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Here in England the summer holidays are underway and the days are long. If, like me, you’re looking for cheap (i.e. free!) ways to entertain your child over the next few weeks, I’ve created a daily series of play tips you might find helpful. I’ve set myself three constraints: The materials must be common enough

You’ll often hear me say that children learn through play, that you should provide open-ended materials to encourage exploration and discovery. But it’s not completely true. There’s a more powerful and primitive force at work that shapes your child’s learning long before she starts to experiment with paint or collage, blocks or natural materials: Imitation.

Role-play was part of our own childhoods but does it still have something to offer today’s children and if so, how can we encourage it at home? Dr Helen Jones sets the stage: Table of contents: Introduction As a child I spent countless hours taking refuge from the world in the security of my own

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