Guest Authors

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...

During uncertain times, especially where routines and norms have been changed, it is easy to become overwhelmed and overreact out of fear and uncertainty. The additional changes experienced in typical child development can add extra strain to...

We all know that play is the key to children’s emotional and intellectual development. Messy play, in particular, is vital because of the way it helps youngsters understand how the world works, as well as use their senses and imagination. To...

In our settings, we explore many differences with the children we support: we talk about the changing seasons, we explore different cultures and ethnicities, we celebrate festivals and we talk about growing up and growing old. Difference is a...

This year has presented us with unprecedented challenges. So, we must stay at home to save lives and ensure everything will get back to normal as soon as possible.Firstly, our hearts go out to those who are facing challenges with their own...

As I write this article, I am working from home, like many of you, whilst the Covid-19 pandemic continues to rage around the world. During a difficult time such as this, it would be easy to dwell on the many families who will be in crisis during...

Every so often, life throws a ‘one off’ life event at us such as a wedding, house move, death of a loved one or school and nursery closures. In our eyes, these events can be good or bad; exciting or scary; invited or uninvited. For children...

Stories are such a powerful tool to support children’s emotional wellbeing and now, throughout National Share a Story Month, they have never been more needed. You know yourself that when you are going through challenging times, it is comforting...

“Sustained Shared Thinking” (SST) is a term describing effective interactions that arose from two influential UK research projects back in the early noughties: The Effective Pre-school and Primary Education (EPPE) and the Researching Effective...

Skills-based or theme-based? Which method is more effective when sharing music in the early years? Should it matter? Why? Since 2006, I have done both – and even been criticised. For both. However, my students (of all ages!) responded best to...

As children progress through your setting, it is important that they grow in their independence, so that they can grow in confidence, and so that they are ready for future steps such as school. A child that is independent is far more likely to...

In our settings we explore many differences with the children we support, we talk about the changing seasons, we explore different cultures and ethnicities, we celebrate festivals and we talk about growing up and growing old. Difference is a...

To children, we are always the people who have the answers. They look to us for guidance and acceptance and everything they become depends on what they see and learn from us. For this reason, it can sometimes feel like we need to always have it...

Many of you will have heard of the Oxford Language Report, which is the published report detailing the findings of an Oxford University Press (OUP) online survey with over 1,300 primary and secondary school teachers from across the UK surveyed....

Are neurotypical paradigms damaging people on the autistic spectrum? I am a purveyor of stories. I know their power. When I got engaged and my mother warned me, “Just don’t make up too many stories,” she knows their power in my life too. On my...

Many of us provide early years children with messy play experiences on a regular basis, but have you ever wondered why it is so important? Messy play, or ‘sensory play’ engages a child’s senses, including balance and movement. Types of messy...