{"id":4239,"date":"2020-07-06T15:37:00","date_gmt":"2020-07-06T14:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/first-pen.localsite.io\/?p=4239"},"modified":"2024-10-31T11:52:28","modified_gmt":"2024-10-31T11:52:28","slug":"the-importance-of-continuous-provision-in-the-early-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cornerstoneseducation.co.uk\/the-importance-of-continuous-provision-in-the-early-years\/","title":{"rendered":"The importance of continuous provision in the early years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In this blog, experienced early years adviser and Cornerstones Director, Melanie Moore, discusses why <\/em>continuous provision is so important for children\u2019s early development \u2013 and how to get it right.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Most early years practitioners recognise continuous provision<\/a> as the resources they offer children as part of an enabling environment or the resources that are safe for children to explore independently. It is both these things, but it is important to remember that continuous provision is not just provision that is continually accessible; it is also a selection of resources that continue children\u2019s learning with or without an adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Why is continuous provision important?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As practitioners, it\u2019s essential to fully understand both what continuous provision is and how it helps support children\u2019s development. Crucially, effective continuous provision should provide children with the opportunity to demonstrate the characteristics of effective teaching and learning identified by the EYFS. For example, in the construction area, children may independently investigate how high they can build a tower by using wooden blocks. Trying to arrange the blocks in different ways or testing if they can add any other construction materials to their tower to make it sturdier, demonstrates aspects of both playing and exploring. Continuous provision also enables children to return to their explorations and consolidate their learning over the course of a day or a more extended period. When children do this, they can explore what happens to things as they change over time and make changes to explore new ideas. Continuous provision also allows children to make choices and initiate play without interaction with an adult.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What does effective continuous provision look like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Continuous provision transcends all areas of learning. When preparing your resources for continuous provision, you could try the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n