Behaviour Is Changing. Maybe Our Response Needs to Change Too.

One of the most common conversations I have with educators right now goes something like this:

"The children feel different."

"Behaviour feels different."

"What used to work doesn't seem to work anymore."

And if I'm honest?

I think they're right.

After more than 20 years working in Early Years education, leading a school, supporting hundreds of settings and spending countless hours talking with educators across the country, there is one thing I hear again and again:

The needs of children seem to be changing.

But perhaps the bigger question is this:

What if children aren't the only thing that's changing?

What if the world around them is changing too?

And if both of those things are true, surely our approach to education needs to evolve as well.

Because we cannot keep responding to today's children—who are growing up in an entirely different world—with yesterday's expectations.

This isn't about lowering standard...

Dandelions are beautiful, fascinating plants! Attracting Bees and little hands a like. There is nothing sweeter than blowing a dandelion clock and making a wish! They're known for their bright yellow flowers that turn into fluffy, white seed heads. Despite being considered weeds by many, they have several interesting characteristics. For example, their seeds are dispersed by the wind, which is why you often see them popping up in unexpected places. Additionally, dandelion greens are edible and nutritious, containing vitamins A, C, and K, as well as calcium, iron, and potassium. Some people even use dandelion roots to make tea or coffee alternatives. Overall, they're resilient and adaptable plants that have found their way into folklore, cuisine, and even herbal medicine.

1. Dandelion Biscuits
   
   Baking together is a lovely activity, working together and sharing what you have made.

   

2. Dandelion Playdough
   
   Add dandelions to your homemade playdough mix for a spring dough.
   
   

3. Loose Parts
   
   Wh

   ...

With Easter upon us shortly it's easy to get back into the habit of dressing each area of provision for the celebration. 

Instead focus on leaving a few hooks in your adult initiated sessions that will grab your children's interest and lead them curious to know more. It could be sharing an Easter story for instance and then having one or two areas of your provision with provocations in linked to this. This then invites the child to explore and learn more. It also means that children that don't want to explore this can still head into the areas of provision to develop their own lines of enquiry or take the lead on their own child led play. 

Taking this approach also frees you as an adult up from spending so much time filling every area of provision with resources and instead can really prioritise your time and focus your efforts on the things that will make the biggest impact. 

With this in mind I wanted to take the opportunity to share some of the provocations and hooks that I h...

In early years education it can sometimes feel like we are constantly being shown the next beautiful set-up.

Perfect shelves.
Carefully curated resources.
Rooms filled with new equipment.

And it’s easy to find yourself thinking:

"My practice will never be as good as that setting… they have such a big budget."

But let’s pause for a moment.

Because this belief is one of the biggest myths in early years practice.

The truth is this:

You don’t need a tonne of resources to make learning happen.

Children do not need endless toys, constant new equipment or shelves filled with plastic resources.

What they need most is something much simpler.

Feeling overwhelmed by the pressure to constantly buy more resources?

In my free training, I'll show you how Scandinavian-inspired settings create calm, engaged learners without relying on endless resources, expensive provision or constant activities.

🌿 Watch the FREE training here

The Most Important Resource in the Room

The most powerful reso...

Angie shared something with me this week that I haven't stopped thinking about.

She had carefully created a beautiful basket of bird resources for her children.

There were books, identification cards, small bird figures and photographs — thoughtfully chosen to spark curiosity after seeing me share a similar idea online.

She placed them out with excitement.

Within minutes, the birds were in pockets.

Some had disappeared under cushions.

One had been fought over.

A book had been damaged.

Several resources were torn.

Only one child sat and truly engaged with what had been provided.

After 15 years working in early years, Angie said something that felt incredibly honest:

"I've never had this before. I'm running out of ideas and it's making me sad."

And I suspect many practitioners reading this will recognise that feeling.

Not because they're doing anything wrong.

But because something feels different.

When What Used to Work No Longer Works

Over the years I've visited hundreds...

Childhood Doesn't Pause for Winter

Somewhere along the way, we've been taught that outdoor play needs ideal conditions.

Dry days.

Mild temperatures.

Perfect resources.

That outdoor play is something we do when it's convenient.

Something we squeeze in when the weather allows.

Yet after more than 20 years working in early years education, visiting hundreds of settings, studying Scandinavian approaches to childhood and watching children in nature across every season, I've come to believe something very different.

Children don't experience the world that way.

The weather isn't a barrier to play.

It's part of it.

What Canada Reminded Me About Childhood

This January, we spent time in Canada as a family.

Temperatures regularly reached -22°C.

Friends and family at home couldn't quite believe we were taking a three-year-old outdoors every day.

But we did.

Every single day.

And what struck me most wasn't how the children coped.

It was how they thrived.

As both an early years...

Here’s how we create calm after nursery — and what a Hygge bedtime looks like for us 🤍

Creating calm after nursery or school on a winter’s evening ❄️🕯

These long, dark afternoons and evenings in the lead-up to Christmas can feel so tricky. Juggling your own exhaustion alongside the dysregulation of a little one who’s had a full, busy day at nursery or school.

So at home, we really try to bring a little Hygge glow and gentle connection into our evenings to help everything slow and soften again.

When I collect my little one, I often park a little further away so we can walk together and reconnect before heading home. I’ll offer a simple snack — apple for that crunchy reset, orange for a citrus burst, or sometimes a little oaty flapjack. It helps regulate and transition out of the day.

On the way home, we usually listen to an audio story — a quiet, shared space for resetting together.

My little wildling loves Christmas… but after a full day immersed in it at nursery, we like to keep...

The Hole Punch That Reminded Me What Learning Really Looks Like

This week, a child became completely fascinated by a hole punch.

Not a new resource.

Not an expensive invitation to play.

Not a carefully planned activity.

Just a simple hole punch sitting on a table.

And for the next 30 minutes, they were utterly absorbed.

Punch.

Click.

A tiny circle falls.

Punch.

Click.

Another circle appears.

Again.

And again.

And again.

Watching them, I was reminded of something I think we've forgotten in early years education.

The deepest learning often doesn't happen in the activities we've planned.

It happens in the moments children choose for themselves.

Why We Struggle to Trust These Moments

I'll be honest.

Twenty years ago, I probably wouldn't have trusted this kind of play.

I'd have worried that I needed to move the child on.

Extend the learning.

Introduce a challenge.

Find a "next step."

After all, that's what many of us were taught to do.

Yet after more than 20 years...