Positive Behaviour in Early Years Training Course

Behaviour in the early years is a form of communication. Babies and young children often show what they are feeling, needing or finding difficult through actions, facial expressions, crying, movement, shouting, withdrawing or repeated behaviours. In early years practice, understanding behaviour in this way helps adults look beyond the behaviour itself and consider the message the child may be trying to send.

This free positive behaviour in early years online course covers why behaviour happens, what typical early years behaviour may look like, how relationships and environments shape behaviour, and how practitioners can respond in ways that are calm, consistent, inclusive and developmentally appropriate.

Why Take This eLearning Course?

Supporting behaviour well is a core part of high-quality early years practice. It helps children feel safe, understood and able to take part in routines, play and learning. It also helps practitioners respond more thoughtfully, reduce escalation, and work more effectively with families and other professionals when concerns arise.

This course will help you to:

• Understand behaviour as communication and recognise common reasons behaviour happens.
• Recognise typical early years behaviour patterns and why they occur.
• Identify the difference between developmentally typical behaviour and behaviour that may suggest an unmet need or additional support requirement.
• Understand the responsibilities of early years providers in England when supporting behaviour.
• Learn which behaviour management practices must not be used and why.
• Explore what an effective behaviour policy should achieve in an early years setting.
• Understand how warm, consistent adult-child relationships support emotional regulation.
• Learn about the adult role in modelling calm communication and predictable responses.
• Explore how to help children name feelings, build empathy and repair relationships after conflict.
• Recognise environmental triggers and learn how to reduce them.
• Understand how routines, visual cues and boundaries help children feel secure.
• Explore features of enabling environments that promote cooperation.
• Learn common positive behaviour strategies used in UK early years practice.
• Understand how to teach social and emotional skills explicitly.
• Learn how to respond to unwanted behaviour in the moment in a safe and respectful way.
• Explore how to observe behaviour objectively and identify patterns and triggers.
• Understand how to plan simple early intervention support.
• Recognise why behaviour approaches must be inclusive and tailored to the individual child.
• Learn when and how to involve the SENCO, early years inclusion support and other services.
• Strengthen shared approaches with parents, carers and the wider staff team.
• Understand what inspectors look for around behaviour, attitudes and routines in early years provision.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Define behaviour as communication and describe common reasons behaviours happen.
• Explain typical early years behaviour patterns and why they occur.
• Identify the difference between occasional developmentally typical behaviour and behaviour that may indicate an unmet need or additional support requirement.
• Outline what UK early years providers are responsible for when supporting and managing children’s behaviour.
• Identify practices that must not be used and explain why.
• Describe what a behaviour policy should achieve in an early years setting.
• Explain how warm, consistent adult-child relationships support emotional regulation and positive behaviour.
• Describe the adult role in modelling, tone, calm communication and predictable responses.
• Give examples of how to support children to name feelings, build empathy and repair relationships after conflict.
• Identify environmental triggers and describe how to reduce them.
• Outline how routines, visual cues and consistent boundaries help children feel secure and behave positively.
• Give examples of enabling environments that promote cooperation.
• List common strategies used in UK early years practice.
• Describe how to teach social and emotional skills explicitly.
• Explain how to respond to unwanted behaviour in the moment.
• Outline how to observe behaviour objectively.
• Identify patterns and triggers and describe how to use them to plan support.
• Give examples of simple early intervention plans.
• Explain why behaviour approaches must be inclusive and tailored.
• Identify reasonable adjustments and describe how to build independence and self-regulation.
• Outline when and how to involve SENCO or early years inclusion support and other services, using clear evidence from observations.
• Describe how to build a shared approach with parents and carers.
• Identify what good staff consistency looks like.
• Outline what inspectors look for around behaviour, attitudes and routines in early years provision, and how to evidence strong practice.

Positive Behaviour in Early Years Course Outline

Module 1: Behaviour as Communication
Learners will explore behaviour as a form of communication and will examine why young children often express needs, feelings, and difficulties through actions rather than words. This module explains how behaviour may reflect physical needs, emotions, developmental stage, environmental pressures, or communication differences. Learners will examine common early years behaviour patterns, such as biting, pushing, tantrums, and difficulty with sharing or turn-taking, and will understand why these behaviours are often linked to limited self-regulation, frustration, or immature impulse control rather than deliberate misbehaviour. The module also explains the difference between behaviour that is developmentally typical and behaviour that may suggest an unmet need or the need for additional support, helping practitioners take a balanced and child-centred view.

Module 2: Responsibilities, Safe Practice, and Behaviour Policy in Early Years
This module focuses on what early years providers in England are responsible for when supporting and managing children’s behaviour. Learners will examine the need to keep children safe, meet EYFS requirements, use consistent approaches, support emotional development, work with parents and carers, and record and review concerns appropriately. The module also explains which practices must never be used, including corporal punishment, humiliation, threats, withholding basic care, or inappropriate restraint, and why these are unsafe, disrespectful, and harmful to children’s wellbeing. Learners will also explore what a behaviour policy should achieve, including consistency, clarity, child-centred practice, and a shared professional approach that promotes calm, fair, and respectful support across the setting.

