Resources
Areas of Learning – Practical Ideas
Practical ideas for Communication and Language and Mathematics, including a Speech and Language UK webinar, DfE Help for early years providers resources, and EEF early maths guidance.
Communication and Language – Early Years Language Programme
Webinar: Songs, Rhymes and Rhyming Books – Why we do it and why it matters
When: 2 December 2026
Time: 1.30–3.00
Facilitated by: Dr Susan Richards, Lead Advisor, Speech and Language UK
Audience: Open to all early years practitioners
Clap and sing along to discover how songs and rhymes are not only fun – they provide children with the fundamental building blocks of language. Drawing on over a decade of research, Dr Susan Richards, Lead Speech and Language Advisor at Speech and Language UK, will talk about how songs, rhymes and rhyming books can contribute to children’s language development. You will learn how neuroscience is helping us understand how language rhythms form the basis for language learning and find out how the structured auditory patterns of songs, rhymes and rhyming books can scaffold language processing for children right from the very beginning.
Booking details: Early Years Language Leads Programme – Songs, rhymes and rhyming books webinar (Speech and Language UK) (opens in a new tab)
Communication and language resources
The Department for Education (DfE) has produced a platform for Early Years Providers to access ideas that cover the EYFS areas of learning.
Communication and language resources – here is the link: Help for early years providers: Communication and language (opens in a new tab)
These resources will help you when reviewing your current curriculum to make sure you are meeting the requirements of the revised communication and language area of learning.
Mathematics
Understanding Core Mathematical Concepts
- Cardinality & Counting: Understanding that the last number counted represents the total quantity of a set ("howmanyness") and matching number words to objects.
- Comparison: Evaluating relative size, weight, length, or quantity (e.g., more, less, heavier, taller).
- Composition: Understanding that numbers can be made up of smaller numbers (e.g., 5 is made of 2 and 3).
- Measures: Investigating length, volume, time, and weight via sand, water, baking, and daily routines
- Pattern & Sequence: Spotting, copying, extending, and creating repeating patterns (such as red-blue-red-blue) in art, music, or physical movement.
- Shape & Space: Exploring 2D and 3D shapes, position, direction, and spatial transformation through block building and construction play.
- Subitising: Instantly recognising small quantities (up to 3 or 4) without counting.
Education Endowment Foundation guidance
The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) has produced guidance on effective approaches to support early mathematics. To support effective maths teaching, early years practitioners need to know how children's maths skills develop, how to teach maths, and have knowledge of maths itself.
The approaches and practices are summarised below to support practitioners in understanding how to teach maths. Here is the link:
Mathematics resources from the DfE
The Department for Education (DfE) has produced a platform for Early Years Providers to access ideas that cover the EYFS areas of learning.
Here is the link for mathematical ideas: Help for early years providers: Mathematics (opens in a new tab)
These resources will help you make sure your current curriculum meets the requirements of the revised mathematics area of learning.