Free course

Supporting babies and toddlers

Free statement of participation on completion

The first two years of a child’s life are a time of incredible change and development. This free course helps practitioners to understand these changes and explore how they can support babies and toddlers in early childhood settings.

This course draws on research and expertise from early childhood academics at The Open University and professionals at Early Years Wales.

Early Years Wales logo

Interested in taking your learning further? You might find it helpful to explore the Open University’s Early Years courses and qualifications.

Course learning outcomes

After studying this course, you should be able to:

consider current research into child and brain growth and how this informs our understanding of development in early childhood
recognise the role schematic behaviours have in creating an accessible and enabling environment, both indoors and outdoors
identify how attachment relates to the role of the key person
recognise and promote the importance of the partnership with parents, including the home learning environment
demonstrate understanding of how to observe, assess, plan and record the care and learning needs of a child to enable the next steps in the child's development and learning.

Enter course

First Published: 24/07/2025

Updated: 24/07/2025

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Course content

- Introduction and guidance
- Current section:
  Introduction
  This course, Supporting development of babies and toddlers, has been developed to provide an introduction for early childhood practitioners and those interested in joining that workforce to some of the key aspects of working with very young children. The course explores how theories inform us about early child development, examines the importance of playful movement and schemas and uses these to understand a baby or toddler’s needs in order to plan engaging activities in accessible and ...
- Moving around the course
- Acknowledgements
- Week1Week 1: The incredible years
- Current section:
  Introduction
  The first 1000 days from conception to the age of two is a time of rapid growth, when little brains are growing and developing. Our brains are shaped by the experiences we have in those early years and our parents and other caregivers around us. These early experiences lay the foundations for the rest of our lives, so providing the right support at this stage is vital in supporting the wellbeing of the babies in your care. There is a growing number of babies splitting their time between home...
- 1 What babies can do
  - 1.1 Reflexes
  - 1.2 Senses
    - 1.2.1 Proprioception
    - 1.2.2 Vestibular
- 2 Listening to babies’ voices
- Summary of Week 1
- Further resources
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week2Week 2: Building the brain
- Current section:
  Introduction
  If you have ever played peek-a-boo with a baby, you’ll know that they find it endlessly fascinating and are always surprised to see that you are still there when you open your hands. But have you ever wondered why that is the case? Understanding how babies’ and toddlers’ thinking develops is key to being able to support their progress, and learning theories can help us to do this. By the end of this week, you will be able to:understand some of the key theories related to how babies and ...
- 1 How babies learn
  - 1.1 Piaget
  - 1.2 Vygotsky
- 2 The brain–body connection
  - 2.1 Supporting children to get moving
  - 2.2 Physical development
- 3 Risk and challenge
- Summary of Week 2
- Further resources
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week3Week 3: Playing
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Play is a fundamental aspect of childhood and a cornerstone of early development. For young children, play is not merely a pastime but a vital way of learning about themselves, others, and the world around them. It encompasses a wide range of activities – both structured and unstructured – that allow children to explore, create, imagine, and interact. One of the defining characteristics of play is that it is self-directed and intrinsically motivated. Unlike adult-led tasks, play is driven by...
- 1 Learning to play: schema
- 2 The importance of floor play
- 3 Treasure Baskets
- 4 Loose parts
- Summary of Week 3
- Further resources
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week4Week 4: Making connections
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Babies and toddlers need to feel safe and secure in order to be ready to play, explore and learn. We know that it is not always easy to manage a child’s emotions, and providing a secure environment for learning is a major factor in any baby or toddler room. Developing sensitive, responsive and trusted relationships with key practitioners in the baby or toddler room is fundamental to infant mental health. Practitioners help babies and toddlers learn how to experience, manage and express their...
- 1 Why relationships matter: attachment
- 2 A sense of self
- 3 Self-regulation
- 4 Identity and belonging
- Summary of Week 4
- Further resources
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week5Week 5: Building relationships
- Current section:
  Introduction
  Trusting, positive relationships with the adults that are around them is a vital aspect of a child’s development, and for baby room practitioners this is one of the most important parts of the role. As well as the relationships that the child has with their parents or carers and their key person in the nursery setting, the relationship between the key person and the parents or carers is also significant. All these relationships need to be working effectively in order for the child to grow ...
- 1 Building positive relationships
- 2 Children’s relationships
- 3 Families and friends
- 4 Key person
- Summary of Week 5
- Further resources
- References
- Acknowledgements
- Week6Week 6: Putting it into practice
- Current section:
  Introduction
  In 2009 Dr Kathy Goouch and Professor Sacha Powell from Canterbury Christ Church University recognised there was a lack of information and research that related to what happens in baby rooms. They started a study called ‘The Baby Room Project’ which highlighted the important work that was being done and recognised the need for practitioners working in those rooms to have professional development opportunities that enabled them to support the holistic development of the babies in their care. ...
- 1 Observing, planning and recording
  - 1.1 Types of observation and recording
  - 1.2 Using and sharing observations and records
- 2 Reflective practice
  - 2.1 What is reflective practice?
- Summary of Week 6
- Further resources
- Course summary
- References
- Acknowledgements

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Course reviews

Abigail Yeboah 9 August 2025 9:46PM

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Good and informative course and good to study.

i have just started this course . so see how i will go on the online course .

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usama Aziz 25 July 2025 8:43PM

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really its very interesting and awesome topic. highly recommended.

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Supporting babies and toddlers

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