Magazine June 2019

Issue 55 

JUNE 2019 

FREE 

INDUSTRY 

EXPERTS 

Exploring the real 

heroes in our lives 

How to help parents 

boost their child’s 

vocabulary 

Using stories to nurture 

self-awareness 

+ lots more 

Write for us 

for a chance to 

WIN 

£50 

p 31 

COPING WITH CHANGE 

Gina Smith shares some great tips and advice to 

help children cope with the transition into school 

FATHER’S DAY • NYSTAGMUS AWARENESS • DROWNING PREVENTION

Hello and welcome to the June edition of the Parenta magazine! 

June is a busy month here at Parenta HQ. The team is really looking forward to Childcare Expo Manchester on 14th 

and 15th June and will be on hand to give you valuable advice and guidance on apprenticeships and upskilling your 

staff. We will also be demonstrating all our software solutions – do come and visit us – you’ll find us on stand B46! 

The excitement is mounting for the annual Parenta Trust Rally which sets off at the end of the month. Teams of cars and 

motorbikes will cross eight counties in five days, travelling 2,000 miles to raise vital funds for our charity, Parenta Trust who 

builds pre-schools for young children in deprived areas of the world. Look out for more rally news next month! 

The weather is warming up, visits to the beach are on the horizon for some; and with that, comes the temptation to let the little ones swim in 

the sea. Tragically, drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in children in the UK. The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) 

runs an annual Drowning Prevention Week (14th – 24th June) to raise awareness of the problem and to reduce the number of drowning (and 

near-drowning) incidences that happen. Advice on how it’s never too early to start water safety education can be found on page 14. 

June is the perfect month to teach the children about butterflies. Learning about their life cycle is a great way to introduce them to biology 

and environmental topics. We have a wonderful activity for making your own butterfly life cycle … and June wouldn’t be complete without 

a Father’s Day craft too! We’ve got a lovely template that you can download so the children can make their own stick puppet for the father 

figures in their lives. Don’t forget to send us your photos! 

Congratulations to our guest author competition winner! Joanna Grace’s article and activity “Secrets of the search jar” proved to be very 

popular with our readers. We’re always on the lookout for new authors to contribute insightful articles for our monthly magazine. If you have 

written on a topic relevant to early years and would like to be in with a chance to win £50 in shopping vouchers, turn to page 31 for details. 

We really hope you enjoy all the new stories, advice articles and craft activities in this month’s magazine – all of which are written to help you 

with the efficient running of your setting and to promote the health, happiness and wellbeing of the children in your care. 

Please feel free to share with friends and colleagues! 

Allan 

INSPIRED 

Read about the journey 

of a mother and teacher 

who was so inspired by 

the Finnish education 

system that she started 

The Family Learning 

School. 

hello 

WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY 

6 

JUNE 2019 ISSUE 55 

IN THIS EDITION 

REGULARS 

17 What our customers say 

23 Father’s Day stick puppet craft 

31 Write for us for a chance to win £50 

NEWS 

4 Local MP officially opens award-winning day 

nurseries in Plymouth 

5 Elmscot Broussa Nursery strengthens community 

spirit 

6 Family Learning School - a new model of 

education 

8 Parenta Trust news 

ADVICE 

10 Learning Disability Week 

14 Drowning Prevention Week 

18 The life cycle of a butterfly 

22 Father’s Day 

26 Diabetes Week - #SeeDiabetesDifferently 

38 7 tips for nystagmus success in the classroom 

INDUSTRY EXPERTS 

Tracy Newberry gives tips on how to soothe a restless baby 24 

Stacey Kelly shares how to use stories to nurture self-awareness 28 

7 tips for nystagmus success in the classroom 38 

CHANGE 

32 

This time of year can 

be stressful for young 

children, as they 

approach big changes 

in their lives. Gina Smith 

shares tips on how to 

help children with the 

transition into school. 

COMMUNICATION 

Joanna Grace shares some great 

practical advice for negotiating with 

children who seem set on digging 

their heels in and resisting your every 

instruction. 

12 

12 Communication hacks 

20 Exploring the real heroes in our lives 

24 How to soothe a restless baby 

28 Using stories to nurture self-awareness 

32 Coping with change 

36 How to help parents boost their child’s 

vocabulary 

Drowning Prevention Week 14

Local MP officially opens awardwinning 

day nurseries in Plymouth 

Elmscot Broussa Nursery 

strengthens community spirit 

Luke Pollard has met with 

local childcare provider, 

Cheryl Hadland, of Tops Day 

Nurseries at the nurseries in 

Stonehouse and Devonport 

and pledged his commitment 

to support local childcare 

providers. 

Elmscot Broussa Day Nursery and Nursery School has been strengthening bonds with the local 

community this month by welcoming the ambulance service and Broussa families into the 

nursery, as well as visiting care home residents. 

Luke Pollard MP joined Cheryl 

Hadland, managing Director of Tops 

Day Nurseries, during the official 

openings for Tops Stonehouse on 

Wolsdon Street and Tops Devonport, 

based at Greenark Children’s centre 

on Friday 3rd May 2019. 

Throughout the open day, colleagues, 

parents and Luke Pollard MP signed a 

specially-made pledge board agreeing 

to banish single-use plastic, and 

reduce waste to landfill. As one of 

the South’s leading eco-sustainable 

day nursery groups, with 29 settings 

across the south coast, Tops are 

leading the way in sustainable 

childcare. One of the group’s settings 

was even the first nursery setting in 

the UK to achieve the Surfers Against 

Sewage: Plastic Free Schools status. 

Speaking after the official opening 

event, Cheryl Hadland said: 

“I am delighted Luke Pollard MP has 

pledged his support for childcare 

providers, families and children in 

Plymouth. 

“At Tops Day Nurseries, we provide 

top-quality early education to our 

children, and we’re pleased that the 

Government’s 30 hours childcare 

policy means that more 3- and 4-year- 

-olds can benefit from our services. 

“However, funding in Plymouth is 

less than the cost of delivery, and 

this reduces our ability to pay our 

staff what they deserve and burdens 

parents with having to pay more 

towards their children’s education and 

care than any other parent in Europe. 

We also want a healthier environment 

and future for our children and 

grandchildren. This is why I look 

forward to working with our local MP 

to campaign for a more sustainable 

future for childcare providers, parents 

and children.” 

Luke Pollard MP commented: 

“It was great to meet Cheryl Hadland 

at Tops Day Nurseries in Plymouth: 

Stonehouse and Devonport, and hear 

about the great work Tops does to give 

children the best start in life possible. 

I was particularly impressed at their 

commitment to reducing one-use 

plastic and reducing their impact on 

climate change. 

“It is great news that some 3- and 

4-year-old children in Plymouth are 

now able to receive 30 hours funded 

childcare, however, I understand 

that many settings and parents of 

small children are facing financial 

challenges, and I will be making 

representations in Parliament and to 

the Government to help ensure that 

every child in Plymouth is able to 

access a high quality early education 

and also that we work to improve 

Plymouth’s effort to reduce oneuse 

plastic and air pollution, and to 

process waste more efficiently, in 

order to provide a healthier future for 

our children.” 

During the visit from the ambulance 

service, the children explored the 

ambulance and were even allowed to 

sit in the driver’s seat. The paramedic 

explained to the children about her 

job and what the team does during an 

emergency. 

The children’s family members were 

invited to take part in creative activities 

and see what their children enjoy 

doing at nursery. This included baking, 

dance, music and painting – which 

the adults and children all loved, and 

created a great talking point even 

outside of nursery. 

Elmscot Broussa has also been 

enabling the children to build 

intergenerational relationships through 

visits to a local care home to visit the 

residents. The residents read books 

with the children and even told some 

of their own stories. 

Community activities such as these 

are of great benefit within the early 

years sector and build upon key 

areas of development within the EYFS 

curriculum. Children are provided with 

opportunities to build and strengthen 

relationships, develop confidence in 

their abilities, enhance communication 

skills, as well as learn from different 

generations. In particular, both the 

children and elderly people within 

the community gain socio-emotional 

values from experiences enjoyed 

together. 

Annette Derby, Nursery Manager at 

Elmscot Broussa, said: “Forging links 

with the community and building a 

strong community spirit are aspects of 

our nursery life that we take pride in. 

Providing the children with enabling 

environments allows them to learn 

about other people who are different 

to themselves and creates a sense of 

belonging.” 

Elmscot Broussa is part of the Elmscot 

Group of Day Nurseries and Nursery 

Schools, providing outstanding 

childcare and education to over 1,800 

children across Cheshire. 

4 Parenta.com June 2019 5

Family Learning School - a 

new model of education 

In April 2017, Julie Dunford - an experienced teacher, educational leader and nursery/pre-school 

owner, and Alida Smith - with her background in business and finance - followed their maternal 

instincts and turned down their daughters’ places at their local “outstanding” primary schools. The 

reason? To embark on a journey to set up a new type of school, one not seen before here in the UK. 

Before too long, they found support among like-minded parents and educationalists, and within two 

years, their vision is even bigger. They have established a brand new model of primary education for 

the UK: The Family Learning School. 

Julie explains the history and 

philosophy behind The Family 

Learning School: “I set up my 

childcare business when I had 

my first daughter as I needed 

to continue working but wanted 

to be at home with her at the 

same time. As a primary and 

secondary languages teacher, 

I was keen to learn about the 

early years sector and within 

two years, my business grew 

substantially. I now own a 

small familial nursery/preschool 

where I have a manager 

and a team of 3 childcare 

assistants. 

“I absolutely love the early 

years and find it unbelievably 

rewarding. I have learned 

so much about childhood 

development and the best 

ways of supporting and 

facilitating children’s learning, 

from simply watching and 

interacting with children as 

they learn through playing 

together in mixed aged groups. 

Children are all so different, 

with their own innate abilities, 

passions and talents, and 

they all learn in different ways 

and at different rates. Most 

importantly, they all deserve 

to have a childhood full of fun, 

love, cuddles, tickles and mess! 

Alida was one of my childcare 

clients who embraced the 

childcare ethos I had created 

at my setting and shared my 

educational philosophies. 

“Despite being offered places 

at our first choice, “outstanding” 

primary schools, we felt flat and 

unexcited about our daughters 

starting school. Large class 

sizes, limited space, decreasing 

numbers of support staff, an 

increase in academic focus and 

testing, and schools’ reliance 

on generating data to satisfy 

the government’s accountability 

measures, were among our 

main concerns. 

