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BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies course preparation

To help you feel prepared for BA (Hons) Early Childhood Studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now. Read on to find out more.

Suggested reading

You’ll be given lots of information about which textbooks to read and introduced to the University Library, as well as the many ebooks we have for you to access, when you begin your studies in September.

In the meantime, there are a couple of books you might like to read before starting your degree if you can. We don’t recommend rushing out to buy texts before you arrive. But if you can pick some up second hand, borrow from a library or access online, we suggest:

  • Reed, M. and Walker, R. (eds) (2015) A Critical Companion to Early Childhood. London : Sage
  • MacDowall Clark R (2013) Childhood in Society London: Sage
  • Johnstone, J (2018) Early Childhood Studies: Principles in Practice, London: New York.
  • Maynard, T and Powell, S (eds) (2013) An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies.3rd

Things to do now

We don’t recommend too much preparation before arrival as you’ll have plenty to do when your course begins.

However, you might want to think about how you will prepare for study. This might involve clearing a space for study if you intend to study from your home. Or thinking about how you will manage your time in relation to caring, social and work obligations when you arrive to begin the programme.

You can also do some general reading on the theme of early childhood. Some good introductory texts would be:

  • Kehily, M.J. (ed) (2008) Introduction to Childhood Studies. Maidenhead: Open University Press
  • Maynard, T and Powell, S (eds) (2013) An Introduction to Early Childhood Studies. 3rd

You could also:

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