From role-play costumes and props, to online training courses, our shortlisted resources span all areas of learning, the latest picture books and a host of continuing professional development packages. The more-than 300 products, services and publications entered have been whittled down to just five per category, and you can find a full list of these below.

The next stage will see the finalists assessed by an expert panel of early years authors, leaders, consultants and educators, amongst them LEYF CEO June O’Sullivan MBE, Busy Bees’ Early Years Director Lisa Snell, and award-winning children’s author/illustrator Steve Antony.

Their verdicts will be unveiled in Teach Early Years magazine in June, with our five-, four- and three-star winners showcased in a comprehensive Awards special.

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Commenting on the shortlisted nominees, Teach Early Years editor, Jacob Stow, said, “Congratulations to all those who have reached this stage – the quality of nominations was very high, and I am sure our judges will have some difficult decisions to make when they come to give out the prizes.”

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Notes: The results of Early Years Excellence 2017 will be unveiled in Teach Early Years issue 7.4. Each shortlisted resource will receive our finalists’ logo, whilst five-, four- and three-star logos and accompanying celebration packages will be awarded to winners in each category. Please note that the announcement of the winners will be embargoed until 12 June 2017.

For more information, please contact Teach Early Years’ editor, Jacob Stow ([email protected]), or advertising manager, Samantha Law ([email protected]).

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Early Years Excellence 2017
Finalists

Communication, Language, Literacy resource

                                       

1.	Boogie Mites – School Ready Literacy Through Music programme
2.	Little Creative Days – Pojo and the Chest of Dreams Create & Show kit
3.	I CAN – Early Talkers box set
4.	Mantra Lingua – LinguaTalk Interactive pack
5.	Rising Stars – Reading Planet Lift-off

CPD resource

                                       

1.	British Council/Future Learn – English In Early Childhood: Language Learning and Development MOOC
2.	Kent CC – EFICL Pathways to Excellence toolkit
3.	Herts for Learning – Places to Play Every Day
4.	Child Protection Company – Safeguarding in Education: Early Years online training course
5.	Focus Games/Foodtalk CIC – The Foodtalk Game

Creative resource

                                       

1.	Gigi Bloks – Giant Interlocking Cardboard Building Blocks
2.	K’NEX – Kid K’NEX range
3.	T4 Kids – Classroom Hammering & Drilling set
4.	U-Nu Creative Construction – U-Nu Eco-Friendly Construction Toy
5.	GrowUpSmart – Luxynation Blocks

Maths resource

                                       

1.	EYP Direct – Rainbow Pebbles
2.	Orchard Toys – Spotty Dogs
3.	Buzzard Publishing – Little Livello
4.	Ten Town – Ten Town
5.	Early Years Resources – Estimating Bags

Music resource

                                       

1.	Funky Feet – Learning Through Play
2.	Alfred Music/The Voices Foundation – Inside Music: Early Years
3.	Val Sabin Publications – Action Kids 88 Music & Movement
4.	Out of the Ark Music – I Love Music
5.	Sound Children – Bambajam Pelangi

Outdoor resource

                                       

1.	Ur-Tubes – Amazing Den kit
2.	Early Years Resources – Timber Treasures
3.	Sutcliffe Play – Aliens
4.	Yellow Door – Sensory Sounds Eggs
5.	BikyBiky – Learn to Cycle Without Stabilisers Vest

Physical development resource

                                       

1.	Potty Training Academy – Potty Training programme
2.	EYP Direct – Whizzy Dizzy
3.	Binspired Ltd – Mini Moves
4.	Health Matters – Busy Feet Explorers toolkit
5.	Heather Maisner – Dinosaur Douglas series

Picture books

                                       

1.	Kes and Claire Gray – Oi Dog (Hachette Children’s)
2.	Duncan Beedle – The Lumberjack’s Beard (Templar)
3.	Maggie Tokuda-Hall – Also an Octopus (Walker)
4.	Gabby Dawnay – If I Had A Dinosaur (Thames & Hudson)
5.	Brendan Wenzel – They All Saw A Cat (Chronicle Books)

Role-play resource

                                       

1.	Pretend to Bee – Snail tabard
2.	Hope Education – Chalkboard People
3.	Stage Systems – Early Years Staging
4.	Curious Fox – Writing Belt
5.	Eduzone – Fruit and veg sorting set

SEN resource

                                       

1.	Singing hands – It’s Signing Time DVDs
2.	Play to Z – Fidget Floor Mat
3.	Child’s Play – Off To The Beach
4.	EYP Direct – Sensory Mood Light Table
5.	Drums for Schools – Shake, Rattle and Roll kit

Toy or Game

                                       

1.	BigJig Toys – Medieval train set
2.	Learning Resources – Jumbo Dinosaur set 2
3.	Zoomer Ltd – Zoomer ride-on toy
4.	Green Toys (BigJig) – Green Toys Farm
5.	Orchard Toys – Match and Spell

Under-twos resource

                                       

1.	Curious Fox – Pair of Traditional Treasure Baskets
2.	Val Sabin Publications – Action Babies – Birth to 12 months
3.	Play to Z – Treasure Baskets for Adult & Child-led Play
4.	Orchard Toys – Farmyard Heads and Tails
5.	Hachette – First Baby Days series

Understanding the world resource

                                       

1.	Primo Toys – Cubetto
2.	Books @ Press –  Minibeasts RE Think Topic Pack
3.	Bloomsbury – 50 Fantastic Ideas for Investigations
4.	Globe Smart Kids – One Globe Kids
5.	Fourth Wall Publishing – ABC of the World