“We set about researching other 

education systems and travelled 

to Finland to find out why they 

consistently top the Programme 

for International Student 

Assessment (PISA) charts. 

While our children are starting 

school at 4 and their play-time 

is being gradually reduced, 

Finnish children are only learning 

through play and exploration 

until the age of 7. Children are 

only tested once in secondary 

school – this is because the 

teachers are highly regarded 

professionals, trusted by parents 

and school leaders to do their 

jobs and ensure the children 

in their care thrive personally 

and academically, without the 

need for data as evidence. They 

understand that “less is more” in 

terms of the curriculum and do 

not cram in too much. Teachers 

stay with the same class for at 

least three years and if a child 

doesn’t grasp a concept one 

year, teachers do not worry as 

they are confident they will the 

following year. The learning 

environments we experienced 

were relaxed, productive and 

calm. 

“We returned to the UK, and 

inspired by Finland and our 

extensive secondary research, 

have since created a flexible, 

progressive educational model 

that prioritises children’s 

happiness and well-being. It 

nurtures, builds confidence 

and teaches vital life skills; and 

instils a lifetime love of learning 

and exploration. The outcomes 

for the children within our first 

class this year have exceeded 

all our expectations and since 

releasing our promotional 

video, we are receiving interest 

and encouragement from 

across the globe, as well as all 

over the UK. 

“Our model is based on small, 

mixed-aged classes of 15 

children, from 3—11 years 

old, interacting and learning 

together. They take part in 

child-led ‘Forest Education’ 

one day a week, and also take 

educational trips one day a 

week. These “adventures” range 

from physical activities such as 

horse riding, trampolining and 

climbing, to cultural visits such 

as museums, art galleries and 

theatres. At the school site on 

the other days, there is a focus 

on creativity and freedom to 

learn through play - both in and 

outdoors - and their academic 

lessons are in very small groups 

based on the children’s interests 

and strengths, rather than 

simply by their age. 

“Younger children naturally 

learn from observing and 

playing with older children, 

and the older children develop 

empathy and look after the 

younger ones. As well as 

developing academically, it has 

been very special watching 

the relationships develop and 

seeing them grow in their 

ability to effectively collaborate, 

communicate and co-operate in 

different learning environments. 

“Family Learning is at the 

heart of our model, which 

means building a community 

around the school is essential. 

We attract parents who are 

truly engaged in their child’s 

education and appreciate the 

amount of communication 

and feedback we provide. 

Parents are asked to offer a 

skill that they can either teach 

the children, or to support the 

running of the school. The 

children have gained so much 

from sessions delivered by 

their parents and grandparents 

and it’s wonderful to see the 

impact of intergenerational 

relationships and interactions 

from these experiences, as 

well as when we visit our local 

nursing home. 

“We do not set homework but 

instead provide ideas around 

topics we are covering in 

school, called “Family Learning 

Opportunities”. There is no 

pressure to complete them 

and it is stressed that it is the 

engagement in the activity as a 

family that is important, rather 

than the end product. 

“Testing is not necessary as 

Family Learning is at the heart 

of our model, which means 

building a community around 

the school is essential 

we teach in small groups, offer 

plenty of individual support, 

observe and interact with the 

children all day, and therefore 

know exactly where their 

strengths and interests lie, and 

where they need more support. 

We monitor progress in every 

area (emotional and social 

development, communication 

skills, confidence, physical 

ability, creativity, ability to 

collaborate and support others, 

global and environmental 

awareness etc.) as well as their 

developing reading, writing 

and numeracy skills. 

“We had absolutely no idea of 

the never-ending challenges 

that lay ahead when we turned 

down our school places, but we 

were convinced we both had 

the necessary drive, ambition, 

determination and requisite skill 

sets between us to achieve our 

vision. 

“Although independent, we are 

a not-for-profit organisation, 

and we are voluntary directors. 

This is truly a “passion 

project”; far from a moneymaking 

venture. After two 

challenging but successful 

years, we want to see The 

Family Learning School (FLS) 

become an established and 

exemplary model of primary 

education, with sites across 

the UK - and despite not being 

eligible for government funding, 

our dream is to make this 

model accessible to as many 

families as possible and to be 

advocates for ALL children. 

“It is becoming increasingly 

clear that teachers and 

parents believe our children 

deserve more and they want 

other options. Our world is 

changing so fast, but increasing 

pressure on our children to 

pass standardised tests is 

having a devastating impact 

on their mental health, while 

doing nothing to equip them 

to actually deal with the world 

around them. 

“We desperately need a 

revolution in the way our future 

generations are educated. We 

personally didn’t want to be 

moaning at the school gates 

for 7 years, regretfully knowing 

that we had the capability to 

bring about the change. 

“FLS is a new model of 

education we are offering the 

UK. It is a call for action and 

we intend to show our political 

leaders that there is a better 

way of educating our children. 

It continues to be such an 

enormous amount of work and 

so many barriers have been put 

in our way by local councils and 

other public bodies. But with 

every metaphorical wall that we 

smash down for our children, 

we move closer to our goal.” 

Family Learning School is 

expanding in South London, 

with 45 children starting in 

September 2019. If you are 

interested in learning more, 

either as a family or as an 

educator, please visit the 

website or follow them on 

Facebook to get in touch. 

Website: 

familylearningschool.com 

Facebook: 

@familylearningschool 


In this month’s news from Parenta Trust, we learn how the charity and its supporters change the 

lives of hundreds of children who attend Parenta Trust schools in East Africa. 

In many countries, pre-school children 

are deprived of a basic education. 

In the poorest areas, children are 

sent out to fetch water, carry out 

domestic chores and look after their 

siblings. Very often, this means that 

they miss out on going to pre-school 

and receiving additional education 

throughout their childhood. They 

are not given the opportunity they 

deserve to develop to their full 

potential. 

It doesn’t sound much, but for as 

little as 56p per day, a child’s life 

can be changed, and they can look 

forward to a much brighter future. 

The Parenta Trust sponsorship 

programme gives disadvantaged 

pre-school children the chance to lay 

NEWS 

Parenta Trust news 

the foundations for their learning in a 

safe and loving environment. Having 

a basic education means these young 

children can break out of the cycle of 

poverty and look forward to a much 

brighter future. 

Sponsorship plays a hugely important 

role in shaping the lives of young 

pre-school boys and girls across 

the world. With the support of their 

sponsors, the children are given a 

bright start to their life and receive a 

pre-school education, with its effects 

lasting a lifetime. 

Each sponsored child benefits from 

a pre-school education, a school 

uniform, a daily hot meal, school 

supplies and the knowledge that 

someone really cares. 

For as 

little as 56p 

a day, you 

can change a 

child’s life 

How sponsorship saved 

Bridget’s life... 

We met Bridget on a trip to Uganda 

in 2014. Nothing could’ve prepared 

us for her story but, sadly, her case 

is not a one-off. Bridget was rescued 

from a shrine where she was about 

to be sacrificed by her parents. Saved 

at the last moment from a shocking 

fate, she now attends one of our preschools 

where she can lead a happy 

and safe life. She is cared for, has a 

sponsor and has the education she 

needs to brighten her future. There 

are many more vulnerable children 

like Bridget who need your help. By 

sponsoring a pre-school child, you 

make a real difference to their lives. 

To find out how you can make a 

difference and sponsor a child, visit 

parentatrust.com/sponsor-a-child 

Did you know... 

How does it work? 

1 

2 

3 

we offer a FREE recruitment service? 

Here at Parenta, we train nearly 3,000 nursery staff each year! 

Let us know about your vacancy for a childcare apprentice and what type of person you’re 

looking for. We’ll advertise the role for free on our job board and other job platforms. 

When we receive suitable CVs, we’ll put forward any candidates we feel would be a good match 

for your setting. 

Once you’ve found your ideal apprentice, we’ll help them transition into their new role and sign 

them up for their childcare apprenticeship. 

On the 1 st April, the contribution that you pay when you are a non-levy employer dropped to 5% - it could be as 

little as £100 for 19+ or free for 16—18-year-olds. There has never been a better time to recruit an apprentice! 

It’s as easy as 

“Sponsoring a Parenta Trust child is so rewarding. To know that our support gives hope to 

a child and that we can change their lives for the better, is incredible. You form a special 

connection with your sponsored child and are able to share in their milestones as they grow. In 

fact, you’ll soon find that your sponsored child feels like a part of your own family! Each year, 

we receive a couple of letters from them as well as a card at Christmas time. The children 

that we sponsor love to hear from us! One of the most rewarding things about sponsoring a 

child is when that letter arrives and you hear about what they’ve been up to and how you have 

helped them, it fills you with pride and happiness!” 

View all of our current vacancies here: jobs.parenta.com 

What are you waiting for? 

Let us help you find your perfect apprentice, today. 

8 Parenta.com June 2019 9 

0800 002 9242 hello@parenta.com

Learning Disability Week 

Can you imagine how your life would be different if you had a 

learning disability? How would it affect you and the lives of the 

people you love? 

Maybe you’d find it more difficult to live independently? Perhaps 

everyday tasks that we all take for granted; like cooking, keeping 

clean or going out to socialise with friends, would be something 

you could no longer do. 

You might be like one-third of people 

with learning disabilities who, on a 

typical Saturday, spend less than 1 

hour outside their home. Maybe you’d 

soon feel alone and cut off from others, 

like 17.8% of people with a learning 

disability do. 

Whoever you were, wouldn’t it be nice 

to know that there were people out 

there who cared, and who you could 

rely on to make things just that little bit 

easier? 

The charity, Mencap, does just that, and 

leads the way in helping people with 

learning disabilities feel included and 

get the help they need. 

For parents and carers of children with 

learning disabilities, getting an initial 

diagnosis; dealing with healthcare 

professionals and the child’s special 

educational needs (SEN); and sorting 

out childcare or portage (a homebased, 

early intervention and support 

service), can be a difficult and isolating 

time. That’s why awareness weeks and 

inclusion events are more important 

than ever. 

There are 1.4 million people in the 

UK with a learning disability and 

approximately 193,707 children of 

school age. There are some conditions 

where people are more likely to have an 

associated learning disability such as; 

What is a learning disability? 

