Guest Authors

I’m sure that circle time will already be a regular part of your nursery routine. It offers such a wonderful time for getting to know one another, chatting about different things, playing games and singing songs. But what are the main benefits...

Many of us are planning our provision around being outside more of the time. It is my view that this will do more than just limit the spread of coronavirus, but it will also help to combat the lack of nature in our children’s lives and promote a...

This month I thought it might be helpful to focus on group development within the nursery setting. As the new terms get underway, we have all faced a lot of recent change and uncertainty. I recall working with Rosa, a nursery manager who, last...

Regular readers will probably have come to expect an article from me within Parenta’s pages, and may even have noticed my absence from the previous issue or two. Well, I have a good excuse: I was busy having a baby! My new “little assistant” at...

As children return to your setting, you will all be going through a period of adjustment. How we communicate and relate to each other is key to our collective wellbeing. Being alert to signs of stress is important as you seek to support children...

Singing is the one musical activity in which almost everybody can participate – all you need is your voice. Through the ages, singing has been a way to unite people through anthems and war cries. It allows us to express devotion, whether...

Perfectionism is a common trait and many of us experience varying levels of it throughout our lives. It can make us strive for more and work hard, but it can also be a hindrance and prevent us from moving forward through fear of getting things...

When my children were born it always amazed me how many people were of the opinion that you could spoil a baby or ‘make a rod for your own back’ by cuddling them too much. I never understood it. Imagine being inside your mother’s womb where you...

I recently I had a conversation with Saima about the reopening of her nursery school for September. Saima is an excellent early years teacher with a highly principled approach to her work. She works with a talented and committed staff team. She...

While the world is still in the grip of a pandemic, children are returning to our schools and settings to lots of change which will be very difficult for them. Some of these children will have faced traumatic times over the past six months and...

We all know play is a wonderful thing, and more than just fun it is important for our cognitive development and our wellbeing. As children, play helps us to learn social signs and signals, through playing we build an active imagination, we make...

We finish up our royalty and magic storytelling in music series this month by introducing the last of the characters in the Magical Musical Kingdom, and their related  rhythms. The follow-up activities are suggestions of ways that help to...

The image of a shy child has long been of a youngster hiding behind an adult’s legs, barely looking up and being excused for their timid behaviour. But a growing body of research is now challenging the idea that shyness is a negative trait that...

Our world has changed a lot in the last few months. It’s hard enough being a parent or carer but now that life has changed somewhat, parents may have lots of additional concerns about leaving their child in childcare. There is no doubt that you...

When a child’s behaviour seems irrational and over the top, it is often because we are looking at it through the eyes of an adult. Sometimes we can think children are being uncooperative or stubborn, when in reality, all that they are doing is...

What is it about numbers that makes them so unappealing to many nursery owners and  managers? Just the mention of break even points, ratios, turnover and balance sheets causes many eyes to glaze over and heads to fall. I get it, no-one ever...

When children come into your setting each day, you are likely to see a wide range of different ways that children cope with separating from their main carer. Whilst some children will leave their parent happily, others will really struggle and...

We follow up our royalty and magic storytelling in music series this month by introducing the next set of characters in the Magical Musical Kingdom and their related rhythms. As children become used to musical ideas, they begin to see similar...

“I’m on a giant Ferris wheel and I can’t get off”As a coach, my work takes me into settings to work with leaders and managers juggling competing demands. Jennifer invited me in to her nursery as she wanted to discuss her new role as leader of a...

I often deliver a training session looking at equality and diversity in the early years and we begin with this question as an ice-breaker. Usually this ensures that our session begins with a few laughs, for example, “I would be a strawberry bon...

When they are babies, children rely on parents and primary carers to help make them feel safe. But as they grow and become more independent, their exciting exploration of the world also means they develop fears of the world beyond. This serves a...

It’s our job as parents, practitioners and teachers to set boundaries with children and to teach them right from wrong. However, it is natural for them to push against these boundaries and to challenge them. Although this can be frustrating, it...

How often have you told a toddler to “calm down”? Or asked a child to “stop crying”?Usually when we get to this point, it is often us that needs to calm down, or us who feels like bursting into tears. What we are requesting from children in...

As the author of “School Readiness and the Characteristics of Effective Learning” I am often asked by parents whose children are due to go to school in September, how they can prepare their children for school now that they have had a gap in...

In your early years childcare setting, you are likely to have many children for whom English is not their first language. You are going to experience a range of fluency across the children you encounter. It is important that as practitioners we...

Industry expert, Tamsin Grimmer shares her valuable advice and  guidance for tackling the most sensitive of subjects."I know Grandad is dead, but when will we see him again?" After my father passed away, one of the hardest questions I was asked...

At some point over the next few weeks or months you should, hopefully, get to reopen your childcare settling after it has been closed for the COVID-19 lockdown. Having been at home for some weeks with a different routine or a lack of routine,...

This is my final article in a series of four talking about difference through the lenses of disability, neurodivergence and social and emotional wellbeing. Difference is always immediately relevant to children, because all children are...

Tantrums can be frustrating. However, it’s important to realise that they are part of a child’s development and a reflection of their struggle to regulate big and overwhelming emotions. A child’s brain is not equipped with the ability to...

We follow up our royalty and magic storytelling in music series this month by introducing the first few characters in the Magical Musical Kingdom, and their related rhythms (the King featured in the last article!) As adults, characters in...