Behaviour in Schools is Changing

Behaviour is changing in our schools.

More and more educators I work with are saying the same thing:

“The needs of our children feel different now.”

And they are right.

But it’s not just children who are changing.
Our world is changing — rapidly.

And if both are true, then our education system, our curriculum and our expectations must evolve too.

We cannot keep responding to today’s children — who are growing up in an entirely different world — with yesterday’s models of education.

That doesn’t mean lowering standards.
It means reimagining what those standards are for.

The world our children are preparing for no longer exists

For generations, education prepared children for a relatively predictable future:

• stable career ladders

• linear pathways

• repetition and compliance

• success defined by sitting still, listening quietly and producing the “right” answer

But that world no longer exists.

Many of the jobs our children will do:

• haven’t been invented yet

• won’t follow a traditional career ladder

• will value creativity, adaptability and emotional intelligence

• will require collaboration, problem-solving and resilience

Traditional definitions of success — grades, speed, compliance — are no longer reliable indicators of future wellbeing or fulfilment.

And yet, in many settings, we are still:

• rolling out the same approaches

• repeating the same structures

• expecting children to fit into systems that were designed for a very different time

Perhaps the answer isn’t speeding up — but slowing right down

In response to a fast-changing world, our instinct is often to do more:

• more formal learning earlier

• more evidence

• more pressure

• more “school readiness”

But what if the opposite is needed?

What if, instead of accelerating childhood, we slow it right down?

Slowing down doesn’t mean doing less.
It means doing what matters more intentionally.

It means:

• prioritising deep thinking over surface-level outcomes

• valuing creativity over compliance

• nurturing emotional intelligence alongside cognition

• giving children time to explore, question, fail and try again

This is where slow pedagogy becomes not outdated — but essential.

Behaviour is communication in a world that feels overwhelming

Children today are growing up in a world that is:

• louder

• faster

• more stimulating

• less predictable

Their nervous systems are processing far more than previous generations ever had to.

So when behaviour shifts, it is not surprising.

Before we ask “What’s wrong with the child?”
we must ask “What is the environment asking of them?”

Many settings are quietly wrestling with this question:

How appropriate is whole-class carpet time — and the expectations we place on children during it?

Is it realistic to expect:

• 30 children to sit still

• to listen passively

• to regulate their bodies

• to override sensory needs

• to process language-heavy input

…all at the same time?

For some children, this is manageable.
For many others, it is overwhelming.

And when their nervous systems can’t cope, we often see:

• fidgeting

• calling out

• rolling

• disrupting

• withdrawing

• behaviour labelled as “challenging”

What if this behaviour isn’t defiance —
but communication?

Regulation, belonging and preparing children for society

A concern I often hear is:

“Surely there needs to be a balance between regulation and learning how to belong in society?”

Yes.
But belonging is not learned through overwhelm.

Children do not learn how to participate in society by being repeatedly corrected for having developmentally normal needs.

They learn through:

• co-regulation

• secure relationships

• gradual scaffolding

• environments that support rather than suppress their bodies

In Scandinavian-inspired early years practice, expectations are not removed — they are introduced slowly.

Children are met where they are, and then gently guided forward.

Regulation is not the opposite of social learning.
It is the foundation of it.

A curriculum fit for today’s children — and tomorrow’s world

If we want children who can:

• think creatively

• adapt to change

• collaborate with others

• manage emotions

• find meaning and joy in their work

…then our education system must reflect that reality.

Not by copying and re-rolling outdated models.
But by bravely rethinking what childhood learning is for.

This is not about abandoning structure.

It’s about designing environments, rhythms and expectations that work with children — not against them.

Because when children feel regulated:

• behaviour softens

• connection deepens

• learning becomes meaningful

And when educators feel empowered to adapt practice — not just manage behaviour — education becomes human again.

If this resonates, this philosophy sits at the heart of my heart-led Hygge in the Early Years™ training, where we explore:

• behaviour as communication

• nervous system awareness

• slow pedagogy in a fast world

• environments that support both regulation and belonging

🌿 Discover more at www.hyggeintheearlyyears.co.uk