Parenta Blog
“Role-Playing”: Empowering Child-Led Adventures with Teacher in Role!
Welcome to the magical world of 'Teacher in Role' (TIR) an area that I am passionate about. TIR is a thrilling teaching strategy, as you, the teacher, become a master of disguise, taking on the person or a fascinating character that ties into the topic or theme at...
Supporting colleagues and staff going through a difficult time
There’s no doubt that the last few years have been tough on everyone in many ways. First the pandemic, then the war in Ukraine affecting oil/gas prices, then the cost of living crisis and currently, people are struggling with the impact of NHS and other strikes,...
Coaching in Early Years
Over the last few years, Ofsted has begun highlighting the need for managers and leaders to mentor and coach their staff. If managers and leaders are expected to coach their staff, it is only right that we look at what coaching means and how it impacts our...
How motivated are your children to learn?
Throughout their early childhood, children are undergoing a dramatic period of mental growth and development. Forming more than 200 trillion brain cell connections (synapses), they have mapped out the structure and workings of their developing brain. Forming around...
Guest Authors
“Thank You For The Music” Musical Drawing In The Early Years
This current 6-part series of early years music articles features a new activity each month from a number of arts activities trialled for 1- and 2-year-old children, along with musical suggestions, with recordings on YouTube. A Finnish study, (Lehikoinen, 2023)...
Sensory Scaping To Provide For A Neurodiverse Community
I’m Jo Grace: a Sensory Engagement and Inclusion Specialist and Founder of The Sensory Projects in this series of 10 articles I am going to share some of my passion for understanding the sensory world with you. In my last article, I talked about how classroom and...
Creating a positive leadership culture in your nursery by resisting ‘executive subculture’
Nursery leaders typically have wonderful intentions when it comes to creating a positive team culture. Some pitfalls must be avoided to make this a reality. One such pitfall is the ‘executive subculture’ when leaders’ behaviours stand in the way of a positive team...