The Early Years Together

In this episode of Early Years Together, Dr Jacqueline Young and Deborah Brown explore the importance of core strength, coordination and gross motor development in the early years. They discuss how physical development underpins children's learning, communication, confidence and independence, while sharing practical strategies that practitioners and parents can use to support children's development through play.

Don't forget to join us next time when we'll be discussing fine motor development and pre handwriting skills.

Episode Five References:

Department for Education (2024) Best start in life: a research review for early years. Part 2: The 3 prime...

In this episode of Early Years Together, Deborah Brown and Dr Jacqueline Young explore the important role that toilet training and self-care routines play in children's physical development, wellbeing, and independence. While physical development is often associated with running, climbing, and other large movements, self-care routines such as toileting, handwashing, dressing, toothbrushing, and feeding are equally significant learning experiences.

The episode highlights how physical development extends beyond gross motor skills to include children's ability to care for their bodies and manage everyday routines independently. They also explore practical ways practitioners can promote independence through modelling, visual prompts...

In this episode of The Early Years Together, Dr Jacqueline Young and Deborah Brown are joined by early years educator Andrea Jackson to explore the vital role that baby room care routines play in supporting young children's physical development, emotional wellbeing, and secure attachment. Drawing on Andrea's experience across nurseries, baby rooms and further education, the discussion highlights how everyday caregiving moments such as feeding, nappy changing, sleep routines and play create powerful opportunities for learning, development and relationship-building.

Together, they discuss the importance of responsive, attuned caregiving and how practitioners can balance predictable routines with flexibility...

In this episode of The Early Years Together, Deborah Brown and Dr Jacqueline Young explore the key physical developmental milestones that children typically experience from birth to five years. As part of the Movement Matters series, they discuss why physical development is a prime area of learning within the Early Years Foundation Stage and how movement supports children's wellbeing, independence, confidence, and overall development.

The conversation examines both gross motor and fine motor development, outlining typical developmental progressions from infancy through to school readiness. Deborah and Jacqueline explain how skills such as balance, coordination, strength, climbing, running...

This episode kicks off our new series, Movement Matters, by exploring why physical development sits at the heart of early learning. Drawing on research, everyday practice, and lived experience, Deborah Brown and Dr Jacqueline Young unpack how children build strength, coordination, balance, and fine‑motor control — and why these foundations shape everything from confidence and communication to self‑regulation and school readiness.

You’ll hear clear definitions, practical examples from real early years settings, and reflections on how movement supports children’s wellbeing, independence, and engagement with the curriculum. We also consider the impact of reduced access to physica...

In this final episode of the series Making Time to Talk, Deborah Brown and Dr Jacqueline Young celebrate the end of the series by responding to listener questions about supporting children’s communication and language.

Drawing on questions from students and practitioners, this episode explores:

In this week’s episodes Deborah Brown and Dr Jacqueline Young talk about ways to support children who are experiencing language delay. They discuss the differences between speech impairment, language delay and other types of need, and provide practical tips on ways to support language development, whilst recognising and encouraging other aspects of communication that might not be impacted by the language delay.

Whether you’re an educator, parent or student, this episode brings practical insights, real‑life examples and thoughtful reflection to accompany you through your day.

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This double length, special episode features a conversation between Deborah Brown and Dr Jacqueline Young about Jacqueline’s recent research study exploring the intersections between creative thinking and disadvantage in reception age children (aged 4 and 5 years). Jacqueline talks about how disadvantage shapes opportunities for imagination, and why nurturing creativity is a powerful act of equity in early education.

Join the podcast for a thoughtful, accessible conversation about curiosity, context, and the transformative potential of creative pedagogy.

Episode Nine References:

DfE (2025) ‘Early years foundation stage statutory framework for group and school-based providers: setting the stan...

