Earlylearningwithjem

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Earlylearningwithjem I design and deliver early childhood PD workshops for Educators and Teachers in Regional Victoria and NSW

Hi, Question here, how confident are you in your age group next year?Usually, by now, services have worked out where edu...
07/12/2025

Hi,
Question here, how confident are you in your age group next year?

Usually, by now, services have worked out where educators and teachers are going to be placed for term 1.

So, Whether you’re thinking about your own goals, planning the PD calendar for your service, or engaging in some critical reflection, let me ask you this:

If you know which age group you’ll be working with next year, are you as confident with that age/stage as you could be?

Take a moment to reflect on these key areas for each age group and consider what you know, and where a little extra support or training could help.

0–1 years
*RIE principles: respect, slow pace, clear communication
*Attachment & secure base behaviours
*Sensory play
*heuristic play
*Responsive routines for feeding, sleep, and settling

1–3 years
*Play schemas and how to plan for them
*Autonomy and emerging identity
*Co-regulation
*Language & Literacy
*Separation distress
*transitions and predictable rhythms

3–5 years
*Social thinking and peer relationships
*co and self-regulation foundations
*Rich play, problem-solving, and inquiry
*Identity formation and agency
*Early literacy/numeracy through play

Reflect on these points critically & if there are areas where you’d like more guidance, I can help tailor a workshop so you and your teams can be fully confident in your age group.

DM me and we’ll build a plan together.

You don’t need to fix feelings… FULLSTOPI read so much stuff about self-regulation, and while it’s definitely important,...
02/12/2025

You don’t need to fix feelings… FULLSTOP

I read so much stuff about self-regulation, and while it’s definitely important, I feel like sometimes it gets forgotten that children can’t self-regulate until someone has shown them what regulation actually feels like. Mic drop (I’m old I know)

That’s why “co-regulation” is an absolute MUST in your metaphorical Educator Tool box!
I’ll go even further and even say, it’s the boss of all tools! (The strategies you carry in your mind that you can pull out when you need them)
When we stay close, be with, hold a steady rhythm, and let a child borrow our calm, we’re building the foundations for genuine self-regulation.
It’s responsive practice, not “fixing”.
This practice tells the children I will hold your hand.
This topic sits at the core of my Attachment workshop, where we unapck attachment, co-regulation, how to read a child’s emotional energy, and how to meet their needs, not just in theory.

Is this a strength in your service or do you feel like a refresh could be due?

If your team wants to unpack this further in your Term 1 PD plan, send me a DM and we’ll lock it in. Hope to chat soon. Jem

Ever wondered what your day would feel like with zero sense of time? Imagine waking up tomorrow with no clock,no calenda...
27/11/2025

Ever wondered what your day would feel like with zero sense of time?

Imagine waking up tomorrow with no clock,
no calendar,
no idea what “soon” or “later” actually means…
And every few hours, a big person walks in and announces,
“It’s lunchtime.”
“Pack up time"
“We’re going outside now”
No warning & No chance to mentally shift gears.
Pretty gross, right? Certainly not responsive. If you are into Big Brother right now, it's giving those vibes; no one knows what time or day it is.
For young children, that’s their everyday normal.

Without a sense of time, every transition can feel: disorienting, rushed, confusing, abrupt and overwhelming.

Our predictable routines are their way to navigate the day.

When we "invite" use gentle interactions and offer visuals,
We’re respecting and being responsive to children and their rights.

I unpacked this with a team last night, and it offered great reflection points.
If you want your team to feel confident supporting transitions in real, responsive ways, my workshops break this down simply and practically.

DM me to chat about a session for 2026!

matter

A rest-time ritual is an “invitation” to pause, a gentle gear change into something calm, grounding and predictable. It’...
23/11/2025

A rest-time ritual is an “invitation” to pause, a gentle gear change into something calm, grounding and predictable. It’s a moment in the day where children have the chance to slow their pace and reconnect with themselves and each other.

A few beautiful options that I love:
• Drawing in individual scrapbooks with soft music
• Watching clouds and naming what we can see
• Slow tai chi–style animal movements

But my absolute favourite? Years ago, when I worked with 3/4 year olds, we had an afternoon ritual a few times a week. We’d stretch out on the carpet or the grass outside and go on an imaginary adventure. I’d usually start the story, then the children would build it with me. Every child had the opportunity to add something, like what happens next, where we would go or what we would see. Every child belonged in the world we created.

Our imaginary stories became so popular that we built them into a large book that went home at the end of the year, with children illustrating each chapter to match the story we told together. It was calm, creative, collaborative… and absolutely magic.

These rituals strengthen belonging, emotional safety and shared meaning. They offer co-regulation, creativity and predictability all at once.

What rituals do you love? I’m always keen to hear new ideas.


Ohhhh the temptation of eight perfectly identical Christmas trees hanging in a row. Yeah sure they can look cute… BUTThe...
19/11/2025

Ohhhh the temptation of eight perfectly identical Christmas trees hanging in a row.
Yeah sure they can look cute…
BUT
They can also scream adult led, product driven and closed ended.

