Category: Early Learning
Articles on early childhood education
Shyness in early childhood with Dr Robert Coplan
Developmental psychologist Dr Robert Coplan from Carleton University in Ottawa, discusses shyness in early childhood. What is shyness, and what are some strategies for supporting shy children?
The Power of the Word (Teaching inspiration from the voice of Blinky Bill)
“You can give children a life-sentence that is empowering, or a life-sentence that is disempowering.” For our early learning web series Mat Time we talked to Robyn Moore, who created the voice of the iconic Australian cartoon character, Blinky Bill, about the power of words. Robyn is an educator who is passionate about life long learning and has some truely inspirational stories...
Yoga and mindfulness for children
Yoga and mindfulness are so valuable for both children and adults alike, especially children who have experienced trauma. For our early learning web series Mat Time we caught up with Nicky, who has taught yoga to refugee children in refugee camps in Greece. She offers some great tips for how to introduce yoga and mindfulness to young children. Subscribe here...
The Gut-Brain Connection (Nutrition in Early Childhood)
Ask many children today where they think food comes from and their answer will be ‘the supermarket’. Whole food eating for families is one of the best things we can do for children to have a healthy diet. A good place to start is by talking with children about where food comes from! We interviewed Hadley from The Remedy Project:...
Mat Time chats at the 53rd Annual ECNZ Conference 2016
Did you attend the 2016 Te Rito Maioha conference this year? Missed some talks that you really wanted to see? Well we’ve got that for you! Watch this highlights reel of some of the fabulous speakers who presented. And while you’re there, you really should subscribe to the Storypark YouTube channel for early learning inspiration. We share regular videos to...
How to support rainbow families at your early learning centre
What does heteronormativity mean? How does it relate to early childhood teachers? In this Mat Time interview, early childhood education lecturer Kath Cooper shares tips on how to include rainbow families in your early learning centre. Some families have two mums, some have two dads. Some children have one parent, and some have four! The important thing is that we accept...
Experimenting with science for kindergarten and early learning
Children are natural scientists, always asking why, endlessly curious about the world around them. There are infinite ways we as educators can ignite their imaginations and feed their natural desire to experiment. These are just a few ideas for supporting science for kindergarten and early learning in your centre, school or home. Before each experiment, try asking the children what...
Reading with children to improve communication and early literacy skills
Recently on our new early learning web series “Mat Time” we interviewed speech and language therapist Amanda White about using books to develop communication and literacy skills. Amanda told us that it’s never too early to start reading with children and babies, and shared some really helpful tips for both educators and parents about how to make reading enjoyable, as...
Quick and easy recipes for sensory play
Here are a bunch of resources for sensory play ideas that are so easy for you to make yourself! You don’t have to spend a lot of money and time creating exciting sensory and play materials for children to spend hours exploring with touch, language and imagination. For more early learning inspiration and professional development, subscribe to the Storypark YouTube channel...
Learning in a puddle
One of my clearest childhood memories is of a friend and I walking to school and coming across a gigantic puddle. It was like a magnet that drew us closer and closer. I remember us looking at each other, no words were needed as we both knew what we had to do. We jumped in that puddle, splashing each other,...