Category: Early Learning
Articles on early childhood education
It’s Just a Phase: The Interrupter
You’re having a catch-up phone conversation with a friend. She’s sharing the nitty-gritty details of her life when your 3-year-old decides he wants to share the nitty-gritty details of his life. “Mom. Mom. Mom. Mom.” You try to shush him, but there’s no stopping the intentional mission of…The Interrupter. With a hint of frustration, your friend asks, “Is this a...
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,...
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...
I Lost My Coat Again! (Keeping children organised)
Your kindergartner has lost two sweatshirts and his winter coat…in the span of four weeks. The conversations usually go something like this: “Where’s your coat?” “I don’t know. I can’t find it.” “Where did you last have it?” “At school.” “Is it still at school?” “I don’t know.” As you look at current sales ads (again!) for children’s clothing, the...
Un-clinging the Clinger – Carry Me!
You’re beyond tired. You’re recovering from a cold, been working overtime, and are preparing for a family gathering of 30 people. This is not the week you need your 3-year-old to force you into weight training by demanding to be carried to all places near and far. To put her down is to endure a piercing “Carry me!” that isn’t...
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...
The new Te Whāriki in a nutshell part 2
There were five practices the Ministry of Education wants to develop further through the revamp of Te Whāriki. A rich curriculum for every child, a focus on learning that matters here, affirming of identity, language, and culture, parents, and whānau engaged in their children’s learning, and, personalised pathways to school and kura. Let’s have a deeper look at these five...