At the moment the big buzz word in education is creativity. And creativity matters…
Author: Heather Welch
Hi my name is Heather and I'm a trained teacher, mum and currently employed in the education industry
I originally started writing this blog for research in my current employer. However as a mum and teacher I thought I would share my research, experience and findings. As a parent you read so many ideas, research and try to find a way to impart the knowledge to your children.
This blog is aimed for developing early years key foundation skills further whilst having access to fun activities, products and information. Please comment love to hear from parents, teachers and experts in their fields.
Passive Play vs Active Play Toys in the Early Years
Passive play vs Active play with toys in the early years, what’s the difference? When children are playing they want to be engaged, developing different skills, sparking their imagination. Children are naturally curious they like to explore, experiment the world around them. Have you ever thought of the type of toys you have contribute to the…
Play, Play, Play let our children play!
Amazing with all the research in the world a majority of the school systems still have an emphasis on academic learning and not experimental learning which is learning by play, experiences and just fun.
Dirt is good, less screen time, more play time
Dirt is good, less screen time, more play time is quite a powerful message, with a new marketing campaign from OMO Arabia. OMO are making a bold statement below with United Nations article 31. “Most parents are breaking this child’s right every day. #rightoplay ” As parents we need to reintroduce play especially to offset the…
Are we Teaching our Children to Think in the Early Years?
Recently I attended a education conference where the following topic kept coming up ‘Are we teaching our children to think?’ In a presentation by Yong Zhou a Professor in the School of Education, University of Kansas, mentioned “Singapore results for education is the number one system around the world according to their results with the standard…
‘Learn by Play’ Benefits of Educational based toys…
“Learn by play” has become a cliché, but it’s also become one of the most controversial subjects around the world among educational researchers and academics. Have you ever stopped to watch how children interact/engage with their toys? Which toys do they enjoy playing with most. Which ones last the longest? Which ones are always recycled…
Develop Fine Motor Skills with 5 Easy Activities in the Early Years
As a parent there are many activities to encourage your children to do at home developing fine motor skills. Remember the first 5 years are so important for building foundation skills. Studies recently have shown there is an decrease in foundation skills necessary to be school ready. Teachers are noticing that once a child starts…
How do children first learn coding – Onscreen or Offscreen
Where do children learn coding? Do you realise by the time a child has come to school, attended a coding class they have already started, learning coding through their active play in the early years. How you ask, well let’s think about what coding is, breaking it down, it is patterns or complex algorithms. This is…
Early Years More Hands On, Less Screen
Recently I was sent a brilliant picture of how kids injuries have changed from when they grew up years ago until now. Over time from being outdoor accidents to a more technology based. Quite funny, however scary as well! Lately all we hear are the buzz around technology, Technology is the future of education, Technology allows…
Inclusion of all – Early Years Education
Let’s sit and think, what does inclusion for all actually mean for us as parents, educators even sports coaches and friends. As a parent and educator inclusion to me is allowing every child be part of the activities, in a safe supported environment. Educating my child it is ok for people to have different beliefs,…
Early Years Maths, Experiential learning vs Academic learning
In a meeting this week, I heard a great analogy from an executive teacher “Do you want to snorkel or scuba dive when teaching’. (Funny enough it also was communicated from my son’s school a few days ago re: curriculum and assessments.) Meaning do you want students to have an in depth understanding (scuba dive)…
STEM + Art = STEAM. What’s next?
Let’s look at STEAM, what is it you ask? It is Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, only it’s now including Arts! We need to add Art + Design to the equation — to transform, STEM into STEAM. As educators, this is the latest strategy for structuring the curriculum and relevant activities. Moving away from “the…
Teaching a Child to Love Learning
Why does it sound funny to say “teach a child to love learning”? These days, parents with school age children are so competitive: after-school activities starting from a young age, reading book levels always being spoken about and compared, who is the best or doing the most. I wonder if this is really helping our…
Success in Our Education System is more than just Academic Learning!
‘Education systems can help people lead happier, more fulfilling lives by teaching them to be aware of their thoughts, emotions and behaviors’ say Sir Anthony Seldon. This quote I came across when researching educating students for life. Many countries education do extremely well with academic learning, standardized tests and exams especially throughout Asia with curriculum…
Technology Founder’s Children Restricted With Technology
There has been lots of debate online about technology, our children and Steve Jobs, the late, great tech guru and founder of Apple. Specifically, he did not allow his kids to use iPads at a young age. We all ask what is the reason? Why did the founder of Apple feel it necessary to…
Understanding STEM in Early Years!
The big buzz in schools curriculum is the acronym STEM. Lets look at breaking it down, finding out what it really means in the early years. Academically speaking STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths. It is a focus on these areas simultaneously. Not only because the skills and knowledge in each discipline are…
Positive or Negative what is the impact of Technology in the Early Years!
We all understand technology is the way of the future, I know myself I rely on it living abroad whether it is for work or even to speak to family and friends. There are many pros and cons to using technology with children. In this post we are going to look at a little research…
Outdoor Play in Early Years
Whether it is winter, summer, spring or autumn there are always amazing activities that children can explore outdoors in the early years. Children are on holidays around the world and it’s a great time to get them playing in the backyard, at a park, beach, forest, mountains or just in the local square. It’s a part…
Teaching our children the art of being persistent
There are many thing I wish for my child to learn, playing sport, ride a bike, be good to your friends, how to be a team player and have wonderful manners. However one of the most important one is the art of being persistent. Never giving up as we say, try, try, try again. When…
Characteristics of Effective Learning in Early Years!
Characteristics of Effective Learning (CoEL) are a revived element in the current Early Years Foundation Stage Curriculum (EYFS). CoEL advocate that in planning and guiding children’s activities, practitioners must reflect on the different ways that children learn, and then reflect these in their practice. A child’s individual learning characteristic will determine the way they respond…
Early Years 