If you are looking for an alternative this holiday season why not plan a Christmas provocation table.
Pop out boxes, coloured card, Christmas ribbon, paints, markers, tape, glue, sparkly bits, recycled treasures, whatever lives in the craft cardboard or art trolley.
Add some inspo pics,
real Christmas trees, cartoon elves, reindeers, santa statues, ornaments… anything that speaks to children and says “what do you feel like making?” Add an invite, such as “would you like to make a Christmas craft”.

Then we….
Let them explore.
Let them imagine.
Let them follow their creativity , even if the outcome has zero resemblance to anything on display.
Christmas tree? Maybe.
Spaceship? Sounds good!

P.S. As a mumma, I would much rather a reindeer drawing where there’s an eye missing, six legs, and purple hair than something that looks identical to everyone else’s.

Thoughts? Save for later or share with your team and have some critical reflection.

So many little people are getting ready to head off to big school. It reminded me of a chat I had with an amazing primar...
16/11/2025

So many little people are getting ready to head off to big school. It reminded me of a chat I had with an amazing primary school teacher about resilience.

Coping with small challenges like not being able to tie their shoelace or misplacing their jumper can happen.
So, my tip, especially when starting school, is supporting children to know who and where to go to for help, when things feel tricky.

Do you have any helpful tips?

I’ve just been reflecting on what an incredible year of Tailored teaching it has been. I’ve just wrapped up with some be...
12/11/2025

I’ve just been reflecting on what an incredible year of Tailored teaching it has been. I’ve just wrapped up with some beautiful services and now 2026 is calling!

If you are looking for a hands on approach, a year of workshops designed for your team, observations, e.books and more, all shaped around your team and what you actually need.

I won’t be a stranger; I’ll feel like one of the team, working alongside you.

Reach out as bookings are limited. Send me a DM or email today. Let’s make professional development fun again!

Ever wonder why a child spends weeks lining up cars, throwing their food off the highchair, or hiding behind curtains or...
29/10/2025

Ever wonder why a child spends weeks lining up cars, throwing their food off the highchair, or hiding behind curtains or under the table?
Whilst not always the case, quite often it’s not some random action or interest,
It’s a schema!

Their brains wiring skills, emotions, and understanding of the world.

My little guy, spent months tying up anything he could get his hands on, from connecting cars & trailers to connecting himself to bikes or toys, it was everyday and definitely not a phase?
That was connection schema in action.
And by exploring this schema he was able to feel regulated and safe.

In my Play Schema Workshop you’ll:
✅ Learn the theory
✅ Recognise different schemas in real time
✅ Support children in ways that actually help their development
✅Uncover how easy planning for 0-5 can actually be, especially the 0-2 classroom.

Send me a DM to book in a date for Term 4 or get organised for 2026!

26/10/2025

I’m Jem!
Early Childhood trainer and Murray River local. I deliver face-to-face ECEC workshops across VIC & NSW that are practical, relatable and actually useful in the day-to-day chaos of education.

My focus? Supporting educators to feel confident in what they do, because strong teams build strong outcomes for children. Simple as that.

Planning Term 4 or locking in 2026 PD?
Hit the link in my bio to check out my upcoming workshops, send me a DM or email to secure.

Let’s make training feel worthwhile, not like a box to tick!

If we’d asked this 4 year old to paint rainbows or butterflies, we might’ve missed this! A few days after overhearing an...
08/10/2025

If we’d asked this 4 year old to paint rainbows or butterflies, we might’ve missed this!

A few days after overhearing an older child discussing the tooth fairy, my four year old drew this and asked, “Why does the fairy take teeth?”

Open-ended art prompts give children space to explore ideas, ask questions, and process new concepts, building curiosity, imagination, and agency. Art was the tool that helped him process what he had heard as well as the confidence to initiate a conversation he might not of shared otherwise.
As educators, it’s a reminder:
Let them lead, observe closely, and notice the thinking behind the marks.

What’s your pace? 🐌🐆We talk a lot about routines and rituals in early childhood.We know predictability helps children fe...
05/10/2025

What’s your pace? 🐌🐆

We talk a lot about routines and rituals in early childhood.
We know predictability helps children feel safe, and we work hard to create flexible, responsive rhythms that support them.

But what about pace?

We might give the five-minute reminder… but are we actually giving five minutes? Maybe that five minutes really needs to be ten, or even twenty. Maybe some children don’t need “reminders” at all, while others may need several.

Or maybe we’re speeding through it, rushing children along, expecting them to drop everything now.

Maybe we have visual routines, but still feel that pressure to have things done at specific times.

⏰ Does the clock dictate the day?
Do you feel that pull of “what’s next” before you’ve even finished what’s now?

I’ll be honest…
Pace hasn’t always been my strong suit.
I’m a fast talker, my brain jumps from one idea to the next, and when I worked in the classroom, I was absolutely guilty of focusing on what’s next instead of being fully present.
Slowing down has been, and still is, a learning curve for me.

So, let’s be real…
Are slow transitions your jam, or something you’re still working on too?
You might have heard them called “soft transitions”, same thing, just with a gentler rhythm.

💭 My STP Lens workshop dives deep into the temporal environment, unpacking all the little things that shape children’s experiences.

Contact me today for more info!

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