According to Mencap, a learning 

disability is “a reduced intellectual 

ability and difficulty with everyday 

activities” such as household tasks, 

socialising or managing money – 3 

things that often cause the most 

problems. 

It is often confused with learning 

difficulties, such as those experienced 

by people with dyslexia or some mental 

health problems. However, learning 

difficulties do not affect people’s 

intellect, whereas learning disabilities 

do. Learning disabilities are usually 

caused by problems when the brain 

is still developing during pregnancy, 

in birth or in the first few months of 

life. The level of disability can be mild, 

moderate, severe or profound, and 

affects people for their whole life as 

they can take longer to learn and may 

need additional support to interact 

with others, understand information or 

develop new skills. 

• Down’s syndrome 

• Williams syndrome 

• Asperger’s syndrome 

• Autism 

• Fragile X syndrome 

• Global development delay 

• Cerebral palsy 

• Challenging behaviour 

The degree of disability varies greatly 

and children with a learning disability 

will have special educational needs, 

although not all people with SEN have a 

learning disability. 

Learning Disability Week 2019 

The week runs from 17th to 23rd June 

and this year, is all about sport and 

inclusion. The goal for the week is for 

as many people as possible – those with 

and without a learning disability – to get 

involved in inclusive sporting activities 

in their local communities. Mencap is 

encouraging everyone to share their 

photos with them and raise awareness 

by advertising the week on social media 

sites using the hashtag #LDWeek19. 

Sport is well known for bringing people 

together, whether it’s the Olympics or a 

local amateur football match, sport can 

cross boundaries and create shared 

memories. For those taking part, it can 

reduce loneliness and isolation; improve 

health and wellbeing; and allows for 

greater social inclusion and a sense of 

empowerment. 

Another benefit is that it can help 

improve and change negative attitudes 

and prejudices which unfortunately still 

exist towards many people with learning 

disabilities – a much-needed change 

that is fundamental to Mencap’s raison 

d’être. 

The Mencap website has information 

and listings of many events around 

the country that people are planning, 

including an interactive map where 

you can find out about events near 

you. There’s still plenty of time to plan 

your own event or attend one of those 

already being advertised. There are 

different categories, including: 

• Treat me well events 

• Network partner here we are local 

events 

• Royal Mencap Society events 

• Round the world challenge activities 

Not all settings will have children who 

have learning disabilities, but that does 

not stop everyone getting involved in 

the week in some way. Children with 

learning disabilities have the right to 

early years childcare just like everyone 

else and childcare providers, by law, 

“must not deny disabled children access 

to childcare because they are disabled”. 

In addition, “providers must make sure 

they try their best to meet the needs of 

the children with a learning disability”. 

How to get involved 

You could raise money for the charity, 

for example by doing something fun 

and active, such as a sponsored football 

match, walk/run or just a multi-activity 

sports day. 

You could set up a stand at your summer 

fair to raise awareness; or set up some 

fun and ‘sporty’ stalls such as a ‘shoot 

a hoop’ challenge; a fastest-over-10- 

metres race; or a good old-fashioned 

egg and spoon race! Be creative and get 

active! 

If you have children in your setting with 

learning disabilities, you could consider 

The Round The World Challenge which 

is run in partnership with Sport England 

and The National Lottery. It’s a great way 

to improve inclusion and get your whole 

setting involved whilst teaching your little 

ones something about the world at the 

same time. You can register here. and 

there are events in different regions run 

by specially-trained staff. 

Mencap’s vision is a world where people 

with learning disabilities are valued 

equally, listened to and included, but 

it’s clear that there is still a long way to 

go for that vision to be realised in our 

society. 

What will you do this year in order to 

bring their goal just that little bit closer? 

For more information, click here. 


COMMUNICATION HACKS 

Negotiating with children who seem set on digging their heels in and resisting your every 

instruction is tricky. Here are a few communication hacks that have stood me in good stead. 

ALONGSIDE CHOICE 

Scenario: Ethan is playing in the 

sand and isn’t likely to want to stop 

for snack time. 

1. Get alongside Ethan and play 

in the sand. Show genuine 

connection with what he is doing. 

After all, how willing would you 

be to listen to someone who 

never listened to you? Listen first, 

to demonstrate the skill. 

2. Give him a choice. Do not 

present this as a demand, more 

a casual consideration as a part 

of play. “Which do you want to 

do first: wash your hands, or 

put this truck away?” When he 

chooses, reinforce and praise 

his choice and move as if it is 

about to happen. (This is not 

a conversation about stopping 

playing so do not bring that up). 

For extra support, use a visual time 

prompt such as a one minute sand 

timer. Use this to narrate time, not 

enforce your rule of law. Observe the 

timer with the child: “Oh look, in a 

minute this is going to be over, what 

do you want to do first….”, Rather 

than “you have one minute and then 

this has to stop.” 

GIVE POWER 

Scenario: Ava is not helping with 

the tidying up. 

1. Do not engage with the defiance. 

Pause your attention on Ava for a 

moment or so and then return it 

and offer Ava the power: “Ava, I 

am putting you in charge, which 

toys do you think I need to pick 

up first?” Let her take the reins 

and give you an instruction. 

Follow the instruction that you 

are given. As with before, why 

should we expect someone just 

to do as we say if we are not 

willing to do the same? We do not 

want to teach children that they 

have to do what they are told by 

people who are older than them, 

just because they are older than 

them. In some situations, to have 

learnt this could be dangerous. 

2. Once you have followed an order 

or two, change the question 

“Gosh there is a lot of tidying 

up to do, which toys am I going 

to pick up next and which ones 

are you going to do?” When she 

makes the choice, reinforce it 

so that she realises she has just 

said what she is going to do. In 

your reinforcement, give clear 

guidance to how she is going to 

do it: “Okay so I am putting the 

trucks away and you are picking 

up the dollies, and putting them 

all in their bed in the blue box?” 

3. Reinforce her success at tidying 

up: “Those dollies are all very 

comfy now you have put them 

away, what are you going to tidy 

up next?” 

FOCUS ATTENTION 

Scenario: It is storytime and Lydia 

is not coming to sit down with 

everyone else. 

1. Resist the urge to give Lydia 

instructions right away, instead 

use your attention like a torch 

beam to guide and direct the 

children. Narrate what you are 

doing: “I am looking at all the 

children who are sitting nicely on 

the carpet.” 

2. Create an attention bridge 

between the behaviour you are 

looking for and the behaviour 

you want to stop: “I am watching 

everyone walk to the carpet”. 

If you are worried about the 

children who are sitting on the 

carpet getting up again, involve 

them in this, saying: “Sittingdown 

children can you watch the 

children walking to the carpet?” 

– by mentioning them as ‘sittingdown’, 

you are continuing to 

reinforce that behaviour. 

3. If you have to give Lydia direct 

instructions, tell her what you 

are going to watch; think of the 

smallest first step towards doing 

the right thing, if you can spot 

something she is already doing 

then use that: “Lydia I can see 

you looking at the carpet, you are 

choosing your spot, I am ready 

to watch you walk over nicely.” If 

she moves, then keep that beam 

of attention on the movement. If 

she doesn’t, quickly go back to 

regarding the children who are 

doing what you were looking for. 

Do we want them to just follow orders? 

Some people will think that these hacks 

are a dangerous softening of discipline; 

children should be seen and not heard, 

should do as the grown-ups say. But should 

they? Is our aim really to bring up children 

who unquestioningly do as they are told 

by adults? Believe it or not, I was actually 

pleased, and his teacher was too, when my 

son was first naughty at school. Before then, 

I had worried he was not confident enough 

to do his own thing. A child who meekly 

follows every order should be as concerning 

to us as one that follows none. 

The strategies above give the children the 

opportunity to make choices and to exert 

control. By deploying them, we are teaching 

the foundations of responsibility – a far 

better long-term outcome than blanket 

submission to our will. 

Think about how we talk about 

behaviour 

Remember that a lot of the rules in our 

settings are there for our benefit, to make 

it easier for us to deal with a large group 

of children (we are out numbered - we 

need the rule of law). It is easy for us to get 

fixed on our rules and not recognise the 

bigger picture. The child who doesn’t want 

to stop playing with the sand may possess 

a brilliant ability to focus on a task for a 

long time. The child who will not help with 

tidying up might need support structuring 

an approach to a task with no clear start 

point. The child who will not come and sit 

down might be testing out how their power 

holds up to ours, or may feel a need to be 

noticed in a crowd. A wilful child is not a 

naughty one, it is a resilient one. Repeatedly 

having your will defeated sows the seeds of 

depression in later life, and teaches children 

that no matter what they do, someone else 

has dominion over their lives. 

We meet a lot of children, and we see a lot 

of ‘behaviour.’ We need to be very careful 

how we report behaviour to parents. Parents 

know their children better than anyone, but 

as their child grows up, they constantly meet 

them as they are now. Finding out who they 

are in your setting is news to them. Passing 

on information about behaviour should be 

done as carefully and as thoughtfully as 

a doctor passing on information about a 

medical problem. 

Telling a parent that their child shouts too 

much, or runs inside, is a blunt presentation 

of a perceived negative, and it does not 

help them to do anything about it. It does 

not matter how cutely you dress it up, they 

hear it as a negative and they will worry 

about it. You know that pretty much all 

of the ‘behaviour’ that you deal with is 

simply a natural part of growing up. Our 

weaknesses and strengths are often two 

sides of the same coin. Instead of reporting 

‘naughtiness’, present the strength a 

child exhibits through their behaviour to 

their parent and then give the associated 

learning that needs to come with it: 

“Ethan has such spectacular focus, today 

he didn’t want to stop playing with the sand 

for snack time. We used a timer to help him 

realise it was ending and then he made a 

choice about what to do next.” 

“Ava took responsibility for the tidying up 

today, she told me where to put the trucks, 

she knows where everything goes in the 

classroom. At first when we were tidying 

up she didn’t join in at all, it can be a bit 

overwhelming for children when we switch 

from playing to tidying – and the room is 

quite chaotic at that time – but once we had 

given Ava the chance, she was able to sort 

that chaos out for us.” 

“Lydia always makes her own mind up about 

her actions. She stood back and watched 

when the other children sat down for 

storytime today. We guided her by telling her 

where our attention would be and then she 

came over happily and joined in, we were 

really pleased with her choice.” 