Module 3: The Role of Relationships and Adults in Supporting Behaviour
Learners will explore how warm, consistent adult-child relationships support emotional regulation and positive behaviour in early years settings. This module explains how emotional safety, trust, co-regulation, predictability, belonging, communication, and resilience are strengthened through secure and reliable relationships with adults. Learners will examine the adult role in behaviour support, including modelling, calm tone, clear communication, predictable responses, self-regulation, and repairing relationships after conflict. The module also explains how adults can support children to name feelings, build empathy, and repair relationships in meaningful ways, helping children understand their own emotions, notice the impact of actions on others, and practise safer and more socially appropriate responses over time.

Module 4: Environment, Routines, and Preventing Behaviour Difficulties
This module focuses on how the physical environment, routines, and daily organisation influence behaviour in the early years. Learners will examine common environmental triggers such as noise, crowding, unclear layouts, long waiting times, overstimulation, uncomfortable conditions, and difficult transitions, and will explore practical ways to reduce these triggers. The module also explains how routines, visual cues, and consistent boundaries support children to feel secure, understand expectations, and manage transitions more successfully. Learners will also consider examples of enabling environments that promote cooperation, including accessible resources, calm spaces, small-group play, defined activity areas, clear choices, and sensitive adult support that helps prevent tension and reduce avoidable stress.

Module 5: Positive Behaviour Strategies and Teaching Social and Emotional Skills
Learners will explore the common positive behaviour strategies used in UK early years practice and how these support children’s development rather than simply stopping unwanted behaviour. This module explains the use of positive noticing, clear guidance, redirection, prevention, and consistent relational support to encourage children towards safer and more cooperative behaviour. Learners will also examine how to teach social and emotional skills explicitly, including turn-taking, emotion language, problem-solving, calming strategies, visual reminders, role play, and praise for effort. The module also covers how to respond to unwanted behaviour in the moment by staying calm, keeping everyone safe, setting clear limits, giving minimal attention to the behaviour itself, supporting the next step, and following up later with teaching and repair once the child is calm.

Module 6: Observation, Early Intervention, and Additional Support
This module focuses on how to observe behaviour objectively and use observation to plan effective support. Learners will examine how to record what happened, when, where, who was present, what happened before and after, and how adults responded, while avoiding labels or assumptions about intent. The module also explains how to identify patterns and triggers over time, such as fatigue, noise, transitions, communication difficulties, hunger, or sensory overload, and how to use this information to adapt routines, environments, and adult responses. Learners will explore examples of simple early intervention plans, including target behaviours, agreed adult responses, replacement skills, preventive changes, progress recording, and family involvement. The module also explains why behaviour approaches must be inclusive and tailored, taking account of communication needs, neurodiversity, trauma, speech and language differences, and cultural context. Learners will also consider reasonable adjustments and when to involve the SENCO, early years inclusion support, or other services using clear evidence from observations.

Module 7: Working with Families, Team Consistency, and Evidencing Good Practice
In the final module, learners will explore how to build a shared approach with parents and carers and how staff consistency supports positive behaviour across the setting. This module explains the importance of starting with strengths, sharing factual observations, listening to family knowledge, agreeing a small number of clear strategies, and reviewing progress together in a respectful and non-judgemental way. Learners will also examine what good staff consistency looks like, including shared language, predictable routines, common expectations, supportive induction, and reflective team discussion so children experience the setting as safe and predictable. The module also outlines what inspectors look for around behaviour, attitudes, and routines in early years provision, and how settings can evidence strong practice through clear policies, calm daily routines, respectful adult interaction, early identification of concerns, inclusive support, and records that show concerns are reviewed and support is adapted when needed.

Target Audience

This course is suitable for:

• Early years practitioners.
• Nursery and preschool staff.
• Childminders and childminding assistants.
• Reception staff and teaching assistants.
• SENCOs and staff supporting children’s behaviour and emotional development.
• Managers and supervisors.
• Anyone involved in supporting behaviour, emotional regulation and wellbeing in early years settings.

No previous specialist knowledge of behaviour support is required.

FAQ

Is this course relevant to Early Years practice in England?

Yes. The course is designed for Early Years practice in England and reflects EYFS expectations around behaviour management, safeguarding, inclusion, emotional wellbeing and professional accountability.

Does the course explain behaviour as communication?

Yes. It explains behaviour as a response to feelings, needs, development, communication differences and environmental factors, rather than simply as something to stop or punish.

Will this course help with typical behaviour and early concerns?

Yes. It covers common early years behaviour patterns, how to recognise what is developmentally typical, and when behaviour may suggest an unmet need or require additional support.

Does it include practical strategies for staff?

Yes. The course includes practical strategies such as positive noticing, redirection, routines, visual support, co-regulation, environmental adjustments and simple early intervention plans.

Is inclusion covered?

Yes. The course explains why behaviour approaches must be inclusive and tailored, with attention to communication needs, neurodiversity, trauma, sensory needs and cultural context.

Does the course cover observation and referral?

Yes. It explains how to observe behaviour objectively, identify patterns and triggers, and involve the SENCO or other services when support needs to be increased.

Does it include partnership with parents and carers?

Yes. The course explores how to build a shared approach with families through respectful, factual communication and joined-up strategies.

How long does the course take?

The course is self-paced and typically takes 1 hour to complete.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. A certificate is issued after successful completion.

Is the course CPD accredited?

Courses are not currently CPD accredited, but accreditation is planned.

Understanding behaviour as communication helps early years practitioners respond with more empathy, consistency and skill. By creating safe relationships, supportive environments and inclusive strategies, practitioners can help children develop emotional regulation, social understanding and positive behaviour in ways that are respectful and developmentally appropriate.

Enrol now to build your understanding of behaviour as communication in Early Years practice.