Following the TTS Little Lockdowners webinar on 5th May, our panel of experts received lots of great questions relating to the topics and themes discussed. In this article, we share some of the questions asked to our panellists and their responses.
Q - We are seeing more children who can’t play, they just don’t know what to…
Course content: This topic has been developed with Dr Steph Ainsworth. Steph is an education researcher and teacher educator in Manchester Met’s School of Teacher Education and Professional Development. She has several years’ experience as a primary school teacher and has a passionate interest in teacher wellbeing. This course will support your understanding of how…
Following the TTS Little Lockdowners webinar, we have received lots of great questions and requests for additional content and support. In this article, we highlight our answers to your questions, alongside supporting content by our educational experts at TTS and other educationalists from across the globe. We’ve also included some handy links to more inspirational…
Let’s not forget that loose parts are nothing new. Block play and treasure baskets are a staple in every early year’s environment and offer the same benefits and experiences. They’re open-ended, developmentally appropriate and foster creativity and critical thinking.
Here are some items you might consider adding to your environment...
Brilliant Blocks
Blocks come in so…
Why loose parts play?
The topic of Loose Parts Play has become very popular over the last few years. The reason the subject has become so popular is that people are starting to realise that Loose parts play, the ability to freely explore and create within an enriched environment, is something very precious. It is…
In March 2020, the Covid pandemic hit the UK and the first of several lockdowns occurred. We have all been affected by this and children are no exception. I spoke to several settings to delve into this more.
Headlines around speech, language and social skills suggest that these are the areas being most affected by the…
What are inhibitory controls?
Inhibitory controls are an important part of our executive functioning system, which help to regulate children’s behaviour. Specifically, an inhibitory control operates like an early warning system to help protect children and stop them from engaging in behaviours that may be risky or unhelpful. However, in the longer-term inhibitory control also…
There is no doubt that children born just before or into the pandemic have had a very different start to their Early Years education. Emma Fleckney from Nordic Star highlights some of the ways that children have been affected by the pandemic and shares how they are helping to bridge these developmental gaps.
Speech and language…
Young children may be little, but this doesn’t stop them from experiencing BIG feelings. Picture books can provide the perfect stimulus for exploring feelings and emotions. They enable children to find ways, along with the words needed, to express what they are feeling inside.
A perfect example of such a book is The Colour Monster by…
Kay Miller, MD and co-founder of The Den Kit Co, explains the importance of Outdoor Play for our Children's Mental Health. Kay left her post as Head Teacher of a rural Shropshire primary school (where she also qualified as a forest school practitioner) to concentrate on growing our beloved brand.
"Play is the highest form of research" …