Chapter books for young children
‘One more chapter! Just one?’ My son was two-and-a-half when he discovered the pleasure of listening to an adult read a chapter book to him, and the corresponding pleasure of begging for ‘just one more’ when that adult came to the end of a section. But we quickly ran into a problem. He was still too little for anything remotely...
Making Small Feel Tall: The Early Childhood Classroom at a Child’s Eye Level
Imagine being a pint-sized person just under a meter tall. You know, child-size. Now imagine how the world looks from this vantage point: Everything is always (literally) over your head. You can’t look people in the eye. You have no idea what’s on the shelf or the counter unless someone gives you a boost. You must climb into chairs. And,...
Sustainability tips for ECE leaders
Currently, we are over-using the earth, and that’s a worry. Our buy now, think later mindset is creating a world where we will shortly start to run out of resources. Role modeling is a very effective teaching strategy and one we can use to make a difference in this situation. It is our responsibility to alert children, teachers, families, and...
Insights into the updated National Quality Framework 2018
Research shows quality education and care early in life leads to better health, education and employment outcomes later in life. The early years are critical for establishing self-esteem, resilience, healthy growth and capacity to learn. Quality education and care shapes every child’s future and lays the foundation for development and learning. The National Quality Framework (NQF) introduced a new quality...
Better Books: Grandparents and Grandchildren
What kinds of families do the children in your early childhood centre or local community live in? If everyone you know has just a mum, a dad, and children, in their house, then they will find themselves well represented in children’s literature. But if they have any other pattern, you’ll have to make an extra effort to make sure...
Baby’s First Steps: Early Walkers vs Late Walkers
Baby’s first steps: The early walker vs the late walker You’ve been waiting for your baby’s first steps. You’ve coaxed and encouraged and cheered him on from the sidelines. But at ten months, his preferred travel option is still the belly scoot. He’s a great little scooter, but you’d really love some footage of him learning to walk. After all,...
Five board books to broaden children’s horizons
Aren’t board books wonderful? It’s handy to be able to buy all sorts of classics, from The Very Hungry Caterpillar to We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, in hard-wearing editions for those of us who are still getting the hang of being gentle with books. Not only that, there are also now a lot of new titles produced only as...
You can’t dream what you can’t see
If you asked all the children in your learning centre, or family, what job they think they might do when they grow up, what do you think they would say? Firefighter, astronaut, footballer, doctor, builder… Maybe something else if it’s what their parents or a particularly cool aunt or friend does. How many of the boys will say...
Expanding Children’s Horizons
A new study has confirmed that children form fixed ideas, very early on, about the kinds of jobs they will aspire to do in the future. How do young children decide on a job? It’s not from signing up with a job agency or browsing employment listings. The study asked children from 7 to 17 years old, from...
3 phrases for a sexism free childhood
‘Use your walking feet, please!’ ‘Gentle hands, remember?’ ‘Use your words.’ If you live or work with small children, you will have plenty of these repeatable phrases up your sleeve. It’s good to have brief and catchy things to say, often, to pass on our values and help children learn, practise and remember healthy ways of behaving. Here...