Guest Authors

Stories are an amazing tool to teach children about different concepts and circumstances in life. They are also excellent for supporting children through difficult times. If you are going through a hard time yourself, it is always easier if you...

A child learning to speak their first words is one of those magical times and once they start, there’s usually no stopping them. But, children need to know how to put those words into context and there’s no better way of doing that than with a...

This is the penultimate article in this series looking at superhero play, prior to the publication of my book Calling all Superheroes. It considers real-life heroes and encouraging children to think about how ordinary people can, and do, do...

This time of year can become stressful for young children, and for us all, as they approach big changes in their lives. A major change for young children is when they leave your setting to start school. Some children will cope with this...

Anyone who has tried without success to soothe a crying and restless baby, can vouch for the fact that it can be both exhausting and upsetting - for parents and childcare practitioners alike. However much experience you may have with children,...

Negotiating with children who seem set on digging their heels in and resisting your every instruction is tricky. Here are a few communication hacks that have stood me in good stead.ALONGSIDE CHOICEScenario: Ethan is playing in the sand and isn’t...

Reflective practice is an important part of our professional development. It means we look at what went well, what didn’t and this allows us to tweak and amend our approach in the future. Although this practice is necessary, it is quite passive...

We have all heard of fiddle toys, and children with “sensory needs,” and there is a dilute understanding amongst educators of the value of such things. Some of us provide our students with them, some of us feel the costs in terms of disruption...

Yay summer is here at last and who doesn’t want to take full advantage of those long warm summer days to be outside. Children love all that fresh air but sometimes it’s just too hot to be running around so what better way of helping them to cool...

When you have a good imagination you are never alone! You can be transported to a world of make-believe where none of your worries exist. You can be as good or otherwise as you like and you can create friends to play alongside you. My youngest...

Many early years providers choose to use reward charts as a way of promoting positive behaviour in a child. When used well, these are a fantastic tool for helping a child to change a particular behaviour. Unfortunately, though, they are often...

We have all heard of fiddle toys, and children with “sensory needs,” and there is a dilute understanding amongst educators of the value of such things. Some of us provide our students with them, some of us feel the costs in terms of disruption...

Acknowledge children’s emotionsAt times, it can be very frustrating when children are ‘overreacting’ to situations that seem very trivial. However, it is important to remember that problems are relative. Cast your mind back to when you were a...

With mental health issues on the rise, it is no surprise that many children, in addition to adults, suffer from anxiety. This isn’t always easy to identify in young children since their big emotions and behaviour can just be part of their...

Superhero play is a great context that engages children and it can be useful to reflect upon if both boys and girls are participating in this play. Sometimes the children’s heroes of choice can be male dominated and we can find ourselves drawn...

Everything a child consistently hears, sees and feels creates a blueprint for how they view themselves, the world and their place within it. The programming that we receive throughout our early years acts like a ‘default setting’ that...

There is something rather shocking about hearing a three- or four-year-old shouting, “Die, die!” or “I’m gonna kill you!” Yet, these cries are regularly heard within our early childhood settings. When we are faced with notions of killing and...

Autism is a lifelong condition that affects how people communicate and how they experience the world. When working in early years, you are likely to come across children that are on the autism spectrum. Diagnosis is often made at a very young...

In my previous article, I wrote about a number of giant figures whose ideas in many ways, formed the foundations for much of what we see today as best practice in the early years. In this article, I wish to look at the ideas of four more giant...

Many of you will be entering your settings hoping that one little person in particular has mellowed in their behaviour over the holidays. This little person does not respond to the behavioural approaches that work for the other children. The...

It is useful from time to time, to reflect on the ideas and wisdom of those philosophers, theorists and practitioners who, in previous generations, laid down many of the foundations of practice in the field of early years. In this first article...

Being able to speak clearly, express ideas and understand others are fundamental building blocks for a child’s development. Building language skills is not only important for the EYFS area of ‘communication and language’, but also for so many...

Within early childhood education, we understand the importance of building secure attachments with children and we strive to follow their interests and cater for their individual needs. If a child cries, we tend to them; if they need a nappy...

We all want children to be intrinsically motivated to do the right thing and to have a good moral compass guiding them. In order for them to have this, they need to learn consequences and develop their empathy, so that they know right from wrong...

In the final article exploring sensory support for emotional regulation, Sensory Engagement Specialist and Sensory Projects founder, Joanna Grace, explores how gentle exercise can support brain development for children of all abilities. This...

I am currently writing a book on superhero play which I’m finding very enjoyable! Superheroes are a huge part of popular culture. They are instantly recognisable and whatever our viewpoint about them, they find their way into our early childhood...

I recently attended a Halloween party at my grandson’s nursery, which involved all of the children dressing up. To begin with, the children were read a story and then they sat in groups with their nursery staff and family members who had come...

What are visuals? Visual aids are a set of individual pictures that communicate a meaning to someone through the use of an image. Otherwise known as visual aids or just visuals, it could be a picture of a toilet/ apple/sand tray/story time/a...

In this third of four articles exploring sensory support for emotional regulation, Sensory Engagement Specialist and Sensory Projects founder, Joanna Grace, explores how we can use our noses to support wellbeing. This article is based on one of...

Children behave the way that they do for many different reasons. Sometimes it’s just a bad day, sometimes they are frustrated because their thoughts and emotions are bigger than their ability to communicate and sometimes it runs far deeper and...