At the moment the big buzz word in education is creativity. And creativity matters…
Tag: play based
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…
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…
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)…
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…
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…
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…
Lets Build Resilient Children in the Early Years
Lets talk about building resilience in children especially in the early years. Resilience is one of the most important social skills children can learn in their early years. When a child falls over generally a parent assesses the situation if not serious proceeds to say ‘pick yourself up, keep playing’. It has a stronger meaning than…
Channel the Energy of your Highly Spirited Child…
Has your child ever been described as highly spirited or over energetic. Along with overly enthusiastic, too energetic, ants in his pants and so on. Well I can certainly say mine has. My son is what you would describe as a over enthusiastic boy with endless amounts of energy to burn each day. Or simply…
Reggio, Montessori, Walker theories what do they all have in common?
The theme is cars this afternoon when he came home from school they were scattered around the play room where he left them before heading off to school. Cars go crash into the wall, flying off the bean bags onto a make shift ramp. My son has set up a race track with the aim…
Let’s Play in the Early Years!
What’s more fun than the freedom of running in the park, balancing on one foot, jumping up and down with your friends. Whilst inventing new games to play, using your imagination to take you to wonderful places in the park, backyard, beach, swimming pool, playground, classroom and many more. Using all your senses (sensory/tactile play)…
Foundations of Mathematics in the Early Years!
In the early years learning to count and sort is one of your most important skills. Children can do this in everyday activities, by helping parents/gaurdians with house work, shopping, by sorting the fruit from the vegetables, sorting the dark colours of clothes to light. One of my sons favourite activities is to sort the…
Teaching Children to Fall Safely in Early Years!
I remember saying to another parent at the playground when I first landed in my expat posting in Asia that we have tried to teach our child how to fall. To me it was just another milestone, learning how to fall safely then get back up again. The look on her face said it all,…
Lets Teach Risk in Early Years!
Have you ever been in the situation where you can not see your child for a few minutes in a busy shopping centre, camping near a river, at a park, playground or a festival? This is the time we need the children to understand risks by walking off from their parents, what happens how do…
Sand, Water, Sensory Play in Early Years
Sensory play is so important for children, Children love to get hands on with activities it allows them to create, innovate and use their imagination. Children learn about the world through their senses, their first response to sand and water is a sensuous one, they touch, pat, swirl, smell and stroke it, sometimes for very…
Understanding the World through Gardening in Early Years
Have you ever planted a tree with your child or tried to explain where fruit and vegetables come from. Most children believe it comes from a market, supermarket shelf or delivered to your door. Is that really where it comes from? Lets look at getting hands on and growing a plant to help them learn…
Early Years Mathematics at home
There are many ways to teach mathematical concepts in early years from showing shapes, counting numbers especially at home. Everyday we all use different numbers, patterns everyday from telephone numbers, house/apartment numbers, time and many more. Once the child can recognise a number it is important to relate it back to their experience. For e.g….
Expressive Art and Design in Early Years
Does your child play with their friends and imagine they are flying a rocket, driving a car, a princess in a castle, a teacher, nurse or doctor. This is the start of using expressive arts in early years. Many curriculums encourage this particular role play, expressing their imagination, emotions, communication and developing socially. Expressive arts…
Early Years 