Earlylearningwithjem

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Earlylearningwithjem

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

22/02/2026

I remember back to when I was asked to write my first personal philosophy, before google and long before ChatGPT.
At the time it felt like a simple task to quickly put together and then tick, I’m done, right?

After many years I now see it very differently. It’s not another tedious task to add to the never ending to do list and it’s def not a list of rules either.

It’s the set of beliefs that guide your decisions when things get messy at 3:47pm and the room feels loud and overwhelming and you’re questioning your life choices.

It’s your internal compass, something that can pull you back in….
What kind of educator am I being right now?
What do I believe about children?
What matters most here and now?

It’s certainly NOT about being perfect, it’s about being intentional!

What would be written on yours? I’d love to know x

18/02/2026

I’ve been there too,
It’s worth some reflection, things can be different. 💙

Send me a DM and we can have a chat.
Jem x

12/02/2026

So before we correct it… let’s get curious about it.

Save and share with your team 🙏

intentionalteaching

10/02/2026

Have you ever observed a young child and wondered….

“Why don’t they play with other children?” A totally valid question.

The short answer? Because playing with others is a skill that develops over time as children’s, language and social capacities mature.

Children move through different stages of play before you will usually find them “actually” playing together (not just occupying the same space)

A quick recap…

Solitary Play: (0–2y)
playing/exploring alone.

Onlooker Play: (Around 2y)
child watches others play but not quite ready to join. In my house this looks like my almost 2 y old destroying my 4year olds life 🤪

Parallel Play: (2–3.5y)
often sitting side by side other children, but engaged in their own thing.

Associative Play: (3-4y)
Children start to communicate during play, talk and engage, but quite often there is no shared goal.

CooperativePlay: (4+ years)
Often the age we see children come together and play with others, working towards a shared goal, taking roles, negotiating, problem solving.

Remember this is a guide only and stages differ based on individual children and their environment.

So as you observe each stage you will notice that children are building the skills required before cooperative, collaborative play can really take off.

21/01/2026

A prompt to inspire some reflection.

A program filled with rich opportunities for turn-taking and role-modelling sets the foundation for sharing.

As Piaget reminds us, young children are still developing the ability to see another person’s perspective, so expecting instant generosity is a huge ask.

Instead of forcing the share,
try narrating it.
Model it.
Slow it down.

Because connection comes before cooperation. Always.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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?

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https://earlylearningwithjem.my.canva.site/

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