Guest Authors

I remember when my son was three months old, and I had a conversation with my friend about books that she was reading to her son who had just been born. She asked me which books my son enjoyed and I panicked! I realised that although we had...

One of the most important aspects of leadership is recognising when, where and how things could be improved. In the context of a nursery, leaders are constantly assessing what is happening in the setting and how there might be room for...

The content of this article was inspired by personal experience which is often the encouragement one needs to put pen to paper. Having observed and listened to people close to me whose children started at new settings this past September, I’ve...

I have had many conversations with managers and childminders and one recent conversation has really stuck with me. The manager of a nursery informed me that she was having to choose between salaries and purchasing toys and resources for the...

We have reflected on how we are overcomplicating our practice and approaches to children’s learning and development as a result of new pedagogies and concepts within the early years education system and how this is impacting upon the learning...

Creativity and imagination are not just for artists; the same level of openness to ideas and creativity is required for science, technology, engineering, and maths (STEM). Without imagination and curiosity, we would not have built a rocket to...

We asked the early childhood consultant, researcher and author “Are we doing everything we can to develop the full potential of the children in our care?” How often do we question why we chose to become a childcare practitioner? Working with...

Last month we looked at the effect that music can have on mental health in the early years, and this month, we thought we’d have a look at the effect that music can have on physical health. The NHS constantly considers the health of the...

We have all had those days when we need to get outside to go for a walk to clear our heads. Have you ever wondered why this helps? The reason is that when your body moves, so does your brain. The movement promotes the production of the...

Managing children’s emotions can be tricky at the best of times. But you enter a whole new playing field when children get together and they need to start considering the emotions and behaviours of others. It does then help to have techniques...

Over the last two magazines, we have been looking at how to help your staff and young people with issues regarding peer-on-peer abuse, and safeguarding disclosures. In this issue, we will look at what to do if someone discloses a safeguarding...

It’s about that time again - a time when educators think about sprucing up their classrooms, moving and changing the furniture around, creating new bulletin boards, cleaning out drawers and closets, and even throwing away some stuff in the...

For so long now our sector has been inundated with new research, theories, concepts, pedagogies and approaches to learning and development, in addition to being bogged down by guidance, legislation and adaptations as a result of the pandemic and...

I bet you have children in your setting, that just can’t stop moving and need to wriggle or move in some way when they are sitting down and always seem to have ants in their pants! I was that child and can tell you I was a total nightmare for...

Every child responds differently when confronted with an emotional situation. Whether a child’s feelings of hurt or anger, excitement or joy have just been aroused, their reaction may be different to their friend’s. Or even the way they would...

With an early years workforce crisis hitting the sector hard, it has never been more important to get recruitment and retention right. For new staff, first impressions matter. When new staff join, there is a window of time when they can either...

While broadly the same, mental health looks a little different at different stages of life. In the early years, infant and early childhood, mental health looks at a child’s ability to regulate their emotions, form secure relationships and...

Using wayfinding as a classroom design strategy There are times when it is important to watch the view beneath your feet such as when walking on a muddy trail, rocky pathway, uneven sidewalk, or bumpy walkway. We are careful when traversing down...

While research on leadership in early years education has been growing recently, there is still very little that focuses on understanding leadership in the baby room of nurseries. This is part of a bigger problem: too much of our attention in...