create4me_

06/06/2024

Group times don’t suck! 🫢

I speak about them regularly, so much so that some of you may even think I don’t like them, but it’s actually the very opposite. I think they are great when the reason for having them is great.

Unfortunately, sometimes we get stuck doing them because they have fallen part of a rigid routine; in that case, we probably need to do some reflecting. On the other hand, lots of services have really awesome group times. It really is all about the delivery! ❤️

Group times in early childhood foster a sense of community, enhance social skills, and provide opportunities for collaborative learning. Shared experiences support children's learning outcomes by promoting a strong sense of identity, connection, and well-being.

A “good” group time supports the individual child and is a space where their thoughts are valued and respected, aligning with the EYLF's principles of secure, respectful, and reciprocal relationships.

So, cheers to having fun group times that bring enjoyment to the grown-ups, too. 👏

What is your favourite part of group times? Browny points for “outside the box” ideas…..

03/06/2024

What is it? ↙️
Resilience is the ability to bounce back from challenges, adapt to adversity, and recover from hard times.
Life is bloody tough 💙

I’ll never forget a conversation I had with a primary teacher about resilience; she explained to me how important it is for children to have the coping skills to know and ask for help if their shoelaces become untied rather than becoming upset and not knowing what to do.

Here are 20 simple and positive ways educators can support children in developing resilience in childcare;

1. Guide children to think through solutions to challenges
2. Model resilience- Demonstrate how to stay calm and positive in difficult situations
3. Celebrate persistence- not just success
4. Build strong relationships- Create a trusting and supportive environment
5. Provide opportunities for risk-taking- Offer children to try new activities
6. Encourage self-care- Teach children the importance of rest, nutrition, and exercise
7. Foster independence by encouraging children to do things on their own
8. Create a safe space- Encourage children to express their thoughts and feelings openly
9. Teach and role model problem-solving skills
10. Read stories about resilience
11. Teach and role model coping strategies like deep breathing or counting
12. Encourage a positive outlook
13. Show empathy and validate children’s feelings and experiences
14. Use play to teach resilience skills in a fun and engaging way.

I hope this helps; what else could we add to this list? ↙️

02/06/2024

A simple statement used with good intentions, but what else can we say instead that offers validation, compassion and empathy;

💜” Would you like some help?”
💜” Let’s practice some deep breathing”
💜” Would you like a hug?”
💜” It’s okay to feel sad”
💜” I feel the same way sometimes”
💜” How can I help you?”
💜” Would you like some time to yourself?”
💜” Let’s work this out together”
💜” It's okay not to feel okay.”
💜” I am here”
💜” Can I get you something?”
💜” Can you help me with something?”
💜” Maybe some fresh air can help?”
💜” I can see you are having a hard time”

My ultimate tip would be to put yourself in the child’s shoes. If you were crying over a breakup and your friend said, “You're okay, " would you feel validated and truly cared about or dismissed? This tip can help tweak our language.

Let me know if you want a free downloadable poster with these alternatives and more to print for your team. Comment download, and I’ll get it sorted.

👉DOWNLOAD👈

26/05/2024

Let’s talk about unstructured, simple ways to expose young children to literacy without the need for worksheets.

1. Reading Corners with posters of letters and books from around the world.
2. Labeling items around the classroom (like “door,” “window,” and “blocks”) to help children associate words with objects.
3. Dramatic Play with literacy props like a restaurant with menus, shops with shopping lists and signs or an office with keyboards, paper and pencils.
4. Offer a Writing corner with alphabet cards, magazines, scissors, and writing materials
5. Visual routines that children can interact with.
6. Listening Station with audiobooks and headphones for children to listen to stories.
7. Provide individual scrapbooks where children can draw and engage in emergent activities such as writing.
8. Role model by writing on whiteboards and explaining what you are doing and what the words/letters mean.
9. Sign in the station using name cards, paper and pencils.

Share your awesome ideas below to help other educators provide literacy-rich environments ↙️

22/05/2024

Let’s face it, when kids refuse to pick up their toys, a whirlwind of thoughts can race through an adult’s mind. Frustration often tops the list, accompanied by annoyance at the mess and perhaps a dash of exhaustion at the thought of yet another battle over tidying up.
Adults may also worry about teaching responsibility and setting a good example for their children, as well as concerns about safety if toys are left spread all over the floor.

However, approaching the situation positively can fosters a respectful environment and even better results.

I dare you to try these gentle phrases and make the pack up time more enjoyable for everyone. Providing clear instructions and breaking the task into smaller, manageable steps can also make it less overwhelming.

