The Leuven Scale is a simple but powerful tool that can be used in early years education and childcare settings like Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery. The scale is used, through observation, to assess different aspects of children’s development and behaviour, including those with any challenges. The scale is so named because it uses a five-level scale in assessments. For example, the engagement scale will assess whether a child has little or no interest in an activity (Level 1), is easily distracted from the activity (Level 2), superficially engages with the activity (Level 3), shows some motivation and is concentrating on the activity (Level 4) or is highly motivated and interested in the activity (Level 5). Once assessed, the findings can be used to identify areas where additional support may be needed and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions and programmes designed to provide that support. 
Assessment, planning, actioning and reviewing are approached in a continuous, circular way, as illustrated in the accompanying diagram. In this way, any interventions designed to help a child are fully optimised and positively impactful.
The Leuven Scales most widely used in early years settings monitor well-being and involvement, engagement, relationships and classroom behaviour. However, well-being and involvement is usually the prime area of focus in early years settings, so that’s what we’ll concentrate on today.
Read on to learn more about how the Leuven Scale is used in childcare settings, see some examples, learn about its benefits and more.
Where Did the Leuven Scale Originate?
The Leuven Scale was developed by Ferre Leavers and his team of researchers at the Centre for Developmental Psychology in Leuven University in Belgium.
How is the Leuven Scale of Well-being & Involvement Used in Early Years Settings Like Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery?
As the name suggests, the Leuven Scale of Well-being and Involvement consists of two key components. The well-being component includes elements that assess various aspects of a child’s well-being, such as physical health, emotional well-being, and social relationships. The involvement component includes elements that assess various aspects of a child’s involvement, such as participation in activities, self-care, and decision-making.
In early years settings like Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery, the observations and assessments for each component are made by early years practitioners including a child’s Key Person although parental observational feedback is also welcomed. The practitioner or Key Person will generally observe across a variety of different situations to help formulate an overall picture. This may include observing during meals, sensory activities, structured and free play, and while children pursue activities of particular interest.
After careful review, the information gleaned from the scales can be used to identify trends and any areas of concern. Findings will be used to inform the development of individualised education plans, with measurable targets being formulated, for the assessed child. If external professionals are involved in the child’s learning and development, they may also be a part of the process. An example would be when a child is supported by a Speech and Language Therapist. Parents can also be involved in any support plans via specific activities to undertake at home. These may be designed to strengthen, for example, instruction following or to bolster the child’s social skills.
Once implemented, the support measures can be used in early years education and childcare settings for monitoring progress over time. Evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and support programmes in the long term is essential to ensure measures are having the desired effect and identify areas where additional support may still be needed going forwards. This is why it’s a circular approach of assessing, planning, doing, reviewing and beginning again at assessing etc. (see diagram above) so that every opportunity to optimally help a child has been undertaken. All in all, the goal is to reduce any socio-developmental gap between the child in question and their peers.
Examples
Below are a few examples of how the Leuven Scales of Well-being and Involvement could be used to guide activities for children identified as requiring extra support.
A Child Has Difficulty with Social Interactions
Using the Leuven Scale, the child’s social skills are assessed and it could be found that the child has difficulty making friends and initiating conversations. Activities could be planned to help the child develop these skills, such as social skills groups, role-playing activities, and games that require interaction with others.
A Child Has Difficulty with Self-Care
Using the Leuven Scale, it could be found that the child has difficulty with dressing themselves and brushing their teeth. Activities could be planned to help the child develop these skills, such as teaching them how to dress themselves, how to button and zip clothes, and how to brush their teeth.
A Child Has Difficulty with Decision-Making
Using the Leuven Scale, it could be found that the child has difficulty making choices and expressing preferences. Activities could be planned to help the child develop these skills. Examples might include offering a variety of activities and encouraging the child to choose which activities they would like to participate in, teaching them how to make simple decisions, and helping them to understand the consequences of their choices.
