Global

Developmentally appropriate practice for early years educators: Observation, planning and interaction

A ready-made course you customise for your organisation, with a live session deck and two surveys. You only add the 9 details that are specific to your organisation.

See the live deckSee the full outline
Try the coursePreview the survey
Length
40 min
Lessons
6 lessons
Frequency
At induction for new early years practitioners
Last reviewed
21 Oct 2026
Planning the day and interacting well
What would you do?

A child builds a tower; the practitioner asks "what colour is it?" four times

Try it: this is one of 22 interactive activities in the course.

What's included

Three pieces that work together

Copy once, get everything. Learners prepare on their own, you answer questions live, and the surveys tell you what stuck.

Self-paced course

Short lessons with real workplace scenarios, not walls of text.

  • 6 lessons, about 40 minutes
  • Tabs, sorting activity, timeline, process and quizzes

Live session deck

An AhaSlides presentation to run after the course, in person or online.

  • 10 slides
  • Quiz, poll, ranking, scale slides
  • A closing slide for your contacts

Two surveys

Find out what landed, and whether people use it on the job.

  • Post-course feedback, about 2 minutes
  • 30-day check-in
  • Anonymous by default
  • Results feed your next refresher

Learning objectives

At the end of this course, learners can

Each objective and the lesson that covers it.

IDObjectiveSourceWhere it's covered
TO 411.0Achieve ≥ 80% on the final assessmentn/aWhole course
SO 411.1Explain that development is a range, not a date, and what that means for daily routines and expectationsDevelopmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood Programs (NAEYC position statement) [check before build]Whole course
SO 411.2Run the observe, assess, plan cycle: write a factual observation, interpret it and plan a next step + your infoThe employer's early years framework, such as the Statutory framework for the early years foundation stage (EYFS) [check before build]Whole course
SO 411.3Plan a day with routines, play and transitions that suit the children in the roomBest practiceWhole course
SO 411.4Choose interactions that extend thinking: following the child's lead, open questions, modelling languageBest practiceWhole course
SO 411.5Adjust the environment and resources, and know how to raise a welfare or development concern + your infoOrganisation's concern route; UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (as a rights principle)Whole course

Your part: what a template can't do for you

  • Your workplace details: fill in the 9 highlighted fields so the course describes your own policies, contacts and locations.
  • Records: record completion in your own LMS or record system.

Course outline

6 lessons, about 40 minutes

Minutes per lesson are an estimate, shared out by page count.

ContentInteractiveVideoYou customise
1

Why the same activity works for one room and fails in another

3 pages

7 min
Before you beginNoteList
The craft table that did not workTextImage
What went wrongTimelineQuiz
2

Development and everyday practice

3 pages

7 min
Development is a rangeTabsNoteYour info
Sensible expectation or not?Sorting activity
CheckFlashcardsMatching quiz
3

Observe, assess, plan

3 pages

7 min
The cycleProcessNoteYour info
Fact or opinion?Sorting activityChecklist
Put the cycle in orderTimelineQuizMulti-select quiz
4

Planning the day and interacting well

3 pages

7 min
A day that flowsAccordion
Interactions that extend thinkingTabs
The testing questionScenarioQuiz
5

Environment, executive function and speaking up

3 pages

7 min
An enabling environmentAccordionSorting activity
Everyday executive functionTabsText
When something worries youScenarioNoteQuiz
6

Your next steps and final assessment

2 pages

5 min
Your next stepsProcessYour infoYour infoYour info
PracticeQuizKey factNoteButtonYour info

Live deck and surveys

10 slides to run live, two surveys to close the loop

Pink slides are interactive. Both surveys are anonymous; pink questions are written for this course.

ContentTitle, agenda, "watch first, then plan
PollWhat is your hardest daily challenge?
QuizWhich is a factual observation? "Is a naughty child" · "Said 'more' and pointed to the jug" ✔ · "Is behind" · "Doesn't try
ContentObserve, assess, plan on one picture, and why development is a range
RankingPut the five steps of the cycle in order
ContentInteractions that extend thinking: comment, wait, extend
QuizA child builds a tower and you have asked "what colour?" four times. Next? (Comment on the tower, wait, add a word or idea ✔)
ScaleHow confident are you writing a factual observation?
Open-ended / Q&AA moment from your room where you were not sure what to do
Content · customiseClosing {{LD_CONTACT}}, {{SURVEY_2_URL}}, {{COURSE_URL}}
Post-course feedback: 11 questions, about 2 min
  1. Overall rating 5 stars
  2. Relevant, realistic, right length, helpful activities agree/disagree grid
  3. What was most useful? multi-select
  4. Confidence before this course, and now 1-5 scale
  5. How confident are you writing a factual observation? 1-5 scale
  6. How confident are you choosing interactions that extend a child's thinking? 1-5 scale
  7. What is your biggest challenge in your room at the moment? short text
  8. I feel able to ask a colleague for help when I am unsure. 1-5 scale
  9. One thing we should change or add open text
  10. Would you recommend this course? NPS
30-day check-in
  1. Have you used what you learned since the course? multiple choice
  2. How confident are you today? Compare with day 1 1-5 scale
  3. Do you know where to find the early years framework and the concern route? yes / no / not sure
  4. A moment where the training helped, or where you weren't sure open text
  5. Which topics should the next refresher focus on? ranking

Results show whether people use the training on the job, not just whether they finished it.

Make it yours

9 fields to fill in, and you're ready

Everything else is done. These are the details only your organisation knows; each one is highlighted inside the course.

  • Early years framework{{EARLY_YEARS_FRAMEWORK}}
  • Observation record method{{OBSERVATION_RECORD_METHOD}}
  • Concern route{{CONCERN_ROUTE}}
  • Ld contact{{LD_CONTACT}}
  • Next course link{{NEXT_COURSE_LINK}}
  • LMS or record system{{LMS_OR_RECORD_SYSTEM}}
Show all 9 fields
  • Survey 1 URL{{SURVEY_1_URL}}
  • Survey 2 URL{{SURVEY_2_URL}}
  • Course URL{{COURSE_URL}}

FAQ

Common questions

Can I run developmentally appropriate practice for early years educators: Observation, planning and interaction training online?

Yes. The course is self-paced and online, and the live deck lets you add a live session in the room or online.

How often is this training needed?

At induction for new early years practitioners; at the start of a planning cycle; as part of mentor-led staff development.

Who needs this training?

Nursery, kindergarten and preschool practitioners, room leaders and new early years staff, and the mentors who coach them; assigned by a nursery group, early years training provider or local staff-development lead, who run it.

What records should I keep?

Record completion in your own LMS or record system, so you can show who finished the course and when.

Can I edit the content?

Yes, everything. Change the wording, swap scenarios for ones from your workplace, add your logo, or remove parts that don't apply.

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Last reviewed: 21 October 2026Templates are a starting point, not legal advice.

Ready to run it?

Open the live deck to see how the session runs alongside the course and both surveys.

See the live deck