ESOL FOR

CHILDCARE

LEARNER’S DICTIONARY

The UK Asylum Seekers Mainstreaming Partnership – ASSET UK is part funded by the European Social Fund under the Equal
Community Initiative Programme. The dissemination and mainstreaming phase is co-funded by the National Learning and Skills
Council
Childcare Dictionary

This dictionary is designed to help you if you decide to study childcare.

For each word you will find a definition and an example of the word in use.

Example sentence
Word

Stimulating something that excites the body or Mrs Jones is a very stimulating
mind teacher, she has lots of fun and
interesting ideas that make the
children think.

Definition

We have included an additional sheet at the end for you to add your own
words. If you are good at using computers you could also add pictures from
the internet.

You can also write the meaning of the word in your home language.

Good luck in your studies!

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Aa
absent not there Ahmed was absent from nursery
today because he had a doctor’s
appointment.

acceptable good enough It is not acceptable to be late for

class.

accident something, usually unpleasant, There was an accident and

that happens unexpectedly Samara cut her leg.

adopted when a child has become part of Mohammed was adopted by Mr

another family forever and Mrs Ahmed when his parents
died.

agitated anxious, worried Sara became very agitated when

she couldn’t find her mother.

ante-natal before birth Pregnant women should attend

ante-natal classes.

appropriate correct, suitable Viki made a cloth book that was

appropriate for my one-year old.

attendance being present Jamelia’s attendance was very

good, she came to every class.

au pair a young person from abroad who Henry’s au pair is from France,
lives with a family to look after the her name is Monique.
children

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Bb
baby a very young child Amina’s baby is three months old

behaviour acting in a particular way Khalid’s behaviour is not good;

he is always fighting with the
other children.

bib a piece of cloth or plastic tied My baby’s plastic bib is easy to

under a babies chin to catch wipe clean.
dropped food

bottle a container for holding babies’ Ulla’s baby likes a bottle of milk
milk in the middle of the night.

bottle-feeding to feed a baby milk using a bottle Niki started bottle-feeding at 9

months old.

breastfeeding to feed a baby milk from a It took me a little while to get used
woman’s breasts to breastfeeding my baby.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Cc
CACHE a childcare qualification
car seat a seat that you put in your car so
that your baby is safe if you crash
Care Standards CSIW regulates social care, early
years and private and voluntary
Inspectorate for health care services in Wales
Wales (CSIW)
child a young person
Child Benefit money that you can claim from
the government if you have
children
Child Protection this is a list of children who may
be at risk from abuse. It is kept by
Register Social Services who will make
sure that the child is safe
Child Support a government agancy who
assess, collect and pay child
Agency (CSA) support. They make sure that
parents pay money for children
who do not live with them
© The Basic Skills Agency
Abi is studying for her CACHE
qualification at Coleg Glan
Hafren.
I need to try different car seats to
get one that fits my child’s size.
For more information about CSIW
call:
029 2047 8600
This child started talking at the
age of three.
I collect my Child Benefit from
the Post Office once a fortnight.
Kamal is five, his mother left him
in the house by himself; he has
been put on the Child Protection
Register.
Anab and her husband are
divorced. Their two children live
with her. The CSA collects £90 a
week from her husband and gives
it to her.
childminder someone who looks after other Jane and Peter go to a
people’s children in their own childminder’s while their mother
home, especially when the is at work.
parents are at work,

clean not dirty Fatima’s baby is always very

clean; she baths him twice a day.

communicate to share information with others Mina communicates very well,

by speaking, writing, moving your she speaks slowly and clearly.
body or using other signals

complain to say that you are unhappy I had to complain, the toilets
were very dirty.

confidence to have belief in your own abilities Caroline has a lot of confidence
in her writing but she is not very
confident at speaking.

confidential told in secret All personal details are

confidential; we will not give
them to anyone else.

cooperate to work together for a shared The teachers and crèche workers
purpose cooperate so that parents can
attend English classes.

core subjects all children must study English, It is important for all children to
maths, science, religious attend classes in the core
education and sex education at subjects.
school.

cot bed for a small child We need to buy a bed for Rita,
she is growing too big for her cot.

craft an activity where you make Pottery is a craft.

something with your hands.

crawl to move on your hands and Vanda has just started to crawl
knees. A child will crawl before it so I have moved everything she
learns to walk. can reach.

creative able to make new things Abdul is very creative he loves

painting and drawing.

crèche a place where young children are Chantal’s daughter goes to the

© The Basic Skills Agency

 looked after while the parents are crèche while she is studying
studying or working English.

crèche worker someone who works in a crèche Fatima is a crèche worker at

Cardiff University.

