Ask the Experts: Deal with early education anxiety

Parents at our nursery are increasingly commenting on the fact that their children are running around all the time and not sitting down to learn. How should I respond?

Parents get very mixed messages about what learning is so your first job is to be able to give a clear message that explains the thinking behind your educational philosophy. Reassure them with some examples of how doing things that do not involve sitting at a table can be just as productive as activities such as writing and number work. However, there may also be some truth in what they say.

Check that your children are receiving a broad and balanced curriculum. Check that staff know what they need to be doing to support good learning. Ensure that everyone knows where and what learning is taking place.

But remember the words of the philosopher Rousseau: “You are worried about seeing him spend his early years doing nothing. What! Is it nothing to be happy? Is it nothing to skip, play, run around all day long. Never in his life will he be so busy again.”

Answered by June O'Sullivan, chief executive of the childcare charity and social enterprise, the London Early Years Foundation