Guest Authors

“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...

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...