Consent has been an ethical principle that has been discussed in the early years sector for some time. While children may not fully understand the concept of consent, it is important for practitioners to introduce respectful practices to support building trust, self-awareness and respect for others. This blog will explore what consent looks like within early years and how why it is important.

What does consent look like in Early Years?

In general terms ‘consent’ means to agree to something, either legally or contractually, however in early years it adopts a much more informal approach to teaching children about personal boundaries, respect and personal space. We support interactions with children daily and it is important for them to understand boundaries and respect with playing alongside or with other children or adults to freely talk about what they like and dislike, for example some children may not want to hold hands during play or be tickled by others.

The essence of consent in early years is simply talking to a child about maybe helping them with an item of clothing, for example would you like any help putting on your coat? Or would you like a hug? Imagine someone much bigger than you, coming in for a hug without any prior warning! Regular discussion through play allows for children and adults to talk about decisions in which they can make during their play – providing children with a voice!

Through our approach to relational pedagogy positive relationships are developed between children and practitioners which is based on mutual respect, which builds resilience in children and provides them with a voice which is essential to develop in the early years in preparation for later life.

Why Consent Matters

Seeking informal consent from children empowers autonomy, giving them control over their own bodies

and choices throughout their play and care routines. While we acknowledge that some routines, such as nappy changes, must take place, it’s important to involve children by explaining what we’re going to do, rather than moving them without warning. Building trusted relationship encourages open communication helping children to express their preferences and boundaries. This might mean a child chooses who changes their nappy or asks to wait until they’ve finished an activity. Moments such as these lay the groundwork for being able to understand consent in their later years.

There is an element of consent that falls under the category of safeguarding and talking to children about care routines and play, provides children with the confidence to speak up when something feels wrong. We would use ways such as modelling language to seek informal consent from children with practitioners respecting children’s responses through creating an open and transparent provision.

Children’s wellbeing is of utmost importance. A key aspect of raising respectful, confident, and emotionally aware children is creating an environment where they feel, safe, valued and heard. Equally important is ensuring that parents and carers feel assured that their children are being listened to and that they feel secure and comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions.