What are the best free online early childhood education courses?
Early Childhood Studies Development and Education
How do you nurture cognitive abilities and critical thinking in little ones? This popular course looks at different models and theories of early childhood education for an all-round understanding of this important topic.
Early Childhood Special Needs Education
Children with special needs require approaches that align with their developmental ability and that take into consideration their circumstances. This course looks at creating an inclusive programme and how families can take a supportive role in their child’s education.
Project-based Learning in Early Childhood Education
PBL or project-based learning is an effective pedagogic method. The Reggio Emilia approach of ‘emergent’ and holistic education is unpacked and explained in a way that makes it easy to apply in the classroom where appropriate.
Early childhood education is considered to start at birth and continue until the child is about eight years old. This is generally the time of nursery, preschool or kindergarten up until about third grade or early primary or elementary school. It covers everything from developing gross and fine motor skills, physical or hand-eye co-ordination to numeracy, language skills and even emotional and social development. Parents and families cover many of these aspects (teaching a child to talk and walk, for example) but may not have the time, knowledge or resources to go further and teach a child to read, write, count, begin to think critically and so forth. This is where professional and trained ECE educators come in. Research shows that children who are part of ECE programmes can have better outcomes later in life as the stimulation they receive builds their cognitive, language and social skills.
Are there different ECE approaches? Do you have free courses for them?
Yes, there are many different philosophies when it comes to early childhood education although there may be overlap between them. Some of the most well-known are: Montessori, Reggio Emilia, play-based learning, Waldorf and cognitive-based learning. We have free online courses in some of these approaches - be sure to return to this page often as we constantly add to our course selection and there may be new options that interest you later.
Montessori Teaching - Fundamental Concepts and Principles
One of our most popular ECE options, this course explains the observations that led Dr Maria Montessori to develop this teaching style that is used across the world. It helps children uncover their natural talents and interests in an informal way and setting.
Preschool Education: The Reggio Emilia Approach
This philosophy centres the child and allows them to take a self-guided approach to experiential learning in settings that favour relationships and connections. Enrol in this course to learn more and see if it will work for you.
Childcare and EYFS
A highly recommended course, EYFS stands for Early Years Foundation Stage, which covers birth to five years old in England. Its lessons, however, are universal and you will see how to bring out the best in very young children.