22/05/2024

First off, what is heuristic play?

Heuristic play involves children exploring and discovering through hands-on interaction with everyday objects. This type of play encourages creativity, problem-solving, and sensory development.
It encourages children to explore, discover, and learn at their own pace. Watching a child light up as they find new ways to use everyday items is pretty great plus it’s cheap!

Here are 10 fantastic heuristic play props that inspire endless fun and learning:

1. Spoons
2. Bowls
3. Pinecones
4. Ribbons
5. Napkins
6. Shells
7. Cardboard Tubes
8. Keys on Rings
9. Boxes
10. Fabric cut offs

What resources would you add to your heuristic play space?

15/05/2024

PART 2- Let’s dive in ↙️

After a recent poll on group times and a super reflective conversation with another industry professional, I decided to share my thoughts.

Now, whilst one Insta post will not come close to covering it, I offer an ECE workshop that unpacks the topic in loads of detail, and like always, DMS are open if you want to unpack it with me further. (I’d love this)

Group times, in my opinion, are another childcare practice where we can get caught up in the concept rather than the pedagogical thinking behind it.
We should ask reflective questions before any practice, routine or planned activity. Your why always matters! Plus an assessor will ask!

1. What is the purpose?
2. What is the child’s role?
3. Are we respecting children's choices?
4. How is this linked to learning outcomes/skills and interests?
5. Are the children engaged?
6. Is this Age/ stage appropriate?
7. Who is this for, and is it inclusive?
8. Is it fun, or is it boring?
9. Is there a reason that the whole class need to participate?
10. Does it need to happen at the same time every day?

So, do I like group times? Yeah, sure!
However, I'll cry if I see another group time where children are “required” to attend and are begrudgingly “learning” days of the week or the weather like robots.
If children want to move, dance.
If children have questions, answer them.
If children are bored, take it on.
If children want to walk away, let them!
If Jonny wants to play trucks, either unpack all things trucks or leave him be.
I know this is controversial; it has been for years.

Formal group times aren’t the only time we “teach” and can be so much more than a gap filler before lunch.

07/05/2024

Group times/ mat times or circle times offer a lot of controversy in childcare settings.

Group time in childcare is when a group of children gathers for an activity or discussion led by an educator or teacher. This time may include reading, singing, sharing stories, or playing games.

Some will say they should occur daily just before lunch, some will say they have no place in early learning settings and others will argue that they should be spontaneous.

Love to know your thoughts? Poll is anonymous ❤️

Should group time occur daily?
Part 2 I’ll share my thoughts….💭



Should group times occur daily?

04/05/2024

For those of you who have just joined my journey, I am Jem!

BIT OF A REPOST because I couldn't think of anything better......👇
I’m super private, so this feels awkward. I’m one of those weirdos who thinks their phone is calling someone when they are having a gossip. Some may call it paranoia; others will say I’m an overthinker. Either way, it's me! My little idiosyncrasies make me a perfectionist in everything I do, which makes me a good asset to your business.
I hate the idea of showing my face on social media, and I am confident this will not change.

I love the colours pink and purple, coffee, salt and vinegar chips, and trashy TV. I'm a total homebody, painfully honest, constantly trying out the latest health kick without success, and bad at making decisions. My family is my world; I have a fabulous hubby, a toddler boy and a new baby girl. I’m uncomfortably loud, love adding mayo to my stories, am opinionated where it matters, fiercely loyal and passionate about all things high-quality care for the little people.

Just over a year ago, we took a huge leap of faith and moved our little family to country Victoria. We wanted a more simple upbringing for our children. So far, so good, and I love the idea of bringing high-quality childcare training to regional Victoria.

If you are sitting there nodding at what I’m putting out, then you are probably my people. If not, hopefully, I will entertain you anyway, and you will stick around. Jem X

30/04/2024

Is this a term you are familiar with? 🤷‍♀️

We are all about the choices over here. Choices are a great way to avoid meltdowns and promote respectful relationships with children.

When a child can make choices over things that affect them, it sends a message that they are capable, independent and in control
Which correlates to a calm and safe environment

Try this and let us know how you go ⤵️

Instead of a closed-ended question that often returns a response of “I don’t know”, try one with two or more choices.

“What would you like for breakfast? Fruit salad or cereal?” the child responds or gestures. We can then respond with “a delicious choice.”

Disclaimer: these conversations must occur consistently and regularly to be effective! 🥰

Need content like this? Like, save and share and DM us to hear about our childcare workshops.