Remember our aim is not to control the 

children in our settings but to contribute to 

them growing up and becoming physicallyand 

mentally-healthy, responsible adults 

who think and reason for themselves. Signs 

that they are already taking control, and 

reasoning, should not be squashed - they 

should be built upon and celebrated. 

Joanna is running Exploring the Impact of 

the Senses on Behaviour in Birmingham 

on the 28th June: a day well suited to those 

supporting children whose behaviour seems 

to be a bit different from what you would 

ordinarily expect. 

Joanna Grace 

Joanna Grace is an 

international Sensory 

Engagement and Inclusion 

Specialist, trainer, author, TEDx 

speaker and founder of The 

Sensory Projects. 

Consistently rated as 

“outstanding” by Ofsted, 

Joanna has taught in 

mainstream and specialschool 

settings, connecting 

with pupils of all ages and 

abilities. To inform her work, 

Joanna draws on her own 

experience from her private 

and professional life as well 

as taking in all the information 

she can from the research 

archives. Joanna’s private life 

includes family members with 

disabilities and neurodiverse 

conditions and time spent 

as a registered foster carer 

for children with profound 

disabilities. 

Joanna has published several 

books: “Sensory Stories for 

Children and Teens”, “Sensory- 

Being for Sensory Beings” 

and “Sharing Sensory Stories” 

and “Conversations with 

People with Dementia”. Her 

latest two books, “Ernest and 

I”, and “Voyage to Arghan” 

were launched at TES SEN in 

October. 

Joanna is a big fan of social 

media and is always happy 

to connect with people 

via Facebook, Twitter and 

LinkedIn. 

Website: 

thesensoryprojects.co.uk 


Drowning Prevention Week 

Drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in children in the UK, and every 

year, over 700 people drown in the UK and Ireland; approximately one person every 10 hours. 

According to the Royal Life Saving Society’s Director of Education, Mike Dunn, you are more likely to 

die from drowning than you are from being hit by a car or in a fire. 

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS 

UK) thinks that every drowning is 

preventable, and they exist to offer 

education and advice to “make sure no 

one ever drowns”. 

The society run an annual Drowning 

Prevention Week to raise awareness 

of the problem and to reduce the 

number of drowning and near drowning 

incidences that happen. This year, the 

campaign starts on Friday June 14th and 

finishes on Monday June 24th and has 3 

major aims: 

1. To increase the number of children 

receiving water safety education 

2. To reduce the number of drowning 

incidences 

3. To promote drowning prevention 

projects and initiatives at local and 

national level 

The campaign focuses on showing 

people how to be safe and have fun near 

water, and encourages schools, clubs, 

leisure centres and communities, to 

promote water safety education through 

events, lessons, games and activities, in 

a bid to make people more aware of the 

dangers that water poses, especially in 

the summer months, when more of us 

are tempted to enter the water at lakes, 

beaches and swimming pools. 

The first thing to remember is to always 

follow the water safety code. The 

message is simple but needs to be 

reiterated, often. You can download a 

poster like the one shown, here. 

Always follow the 

water safety code 

Whenever you are around water: 

STOP and think 

stay together 

In an emergency: 

Call 999 or 112 

float 

Always follow the Water Safety Code 

KEY STATISTICS 

• 52% of accidental drownings happen in open water 

• More than 80% of all accidental drownings are male 

• More than 56% never intended to be in the water 

• Around 34% of accidental drownings happen in the summer 

• The highest percentage of drownings occur in the age range 

20–29 years old 

Statistics from RLSS UK website 

Look for the dangers. Always read 

the signs. 

Never swim alone. Always go with 

friends or family. 

Shout for help and phone 999 or 112. 

If you fall in, float or swim on your 

back. Throw something that 

floats to anyone who has fallen in. 

rlss.org.uk 

When we think about drowning, many 

people wrongly assume that it is mostly 

people who have gone swimming and 

maybe got into trouble, but over half of 

accidental drownings occur in people 

who never intended to be in the water 

in the first place. And when you really 

think about where we interact with 

water, you realise that the problem is 

not just confined to lakes, beaches and 

swimming pools, but also to the safe 

use of paddling pools, ponds, streams, 

puddles and yes, baths. People can 

drown in only a few centimetres of 

water so learning about water safety in 

different environments is vital. 

The RLSS UK website has lots of useful 

advice and information relevant to 

different situations, including water 

safety for: 

• Open water places 

• Winter water and ice 

• Summer water advice 

• Commercial swimming pools 

• Residential swimming pools 

• Water at home (paddling pools, 

ponds, baths, water storage 

containers etc.) 

• Holidays 

• The beach 

• During a flood 

• Anglers 

In addition, the site offers advice on how 

to help someone who is drowning, coldwater 

shock, lifeguard and first aider 

training and links to other campaigns, 

schemes and awards they run. And they 

have many free, educational resources, 

and videos to help you, at whatever level 

you need. 

It’s vital to get these important 

messages across to all ages and there 

are many ways for everyone to get 

involved; parents, teachers, educators, 

nurseries, community groups and of 

course, children, to make as many 

people as possible aware of the key 

messages - things that could ultimately 

save their own, or someone else’s life. 

HOW TO GET INVOLVED 

If you want to get involved in this year’s Drowning Prevention Week, you can register 

on the website here, and gain access to their many different resources. There are 

resources for schools, parents, community groups, and others so you can use these 

to plan an education session for your children, staff or parents. 

Consider the following activities: 

1. Run a water safety educational session – you can buy or make related 

certificates to give out to show a child’s participation in the session 

2. Organise a water fun day, raising awareness of water safety at the same time 

3. Hold a stall at a local summer fair to share key messages 

4. Download and put up the water safety code poster 

5. Share the messages on your social media platforms letting everyone know you 

are supporting the awareness week. Suitable images are available from the 

website 

6. Hold a fundraiser for the charity 

If you download the Drowning Prevention Week Toolkit, you will find many useful 

ideas and activities along with risk assessment forms, email and letter templates 

and examples of press releases for local news outlets, to get you started. 

WATER SAFETY AT HOME 

Whilst drownings at home are less frequent that at other places, the RLSS UK believe 

they are more preventable. So it is important to pass on the advice for water safety 

at home so that nurseries can ensure they are using water safely in their settings 

and they are taking action to pass this advice on to their parents and staff. 

• Always use self-closing gates, fences 

and locks to prevent children from 

gaining access to pools of water 

• Securely cover all water storage 

tanks and drains 

• Empty paddling pools and buckets 

as soon as they have been used. 

Always turn paddling pools upside 

down once empty 

• Always supervise bath time (never 

leave children unattended). Empty the 

bath as soon as possible after use 

• Vulnerable adults and people who 

suffer from sudden seizures should 

consider using showers rather than 

baths 

rlss.org.uk 

And if you needed any more 

motivation, there are some 

heart-wrenching true stories 

on the website about young 

people who have lost their 

lives by drowning. Don’t let 

the people you know and love 

become a statistic – spread the 

word and take action to prevent 

drowning today. 


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The life cycle of of a a butterfly 

butterfly 

Everyone loves butterflies. These fragile and beautiful creatures grace all continents (except 

Antarctica), and herald in the summer. They pollinate flowers, help scientists monitor the 

environment and ecosystems, and are an important element in the food chain. 

There are approximately 20,000 global species of butterfly of 

which 71 have been recorded in Britain and Ireland. Learning 

about their life cycle is a great way to introduce environmental 

topics, as well as the idea that things change and develop as 

they grow, just like frogs, chickens and humans! 

Here’s some information and a few ideas for activities, which 

can really help you bring the subject to life! 

Butterfly life cycle 

There are four stages in the life cycle of a butterfly: 

1. Eggs 

2. Caterpillar/larva 

3. Pupa/chrysalis 

4. Adult butterfly 

Each stage has a different purpose and the butterfly needs to go through all four stages before it can reproduce. The process is 

called metamorphosis and can take from one month to one year, depending on the butterfly species. 

Related activities 

Arts and crafts 

1. Make some models of the different stages of the life cycle. You could 

use, playdough, clay or paper to create the eggs; egg boxes to make the 

caterpillars; kitchen roll inserts for the chrysalis; and pipe-cleaners and tissue 

paper to make some beautiful adult butterflies. 

2. Little people’s handprints make excellent ‘wings’ for butterfly pictures and 

you can use their footprints for the body too! See this website for some great 

examples you can easily recreate. 

3. Why not create butterfly pictures by dropping different colours of paint onto 

one side of a piece of paper, then folding the paper in half to print a mirrored 

image on the opposite side? You can use paper plates too, and then cut them 

into different wing shapes. 

4. There are many free-to-download colouring pages on the web which include 

all stages of the life cycle, but some good ones can be found here. 

Practical nature 

1. One of the best ways for children 

to learn about caterpillars and 

butterflies is to allow them to 

raise their own. There are different 

butterfly packs available which 

allow you to look after caterpillars, 

watch them grow into butterflies 

and finally release them. You can 

buy starter and refill packs here 

and there is a lot of information and 

other resources on this site related 

to nature too. 

2. Go out into your garden, local 

park or wooded area and hunt 

for butterfly eggs, caterpillars or 

adult butterflies. Just be careful 

and mindful that they are living 

creatures. 

Creative 

Stage 1: 

Egg 

Stage 2: 

Larva/caterpillar 

Stage 3: 

pupa/chrysalis 

Stage 4: 

Adult Butterfly 

You can also introduce the idea of 

the butterfly life cycle using creative 

movement and music. Encourage the 

children to start out as an egg, curled 

up tightly; then have them emerge as a 

caterpillar and crawl around to explore 

their surroundings. You can then get 

them to wiggle to ‘shed their skin’ and 

find a safe place to become a chrysalis. 

Finally, have them fly around as an adult 

butterfly. 

Every butterfly starts life as an egg and 

if you look closely at some eggs (such as 

Monarch butterfly eggs), you can see the 

tiny caterpillar growing inside it. 

The shape of the egg depends on the 

butterfly that laid it, and adult butterflies 

lay eggs on leaves of certain plants, 

so their offspring have food when they 

hatch. But be careful if you are looking 

for butterfly eggs outside, as many 

butterflies like to lay their eggs on 

stinging nettle leaves for that added bit 

of protection! 

