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Alphablocks Research Lab Early Years Education Pre-School Learning Reggio Emilia Support learning at home

The co-development of spatial ability and emotion regulation in children: implications for early years education

At Alphablocks Research Lab, we are dedicated to advancing our understanding of early childhood learning and development. We are excited to share insights from our latest study, “Feeling the Distance: The Relationship Between Emotion Regulation and Spatial Ability in Childhood,” recently published in the leading journal Development and Psychopathology. This collaborative research by Prof. Eirini Flouri of the UCL Institute of Education and our Director, Dr Dimitris Tsomokos, sheds new light on how children’s spatial skills intertwine with their ability to regulate emotions, and vice versa. In this post, we describe the main findings of this study and discuss their implications for early years education.

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Cockfosters Nursery Early Mathematics Early Years Education Early Years Foundation Stage Early Years STEM Science Technology Engineering & Mathematics Enfield Nursery Forest Schools Hadley Wood Nursery Ofsted outstanding Pre-School Learning Reading for early years Reggio Emilia

Ofsted: Outstanding in all areas

Alphablocks Nursery School was inspected by Ofsted in the Summer Term of 2024. Our school is pleased to announce the results of this latest inspection by Ofsted, which can be read in full here:

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Books for children Early Years Education Enfield Nursery Hadley Wood Nursery High Scope early years approach Pre-School Learning Reading for early years Support learning at home Support learning at home

Supporting Your Child’s Learning at Home: Fairy tales old and new

Books form a central part of our educational approach at Alphablocks Nursery School. They are used to support us in planning the learning experiences offered in the classroom. This half term we have chosen Traditional Fairy Tales as our central theme.

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Alphablocks Research Lab Annual Research Report Early Years Education Research on Early Years Development

Alphablocks Research Lab: 2023 Report

Executive Summary

Alphablocks Nursery School is committed to providing outstanding education and empowering children to become confident learners. In 2023, our research organisation, Alphablocks Research Lab, funded academic work that made significant contributions in the exploration of childhood social cognitive abilities and mental health outcomes. This report summarises the year’s achievements.

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Alphablocks Research Lab Cockfosters Nursery Early Years Education Early Years Foundation Stage Enfield Nursery Ofsted outstanding Pre-School Learning Research on Early Years Development

The long-term impact of early social cognition & Theory of Mind

There are a few aspects of child development that teachers, parents and carers often talk about when it comes to nursery-age children. These include aspects of development such as the physical, social, and emotional growth of a child, early literacy and numeracy abilities, or self-regulation skills. However, an area of development that has been relatively overlooked is that of social cognition. It includes a complex set of skills that are crucial for development and have long-lasting impact, well beyond childhood. In this post, we briefly discuss the basic dimensions of social cognition in early childhood, and summarise some recent findings that have come out of our work at Alphablocks Research Lab in collaboration with leading academics.