26/04/2024

Watch your language! 💬

But in all seriousness, I am not talking about swear words; today I am focusing on the words we use to respond to young children when they are distressed, sad, frustrated, etc. Our aim should always be to lead with empathy and validation; every word counts.
Reflecting on the language we use isn't just important—it's essential!
Whether it's nurturing children's confidence or shaping their perspectives, our words shape their world.

Save this post, and, even better, print and display it in your reflection journals.

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23/04/2024

You should save this for later 👇

How many times a day do you hear yourself mouthing, whispering, saying or shouting “Be careful” to the little ones?

Of course, asking our children to be careful comes from a place of love and care, but how does it help them? If used occasionally, it will have an impact; the overuse can make the words less impactful.

It will take some getting used to, but try swapping “be careful” for words that can support and guide children in navigating the risky play.

Here are a couple of good examples you can use!

📌Watch out for the branch
📌First, check if it’s slippery
📌Hold on tight
📌safe safe, turn around
📌try climbing over
📌have you noticed the prickles
📌Can you reach up
📌try using your legs
📌 How will you get down?
📌Are you feeling nervous?
📌can I help you?

If you like my content, want to know more, or need a childcare workshop, let me know!

21/04/2024

I call Bullshi*t! 😡

So, can we please avoid teaching children things that are simply not true?
Imagine growing up thinking you had to be friends with everyone you met.
It’s not realistic, and it sets children up for extreme disappointment.

Instead, the message we should be sharing is that all humans deserve to be treated with fairness, kindness and respect.

Change the narrative; we don’t all need to be friends!!

Save, like and share if you agree 👏

09/04/2024

Well, did you know?

I pride ourselves on having a large scope of work!
I have a big list of the kinds of tasks on offer.

❓What is a qualified instructional designer in ECEC?

🙋‍♀️An ECEC instructional designer creates custom educational materials and workshops. I have the training and qualifications to design curriculum, lesson plans, and activities that align with Early Childhood Tafe courses and childcare professional development workshops. I thoroughly understand child psychology, learning theories, the NQF, Childcare laws and regs and best practices in early childhood education. I incorporate technology and interactive tools to enhance engagement and learning outcomes. Every workshop includes specific and measurable learning objectives for your team.

ECEC workshops should include, at a minimum,

📌titles
📌learning objectives and outcomes
📌time frames
📌task or skill based
📌assessment method
📌assessment tools
📌assessor guide for consistency in marking

Plus, way way more!
Doing things right the first time is necessary when building your team's skills.

Need help? I Can’t wait to hear from you! Jem

29/03/2024

You can also follow on Instagram to see more.

27/03/2024

What has your centre planned for International Children’s Book Day 2024? 🌎

Some of the best ideas I have seen that you are more than welcome to save;

⚪️Invite families to share books from their childhood and cultural backgrounds
⚪️Build a community library with a real borrowing system for everyone to enjoy
⚪️Encourage the children to create their own stories through art and support them in narrating the storyline
⚪️Plan a dress-up day in your favourite book character
⚪️Invite the parents to come in and read stories with the children
⚪️Act out favourite books through puppets or art provocations
⚪️Ask your families for book donations
⚪️Plan an excursion to a local library if possible
⚪️Celebrate Hans Christian Andersen by reading some of his stories

International Children’s Book Day is an annual celebration held on April 2nd, commemorating the birthday of the renowned Danish author of children’s stories, Hans Christian Andersen. In 2024, ICBD will fall on Tuesday, April 2nd.

Each year, a different country has the opportunity to be the international sponsor. That country chooses a theme and invites a prominent author from the host country to write a message to the world's children. Japan hosts 2024. There is a beautiful poster available to download on ibby.org.

SAVE-SAVE-SAVE

24/03/2024

Part 2- 👏
Following on from my recent post about an alternative approach to defaulting to the word “no”, here are some practical examples of how this can be done.

Save this post for those challenging days and if you have any specific examples you would like me to change up for you send me a DM! Jem x

23/03/2024

When working with children, you might find their actions to be unconventional, puzzling, or potentially unsafe.

I usually see things a little differently.
Check out these examples through my lens as an early childhood trainer;

➡️When I see a child climbing on the table…
🙋‍♀️I look to see if there is any climbing equipment available as the child is showing a need to climb.

➡️When I see a child crying at the door…
🙋‍♀️I question why the door to the outside play area is closed.

➡️When children are engaging in rough play…
🙋‍♀️I question why there is no physical or sensory play in the program.

➡️When I see a child has drawn on the wall…
🙋‍♀️I wonder what the supervision is like and why there is no open- ended art area available.

