I love babies. They are amazing, little geniuses observing and exploring as their brains flood with neurotransmitters and their synaptic connections fizz with learning. So why don’t we pay more attention to them?
In the Early Years policy world, babies are the silent group. It is almost as if children were born aged three. Yet babyhood lays the foundations for a happy and healthy life and…
Whilst 2020 has been a time of upheaval and reflection for many, what did we really learn from our children during these unchartered times? Children know more about themselves and our world than we often give them credit for. It was therefore wonderful to observe the comfort and ease felt as they returned to nursery after the first lockdown earlier this year.
The sheer strength of the…
We have known for decades that the bodies and brains of mothers are transformed by the dramatic hormonal changes of pregnancy and childbirth.
Now, new research is showing that men are also biologically transformed by the experience of becoming a father. They have a strong hormonal response including increased oxytocin, oestrogen, prolactin and glucocorticoids which creates a natural protectiveness…
Home Learning became a big issue during our first lockdown. The importance of connecting with children and families, the offer of teaching support and the nurturing of friendships was a surprisingly powerful wake up call for so many. This lockdown is a bit different because nurseries are still available for anyone who wants to use them. However, there were some lessons that we learnt during…
The other day, my neighbour stopped to chat and introduced me to her 4-year-old granddaughter. Before I could say hello, she said proudly that she can count to 100 and write her name. This is not unusual and resonant of a growing pattern where adults seem to feel it is important to want their children to be able to read and write almost before they can speak.
So, what has prompted this…
Few people realise that when you work with small children, you also engage them with big issues such as climate change.
It’s true, the average three-year-old doesn’t understand the impact of this global crisis but once you make it simple and they grasp the concept, there is no stopping their willingness to help. Harness their pester power and you have allies and ambassadors in equal…
Being a parent is great fun but also full of challenges and anxieties. The rise of social media and easy access to everyone’s opinion cannot help as it’s difficult to extract fact from opinion. Never was this more alive than during the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. It was compounded by the Government guidance continually changing as they discovered new information.
We have…
The image of a three-year-old standing in the middle of a Hula Hoop in order to social distance jars uncomfortably with the Early Years teacher. It challenges the idea of attachment which is one of the first child development theories all Early Years teachers learn as students. From the early work of British Psychologist, John Bowlby to modern neuroscientists such as Alison Gopnik we learn that…