The larva stage of a butterfly’s life cycle 

is what we all recognise as a caterpillar, 

and the main purpose of this stage, is 

for the caterpillar to eat and grow. The 

caterpillar often starts by eating its own 

eggshell, moving onto the leaf where the 

egg sat. Newly hatched caterpillars are 

very small and cannot move to another 

plant so it’s important that the adult 

butterfly lays its eggs on the right plant. 

Caterpillars are very vulnerable at this 

stage and need to eat and grow quickly. 

When they start to eat, they start to 

expand but their exoskeleton (skin) is 

not like ours and does not expand with 

them as they grow. Instead, a caterpillar 

sheds its skin several times - a bit like 

discarding clothes that no longer fit 

and changing to something bigger. The 

process is called ‘moulting’. 

Once the caterpillar is large enough, 

it finds a safe place and attaches 

itself to a branch, leaf or twig. Some 

caterpillars hang upside down, some 

hang the right way up, and others create 

a kind of hammock. The caterpillar 

then sheds its skin for the final time 

revealing the chrysalis, which hardens 

over time to form a protective shell. It’s 

here that the caterpillar has its greatest 

metamorphosis, undergoing a seemingly 

magical transformation. 

You can think of this stage a bit like 

recycling a plastic bottle – melting it 

down and re-forming it into a carrier 

bag or plate. In the chrysalis stage, 

most of the caterpillar’s cells change, to 

become something like a stem cell, then 

reorganise themselves as something 

completely different - an adult butterfly. 

After about 2 weeks, the adult butterfly 

emerges from the chrysalis for the final 

stage of its life cycle. When the butterfly 

first comes out however, its wings are 

wet and small since they have been 

folded up inside the chrysalis. The 

butterfly needs to rest for a few hours 

after emerging, to dry its wings and 

pump blood into them, causing them 

to expand. The adult butterfly can then 

fulfil its final role; to mate and ensure 

the continuation of the species. Female 

butterflies will then find suitable plants 

on which to lay their eggs and the whole 

cycle starts again. 

Whatever you do, have fun and 

appreciate these miraculous little 

creatures. 


Exploring the real heroes in our lives 

This is the penultimate article in this series looking at superhero play, prior to the publication of my 

book Calling all Superheroes. It considers real-life heroes and encouraging children to think about 

how ordinary people can, and do, do extraordinary things. 

own or smiling at someone who feels 

very sad and asking if you can help. 

These everyday acts of kindness can 

make a huge difference to someone’s 

day and even their life! We can explain 

that heroes come in all shapes and 

sizes – men, women, boys, girls, all 

nationalities, all ethnic groups, all 

socio-economic statuses and so on. 

Everyone can be a hero when they show 

compassion or care for others. 

We can encourage children to engage 

in socio-dramatic play and pretend they 

are a variety of everyday heroes. Here 

are some ideas of how to play with the 

concept of real-life heroes and promote 

this in your setting: 

The young children we are working 

with are surrounded by stories of 

heroism in real-life, for example, the 

firefighters during the horrific events at 

the Grenfell Tower fire in London. They 

showed bravery, emotional resilience 

and physical strength amid such 

terrifying circumstances. As firefighters 

are ordinary people, we can explain 

to the children that they can also be 

brave, resilient and strong. Playing 

at superheroes should not be limited 

to those with superpowers or extrahuman 

strength, instead, children can 

explore heroic abilities relating to reallife 

scenarios too. We want our children 

to develop a growth mindset where 

the sky’s the limit, or rather, where 

there are no limits! This will require us 

role-modelling, sharing stories of adults 

and children overcoming adversity and 

problem-solving in everyday scenarios. 

One child that I have had the pleasure 

of working with is Tom. His dad is his 

superhero as this note that he wrote 

implies. It says, “To dad Soopu Hirow 

(superhero) luve (love) Tom.” He gave 

this note to his father and told him that 

the crosses were kisses. 

Tom looked upon his dad as his hero 

and many of our children will look 

up to other people as their heroes. 

Sometimes these heroes are fictional, 

like Superman; sometimes they are 

famous, like a pop star or footballer; 

and sometimes they are heroes from 

our everyday lives, like Tom’s Dad 

or Uncle Fred! One idea is to talk to 

children about heroism, who real-life 

heroes are, and what makes them 

special. Harris defines ‘everyday 

heroes’ as, “heroes (in the local 

community or among the students) who 

are not wearing costumes and masks” 

(2016, p.212). You might like to explain 

that heroes come in all shapes and 

sizes and many are people that we can 

meet everyday and look after us, for 

example, mummies, daddies, doctors 

and nurses. Heroes do not need to be 

famous, they can be individuals who 

overcome adversity or do something 

very special to help others. Perhaps 

your children would like to draw a 

picture of their hero or make a card for 

their hero and invite them to talk about 

why they are great. 

When discussing heroes with young 

children, here are a few questions 

that you might want to ask: 

What is a hero? Focus on all 

heroes, not just superheroes. 

(Ordinary people who do 

extraordinary things?) 

How can someone act like a hero 

- what does heroism mean to 

you? (Doing good, being 

the first to help, putting 

the needs of others first?) 

What do heroes have 

in common? (Amazing 

at what they do? Help 

us? Brave? Overcome 

problems?) 

Do you have any heroes? 

How can we be kind-hearted 

and caring heroes to our friends? 

We also need to teach children about 

how small actions are also heroic in 

their own way and might make a big 

difference for someone 

else. For example, 

asking someone to 

play with you if 

they are on 

their 

Invite visitors into your setting who 

could be described as heroes, for 

example, fire-fighters, park rangers 

or police officers. Ask them to explain 

their daily activities, equipment, 

training, and why they enjoy their jobs. 

Follow the children’s lead and allow 

them to plan areas, gather resources, 

imagine things and improvise. 

Provide artefacts or props and 

encourage the children to create 

their own props, labels and signs to 

enhance their play. 

Offer opportunities for role-play inside 

and outside. 

Plan an event with the children which 

encourages them to be heroes too – 

for example a sponsored walk which 

raises money for charity or helping to 

remove plastic from the local beach, or 

visiting a residential care home for the 

elderly. 

Show the children the various icons 

and logos that many heroes have 

and create a logo for an 

everyday hero of their choice. 

Encourage the children to 

make ‘My Hero!’ cards for 

someone in their family 

who has inspired them. 

Show children newspaper cuttings of 

heroes and heroic acts – courage or 

service to community. 

Show children pictures of figures, 

living and dead, who have been called 

heroes – choose people you admire. 

Notice and encourage kindness, for 

example through creating a kindness 

jar or promoting acts of kindness at 

specific times of year. 

Encourage children to be involved in 

community projects, serving others in 

some way, for example collecting food 

for the local food bank. 

Read stories and rhymes to the 

children which focus on heroism and 

overcoming difficulties. 

Create a display about ‘Our Heroes’ to 

celebrate everyday heroism. 

Exploring the real-life heroes can be a 

great way of combining the children’s 

interest in superhero play with teaching 

skills and attributes that we want 

to encourage, like kindness, 

compassion, bravery, resilience and 

inner strength. So put on your x-ray 

specs to view those heroes all 

around you and also don’t forget 

to look into a mirror and see the 

hero that lives in you! 

Tamsin Grimmer 

Tamsin Grimmer is an 

experienced early years 

consultant and trainer and 

parent who is passionate about 

young children’s learning and 

development. She believes 

that all children deserve 

practitioners who are inspiring, 

dynamic, reflective and 

committed to improving on their 

current best. Tamsin particularly 

enjoys planning and delivering 

training and supporting 

early years practitioners and 

teachers to improve outcomes 

for young children. 

Tamsin has written two 

books - “Observing and 

Developing Schematic 

Behaviour in Young Children” 

and “School Readiness and 

the Characteristics of Effective 

Learning”. 

Website: 

tamsingrimmer.co.uk 

Facebook: 

facebook.com/earlyyears. 

consultancy.5 

Twitter: 

@tamsingrimmer 

Email: 

info@tamsingrimmer.co.uk 

Reference 

Harris, K. I. (2016). Heroes of resiliency and reciprocity: 

teachers’ supporting role for reconceptualizing superhero 

play in early childhood settings. Pastoral Care in Education, 

34(4), 202–217. 


Father’s Day 

Father’s Day stick puppet craft 

On Sunday 16th June, the nation dedicates a day to members of the family who we consider to be 

father figures. In many countries, Father’s Day traditionally falls on the third Sunday in June and 

unlike Mother’s Day, this event is celebrated by the UK and the USA on the same day. 

Whilst France, Greece and Saudi Arabia 

also celebrate Father’s Day in June, 

other countries like Fiji, Papua New 

Guinea, and Australia all celebrate 

in September. This is thought to be 

because, in the northern hemisphere, 

spring is March to June. The reverse 

is true for countries in the southern 

hemisphere, where spring falls from 

September to December. 

How did it all begin? 

The history of Father’s Day can be traced 

back over 100 years, to 1909, in the USA. 

According to one tale, a lady called 

Sonora Smart Dodd was listening to a 

Mother’s Day sermon at church when 

she had an idea - calling upon her 

local pastor to consider a similar day 

to be held to honour fathers. Dodd was 

the daughter of an American Civil War 

veteran who single-handedly raised 6 

children. 

Dodd initially suggested that the day be 

celebrated on 5th June 1910, which was 

the anniversary of her father’s death. 

However, this did not leave much time 

for the pastors to prepare their sermons. 

Therefore, it was decided that the 

celebration would be postponed until 

the third Sunday in June. On the day, 

Dodd selflessly delivered Father’s Day 

gifts to those who were too ill to leave 

their homes. 

In the 1920s, Dodd went to study at the 

Art Institute of Chicago and stopped 

promoting awareness of the celebration. 

Without her efforts, the familiarity 

of Father’s Day faded somewhat. 

In the 1930s, Dodd returned to her 

hometown of Spokane, Washington, 

and took up the reins for the cause 

once more. This time, she began 

raising awareness of Father’s Day at 

a national level. Initially, there was 

some resistance to recognising Father’s 

Day. Many Americans thought it was 

another attempt by retailers to copy the 

commercial success of Mother’s Day. 

Even the papers mocked Dodd’s idea. 

