Category: Early Learning
Articles on early childhood education
Six lovely Christmas picture books
Books and Christmas are a great match! If you would like your children to have an idea of why some people have a special holiday at Christmastime, here are some lovely picture books you might want to add to your collection. For a good laugh, read Jesus’ Christmas Party, by Nicholas Allan This hilarious book tells the story of Jesus...
Better Books: Does Your Book Collection Encourage Gender Equality?
Are you a huge fan of reading with children? There’s just about nothing better, is there, than cuddling on a sofa with small people, watching them learn to love the world of books. Every parent and teacher wants the best for children, and for them to grow up able to navigate through the world by being able to read and...
How to Help Children Cope with the Loss of a Loved One
We are fully immersed in the holiday season, and we love it, right? This is the time for magical moments with family pulled close to our hearts. There are treats to bake, decorations to display – and plenty of music, celebration, and togetherness. But for children who have lost a parent or close family member in the last twelve months,...
Supporting relationships and attachment in the early years
Relationships are broadly defined as the state of being connected or related. This can mean an association by blood or marriage, a kinship or the mutual dealings, connections, or feelings that exist between two parties. It is also recognised as a type of dependence or alliance in the way that we behave or regard one another. When considering the National...
Not another “no” with toddlers
As I was driving this morning, I passed a food van parked by the side of the road. On its side was emblazoned its business name, ‘Not Another Pie Van’. I drove on, wondering what they sold (presumably not pies). How would their customers know? Were they relying on people stopping and checking whether they were actually a coffee van?...
The power of friendships in early childhood – video
Early childhood educators sometimes overlook the power of friendships. Hear Jane Bertrand from the University of Toronto discuss socio-emotional responsiveness, cognitive responsiveness, and scaffolding.
No tech in your early learning center? No problem!
There’s a lot of talk about digital tools in early childhood. If you don’t have ipads and other devices at your center, you might feel like you are limited in ability to utilize some of the latest developments. The good news is you don’t need mobile devices and wifi to create digital portfolios to document children’s learning and engage families....
From start to review – the ongoing nature of reflective practice
Some practical advice for when undertaking the continuous improvement process is to become more comfortable with being uncomfortable. The sooner we are, the better we can accept the ongoing nature of true reflective practice. From Start to Review: the ongoing nature of reflective practice and how we can better use it to support our role and save time. Ok, let’s...
How to Teach Kids about Caring for the Environment
How can we support children to care for the environment? We’re brainstorming different ways an early childhood education centre could live its values out loud and make a big noise about these wonderful things we want our children to pick up on. Today we’re looking at caring for the environment, and we’d love to hear your ideas and tips in...
Perfectionism in Young Children and How to Help
Perfectionism in Young Children and How to Help Written by Dr. Kaylene Henderson, Child Psychiatrist, and Parent Educator There’s a perception in our society that perfectionism is a good thing, akin to ‘being perfect’; That it’s something to strive for or to drop into conversation in job interviews… Yet the reality is quite different. Perfectionism leads people to place unreasonably...