A Child is Not Involved in Many Activities
Using the Leuven Scale, it could be found that the child is not participating in many activities. Activities could therefore be planned to increase the child’s participation. Examples might include offering a variety of activities that align with the child’s interests, encouraging the child to participate in the activities, teaching them how to join in and showing them how to initiate activities themselves.
It’s worth noting that these are just a few examples and the activities should be tailored to the individual child’s needs and abilities based on the results of the Leuven Scale assessment. Other factors such as the child’s interests, preferences and the setting’s resources should also be considered.
Overall Benefits of Using the Leuven Scale of Well-being & Involvement
Using the Leuven Scale of Well-being and Involvement for children under five offers several benefits. These include identifying areas of concern in physical health, emotional well-being, social relationships, activities, self-care, and decision-making. Once identified these, in turn, facilitate the making of individualised education plans. The continuous assessment approach allows for progress monitoring, evaluating intervention effectiveness and identifying any additional support needs. The involvement of the child, with support if required, also empowers them to express their views. Sharing Leuven Scale results with parents additionally promotes their involvement and understanding of the child’s needs and progress all to the benefit of the child. All in all, the validated and widely used Leuven Scale ensures evidence-based measurement, which enhances the effectiveness of any resulting interventions and programmes. The scale is key in enhancing the quality and relevance of provision, as well as ultimately improving outcomes for children.
Leaps & Bounds Nursery & Preschool, Edgbaston, Birmingham
We hope that this guide has given you a little more insight into what goes on behind the scenes at childcare settings like Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery. If you are searching for a good nursery or preschool in Edgbaston, near Birmingham, do consider Leaps & Bounds. All Government-funded childcare schemes are supported by the nursery, including 15 and 30 hours of free childcare per week for eligible children (follow the bold link for more details). We would be happy to show you/your child around, see how well they fit in and answer any questions. Use the buttons below to get in touch, arrange a tour or to get started and apply for a nursery/preschool place.
We are a nursery and preschool in Edgbaston, near Birmingham, also convenient for those looking for high-quality childcare near Ladywood, Bearwood, Harborne or Smethwick.
Our poster only includes 40 popular birds out of potentially hundreds that can be found in the UK. With that in mind, here are several other ways for children to identify wild birds, perhaps with the help of a supervising adult:
Nature is one of our focuses at Leaps & Bounds Day Nursery in Edgbaston. Children get to enjoy and learn about nature through our 
Childcare funding has been all over the news in the UK this month, following the far-reaching childcare funding reforms that were announced in the Chancellor’s Spring Budget for 2023. The announcement is indeed of significant new funding, which is set to allow far more children and families to benefit from free, Government-funded childcare in the near future. Early indications are that it’s going to be a game-changer, with even younger infants gaining free access to an early years education and new parents, particularly mothers, having a much more viable route to returning to the workplace following the birth of a child. But what exactly are the changes and will they benefit your family? Today, we answer all such questions in our guide to the new childcare funding announced in the Spring Budget 2023.
Until now, only 
Parents and households will also benefit hugely from this new funding. Because it will be available far earlier in their child’s life, parents will be able to return to work sooner after children are born — not long after maternity/paternity leave ends in fact. This will make a difference to mothers in particular, as many struggle being able to afford childcare when trying to get back into the workplace after becoming a parent. And, of course, it’ll allow families to boost household income.
The proposed childcare support obtained by eligible families through Universal Credit is also very generous. Families who are eligible for this particular scheme previously had to pre-fund the childcare costs and then claim them back. This meant that families, many of whom were already struggling, had to first come up with a significant chunk of money — in advance. That cash flow challenge was a real issue for many low-income families who were otherwise eligible. It’s no wonder, therefore, that only 13% of them have been claiming this form of childcare support.
