Including Everyone Investigations

Explicit teaching about inclusion helps children develop the awareness and skills to notice and remedy exclusion in their community.

Objectives

Materials

Instructions

Begin with a discussion: 'Have you ever felt left out? How did it feel?' Share a personal story of exclusion (from your childhood or a fictional character's perspective). Validate that exclusion hurts.

Introduce 'Inclusion Investigators'—people who notice when others are left out and do something about it! Today, everyone becomes an Inclusion Investigator.

Teach signs of exclusion: someone playing alone, someone watching a group but not joining, someone looking sad on the edge, someone whose ideas aren't being heard. Practise spotting exclusion in pictures and scenarios.

Teach inclusion actions: 'Come play with us!' 'Want to be on my team?' 'What do you think?' 'There's room for you!' Practise saying these phrases.

Role-play scenarios: a group is playing and someone approaches. Practise welcoming them in. A child is sitting alone at lunch. Practise inviting them to join.

Introduce the Buddy Bench concept (a special bench where someone sits if they need a friend). When anyone sees someone on the bench, they go invite them to play.

Create an Inclusion Pledge that children can sign: 'I promise to notice when others are left out and invite them in!'

Educator tip

Some children are frequently excluded for developmental or social reasons. Work privately with peer leaders to ensure these children are included. Prompt specifically: 'I notice Devon is alone—could your group invite him?'

Assessment

Observe and note: ability to follow two-step instructions, use of new vocabulary in context, early problem-solving strategies, and sustained shared thinking episodes. Assess against Development Matters age-band expectations. Observe awareness of exclusion, inclusion actions taken, and development of empathy for excluded peers.

More from EYFS Champions of Character