The Bristol Network for Two-Year-Old Practice is a group for anyone working with ‘terrific twos’ in nursery, childminder or school settings. You might be a practitioner, teacher or leader. You might be very experienced or new to the role. At our network events you get to visit a setting in Bristol, have a tour, find out about the provision and pedagogy, and network with colleagues from around the city. These are facilitated by Millie Colwey & Laura Trott, with an emphasis on drawing from everybody’s different experience, skills and knowledge for peer-to-peer support and learning.

Yesterday’s session was at Millie’s Garden, with a focus on ‘risk and challenge’. We moved around the outdoor environment with the eyes of a two-year-old and considered:

• How the space and resources (with teaching) might support two-year-olds to engage in risky and challenging play.
• How we might balance their right to engage in risk and challenge with our duty to keep them safe (and the skill that this role demands of us!)
• The links between physical challenge and other types of risk and challenge – for example, what makes a two-year-old feel confident to take a social risk or share their working theory on new learning with an adult?

From September, Millie & Laura will be running this network every other month. Please see the Bristol & Beyond Stronger Practice Hub events calendar for dates and locations.