So what can modern educators, nursery schools and day care centres do to make sure those first tentative steps into life and learning without your parent or guardian nearby are as easy and enjoyable as possible?

Things may well have changed in schools from what they were 30 years ago but way back then, learning was done through knowledge and information acquired through games, hands on experience and even whilst playing with building blocks. Some will argue that education is mostly knowledge and learning and this is true but equally true is that learning without an element of fun will not be as effective as teachers who inject an element of fun and enjoyment into their classes.

Young children need to enjoy themselves and by incorporating fun things to do in their learning experience they are far more likely to want more. Children develop their own personalities and other social skills through playing with other children and the staff who look after them on a daily basis and therefore good early learning educators should realise this and schedule their activities accordingly.

With the current state of the global economy meaning parents and people in general have disposable income, making sure the youth of today has fun whenever possible is crucial to happy schooling, happy homes and youthful and confident children.

Confidence in young children is extremely important as it allows them to grow into hopefully intelligent and responsible young adults and beyond. This should not be confused with the growing number of children who are constantly spoilt at home and are then attending nursery or school and are disrupting other children. Parents have a crucial role to play in making sure they have the skills and ability to sometimes say no to ever demanding children. Some parents find it very difficult to refuse their children anything they ask for and therefore when these children attend nursery or day care centres the staff are finding them difficult to deal with and disruptive to other children.

This again takes us back to the need for early learning and indeed education at any level to be an enjoyable and fun experience. Do you think the children who are having their learning experiences ruined by spoilt children are having fun and learning as much as possible? I suspect not so the parents of these children need to decide whether they want their children to be accepted in society. Failure to do so may well lead to possible exclusion from schools and their children almost living separate lives. This could mean at home they get everything and in the real world they get nothing.

Nurseries and schools are doing all they can to make their environments as safe and secure as possible by making learning activities fun, by ensuring staff and children are safe by adopting risk management techniques that their nursery insurance broker or nursery insurance company may have recommended and by employing qualified, skilled and dedicated staff.

This means that the youth of today can have fun and learn at the same time as being safe and happy. Not a bad way to start your early learning years.