Making the day an official national 

holiday 

In 1966, President Johnson issued a 

statement honouring fathers, which 

supported the idea that the third 

Sunday in June would be Father’s Day. It 

was President Nixon who, in 1972, made 

the day a permanent national holiday in 

the USA. He said it was “…an occasion 

for the renewal of the love and gratitude 

we bear our fathers.” 

According to another story, Father’s Day 

first began because of a woman named 

Grace Golden Clayton from Fairmount, in 

West Virginia. An orphan, Grace lobbied 

her local Methodist ministers for a 

church service to honour fathers in 1908. 

The story goes that she was inspired to 

do this after a mining disaster killed 362 

local men. Their deaths orphaned more 

than 1,000 children and Grace wanted to 

pay tribute to the children’s dead fathers 

- as well as her own. 

There are, however, alternative theories 

as to how the day came about. Some 

people believe Father’s Day to have 

roots in paganism. Many pagans 

believe that the sun was the father of 

the universe and, because the summer 

solstice (longest day) takes place on a 

similar date to Father’s Day, there are 

those who believe that this was actually 

the original link. 

Traditions on Father’s Day 

On the day, people traditionally 

post or hand-deliver Father’s 

Day cards. Many people try 

to visit their fathers in person 

and gather the whole family 

for a meal. Some dads are 

lucky enough to receive 

breakfast in bed or a 

home-cooked Sunday roast 

dinner, as well as gifts. But 

it’s not just fathers who are 

honoured on this day. Those 

who are considered to hold a 

fatherly role in the family, such 

as grandfathers or stepfathers, 

are similarly cherished 

and celebrated. 

You will need: 

> > White paper 

> > A printer 

> > Colouring pens/pencils/markers 

> > Scissors 

> > Lolly sticks 

> > Glue 

Instructions: 

1. Click here to download 

our free template, once 

downloaded, print it. 

2. Colour in the template with 

pens, pencils or markers, in 

any colours you like, see if 

you can use every colour you 

have! 

3. Carefully cut out the template. 

4. Put some glue on the back of 

the template, place the lolly 

stick on the bottom part so it 

sticks out, like feet, and then 

carefully glue on the front part 

of the template. 

Voilà! 

Happy Father’s 

Day! 

We’d love to see what designs 

the children at your setting 

came up with! Share photos 

with us on Facebook or 

email us at marketing@ 

parenta.com 


How to soothe a restless baby 

Anyone who has tried without success to soothe a crying and restless baby, can vouch 

for the fact that it can be both exhausting and upsetting - for parents and childcare 

practitioners alike. However much experience you may have with children, it’s only natural 

to be concerned when none of the usual techniques seem to work and you struggle to calm 

baby down. 

For babies, the world is an incredibly 

fascinating, stimulating and utterly 

exciting place. Everything is brand 

new, and although amazing, 

at times it can also be a little 

overwhelming. 

The overstimulation of senses is 

one of many reasons a baby may 

be restless, but other reasons can, 

of course, include tiredness and 

trapped wind. 

With this in mind, here are five ways 

that can work wonders to soothe 

and calm a baby. 

Change of scenery 

Babies, just like adults, 

need a change of 

scenery and fresh air. 

As babies become 

a little older, 

they 

love being out and about for their 

walk or play - and if it falls around 

the same time each day; they come 

to expect it. They can even get a 

little bit grumpy if it doesn’t happen! 

Sometimes, just going into the 

garden or taking a walk around the 

block can be a welcome change 

of scenery, greatly helping to keep 

them content. 

Quiet time 

As well as being understimulated, 

babies can also quickly become 

overstimulated, just as adults can. 

If you find there is a lot of noise 

and general coming and 

going of people and 

you notice that baby 

is turning their 

head away, it may 

be a good sign 

they have ‘had 

enough’. Babies 

can become 

‘sensory 

overloaded’ and 

will need you to 

help them take 

it down a level. You can do this by 

going somewhere a little quieter – 

similar to when we’ve had a busy 

day – it’s wonderful to have a few 

minutes of quiet time to catch our 

breath. 

Relieving wind 

For the beginning part of a baby’s 

life, they will rely on us to wind them 

and help to relieve gas; their little 

bodies can’t quite do it all on their 

own just yet. When a baby has wind, 

it is often painful. Wind may come 

in the form of a burp or gas in their 

tummy. Often, burping a baby to get 

rid of wind helps soothe them. This 

can be done by laying baby down 

on his/her back and doing bicycle 

movements with his legs and also by 

pushing the legs gently up towards 

his/her tummy. Laying baby on your 

lap and rubbing his back can also 

help to relieve gas. 

“Shush-pat” 

This is a wonderful tool to use if 

baby has become overstimulated 

or overtired. By picking them up 

Use this as a rough guide: 

Age 

and allowing their head to rest on 

your shoulder, patting between the 

shoulder blades, in a very rhythmic 

way and shushing (not into - but 

past baby’s ear), you begin to take 

the attention away from the crying 

and focus it on the rhythmic motion 

of your patting and the soothing 

sound of your shushing. This should 

allow you to be able to help baby 

be calm enough so that you can lay 

baby in their cot and help them from 

there, continuing to pat and shush if 

needed, again, helping to focus the 

attention on falling asleep. 

And finally… 

Often, an upset baby is a tired baby. 

A baby’s ‘awake time’ is the amount 

of time a baby can comfortably 

stay awake for between naps and 

bedtime, before becoming tired 

again – and then overtired if you 

miss this window. 

Young babies are often 

misdiagnosed as having colic when 

in fact they are overtired, as on 

paper, the symptoms are incredibly 

similar. 

Awake time 

0 - 12 weeks 45 mins - 1 hour 

12 - 16 weeks 1 - 1.5 hours 

17 - 25 weeks 1.5 - 2 hours 

6 - 8 months 2 - 3 hours 

9 - 12 months 3 - 4 hours 

13 months - 2.5 years 5 - 7+ hours 

Tracy Newberry 

The content in this guide 

has been kindly provided by 

baby sleep coach and sleep 

consultant Tracy Newberry - 

mother of two and founder of 

Happy Baby and Me. Known 

as ‘The Gentle Baby Sleep 

Coach’, Tracy specialises in 

working with parents whose 

babies are between 6–11 

months, solving their little 

one’s sleep issues without 

using any of the ‘cry-it-out’ 

methods. This significantly 

reduces stress and protects 

the bond parents work so 

hard to build. With over 14 

years’ experience working 

with babies as a nanny and 

as a baby sleep coach, Tracy 

prides herself on helping 

babies sleep gently, with 

love, kindness and the utmost 

respect. 

Website: 

www.happybabyandme.com 

Facebook: 

www.facebook.com/ 

HappyBabyAndMe 

LinkedIn: 

www.linkedin.com/in/ 

tracynewberry 

*Note that as little ones get older, they can have different awake times during the day. E.g. a 9/10-month-old baby 

may need a 2-hour stretch between waking up for the day and their morning nap, then a 3-hour gap between 

waking from their morning nap and going down for their afternoon nap. Then a 3.5/4-hour gap from waking up after 

the afternoon nap until going down for bedtime again. 

Once you spot your baby’s tired signs, reduce stimulation and start getting your baby ready for their nap by doing a 

short nap routine. 


Diabetes 

Week - 

#SeeDiabetesDifferently 

Week 

#SeeDiabetesDifferently 

What comes to mind when you 

think of diabetes? Older and 

more obese people? Insulin 

injections? Poor eyesight? A 

life without chocolate? 

All these things have been 

associated with diabetes in 

the past, and some still are 

today; but is this all diabetes 

is about? Or are there 

misconceptions, prejudices 

and stereotypes about 

diabetes that could do with an 

overhaul? 

Every year, Diabetes UK, a leading UK 

diabetes charity, organise ‘Diabetes 

Week’ to raise awareness, education 

levels, and money to fund future 

research on diabetes. This year, it runs 

from 10—16th June and has the theme 

of “#SeeDiabetesDifferently”. The aim 

is “to help people know more about 

diabetes - not just as a condition, but 

about how it feels to live with it.” 

Someone is diagnosed with diabetes 

every two minutes and there are 4.7 

million people in the UK living with 

diabetes. Diabetes UK think “every 

one is different”, so here are 7 major 

myths about diabetes that may need 

reconsidering – one for each day of 

Diabetes Week. 

MYTH 

1 

Diabetes only affects older, overweight people 

The media often talk about diabetes along with images of obese or 

overweight people, and greasy, ‘take-away’ food. Whilst there is a link 

between the rise in obesity and increasing incidence of Type 2 diabetes, 

diabetes can affect people of all ages, weights and body types. Around onefifth 

of people with Type 2 diabetes are of a normal weight, or underweight. 

That said, being overweight is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, so reducing 

weight is usually recommended to reduce risk. 

There are also at least 6,000 children and young people under 25 with Type 

2 diabetes in England and Wales and the incidence is increasing. What’s 

important here is that childcare providers are up-to-speed with diabetes 

information and know what to do if children in their care have the condition. 

You could set up a diabetes policy within your setting to make sure that you 

are effectively able to look after children with diabetes. 

MYTH 

2 

Type 2 diabetes is a mild form of diabetes and 

does not need insulin 

All types of diabetes are serious and there is no such thing as ‘mild 

diabetes’. If left untreated, both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes can cause serious 

complications that can be fatal. It is a chronic disease that occurs when the 

pancreas either does not produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot 

effectively use the insulin that the pancreas produces, leading to ineffective 

control the body’s blood sugar levels, which can damage other systems such 

as blood vessels, nerves and organs. 

Type 2 diabetes can often be managed by lifestyle changes but in some 

cases, as the degree of insulin resistance increases, insulin may be needed, 

just like Type 1 diabetes. 

MYTH 

3 

People with diabetes cannot drive 

Being able to drive and be independent is something that many people value 

highly. If you have diabetes and manage it well, research suggests that you 

are no less safe on the roads than other people, so developing diabetes 

does not automatically mean you cannot drive. Charities like Diabetes UK 

offer advice on all aspects of living with diabetes including how it might 

affect a person’s ability to drive. 

MYTH 

4 

People with diabetes can’t do certain jobs 

To some extent, this is true. There are still positions, such as some roles in the 

Armed Forces, which are not available to people with diabetes. However, the 

number of jobs that people are excluded from, is decreasing and charities are 

campaigning to remove prejudice and ‘blanket bans’ around employment. 

