Guest Authors

It’s 2006 and I have a new baby. I love music, so I look for a local baby music group. I’m not even sure what to look for, and as a new mum, I cannot find a central directory of services. Finally, I google the right keywords to find a local...

As the weather gets cooler and the evenings draw in, we are reminded that it’s no longer summer. In the UK, we have four seasons, each with a very different climate. Of all the different times of the year, I think autumn is my favourite, not...

All young children display extreme emotion from time to time. If you have a child in your setting that is repeatedly displaying angry behaviour, then it can be particularly scary, disruptive and stressful; both for that child and the other...

I wrote about the Wonders of a Sensory Story back in 2018 for Parenta and expressed in that article just how hard it is to even consider trying to articulate how fabulous sensory stories are in a single article. When I first encountered them,...

We all want to instil positive values and behaviour in children. However, it’s important to remember that they are just little people trying to navigate a sometimes, unfamiliar world and we should not expect a level of perfection that we as...

How Forest and Beach School activities can help to combat Nature-Deficit Disorder As I write this article, my children are looking at how we should fill the last few days of their school summer holidays. Many of the local activities available...

Until the age of three, children view a ‘friend’ as whoever they happen to be playing with at the time. However, after that, youngsters start to seek out the company of playmates they play particularly well with. When social scientists looked at...

It’s 2006 and I have a new baby. I love music, so I look for a local baby music group. I’m not even sure what to look for, and as a new mum, I cannot find a central directory of services. Finally, I Google the right keywords to find a local...

Emotions are often very extreme in young children. We’ve all seen the dramatic responses that children can have to the most simple of things. It can be extremely exhausting and trying when a young child shows a very extreme reaction to something...

In honour of National Doodle Day, I decided to write an article about doodling and the importance of it for children. Although it looks like scribbling, doodling is so much more than that. Here are some of the benefits for children in their...

Much of my work focuses on children who face significant barriers to their learning, many of these children have profound and multiple learning disabilities or complex autism and are non-verbal communicators. The senses are everything to me when...

“What is the most important musical thing I can teach my baby/toddler/pre-schooler?” This is the most common question that most parents attending early music sessions ask. And the most common answer is, teach your child to love music. But...

Inclusion in early years settings and schools is something that is widely discussed thanks to its advantages and disadvantages. Despite any disadvantages, one major bonus of inclusion is the opportunity for children to mix with other children...

I remember once being told by another professional “Yes, but you can’t use the word autism.” We were discussing a child who was having a lot of difficulties at school and their parents were really struggling with understanding their child at...

Brambles is a pre-school nursery setting with 106 children on roll. Karen Nash is the Manager, Nicola is the Deputy Manager and Karen Neal is the Family Coordinator. Here, they discuss the Early Childhood Health Promotion research they carried...

In early childhood education we all put so much time and effort into coming up with experiences that are stimulating, enjoyable, challenging and educational. But what about the time between these experiences? This, at times chaotic, transitional...

How mud kitchen play can help to combat Nature-Deficit Disorder I was recently told of a city toddler who, growing up in London, had not seen an apple tree before - let alone an orchard. His mum took him to visit an orchard and he saw apples...

If a child does something to upset someone else quite often our automatic reaction is to ask them to say ‘sorry’. It’s a natural response as we want them to learn manners and to be civilised human beings. However, if we sit back and think about...

Being well hydrated is essential for health and for learning, a dehydrated child will tire quickly and lack focus. In the warmer weather it is essential that children take on enough liquid whilst at school. The worry of a few extra toilet breaks...

“Working in early years used to be all about the children. Now it is all about the paperwork and constant changes to legislation...There just aren’t enough hours in the day and not enough money in the pot to pay people what they deserve for the...

Personal development is the process of taking the time to understand yourself, what makes you tick and what triggers you. It is also the process of working through any barriers that may be getting in the way of you living your best life and...

Everyone experiences things differently and some people experience noise, smells, lights, tastes and the feel of things in a very heightened way. In your setting, you may have a child that keeps on removing a certain item of clothing. You may...

Part of our role as early childhood educators is to facilitate play by observing what our children do, how they use resources and the themes that regularly lead their play. Then we provide opportunities to extend this play and develop their...

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...