Alexis Ralphs

Why do we value some play materials over others? What’s so special about sand, water, sticks and clay? This question is explored in Resources for Early Learning, by Pat Gura, a favourite book from my teaching days. In it you’ll find the following vignette: A girl and boy of about nine or ten years old

Are you familiar with this illustration: It’s Bloom’s taxonomy. A taxonomy is a classification, and here we are classifying thought. Some cognitive challenges are harder than others. Basic recall (the bottom of the pyramid) is fairly straightforward (until you get to my age, at least!). Applying what you know is more of a challenge and

Do you have a preschooler? Would you like to help them develop some key skills before school starts in September? How wonderful to go in on that first day feeling like you belong. I get emails from parents on this topic almost daily and I’m always happy to help, but I now feel I could

Opera singer and vocal coach Mary Cole explains vocal development in young children and shows us how we can help inspire our children’s vocal confidence from an early age. Table of contents Introduction Vocal development in newborns Vocal development in infants Vocal development in toddlers Final word Introduction It was a warm evening in late March when I

How do children learn to communicate? How does language happen and is it something that can be nurtured? Early Years teacher, Emma Gouldbourn, looks at the fascinating process of our children’s language, from baby babble through to toddler talk. Table of contents Introduction Baby babble How to create a communication friendly space How to encourage speech and

Dr Helen Jones looks at what art means to children and how to provide quality opportunities for drawing and painting at home Table of contents: Introduction Why paint? The benefits of making art How do the stages of visual representation develop? How to support your child with art Final word ‘Intelligence itself is built upon

All children love to draw and paint, but why do they do it and what can their creations tell us about them? Dr Helen Jones explores the meaning behind the art and explains how to help your child’s creativity flourish: Table of contents: Art is personal At the very earliest stages of evolution our forebears

Dr. Helen Jones joins us to explore the Montessori Method, one of the earliest and most influential approaches to early years education. Table of contents: What is the Montessori approach? Why is the Montessori approach important? What are the five principles of the Montessori method? What are some typical Montessori Activities? Final word The Montessori