MYTH 

5 

People with diabetes can’t eat sugar or fruit and 

should eat only ‘diabetic’ food 

Eating is one of life’s pleasures and restricting what you eat can be difficult 

whether you have diabetes or not! People with diabetes need to eat a healthy, 

balanced diet in order to control their blood sugar effectively. Since everyone 

is different, dietary advice can be a tricky area, and it is recommended that 

people diagnosed with diabetes, see a dietician as soon as possible to get 

tailored advice for their specific situation. And it’s perfectly possible to eat fruit 

and sugar in moderation and still manage glucose levels effectively. 

So-called ‘diabetic’ foods are often labelled as such because they include 

sugar replacements, but patients should contact their dietician before buying 

them. It is certainly not the case that people with diabetes can only eat 

‘diabetic’ food. 

MYTH 

6 

It’s difficult to travel if you have diabetes 

People with diabetes travel all over the world on all forms of transport. 

Preparation and planning are key, as it’s even more important for people 

with diabetes to ensure that they have access to the correct medicines, 

advice, emergency help and insurance when they travel – but they can still 

fulfil their travel dreams. 

MYTH 

7 

Diabetes is contagious 

You cannot catch diabetes like you might catch a cold! It is a ‘noncommunicable 

illness’ so is not passed on by touch, coughing, sneezing, 

blood, or any other person-to-person contact. Some types of diabetes 

have been linked to genetic factors, but this just means a person may have 

increased risk of developing diabetes if they have a genetic predisposition. 

Obviously in the space of one 

article, we cannot tackle every 

myth or misconception, or lay out 

a comprehensive guide to the 

condition, its symptoms, treatments 

and complications. But hopefully 

we have straightened out some 

myths so you can indeed begin to 

#SeeDiabetesDifferently. 

What will you do in 

your setting to support 

Diabetes Week? 

We’d love to hear about 

your involvement. Please 

email us at marketing@ 

parenta.com. 

For more information about 

diabetes, visit: 

• Diabetes UK - 

www.diabetes.org.uk 

• Diabetes.co.uk - 

www.diabetes.co.uk 

• NHS website - 

www.nhs.uk/conditions/diabetes 

• WHO - 

www.who.int/news-room/factsheets/detail/diabetes 


Using stories 

to nurture selfawareness 

Stories are an amazing tool to teach children 

about different concepts and circumstances 

in life. They are also excellent for supporting 

children through difficult times. If you are 

going through a hard time yourself, it is always 

easier if you know someone who has been 

through something similar. The fact that they 

have experienced the same thing and come 

out the other side is reassuring and shows you 

that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

Characters in storybooks can be that ‘friend’ 

for children. At big moments in their lives, like 

starting school for example, stories can help to 

not only prepare children for what is about to 

happen, but also reassure them they’ll be okay 

and take away the fear of the unknown, which 

is linked to anxiety. 

By reading the story and then 

taking the time to talk about 

the different characters and 

their feelings, you can also 

give children the opportunity 

to identify with them and 

therefore explore their own 

thoughts and feelings too. 

This is fantastic because 

it develops children’s own 

self-awareness, which has 

a huge impact on their 

emotional well-being. 

I stumbled across a simple, 

yet amazing way to use 

stories when my daughter 

was 3 years old. Like many 

parents, I was hit by the 

dreaded ‘witching hour’. 

At 4pm on the dot, my 

daughter would go into an 

almighty meltdown. Being 

a former teacher, I just 

couldn’t understand how I 

could control a room full of 

children, yet I had zero ability 

to navigate afternoons with 

the beautiful little human 

that I had created. It was 

completely new territory at 

the time and I have to say 

that it had me in a frenzy! 

Having worked with children 

for years, I understood that 

there were many reasons 

for the meltdowns – she 

was tired, she wanted my 

undivided attention, but I 

was running around trying 

to do the 1 million jobs 

that needed doing before 

bedtime; she was hungry – 

the list goes on! However, 

despite knowing this, I still 

found myself struggling 

to get through this time 

without feeling like I was 

going to have a meltdown 

myself. I decided that the 

only answer was to put my 

teacher’s cap back on and 

try to approach it from a 

different angle. I always 

made my own resources 

and had written and 

illustrated storybooks from 

my daughter being 4 months 

old, so I decided to try to 

create some fun resources 

to keep her entertained. 

Because I already had the 

illustrations from my books 

on my computer, I quickly 

downloaded them and used 

them to make some fun craft 

activities. 

Not only did this work and 

our afternoon went without 

one single cry or scream, 

something else amazing 

happened. My daughter 

was familiar with all of the 

books that I had written, 

so when we were doing a 

craft activity based on one 

of my characters called 

Bunty Bee, my little girl 

started to talk about her. 

She started to tell me that 

Bunty had helped the fairy 

to find magic dust and that 

I then asked open-ended questions 

that related the story back to my 

daughter’s life and she proceeded to 

tell me all about the times that she 

is kind and how she helps her friends 

at pre-school. 

she was kind. I then asked 

how she thought it made 

the fairy feel when Bunty 

helped her and why it was 

important to ask for help. 

I then asked open-ended 

questions that related the 

story back to my daughter’s 

life and she proceeded to 

tell me all about the times 

that she is kind and how she 

helps her friends at preschool. 

We’d had so much 

fun together doing the craft 

activity and had developed 

so many different areas of 

learning. However, because 

this activity also linked to 

a story that my daughter 

was familiar with, it gave 

us so many opportunities 

to explore the characters 

and storylines as we were 

doing it, which allowed her 

to explore her own thoughts, 

feelings and actions! 

I know myself, if someone 

said to me that we were 

going to talk about feelings, 

I would probably clam up 

and feel a bit uncomfortable. 

However, if I was with a 

friend doing something fun 

and just chit-chatting about 

life, I’d probably naturally 

open up more because the 

focus wouldn’t be on me. 

By creating activities that 

could stand alone and that 

were fun, but that also had 

a theme underpinned by a 

story, this provided a similar 

safe space for children to do 

the same. 

The moment I realised the 

amazing power of this, my 

business Early Years Story 

Box was born and I created a 

range of resources to go with 

every book I had written. To 

this day, my children love 

to do the activities and I’m 

always blown away by the 

wonderful conversations that 

take place as we are having 

fun together as a family. 

If you don’t have the time to 

create your own storybooks 

and resources you can 

access all of mine for just 

£9.99 per year using the 

code PARENTA. I will also 

send you 2 free storybooks 

as a welcome gift! 

Find out more here: 

www.earlyyearsstorybox. 

com/subscribe 

Stacey Kelly 

Stacey Kelly is a former 

teacher, a parent to 2 

beautiful babies and the 

founder of Early Years Story 

Box, which is a subscription 

website providing children’s 

storybooks and early years 

resources. She is passionate 

about building children’s 

imagination, creativity and 

self-belief and about creating 

awareness of the impact 

that the early years have 

on a child’s future. Stacey 

loves her role as a writer, 

illustrator and public speaker 

and believes in the power of 

personal development. She is 

also on a mission to empower 

children to live a life full of 

happiness and fulfilment, 

which is why she launched 

the #ThankYouOaky Gratitude 

Movement. 

Sign up to Stacey’s premium 

membership here and use the 

code PARENTA20 to get 20% 

off or contact Stacey for an 

online demo. 

Website: 

www.earlyyearsstorybox.com 

Email: 

stacey@earlyyearsstorybox.com 

Facebook: 

facebook.com/earlyyearsstorybox 

Twitter: 

twitter.com/eystorybox 

Instagram: 

instagram.com/earlyyearsstorybox 

LinkedIn: 

linkedin.com/in/stacey-kellya84534b2/ 


THESE LITTLE 

PEOPLE 

NEED YOUR 

HELP TOO. 

Write for us for a chance to win £50 

We’re always on the lookout for 

new authors to contribute insightful 

articles for our monthly magazine. 

As a nursery practitioner, 

you work tirelessly to ensure 

the children in your setting 

receive the very best care. 

Unfortunately, not all children 

in deprived areas of the world 

have access to a pre-school 

education. 

For as little as 56p a 

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You’ll be able to see firsthand 

the difference you’re 

making with regular updates, 

letters and drawings from your 

sponsored child. 

If you’ve got a topic you’d like to write about, 

why not send an article to us and be in with a 

chance of winning? Each month, we’ll be giving 

away £50 to our “Guest Author of the Month”. 

Here are the details: 

•• 

Choose a topic that is relevant to early years 

childcare 

•• 

Submit an article of between 600-900 words 

to marketing@parenta.com 

•• 

If we choose to feature your article in our 

magazine, you’ll be eligible to win £50 

•• 

The winner will be picked based on having 

the highest number of views for their article 

during that month 

This competition is open to both new and existing 

authors, for any articles submitted to feature in 

our Parenta magazine for 2019. The lucky winner 

will be notified via email and we’ll also include an 

announcement in the following month’s edition of 

the magazine. 

Got any questions or want to run a topic by us? For 

more details, email marketing@parenta.com 

APRIL’S WINNER 

Joanna Grace 

Congratulations to our guest author competition 

winner! Joanna Grace’s article “The secrets of the 

search jar” was very popular with our readers. Well 

done, Joanna! 

FIND OUT MORE 

June 2019 31

Coping with change 

This time of year can become stressful for young children, and for us all, as they approach 

big changes in their lives. A major change for young children is when they leave your setting 

to start school. Some children will cope with this transition easily whilst others will really 

struggle with it; especially if they are the eldest child or only child in their family, therefore 

they haven’t had the advantage of watching an older sibling go to school every day. 

Here are some tips to help 

children cope with the 

transition into school: 

Put school uniform in 

the role-play area 

This is such an effective 

yet simple way of helping 

children get use to one 

aspect of school life – the 

uniform. Ask around and 

see if anyone has any 

old uniform and book 

bags that they no longer 

need. The children can 

then role-play schools – 

if you observe this play 

carefully you may become 

aware of any worries that 

some children have that 

they are not otherwise 

able to express. Another 

great thing about this is 

that children can practise 

getting changed in and 

out of their uniform – 

something that they are 

going to need to do at 

school when getting 

changed for P.E. (The 

reception teachers will 

really appreciate this!) 