Criminal a government organisation who Abdi wants to volunteer in a

check the police records of school, first he must have a CRB
Records Bureau anyone who wants to work with check, this will tell the school if he
(CRB) vulnerable people like children has broken the law in the UK.

curriculum the group of subjects studied in a The curriculum at Mary’s school

course, school, college, etc. includes Spanish.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Dd
Data a law that protects the privacy of
people in Britain. The law says that
Protection Act a company cannot share your
personal information without your
permission.
dentist someone who is trained to look
after your teeth
deputy the person who is in charge when
the manager is not there
develop to grow or become more advanced
diarrhoea illness in which the bowels are
emptied too often
diploma an official certificate that shows
you have had success in studying
doctor someone trained in medicine
© The Basic Skills Agency
If you work in a crèche you must
follow the Data Protection Act
and remember not to give anyone
the addresses or telephone
numbers of any of the children.
You should go to the dentist once
every six months.
Mr Hassan is the deputy Head of
a school; she looks after the
school when the Head Teacher is
not there.
A child’s writing skills will develop
as they get older.
Zahra could not go to school
because she had bad diarrhoea.
After three years Ahmed received
his Diploma in engineering.
Shawa had to go to the doctor
because she was not feeling well.
early years
Ee
The period of education before Nilu has to study 3 different early
children start school at the age of years centres as part of her
5. training to become a nursery
school teacher.

environment the conditions that you live The crèche in the college is large
or work in and the way that with a lot of light, it is a good
environment to work in.
they can make you feel

equipment things needed for an activity My son’s crèche has lots of play
equipment so there is always
something for the children to do.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Ff
fine motor Skills that use the small muscles Playing with a ball, blocks,
in the body, such as those in your clapping and other games that use
skills fingers. their hands, help children develop
the fine motor skills they will
need when they learn to write.

foster to take a child into your home for a Mr and Mrs Thomas will foster
while Angela while her mother is ill.

full-time when someone works or studies Judy works full-time, from 8 am to

for the whole week. 4 pm, Monday to Friday.

Foundation The period of education from the Children learn through play in the
age of 3 to 7 in Wales Foundation phase
phase

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Gg
guardian a person who has the legal right Mr Khan is Abdi’s guardian
and responsibility of taking care of because Abdi’s parents do not live
someone who cannot take care of in the U.K.
themselves, such as a child
whose parents have died

grandparents Your parents’ mother and father Su Yin stays with her
are your grandparents. grandparents while her parents
are at work.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Hh
healthy strong and well Abdul is a healthy child, he is
never ill.

hygiene cleanliness Personal hygiene is very

important.

healthy strong and well. A healthy diet with lots of fruit and
vegetables helps children to grow
strong and keep well.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Ii
ill not feeling well, suffering from an Jamil was not in nursery today
illness or a disease because he was ill; he had a bad
cold and a temperature.

infant school school for children aged 4 - 7 Alex is 7; he will be finishing

infant school this year.

inform give information You must inform the nursery if

your child cannot attend a
session.

injure hurt, damage Nathan fell down the stairs and

injured his arm.

inoculation to give a weak form of a Rebecca has been inoculated

disease to a person, usually against polio.
by injection, as a protection
against that disease

interaction to have an effect on each other Interaction between the children

Is very important.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Jj
junior school school for children aged 7 - 11 Anna goes to a junior school
near her house.

junk food food that is quick and easy to eat, I let my children eat junk food
like crisps, pizzas, hamburgers, occasionally. Luckily they prefer
but not healthy if eaten too often. the food I cook.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Kk
Key Stage 1 Years 1 & 2 in school for children In England children are tested in
aged 5 to 7 reading, writing (including
handwriting), spelling and maths
at the end of Key Stage 1.
Children in Wales do not do these
tests.

Key Stage 2 Years 3, 4 & 5 for children aged 7- At Key Stage 2 children are
11 tested in reading, writing
(including handwriting), spelling,
maths, mental arithmetic and
science

Key Stage 3 Years 7, 8 &9 for children aged At Key Stage 3 children are
11-14 tested in English (including
reading, writing and studying a
Shakespeare play), maths, mental
arithmetic and science

Key Stage 4 Years 10 &11for children aged At Key Stage 4 children are
14-16 studying for their G.C.S.E.’s.

Kindergarten a term for the first year of school Greg lives in California; he is five
used in other countries. years old and has just started
[or Kindergarden} Kindergarten.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Ll
language system of communicating using The main language used in the
words crèche is English but many of the
children also speak Welsh.

learn gain knowledge or a skill It is important for your child to

learn their home telephone
number.