To counter this, another of the Chancellor’s announcements in the Spring Budget 2023 is to extend what’s known as ‘Wraparound Care’ for school-age children. In the new ‘Pathfinder’ approach to Wraparound Care, Government-backed childcare funding will cover childcare hours at the start and finish of the day. Parents will then be able to work for full days and not have to worry about the costs and practical challenge of childcare provision before the start and after the end of the child’s school day.
Toddlers and children have much smaller stomachs than adults and will naturally get hungry between meals. A healthy snack, given twice a day, will therefore stave off feelings of hunger at the same time as providing significant nutritional benefits and sustaining energy levels. So, today, we take a look at some easy and healthy snack ideas for toddlers and young children, plus any considerations around them. Our article may help to give parents and caregivers some guidance and inspiration around the subject of snacks that are both enjoyable and beneficial for the little ones.
Portion size is important for under-fives in particular. After all, you don’t want to make portion sizes so big that they put children off. Look out for signs like toddlers ignoring their plate, closing mouths when food is offered or, of course, spitting it out. These are all signs that the toddlers are probably full. It’s better to give smaller portions and then offer more if they clear their plate or otherwise indicate that they’re still hungry.
The NHS recommends that a toddler has two healthy snacks a day. This is easy to accomplish with a bit of planning and, as we said before, toddlers’ stomachs aren’t very big, so we are not talking about large amounts of food. The portion size of the snacks can later grow as your toddler does (see section on portion sizes earlier in this article).
Muffins or rice cakes with cream cheese used as a spread or dip.
Potty training can, for some, be a very long process that may often feel like it will will never end. Don’t forget, though; this is a totally new skill for children, so is bound to take some time. Sometimes, a lack of any fast progress can build to frustration. However, rest assured; progress will come with patience, persistence and a good potty training strategy — and that’s exactly where today’s guide comes in. Here are are our Top Tips for Potty Training Tots.
There are certain things to look out for that might suggest that it’s time to start potty training your little one. For example, try to spot signs that your child is aware of what is in their nappy. Do they show signs of not liking a wet or soiled nappy? Do they show awareness when going to the loo in their nappy? Maybe this involves them going somewhere quiet, perhaps slightly hiding behind furniture, or even making eye contact with you to ‘tell’ you they’re doing something.
There is a large variety of toileting aids on the market, from potties, to toilet seats, trainer seats that clip on to adult toilet seats, pretend toddler toilets, and a whole range of portable potties for when the family is on the go. You may also consider a step to help your child reach the toilet if using a toilet instead of a potty. This can also be helpful for handwashing.
Make sure your child is actually ready — don’t rush it.
When it comes to the learning and development of children, a good parent-nursery partnership is absolutely vital to maximising their short- and long-term success. In the mid-term, it also ensures they’re ‘school-ready’ by the time they leave our care. We therefore work together with parents¹, in close partnership. By doing so, children will receive a consistent, ‘joined-up’ approach to the tailored curriculum and the shared goals that we create for each of them. Sharing goals for children both at home and in the nursery will ensure the strengthening of strong areas as well as bolstering any weaker areas that children may find challenging.
Play dough will be a popular choice for little ones, especially if shape cutters and a rolling pin are brought into the activity. Play dough is entertaining to use, it’s creative and children will learn about colours, shapes and three-dimensional form as they go along.
This can be played inside or outside where the child has a bit of space, for example a long hallway would be perfect. Let your child pretend they are walking of perhaps even driving. Give the commands “Stop!” and “Go!” and perhaps even “Freeze!”. They’ll probably find this highly amusing, particularly if you give them feedback and encouragement. Another twist on this activity would be for them to do the activity whilst dancing. You could then abruptly stop the music and shout “Stop!” and so on.
This hidden objects activity could involve hiding almost anything for the child to find. You could start off in one room only to make it easier initially. Show your child the object before hiding it. Once they start looking for it, you could use words like near, far, yes, no, warmer, colder and so on. Once they have mastered finding one object, perhaps add more for them to find. Then perhaps reverse roles and try to find objects the child has hidden for you. Ensure they also use the clue words like warm and cold etc. You could even set up some kind of reward to make it more exciting. For example, if they ‘win’ they could get a treat of some kind, like a funky sticker or trip to the swings.
