Through Australia’s bushfires, COVID-19 and a number of other highly stressful events in the past few years, educators, learning communities, families and children have shown resilience and supported each other’s mental health and wellbeing. However, the uncertainty, rapid change and accompanying feelings we might have experienced—anger, grief, loss, shame or the feeling of being overwhelmed, […]
‘Being safe is a foundation to wellbeing. When children feel safe, their brains relax, cortisol decreases and they are calmer.’—(Always Be You, 2020). This piece, by SHONA DOYLE from Be You explores children’s wellbeing, providing safe environments and linking researcher, Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s flow theory back to early childhood education. When we set high but achievable expectations, […]
‘The early years of a human being’s life have a significant impact on lifelong mental health and wellbeing.’ Be You shares the importance of mental health and wellbeing to babies and toddlers and suggests resources for families and educators. New research has increased understanding of the environmental and biological factors that shape babies’ and toddlers’ development, […]
Observing children is a great way of getting to know them. It’s also how we can gather information about their mental health and wellbeing, including noticing their strengths and behaviours that may cause concern or present possible signs of mental health issues. Read more about the behaviour, emotions, thoughts, learning and social relationships (BETLS) observation […]
Reflecting and planning skills are fundamental to our work as educators. While reflection allows us to have a wider range of perspectives and brings about new ways of thinking or understanding, planning builds upon that new understanding to create informed, responsive goals. Have you considered how both these practices may also help strengthen and protect […]
This article first appeared on KidsMatter Early Childhood’s Shared Thinking blog on 30 June 2014. It was first shared on The Spoke in 2018 and was updated in July 2020. What self-regulation is … and isn’t Self-regulation is not simply self-control. It is the ability to manage our energy states, emotions, behaviour and attention: the […]
Originally posted in 2015, this post was updated in August 2020. Play helps children to develop healthy bodies, minds, social and emotional capacities, thinking and learning abilities. Play is essential for children. Play can be pretending, learning a new skill, dressing up, being active, or being quiet. Children should make the rules for play, except when […]
Originally posted in 2016, this post was updated in June 2020. Children need to feel that their world is a safe place Children need to know they’re cared for, that their needs are met, and that they can get help when they need it. When children have these things they develop strong feelings of belonging […]