14 Ways to Inspire Joy in our Children

1) Joy is infectious. Children model their mood, behaviour and attitude on the adults around them. If we show joy and enthusiasm our children will too. 2) Make things Magical. Imaginary experiences activate the brain in exactly the same way as real-life experiences. Give children some magic in their lives through make-believe and pretending. 3)…

25 May 2022

Primary Webinars

Watch our Exclusive Little Lockdowners Q&As: 4-11 Years

What does early research into the pandemic show us? There have been small amounts of research about the immediate impact and the challenges our ‘Little Lockdowners’ are facing. Albeit a significantly relevant topic area, there is still very little support and advice available to help those working with and supporting the development and attainment of…

23 May 2022

Early Years

Creating an Enabling Environment to Support Early Years Post-pandemic

In my previous blog on ‘Effects of the pandemic’, I described some of the ways in which the pandemic has affected children, with settings reporting an impact in areas such as personal, social and emotional development, communication and language and physical development, along with some ways of overcoming these challenges. Here we will look at…

18 May 2022

Early Years

Ben Kingston-Hughes: Bringing Joy to our Children

Thinking about joy Recently I have been thinking about the concept of “joy”. I have been thinking back to my own childhood which was full to the brim with joy. Long summers spent roaming the woods, endless bike rides and marmite sandwiches and no concept of time or even space. Now don’t get me wrong…

18 May 2022

Early Years

Little Lockdowners Webinar: Panellist FAQs

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…

16 May 2022

Early Years

Little Lockdowners Webinar: FAQs

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…

12 May 2022

Early Years Loose Parts Play

Loose Parts Play for Babies and Pre-school aged Children

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…

12 May 2022

Early Years Loose Parts Play Wellbeing

Loose Parts Play – What’s all the fuss about?

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…

12 May 2022

Early Years Wellbeing

Effects of the Pandemic on Children in the Early Years

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…

12 May 2022

Early Years

Professor David Daley: Enhancing Inhibitory Control in Early Years

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…

11 May 2022

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