Beneficial outcomes: Arts and crafts are said to use multiple areas of children’s brains and encourage the use of fine motor skills. They also stimulate the imagination and boost creativity.
Similarly, children will love looking for — and finding — ‘treasure’ hidden in a sandpit or sand box. Bury some pretend treasure in the sand and then let your child rummage through the sand to discover the hidden objects. You could make it more challenging by saying, for instance, that there are 5 treasures in the sand. Encourage your 3-year-old to count them as they come out as well saying what they are. You could also do this activity with the child blindfolded, so they have to feel the objects and guess what they are once found.
Not only is this a fun activity for your child, but it also helps the local wildlife. There are lots of different 
Get your child to help with pulling up weeds, or planting new seeds and plants. Give them set instructions or a demonstration to follow and ensure you stress the importance of caring for the plants and seedlings.
Baking cakes, biscuits, cookies and breads under your supervision* will be a fun and educational activity for 4-year-olds. What’s more, they’ll end up with something they can actually eat! During the process, try to explain the importance of measuring, doing things in the right order, waiting the right amount of time and so on. Ask them at the end about it, to ensure they have grasped the concepts.
The ‘Progress Check at 2’ is a requirement for all 2-year-olds attending registered childcare settings in England. This article provides an overview of what it consists of, who is involved in the process, and how the Progress Check at 2 can benefit young children.
The age of two is a significant milestone in any child’s development, which is why both the Progress Check at 2 and the separate Healthy Child Programme’s 2-Year Review* take place at this age. By this key stage, the progress and attainment of a child’s learning, speech, language, cognitive, physical, social and emotional development will have started to become more apparent. Ensuring that each area is developing optimally at such an early stage will have long-term benefits for the child, so it is important to confirm that everything is on track.
The Progress Check at 2 helps primarily to determine whether a child is making progress at the expected level for their age and stage of development. By using the findings of the progress check as a benchmark, it is possible to provide support to optimise the child’s progress going forward. Sharing the results between childcare settings, parents, and any other early years professionals involved allows ongoing support to continue both at home and at the child’s nursery, pre-school, or other childcare setting. Once identified, strengths can be further developed and areas of concern can be addressed through additional help and support if needed. For example, if a specific educational need or disability has been identified, the childcare provider’s Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCo) and any necessary health professionals or specialists can work together to create a support plan for the child. This can include strategies and activities to help nurture the child’s progress at nursery and/or at home.
Ensuring School Readiness for Under-Fives
Perhaps you have heard of Tax-Free Childcare or you may have recently read news headlines about families missing out on £2,000 in free childcare each year. The two are linked and, indeed, over a million families do miss out each year, despite being eligible for this free childcare funding. So, what exactly is Tax-Free Childcare, are you eligible to receive it and, if so, how do you go about claiming it? Today, we answer all such questions in our “Quick Guide to Tax-Free Childcare”. Take a look and you may find that your family is eligible to claim as much as £2,000 towards childcare costs each year — even more if your child is disabled.
In order to be eligible to claim under the Tax-Free Childcare scheme, a few rules apply …
There are a few potential exceptions to the above rules. You may still be eligible to claim Tax-Free Childcare if, for example, you or your partner:
The Government contributes up to £2k in Tax-Free Childcare per eligible child per year, or up to £4k per year per child if they are disabled. That equates to a Government contribution of £500 or £1000 maximum per quarter respectively.
In order to claim the Tax-Free Childcare contributions, you will first need to open a Childcare Account on the Government website. You can 
How is the Childcare Provider Paid?
Halloween arrives on 31st October, so it’s a great time to prepare for some fun activities for little ones!