In this week's episode, Jacqueline and Deborah explore how the smallest moments in a family’s day can become the biggest opportunities for connection. From breakfast chats to bath‑time giggles, they share simple, practical ways to spark richer conversations, nurture curiosity, and build children’s confidence as communicators. They unpack the realities of screen time without the guilt, offering easy shifts that turn digital moments into shared learning. The episode also dives into supporting children through big emotions, with calming phrases, connection‑first strategies, and ideas for building emotional vocabulary. A warm, reassuring listen for any parent or carer wa...

In this energising episode, Deborah and Jacqueline dive into the powerful role home languages play in children’s identity, confidence, and communication. Discover why bilingualism is an asset, what the “funds of knowledge” approach means for practice, and how simple everyday interactions can transform language learning for children with English as an additional language. Packed with practical ideas, warm reflections, and inclusive strategies, this episode is perfect for educators, students, and anyone passionate about nurturing joyful, meaningful communication from the very start.

Episode Seven References:

Moll, L. C., Amanti, C., Neff, D. and Gonzáles, N. (199...

Active listening is one of the most powerful foundations for early communication. In this episode, we explore why listening matters so much in the early years, how it supports language development, and what the EYFS says about listening and understanding.

We break down practical ways adults can model active listening—being present, responding with attunement, validating feelings, and noticing non‑verbal cues. The episode also introduces the EEF’s ShREC approach and shares simple strategies to help young children become active listeners through open‑ended questions, thinking time, playful listening games, and reducing background noise.

This epi...

In this episode, Deborah and Jacqueline explore how babies begin learning to communicate in their earliest months. They discuss language development theories, early interactions, and the Reggio Emilia concept of the “Hundred Languages of Children,” offering practical ways to support infants as emerging communicators.

Subscribe, share, and step into a podcast made for reflective early years practice.

Episode Five References:

Chomsky, N. (1959). Review of Verbal Behavior by B. F. Skinner. Language, 35. 26-58

Chomsky, N. (1968). Language and Mind. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World

Kidd, E. and Garcia, R., (2022). How diverse is c...

In this episode of Early Years Together, Dr Jacqueline Young and Deborah Brown take a deep dive into the power of open‑ended questions in early years interactions. Building on previous conversations about high‑quality adult–child communication, they explore what open‑ended questions are, why they matter, and how parents and practitioners can use them to nurture rich, imaginative, and sustained talk.

This episode blends research insights, real‑world practice, and practical examples — perfect for anyone supporting children’s communication and language development.

Subscribe, share, and step into a podcast made for reflective early years practice.<...

In this episode, Jacqueline and Deborah explore how early years environments can stimulate and support children’s communication. From the role of core strength and physical development to outdoor learning, cosy spaces, routines, and communication‑friendly setups, this episode offers practical insights for creating environments where language thrives.

Subscribe, share, and step into a podcast made for reflective early years practice.

Episode Three Reference:

Mann, J., Gray, T., Truong, S., Brymer, E., Passy, R., Ho, S., Sahlberg, P., Ward, K., Bentsen, P., Curry, C. and Cowper, R., 2022. Getting out of the classroom and into...

In this episode of The Early Years Together, Deborah Brown and Dr Jacqueline Young explore what high‑quality interactions really mean in early childhood education, and why they are so important for children’s learning and development.

The conversation unpacks what high‑quality interactions look like in practice—being attuned, present, and genuinely interested in children’s ideas. Deborah and Jacqueline discuss the role of language, “serve and return” exchanges, and giving children time to think and respond. They also discuss Sustained Shared Thinking, sharing practical examples of how adults and children can think together to deepen understanding...

In the debut episode of The Early Years Together, hosts Deborah Brown and Dr. Jacqueline Young open the doors to a warm, reflective space designed for everyone who cares about early childhood. With over six decades of experience between them, they explore why the early years matter—from rapid brain development and milestone moments to the lifelong impact of early experiences.

You’ll hear how stress, disadvantage and early language gaps can shape a child’s future, and why high‑quality early years practice is more crucial than ever. Deborah and Jacqueline also spotlight the growing pressure on educa...