The importance of play. The Early Years teacher’s advice.

So, if a baby’s brain is malleable, we should get cracking on literacy and numeracy as soon as possible? Not according to the experts.

Deirdre Grimshaw, headteacher of the Early Years and Infant Campus at the British International School Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) says their school engages with Harvard’s Project Zero pedagogy of play, which is called “playful learning” from Key Stage 1 onwards (5 – 7 years old), building on the strong Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum Framework.

Learning is viewed as a journey of exploration and leadership, not a rigid process, she says, quoting the programme’s materials. “That's what we want for all of our students, and it gives student agency, empowering students to lead their own learning, giving choices within the curriculum, involving them in decision making processes and encouraging them to shape their learning experiences.” 

Parents play a critical role on this journey, she says, and the school works closely with the families of the youngest learners every step of the way. That starts with Family Admission Meetings in which a member of the school’s senior leadership team meets with the family and the child together, allowing the school to see how a family interacts together to support them. They learn about families while teaching about child development. 

“We are continually upskilling our parents along with our teachers, continually sharing with them the ‘why’ of what we do,” she told me. “That means bringing the family on the journey with us.”

There is an extended settling in time, where the child learns to separate from their caregiver or parent, and get used to feeling safe and cared for by teachers and aides, starting with an hour a day with the parents present and then with them out of the class but in the building, and gradually increasing the child’s time apart from the parent or caregiver. 
Teachers and leaders explain to parents in detail how a day is structured. While it looks like a lot of free play, it is meticulously designed through playful learning. This also complements the Early Years Framework by emphasising three key developmental areas:

• Physical development: fine and gross motor skills developed through activities such as LEGO or Play-Doh or outdoor play, soft play, and specialist lessons such as physical education.
• Personal Social and Emotional development: This is all about helping children to manage their emotions, guiding them in their interactions with others such as taking turns, expressing what they need and learning to sit in a circle at story time
• Communication and language: While English is the language of instruction and communication, the importance of developing the home language as well as English.is also hugely important. 

They also offer workshops and SPLATS (Stay, Play, and Learn Together Sessions) where parents get to learn how to encourage and support their child’s development.

“We feel that it develops independent, curious and collaborative learning,” Grimshaw says. In an age of Generative AI where adaptability and resilience will be key, independence and agency will be just as vital too.

The best time to start building these skills? From birth.

What parents should look for:

• A school teaching and learning experience that is loving, responsive, and stimulating.
• A school that encourages parents’ involvement as partners in their children’s learning journeys.
•  A school where children learn through play in interactive, personalised, and purposeful ways. It’s a joyful learning experience.