Children’s imaginations can run riot with Halloween fancy dress. There are so many themes they can choose from. They could dress up as a witch, a wizard, a character from Harry Potter, a ghoul, zombie or wicked clown from one of the horror films, Harley Quinn, the Joker or even just a skeleton. That’s easy to achieve with some black clothing, white paint and some creative make-up. Many such things can be made at home for little or no cost, requiring only creativity and a little imagination on the part of children and supervising adults.
Party bags for all the party guests are also another opportunity for some fun for the children. Some of those plastic spiders, bats and critters will be appreciated (avoid choking hazards, though), perhaps along with other Halloween accessories like stickers and pretend tattoos. Little ones could even put together a little bag of Halloween cookies for children to take home (see more about those below).
They can also help parents make themed cookies, which is another Halloween food example. Bat cookie anyone? Or how about an iced biscuit that looks like a ghost? These can all be made into fun and even educational activities for young children — with adult supervision for safety, of course. Helping to mix the cookie mixture, designing the spooky shapes and adding the creative icing are all good, fun activities for little ones.
saving seeds so they can be grown into new pumpkin plants next year, putting aside flesh to make soup and — the best part — decorating the pumpkin. The outside ‘face’ or other design can be outlined, perhaps, using acrylic paint or a spirit marker. Even the inside can be coloured, using food dye, for extra effect once illuminated later when it’s dark. Children can decorate the pumpkins as much or as little as they like, whether simply outlining features with a black marker or adding self-adhesive stars or even glitter. Once ready, children can put an LED (fake) candle inside to illuminate the pumpkin when it’s dark. Or, if it’s being placed outside away from children, animals and anything flammable, real tea lights can be used inside the pumpkin, so long as adults supervise lighting and ensure that everyone is kept well clear thereafter. Either way, illuminated pumpkins will be a lovely thing to see and something that children will find fascinating, enthralling and very atmospheric. And, if they’ve been involved in their creation, they are something children can feel be proud of.
All in all, Halloween can be a very special and enjoyable night for children of all ages. Even the tiniest children will find joy in dressing up, getting together with friends to compare outfits, seeing the Halloween-themed decorations and helping to make pumpkins or spooky biscuits! If you’re thinking of organising something for your little one(s), ensure you start preparations in advance so you’re all set by the time the 31st of October arrives. Then, get ready for a memorable night!
Today we look at the topic of baby-led weaning in a follow-up to 
While 
Except in special cases, it is normal to start any kind of weaning around the age of six months and the same is true for baby-led weaning. This is usually done by introducing a just small amount of solids per day initially. This can be done at any time of the day and does not have to follow usual feeding times. The idea of the small initial introduction is to get your infant used to taking solids in addition to their breast or formula milk. Indeed, their milk remains the most important part of their diet right up until the age of one.
Fruit and vegetables are probably the easiest finger foods to start with.
Between 6 to 7 months, additional soft foods can be given as finger foods. So, you could add small fingers of ripe avocado, ripe (i.e. soft) mango and soft melon. You can also try your infant on soft cheese fingers using mozzarella or ricotta (never before 6 months though), so long as they’re made from pasteurised milk and are not mould-ripened (like Brie), veined (like Stilton) nor made from ripened goats’ cheese. Cheeses high in salt and saturated fats should also be avoided for the young. Omelette fingers are also a good choice, so long as the eggs are fully cooked and anything added to a Spanish omelette (e.g. vegetables) is also sufficiently soft.
By the age of 10 to 12 months, your little one’s food offerings start to look much more similar to standard family meals. For example they may have progressed to cooked pasta and cut-up meatballs (or the vegetarian/vegan equivalent). They may now enjoy pitta bread pieces with hummus, perhaps cut-up cheese sandwiches (see aforementioned note about cheeses and also avoid bread that’s got added salt). Steamed/boiled potatoes or vegetables with shredded chicken, turkey or beef are another option – all, of course, suitably cooled and cut into small pieces for the child.
