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Early Years toolkit

In this section
Starting out
Looking to grow
Well-established
Everything
Welcome to the Museum of London’s Early Years toolkit.

Thanks to generous support from Arts Council England over several years, we have been able to develop a reputation for excellence and innovation in early years learning in museums. We've developed an outstanding offer for our youngest visitors, from birth to five years old.

As you explore the toolkit you will find a wealth of content. Watch our captivating film showing children’s learning in action at the Museum of London Docklands and discover a range of inspiring case studies from across the UK. You'll also find our top tips for working with young children, articles by early years specialists and a sample of our practical resources to download.

So whether you're thinking of developing early years activities for the first time, or looking to enhance existing provision, you'll find something to meet your needs.

The toolkit is organised into three sections to enable you to select the content that is most relevant to you.

We are delighted to be recognised by Kids in Museums for how this toolkit can support the wider museum sector as a whole. We would also like to thank the Early Years Network members for their contributions and support. To find out more about the network or to sign up, please visit our blog or follow us on Twitter.

Sharon Ament
Director



  • Crawling.jpg

    Starting out

    If you’re new to early years programming, or just running a few early years activities, this is for you. Includes case studies on sessions for babies, toddlers and Foundation Stage schools as well as an article by Jo Graham on museums as learning spaces for under 5s.

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  • A group of young children sit on a mat and grin excitedly.

    Looking to grow

    Running a small early years programme but want to expand? Look here for case studies on digital technology, dedicated early years spaces and gallery resources and an article by Jan Dubiel, National Director of Early Excellence, on how to tell if, and what, children are learning.

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  • BesideTheSea_7.jpg

    Well-established

    Here’s some inspiration if you have a well-established early years programme. Includes case studies on working with community groups, early years exhibitions and using Makaton, and an article by Ruth Churchill Dower, Director of Earlyarts, on infant neuroscience.

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See everything in the Early Years toolkit