Local a local government body Teachers are employed by the

responsible for providing Local Education Authority.
Education education for pupils of school age
Authority (LEA) in a particular area

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Mm
manual a book which gives you practical If you have any difficulties using
instructions on how to do your DVD player then you should
something or use something read the manual.

materials equipment needed for an activity You will need the following
materials; pen, paper and ruler.

maternity an adjective used in connection A maternity dress is a dress

with women who are pregnant or designed for pregnant women to
have just had a baby. wear.

medication medicine or drugs You must tell the teacher if your

child requires any medication.

midwife a person, usually a woman, who Samina is training to be a

is trained to help women when midwife at the local hospital.
they are giving birth

misbehave behave badly; act naughty Hodan started to misbehave

when her mother came home with
the new baby.

mobile a decoration, often for children, My older children used colourful

made of small hanging objects paper, small toys, string and wire
clothes to make a mobile to hang
over the baby’s cot.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Nn
nanny someone employed to live with a Akbar has a nanny to look after
family to look after children him while his parent’s are at
work.

nappy covering worn by a baby to Kumi stopped crying when I

collect waste matter made of changed his dirty nappy.
cloth or disposable material.

National a charity organisation for England For more information about

and Wales that promotes quality NCMA call:
Childminder’s registered childminders 0800 169 4486
Association
(NCMA)

National the subjects that children in Every child must study English
England and Wales must study and maths as part of the National
Curriculum between the ages of 5 and 16 Curriculum.

National Society a charity who work to stop cruelty If you are worried about a child’s
to children safety you can contact NSPCC:
for the Protection 0808 800 5000
of Children from
Cruelty (NSPCC)

National a British qualification in a Petra is studying for an NVQ in

technical or practical subject childcare at her local college.
Vocational which shows that a person has a
Qualification range of skills useful for
(NVQ) employment

nursery a place where pre-school Now that Joseph is three, he

children are looked after and goes to nursery every morning.
educated

© The Basic Skills Agency

nutrition giving or getting food Good nutrition is very important
if you want your child to be
healthy.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Oo
obstetrician a doctor who is trained to work Jane is going to see an
with pregnant women obstetrician to check that
everything is okay with her
pregnancy.

optician someone who is trained to Samuel has to go to the opticians

check people’s eyesight and because he is having problems
provide glasses and contact seeing the white board in school.
lenses

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Pp
paediatrician a doctor who is trained to work Ali’s daughter is very ill so he is
with children taking her to see a paediatrician.

parent father or mother Parents are a child’s first

teachers.

Parent Teacher an organization run by teachers Safiya’s mum is a member of the

and the parents of children at a PTA; she helped organise a fair
Association school which tries to help the last month to raise money for the
(PTA) school, especially by raising new school garden.
money for it

part-time when someone works or studies Farhad works part-time in a

for part of the week bakery. He works Monday,
Wednesday and Friday mornings.

picture a painting or drawing Zahra is drawing a picture of a

house

playgroup an organized group for children Asha and Ali go to a playgroup

mainly aged between 2 and 4 to twice a week.
play and learn together informally
at regular times in a place outside
their homes, run by parents or
trained leaders

play-house a toy house for children Uri has been making a poster for
the play-house.

post-natal after birth Some women suffer from post-

natal depression; they feel very
emotional and unhappy.

potty a bowl that is designed for young Punita won’t need so many
children to use as a toilet nappies now that she uses her
potty regularly.

pregnant when a woman is going to have a I go to a special exercise class for

child pregnant women and I try to eat
healthy food.

© The Basic Skills Agency

prepare get or make ready It is important to prepare for the
day, make sure that you have
everything you need.

primary school the name for schools which have Shah started primary school at
both an infant and a junior school the age of 5 and left when she
was 11..

procedure set of actions for doing something Every crèche will have safety
procedures that they must follow.

protect keep safe Every parent wants to protect

their child from danger.

pushchair a chair on wheels that a baby or My baby’s pushchair faces me so

young child can be put in to move I can talk to him as we walk along.
them around

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Qq

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Rr
rattle a babies toy that makes a noise Al throws his rattle across the
when shaken room when he is angry.

reception class the first year of school Alma is five years old; she will be
starting reception class next
week.

register a list of names The teacher keeps a register

every day to show which children
have come to class.

requirements something needed or demanded If you do not meet the

requirements of the course then
you will fail.

rhyme words or lines in poetry which end Anji loves rhymes. She can say
with the same sound the whole of
‘one, two
buckle my shoe’ now.

role-play pretending to be somebody else, Teachers will often ask you to

usually to learn a new skill role-play in a lesson.

