Nursery World - EYFS Guidance: Effective Practice, Part 4

What is self-regulation, why is it important, how does it affect development in the early years, and what role should practitioners play, asks Dr Julian Grenier, who led on the revised Early Years Foundation Stage guidance

Self-regulation depends on both nature and nurture

Self-regulation is important for children’s early learning. It is also vital for their lifelong mental health and well-being. That is why the revised Development Mattersemphasises self-regulation in its first few pages.

So, what is self-regulation? To answer that question, we need to take a step back and consider the role of maturation in child development. As the brain and nervous system develop, young children get better at focusing their attention and planning their actions. This is ‘executive function’. As the Harvard Center on the Developing Child explains, ‘Just as an air traffic control system at a busy airport safely manages the arrivals and departures of many aircraft on multiple runways, the brain needs this skill set to filter distractions, prioritise tasks, set and achieve goals, and control impulses.’

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