I would first seek to ensure children are offered learning experiences and opportunities which are real, relevant, open-ended, and situated in a context alternative to the voice of the adult. Ideally, even, personalised in line with what interests, motivates and engages them. For example, writing and posting letters to Father Christmas to learn about the features of lists and letters, teaching about measure through baking and creating jewellery to practise fine motor skills. If a child loves trains, using small world trains, carriages, and track to explore colour, number, and shape. If a child prefers to be outside, taking the learning to them by, for example, practising writing with chunky chalks and collecting rainfall to learn about handling data.

A child may be too anxious to attend and benefit from visual supports being used to help them understand what is expected. This might involve activities being broken down into smaller steps and represented by a task management board or the use of a ‘Now and Next’ to communicate a balance between adult directed and child-initiated activity. A child may find the open-ended nature of an activity overwhelming and prefer tasks with a clear ‘start’ and ‘finish’ or support to recognise when they will finish.
It may also be beneficial to develop an awareness of a child’s sensory differences. They may be overstimulated or in need of sensory input, requiring a space and resources which will be sensitive to their needs. They may benefit from frequent breaks and opportunities to engage in activities which meet their sensory needs. For example, jumping on a trampoline, eating a crunchy snack and or negotiating an obstacle course.