The Power of Imagination Play: Why Kids Need It and How to Promote It Imagination play, or pretend or creative play, is a vital part of childhood. When children engage in make-believe scenarios, take on exciting roles, and experiment with unique storylines, they reap tremendous developmental benefits. Whether it’s a simple game of house or …
Gross Motor Skill Development in EYFS/Pre-School As an Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) teacher, it’s crucial to understand the importance of developing gross motor skills in young children. These skills lay the groundwork for their overall physical development and function, impacting their ability to perform everyday tasks, participate in sports and recreational activities, and maintain …
Encouraging Play to Develop Gross Motor Skills in EYFS Read More »
To Share or Not to Share: A Balanced Perspective on Teaching Children to Share There is some debate in the parenting world whether you should teach your children to share their toys or not. Sharing is often considered a fundamental social skill that children should learn from a young age. However, the question of whether …
Lessons on Relationships, Connection and Supporting Behaviour This post is based on the book The Art of Kid Whispering by Jamie Chambers. Most address outward behavior in conflicted youth. To help, grasp their inner thoughts, feelings. This book aids counselors, parents, teachers, and youth workers connecting with challenging young people. Authors explain “Kid Whispering” and …
The Art Of Kid Whispering: 4 Essential Skills For Connecting Read More »
Saying No To Children: Validating a Child’s Feelings While Setting Boundaries One of the most critical aspects of a child’s emotional development is learning to set boundaries. Saying “no” is an essential part of this process. In this article, we will discuss the importance of saying no, how it can validate a child’s feelings, and …
Did you know that 90% of a child’s brain development happens before the age of 5? This striking fact highlights the importance of the early years foundation stage (EYFS) in shaping young minds. It’s time to revolutionise your approach to EYFS teaching, with evidence-based strategies that maximise your young explorers potential. Imagine a classroom where …
Unlocking the Potential of EYFS Children: Encouraging Exploration Read More »
Why is Imaginary Play Important? When you see your little one engaged in an elaborate pretend scenario, don’t dismiss it as ‘just playing.’ Imaginary or pretend play provides incredible cognitive, social, and emotional benefits that can give your child a developmental boost. This article will explore why pretend play is so important and how parents …
Turn-Taking and sharing Activities for Toddlers Turn taking is a pivotal social skill that children must acquire early in life. It’s an essential component of social interaction, allowing them to effectively, and positively, engage with others. Turn taking is a behaviour for learning that helps in activities where the child needs to share attention, participate …
Positive Parenting Buffers Young People Against the Impacts of Stress The intricate relationship between family dynamics and child development is a topic of increasing interest in the scientific community. A wealth of research is now dedicated to understanding how stress and adversities faced in early life can impact brain development, leading to cognitive, emotional, and …
Attention-Seeking Behaviour or Connection Seeking? When it comes to understanding the social and emotional development of young children, attachment theory has long been a cornerstone of both research and practice. Developed by British psychologist John Bowlby in the mid-20th century, the theory posits that the quality of the early relationships between children and their primary …
We got our hands on these three great maths game resources from Learning Resources. I had seen a post on instagram with the pirate treasure game. It was being used by a speech therapist so I was very excited when I got a chance to have a play learning session with it. I am currently …
How Important is Age Appropriateness in School? Whether an activity or interest is age appropriate is an ongoing argument in SEND education. Frustratingly it seems to only apply to children with SEN. Particularly regarding activities for PMLD learners and the special interests of autistic children. Even more annoying is when we label something “not age …
Developing resilience in children Life is a beautiful journey, but it is not always a bed of roses. There are moments of sadness, stress and grief. These moments come in the lives of everyone. Although it is hard to accept, they can go into the lives of our children too. Developing resilient children is all …
This book was a Christmas present for the youngest (3). It quickly become apparent that Fuzzy Ocean was a very engaging book. We could discuss sea creatures and fish as well as link to positional language. Fuzzy ocean would also fit well with the Blue Abyss sensory story created for an underwater topic. I have …
This winter themed Sensory Story has been written for our “Time” topic where we are exploring the seasons. Snow Bear provides plenty of opportunities for exploring the cold of the Arctic. I have included a subtle message about climate change which depending on the age group you use it with may be useful to tie …
Inclusive education is at the heart of education thinking in the UK but seems constantly challenged by policies such as Zero Tolerance behaviour and spending cuts that remove the support so important for our children to thrive in school.
I am aware this blog is quite niche to special education settings but I hope teachers from all settings will be able to find use for these suggestions.
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