Better Conversations: ShREC in practice

Better Conversations: ShREC in Practice

Turn the ShREC approach into everyday practice.
If you’ve explored ShREC and thought “Great… but what does this actually look like in our setting?” — this toolkit is designed to help.

Better Conversations: ShREC in Practice is a practical Early Years toolkit packed with simple prompts, real-life examples, reflection activities and ready-to-use ideas to help practitioners strengthen everyday interactions with children.
Built around the principles of:
Share Attention • Respond • Expand • Conversation

This resource helps practitioners move beyond the theory and think about the small things they can notice, say and do differently tomorrow.

Inside you’ll find:

a clear ShREC at a glance practitioner guide
practical prompts for Share Attention, Respond and Expand
simple examples showing how to repeat + add
a “Swap the Question” guide to help practitioners comment more and question less
realistic Early Years scenarios with “What could you say next?” examples
ShREC language ideas for different areas of provision
a five-day Better Conversations challenge
a team reflection and action-planning sheet
links to further EEF ShREC guidance and resources

Perfect for:
Nurseries • Preschools • Reception teams • Childminders • EYFS practitioners • Teaching assistants • Early Years leaders

Use it for individual CPD, staff meetings, team reflection or simply print individual pages as quick practitioner reminders.

The opportunity is already there.

You don’t necessarily need another activity, intervention or resource to create better conversations.
Sometimes it’s about noticing the interaction that’s already happening — and making the most of it.

Great experiences give children something to talk about.
Great interactions help them find the language to talk about it.

Looking for an introduction first?

This toolkit is designed as the practical companion to my FREE “30 Minutes to Better Conversations” CPD presentation, also available from Read, Play, Create.

Please note: This is an independent practical resource created by Read, Play, Create and informed by the ShREC approach. It is not official, accredited or endorsed ShREC training. Links to the Education Endowment Foundation’s original ShREC guidance and further learning are included within the resource.

READ • PLAY • TALK
Read, Play, Create