Going back to nursery after a break

Make contact with children before they return

Early years settings can encourage key workers to connect with children (plus parents and carers). This could be via phone calls, emails, letters, online meetings, or recorded video messages. For instance, for babies and younger toddlers, contact via digital platforms could involve waving ‘hello’ and singing a nursery rhyme.

Parents and carers can also be invited to send pictures of activities or drawings to keyworkers, to help them stay in touch with the child’s experiences.

If a child’s keyworker is expected to change, this should be explained to the child in an age appropriate way before they come back to nursery, and they should have the chance to meet the new worker in the ways suggested above.

Talk about nursery and the child's key worker

Once a return date has been confirmed, keyworkers should encourage parents and carers to start talking to their babies and children about their nursery, while regularly using the main keyworker’s name. This will help reintroduce the idea of nursery and this special person.

Use a countdown to nursery calendar

Suggest that parents and carers create a countdown to nursery calendar. Toddlers and preschoolers can benefit from counting down the days using a visual timetable or calendar. This preparation provides a sense of predictability and security in the runup to their return.

Have a catch up phone call

Keyworkers can arrange a phone call or meeting with parents and carers, to review any issues that may have arisen during the break from the nursery. As well as getting a general sense of how the baby, toddler or young child is doing, it is helpful for keyworkers to be informed of any difficult experiences or changes in circumstances. Having a sense of the baby’s or child’s experiences will help keyworkers when trying to understand children’s needs and communications after they return.

Use transition objects

Encourage the use of a transitional object from home (where your childcare setting allows it). As with home visits and settling in periods, a familiar toy or object from home can be a bridge which helps the child cope more easily with the separation from their home and their parents or carers. It will also help with the transition to being back in the care of their keyworker and foster their sense of security. If possible, encourage your child to choose something that can be cleaned on arrival.

Keep familiar routines

Keyworkers should try to maintain as many familiar routines as possible. Experiencing sudden or unexpected changes can be unsettling and undermine a baby or young child’s growing sense of control over themselves, their experiences and relationships. It can also shake their capacity to engage in and learn from the world around them. Being able to slip back into predictable and consistent routines can counteract this and support the child’s growing sense of mastery over themselves and their environment.

Talk openly about any changes

If there have been changes to the physical space or routine in the nursery, talk openly to the children about these. Acknowledge that it may feel strange and different, and take some time to get used to. Although younger babies will not be able to tell you directly about their experience of changes, keyworkers should keep in mind that even the youngest children register differences in their environment. Having an awareness of this is important - it will help keyworkers stay attuned to babies’ communications after they return to nursery.

Help work through negative feelings

Some children may feel anxious about the change in their routine and upset about leaving their parents or other caregivers. It will be helpful if children can feel able to express these feelings without worrying that they will upset the adults who care for them. Some children may be able to directly communicate feelings through play or words but others, particularly babies and younger toddlers, may communicate worry, sadness or anger through their behaviour. Look out for changes in eating or sleeping patterns or an increase in tantrums or separation anxiety. Keyworkers can help by trying to verbalise any difficult feelings that children may be experiencing, such as being worried, sad or cross.