Category: Early learning
Articles on early childhood education
Distributed leadership for professional learning
We all know that we need to be lifelong learners in early childhood education (ECE), and for most of us, this is part of the joy of teaching. As a leader in ECE, one of the traits I look for...
Documentation and the image of the child through a Reggio lens
When the term documentation is discussed amongst early childhood educators there is often a feeling of fear…a pause in time where professionals stop and hold their breath, the angst of the topic written clearly all over their face. What feeds...
Discussions with Dr Edward Melhuish
We are extremely fortunate at Storypark to have the support and guidance of some of the worlds leading experts on child development and early childhood education. One of our advisors is Dr Edward Melhuish. Professor of Human Development at the University...
The assumptions, theories and practicalities of room leadership in ECE
Many early learning services operate with various leadership structures that are purposefully designed to help meet certain expectations and benchmarks set forth in quality area seven of the national quality standard. Whilst the process of a leadership structure supports educators...
Self soothing
When you have a child who doesn’t sleep – the words “self-soothe” can make you break into a cold sweat. As the months went on and on and on and my youngest child continued to not sleep, and not sleep...
You can hear him in his dancing
I remember the first time someone said: “what’s wrong with your son”. I think my face, turning white, then splotchy red with anger, told him that what he’d said was not the right thing to say. “I just mean…” he...
Can toddlers and under fives really change the world?
We often talk about children in terms of potential. We consider that one day they might do something important, something world-changing, or just be more than they currently are. You see and hear it all the time “he has so...
It’s Just a Phase: Oh No!
Somewhere around age two, many toddlers discover the awesome power behind one very short word: “No!” And oh boy, do they love to use it! “Let’s get your coat on; it’s cold.” “No!” “Let’s wash your hands.” “No. No wash!”...
Fun Political Activities for Young Children
Politics is much broader than just which party to vote for. We can include political ideas of free speech, due process, fairness, equality, voting and participation in all sorts of ways in an early childhood education setting. Here are some...
How young is too young to learn about politics?
Yesterday my six-year-old and I went on a trip to Parliament, with his five-year-old friend and her dad. We had a picnic on the big lawn, and they climbed the magnificent trees, and had running races, but only after...