APRIL 2026
For all those who work with children, whether new to the field or well-seasoned, supervision is something we all need to be vigilant with. Children’s care and safety is paramount. Unfortunately, supervision isn’t usually something that is explicitly taught. It might be occasionally mentioned by a team member or management, strategies may be occasionally shared, or it might be mentioned in a team meeting.
I was very fortunate when I first began working in early childhood, to have a manager that explicitly supported me in effective supervision. When I began working with children, my idea of supervision was very basic. My understanding was that children needed to be watched from a distance by an authority figure to prevent them from getting hurt, or hurting each other. It certainly took time and experience, as well as support and coaching, to help me understand the many ways in which supervision can take place and to understand the importance of it.
During my mentoring, ongoing tips and reminders were shared with me, that I still use every day. I have found the following strategies most successful in implementing effective supervision:
Positioning myself so that I can see all, or the majority of, the children and the experiences they are participating in. If I can’t see everyone, I reposition myself, or mention to a team member that I can only supervise a certain area, so that they may move into position to assist. In general, I try to remain facing the children, and avoid having my back to any children or other educators.
“You should be turning your head constantly, like a helicopter,” I can still hear my manager saying, during my mentoring phase. I aim to keep my eyes up as often as possible and turn my head back and forth as I scan my eyes quickly over each child in the learning space. Scanning is a constant action, that never stops. Even when engaged in play or learning experiences with a group of children, I have learnt to continue to scan constantly, to identify any potential risks to any children, and ensure their safety and wellbeing.
Going hand-in-hand with positioning, is the importance of being visible and accessible to all team members and children. The rest of my team, and the children that I care for, should be able to find me and approach me quickly, whenever they need. Even when I am seated while engaging with the children, I will ensure I am still accessible to all children if they need my attention or assistance. When children know I am nearby, they are more likely to call on me or approach me for assistance, and they are more likely to draw my attention to something that is a concern to them.
The use of supervision maps and charts have negatively impacted upon this very important aspect of supervision. Educators need to be moving with the children in the environment, to monitor their play and safety. If I am delegated the sandpit area to supervise as per the supervision plan, but all children move out of the sandpit area, then at that point in time, my supervision is useless to anyone. I need to move to where the children are. If I am delegated a low-needs supervision area such as an open grassed area as per the supervision plan, but there are more children engaging in risky play nearby where there are no educators, then naturally, I need to move from my delegated area, to where children are. This also comes down to communication and management. Systems such as “tag teaming” may be helpful to ensure supervision zones are used appropriately, and only if needed.
Moving over to the children when they need my direction is also important. I have witnessed, too many times, educators sitting down that aren’t engaged with any children, and yell out to other children from a distance, to manage behaviours. This looks very unprofessional, and does not show children and families the respect that they deserve. Young children need explicit social coaching and language modelling to manage difficult situations. Being yelled at from a distance to “stop,” or “move away” is not effective in supporting these social and language skills for children, especially when that educator is not otherwise and engaged and is perfectly capable of approaching the children and using respectful language.
I need to prioritise my duties so effective supervision is not compromised. For example, if I am sweeping a messy play area, but I witness a potential conflict between children starting nearby, I will leave the sweeping so I can move over to the children and support them in managing through the conflict.
In my professional opinion, uninterrupted free play is when children are in an ideal state to explore and learn deeply. However, when there are emotional or social difficulties that require more attentive supervision, engaging in play or learning with these children can be ideal for redirecting children’s behaviour in a positive and supportive way. By sitting with children to engage in their imaginative play, games or investigations, their emotions and behaviours can be gently guided by my interactions with them.
At times when I am unable to have my eyes on absolutely everyone, keeping a close ear out can be very useful for effective supervision. Often, I have been able to prevent social conflict or difficult situations, just by listening to the interactions of the children in play around me, and monitoring their emotional regulation.
I have learnt to keep a close and frequent eye on all entry and exit points in any learning environment, to ensure that children are remaining or transitioning to wherever they are meant to be, or allowed to be. I frequently scan the environment for children’s movement around doors, gates and fencelines. In instances where children’s behaviours are extreme, the team have worked together to physically stand at each entry and exit point to ensure the safety of all children.
Supervision is the responsibility of the entire team at any early years’ service. Skilled supervision can take time to develop, and requires the support and guidance of the entire team. I hope that some of these strategies that I have shared become useful to you and your team.
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