rota list of things to be done by Mandy organised the rota so that

different people taking turns all the staff knew when they were
working.

routine doing something at the same time It is important that a child should
every day or every week have a daily routine.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Ss
safety gate a gate that blocks a door or stairs We put a safety gate at the top of
so that children cannot hurt the stairs when Vicky started
themselves crawling.

school people who volunteer to help a Nia’s mum is a school governor;

school by; making sure that there she goes to meetings and tries to
governor is a good quality of education, make sure that the school provides
appointing staff and managing the a good education for Nia.
budget

secondary school for children aged 11 - 18 Joshua is in is last year of junior

school, next year he will go to
school secondary school.

self-esteem one’s good opinion of oneself Salma has high self-esteem; she
is a very confident girl.

self-reliant not relying on anyone else Patric is a self-reliant child, he is

happy to play by himself or with
others.

sense five natural senses It is important to help your child

1. sight develop all five senses.
2. hearing
3. taste
4. touch
5. smell

session period of time for a specific The afternoon session is from 1

purpose pm until 3 pm.

slide a playground toy for children, they Kim’s trousers are smooth
climb a ladder and then slide down from going down the slide so
many times.

soother a rubber object that is given to a Peta started sucking her thumb
baby to stop them crying when she lost her dummy.
(dummy)

© The Basic Skills Agency

Special Children who have a learning
difficulty which requires the
Educational provision of special types of
Needs (SEN) schooling.
staff workers in a place
sterilise to make free from all bacteria
stimulating something that excites the body or
mind
storage place for keeping things
story account of events real or imagined
supervisor someone who watches people or
work to make sure that it is done
properly
supportive provide encouragement and help
swing a seat joined by two ropes or
chains to a bar or a tree, on which
a child can sit and swing
backwards and forwards
© The Basic Skills Agency
Cathy’s son has Special
Educational Needs; he has extra
lessons after school and is now
doing very well in class.
The crèche has 18 members of
staff.
Always sterilise your child’s bottle
to make sure that it is clean.
Gina is a very stimulating teacher,
she has lots of fun and interesting
ideas that make the children think.
Temba has lots of storage in his
bedroom so that his toys are not
always on the floor.
Samina reads her daughter a
story every night.
Karen is a very good supervisor,
she makes sure that all the
children are safe and that the staff
know what they are doing.
Zahid’s teacher is very
supportive; he helps him with his
maths and makes him work harder.
Children over 12 are not allowed to
use the swings in the play area.
 Tt
teat rubber object through which a
baby sucks milk
time out when a child is kept separate from
other children for a short time
because of bad behaviour
© The Basic Skills Agency
I always carry a spare teat for my
baby’s bottle in case she drops it
and it gets dirty.
Alison had a time out because she
hit another child; she had to sit on
her own and was not allowed to
play with the other children for 5
minutes.
 Uu
understand to know the meaning of something My teacher is very good, I always
understand her explanations.

unwell not well, ill Alison was unwell yesterday so

she could not go to school.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Vv
verbal spoken not written It is important for your child to
practice verbal as well as written
English.

vulnerable easy to attack or harm Children are more vulnerable than

adults.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Ww
Wales Pre- a charity who support and For more information about Wales
encourage quality pre-school PPA call:
school and groups in Wales 029 20451242
Playgroup
Association
(Wales PPA)

Weaning to stop feeding a baby mother’s Karen started weaning her son
milk and start feeding it with other from breast milk when he was six
food. months old.

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Xx

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Yy

© The Basic Skills Agency

 Zz

© The Basic Skills Agency

For you to add your own words

© The Basic Skills Agency

This Learner’s dictionary was produced by Cardiff Council’s Parade ESOL Service for course
developed for asylum seekers, who were interested in working with children, as part of the Basic
Skills Agency’s contribution to the ASSET UK Development Partnership.

We gratefully acknowledge the financial contribution and support from:

• the European Social Fund’s Equal Community Initiative fund

• the Basic Skills Agency as part of the Welsh Assembly Government’s Basic Skills Strategy
• the National Learning and Skills Council, which contributed towards the mainstreaming strand
of the Project.

The ASSET UK Development Partnership comprised the following organisations:

• The Refugee Council, as lead partner.
• The Basic Skills Agency.
• Language and Literacy Unit (LLU+), South Bank University.
• National Institute for Adult Continuing Education (NIACE).
• Northern Ireland Council for Ethnic Minorities (NICEM).
• Refugee Assessment and Guidance Unit (RAGU), London Metropolitan University.
• The Sheffield College.
• The Training and Employment Section (TES), Refugee Council.

© The Basic Skills Agency