➡️When I hear toddlers fighting over the truck in a construction area…
🙋‍♀️I wonder where the other trucks are?

➡️When children are all asleep at 12:30 pm…
🙋‍♀️I wonder why all the tables have been cleared, and there are no activities?

➡️When children are all eating lunch at the same time…
🙋‍♀️I look to see if there are any activities to do for children who might not be hungry at this point in time.

➡️When I see a parent at drop off looking around the room uneasy…
🙋‍♀️I wonder whether the educators need support with customer service and the settling-in process.

Let me know your thoughts. Any questions???

We are early education content creators, we write for businesses in the mums and bubs space. All things child development, activities and resources, mum life, pregnancy, and more. We are mum bloggers for hire, Create4me, work with toys shops and kids stores, delivering engaging content.

21/03/2024

Stay on top of you posting, allocate tasks and be organised will be the best advice I can give you. 🙌
Being at least a month ahead gives you a feeling of control, racing to post daily is exhausting.
Take this post, it was probably written at least a few weeks ago. Unless it’s something that cannot wait, it really is the best way to run your social media page in our opinion.

Save and like so I know to keep the information coming 🥰

18/03/2024

I’m allergic to the word “no”!

Okay, a slight exaggeration, hear me out 👇

Part 1- My biggest challenge with parenting my toddler is applying what I know and have learnt in my career versus the practicality of everyday life.
I have to really reflect, and while imperfect parenting is good enough, there is a reason why keeping the word up your sleeve actually matters.

Have you ever considered how often you default to the word no?
And, No (lol), I am not suggesting you give in and say yes to everything, but I do believe that “no” is fiercely overused and therefore undervalued and leaves us nothing for when we really need it.
I would like to offer an alternative approach that is not only more effective but also more positive for everyone.
Setting limits are super important, but there is incredible value in saying “yes” to our children more often.

Feeling intrigued? Double tap and I’ll share a post on how specifically you can change up your words, or in the mean time, check out my full blog, which offers simple ways to turn the language we use into a more positive approach.

Embracing a positive parenting approach with a “Yes” attitude promotes growth, independence, and a strong connection.

While setting boundaries and saying “no” is essential for safety and teaching responsibility, saying “yes” in appropriate situations can foster trust, boost confidence, and encourage healthy communication.

Are you a Yes or No person? Love to know your thoughts. Send me a DM if you're after a confidential chat. Jem

13/03/2024

“When little people are overwhelmed by big emotions, it’s our job to share our calm and not join their chaos.” –L.R. Knost.

Next time you see a child experiencing big feelings, try these strategies;

💜Empathise and validate, listen to the child without judgment, acknowledge their feelings, and validate their experiences to help them feel understood and supported. Get to know their individual needs; some children prefer a hug, and some may need space.
💜Practise deep breathing with the child. This can help to relax and calm emotions.
💜Engage in mindfulness activities such as colouring or puzzles.
💜Provide a Safe Space, a designated area in the classroom where the child can go to calm down and feel safe (this is NOT timeout; it’s the complete opposite)
💜Offer sensory play such as stress balls, fidget spinners, and sand or water play with which the child can engage.
💜Encourage the child to express their emotions through social stories. They are a great way to release and process their feelings. Have you heard of Tucker the Turtle?
💜Be their calm by modelling calm behaviours. Use your actions to show the child how to handle difficult emotions calmly.
💜Offer some solutions. Help the child develop problem-solving skills by brainstorming different strategies they can use to cope.
💜Provide a safe, supportive and consistent environment for each child. This can help the child feel secure and reduce anxiety-triggering situations.

Thoughts? Other strategies you would be willing to share with educators? ⬇️⬇️⬇️

10/03/2024

1️⃣” You are okay.”
2️⃣” Hurry up”
3️⃣” Use your words”
4️⃣” We are all friends.”
5️⃣” You need to share.”

While they can seem like common things to say to kids, here’s why these statements are NOT so great. 👇

1️⃣If a child is sad, they are NOT okay. How would you feel if you were crying and someone said that to you? Empathise and validate.
2️⃣If you need a child to hurry, that is your problem, not theirs.
3️⃣Use your words. What words do you want the child to use? Help them; don’t demand them to use words they don’t have right now!
4️⃣Are we all friends? Let’s not set the kids up for failure. Try words like kindness and respect over a false expectation of friendship.
5️⃣Sharing- this is usually the most problematic; sharing at a very young age is not age-appropriate. Try to encourage trading or swapping, and offering multiples is key for toddlers.

Like this post for more like it or send me a DM if you have a training enquiry! 💗Jem