Create a transition book 

With the help of the 

school, create a transition 

book that tells a child, in 

very simple terms, what 

their new school is going 

to be like i.e. I am going 

to ____ school. I will be in 

the ___ class. My teacher 

will be ____ . This is where 

I will hang my coat etc. 

Put one sentence on each 

page and include a photo 

above each sentence. 

That way, the book is clear 

and simple yet very, very 

effective. If you then give 

this to the family, they 

can read it with the child 

over the summer or at any 

point that the child may be 

having a ‘wobble’ about 

starting school. 

School visits 

Most parents will be keen 

to take their children to 

all school visits, and I’m 

sure that you will welcome 

school staff who would 

like to visit your setting 

(most reception teachers 

will do this at some point 

during the summer term, 

if they haven’t already). 

If you have a child that 

you think is going to 

particularly struggle with 

transition, then it would be 

worth having a chat with 

the school to see if you 

can arrange some extra 

visits for them. 

Help the child 

understand when the 

changes are happening 

One of the problems with 

an upcoming change 

is that young children 

have little concept of 

time, so they don’t really 

understand when it is 

happening. In this case a 

visual calendar can help. 

Just use a calendar or print 

a calendar month off the 

computer. On it, highlight 

any key events that the 

child knows of such as 

a holiday or a family 

birthday, plus mark their 

last day with you and their 

first day at school. You 

might need to use visuals 

to highlight these such as 

One of the problems with 

an upcoming change is that 

young children have little 

concept of time, so they don’t 

really understand when it is 

happening. 

a visual symbol, drawing 

or photo. The child can 

then cross off, either week 

by week or day by day, the 

time until they start school. 

This allows them to visually 

get an idea of when they 

start school, thus removing 

the unknown and easing 

anxiety. 

Help children 

prepare for school 

expectations & 

routines 

Gently helping children 

to learn some simple 

skills that they will need 

to use at school such as 

lining up and not calling 

out at carpet time is a 

great way of helping 

them understand what 

school is like. That way, 

the expectations at school 

won’t come as such a 

shock to them. 

Be positive 

Be positive about school – 

this may seem obvious but 

it is very easy to slip into 

lines such as ‘you won’t 

be able to do that when 

you start school’. This just 

instils fear into children 

and even if the child 

you’re saying it to isn’t 

that bothered, there may 

be other, more sensitive 

children listening in. 

Whilst the big upcoming 

change that we know 

about is starting school, 

there are often other 

big upheavals in a little 

person’s life that can 

benefit from the same 

support – the birth of 

a new sibling, moving 

house etc. You can apply 

many of the tips above to 

these sorts of scenarios. 

There are also excellent 

Gina Smith 

Gina Smith is an 

experienced teacher with 

experience of teaching 

in both mainstream and 

special education. She 

is the creator of ‘Create 

Visual Aids’ - a business 

that provides both homes 

and education settings with 

bespoke visual resources. 

Gina recognises the fact 

that no two children are 

the same and therefore 

individuals are likely to 

need different resources. 

Create Visual Aids is 

dedicated to making visual 

symbols exactly how the 

individual needs them. 

Website: 

www.createvisualaids.com 

Email: 

gina@createvisualsaids.com 

books available to support 

children through different 

changes in their lives. 

As well as being hard for 

children, change can also 

be tough for adults! I’m 

sure you will be sad to 

say goodbye to some of 

the characters that you 

have got to know so well, 

but by putting steps like 

these into place, you can 

be sure that you have 

done your best to help 

them transition into school 

happily. 


Do you love practical hands on 

training and a good story? 

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The multi-award winning Little Creative Days are experts in running 

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How to help parents 

boost their child’s 

vocabulary 

A child learning to speak their first words is one of those magical 

times and once they start, there’s usually no stopping them. But, 

children need to know how to put those words into context and 

there’s no better way of doing that than with a story! 

As Philip Pulman said: “Storytelling is one of the most important, 

most humane, most liberating and most democratic things that 

human beings can do.” 

Reading to their child from a young 

age is one of the best things a parent 

can do for them (as well as feed and 

love them obviously). But sadly, not 

all parents can or do. This can be for 

any number of reasons. It may be 

that they weren’t read to as a child, 

so they don’t associate the benefits 

of reading to their children or maybe 

they struggle with their own literacy 

skills and are frightened to admit it. 

But being able to make up stories 

can help to overcome some of those 

issues and it’s not as difficult as you 

might think. Believe it or not, we tell 

stories every day, it’s what make us 

human! 

THE BENEFITS OF A GOOD STORY 

Improves language 

Listening to stories helps us put 

things into context and this is how we 

learn best. It can also invoke a love of 

language and develops vocabulary. 

After all, who doesn’t like trying to 

use a pun or two? 

Bonding 

Children with the biggest emotional 

and behavioural difficulties respond 

best to stories and it’s a great way 

for parents to bond with their child 

too. It’s spending that special time 

with them that’s so important. 

Cognitive 

Stories develop our thinking and 

reasoning skills. They help to develop 

imagination and help us to paint a 

picture as well as developing our 

memories. 

Social & emotional 

Stories help us to understand 

emotions, they give us an insight 

into the minds of others and can be 

used to help us deal with difficult 

situations. 

Morals 

Stories help children develop their 

capacity to think about moral issues as 

they have an innate interest in fairness. 

So, if you would like to help the 

parents of the children in your setting 

be more engaged, there are lots of 

ideas you can suggest to them:- 

HOW TO CREATE STORIES 

1. What toys does the child have? 

Get them to make up a story 

about what their favourite toy 

does when their child is at 

nursery. All our stories feature a 

little dog called Pojo, who gets 

itchy paws when his owner, Sam, 

goes to sleep or school. Children 

will love making up a story about 

their toy going on an adventure. 

2. Are there stories from within the 

family that the parents can retell? 

Children find it fascinating hearing 

stories of what their parents or 

grandparents did when they were 

little. 

3. Use props. Puppets are great 

as it allows the child to act as 

the storyteller. Or why not get a 

box and put a variety of random 

things into it such as jewellery, 

candles, bus or train tickets and 

a toy and then make up a story 

incorporating those things in the 

box. It’s amazing to hear the 

stories they come out with. 

4. Why not adapt some wellknown 

fairy tales by changing 

the characters so, for example, 

change “The Three Little Pigs” to 

‘three little spacemen’ and see 

how it changes the story. 

5. Play a story relay – one person 

starts the story with one sentence 

and the other follows on; keep 

it going until you’ve finished 

your story. If they’re out for a 

picnic, why not use the location 

and a person they can see and 

incorporate them into a story? 

SO HOW DO YOU RUN A SESSION TO 

ENGAGE PARENTS? 

1. Put parents at ease by starting off 

with a short, fun game such as 

the storytelling relay (mentioned 

above), by getting everyone to 

say a sentence of the story – we 

often use “Cinderella” with some 

hilarious adaptations. 

2. Give them enough time to practice 

one game before going onto 

another; this will build confidence. 

3. Why not start a storytelling club 

after school/nursery and make it 

a regular social event? 

4. Be prepared – plan what activities 

and stories you want to cover. 

5. Make sure you tell parents why 

stories are important and make 

sure they know their role. 

The key to it all is to have fun with 

making up stories. The more you do it, 

the easier it gets, I promise!! I’ve lost 

count of the times someone has come 

on one of our workshops thinking they 

couldn’t make up a story and by the 

end, they are usually some of the best 

storytellers. 

SO GO ON, HAVE A GO AND SEE 

WHAT YOU CAN DO! 

Tonya Meers 

Tonya Meers is the Chief 

Storyteller at Little Creative 

Days. Tonya believes that 

stories are the most versatile 

and powerful educational 

tool you can use and there 

isn’t anything that you can’t 

teach through a story. 

She is co-author of the 

multi-award-winning 

Pojo series of educational 

creative storytelling kits, 

which have won awards 

for their promotion of 

communication and 

language skills for early 

years and primary schoolaged 

children. 

In addition, she and her 

storytelling sister/business 

partner also deliver training 

and workshops for early 

years practitioners, local 

authorities and primary 

schools. They offer a range 

of interactive workshops 

to encourage, engage and 

enable children to develop a 

love of literacy. 

You can contact Tonya at 

Little Creative Days via 

email@littlecreativedays.co.uk, 

on Twitter @littlecreative or 

via Facebook. 

If you would 

like us to come 

into your setting to run a 

workshop on how to engage 

parents, email me at: 

email@littlecreativedays.co.uk 

We also run a free, same-day, 

parent workshop following 

any of our paid 

workshops. 


7 tips for 

nystagmus success 

in the classroom 

Having just released my book “Can I Tell You 

About Nystagmus?” I jumped at the chance 

of being able to raise the awareness around 

the condition, in support of Nystagmus 

Awareness Day, 20th June 2019. 

For those who don’t know, nystagmus is an involuntary 

continuous wobble of the eyes. During your time 

teaching, it is likely you will come across a child who has 

nystagmus, as it is one of the most common forms of 

childhood visual impairment. It affects approximately 1 

in 1,000 people. It can either be congenital (from birth) 

or acquired. Those with nystagmus have a ‘null point’ or 

a point in which their eyes wobble less. This can cause 

them to have a head tilt in order to gain the clearest 

view possible. There is NO cure. Therefore, having a 

broad understanding and a host of helpful strategies 

will help you and your students. 

When I was planning this article I sought some advice 

from Sandy Turner, Headteacher at the primary school, 

The Link. Sandy and her school had recently been 

host to the launch of the aforementioned book, “Can 

I Tell You About Nystagmus?” where she and her 

staff engaged in some live training with me about 

the condition. When I asked her what might be most 

helpful for early years practitioners, she emphasised the 

importance of considering the fact that the curriculum is 

taught through play and games in 

a free-flow environment. 

So with this in mind, 

I’ve compiled 7 

nystagmus hacks you 

can use in and around 

your setting whilst 

teaching the children in 

your care. 

Position: Always, always, allllllways 

(you catch my emphasis?!) position a 

child in the most comfortable way to 

accommodate their null point. Do not sit 

them at the back and do not expect them 

to share books. 

Triggers: Nystagmus can change across 

a day - things that make Nystagmus 

worse are: stress, tiredness, fatigue, 

illness and excitement. 

Playing: Physical games that require 

hand/eye coordination can sometimes 

be a challenge. Games such as football 

or catch can be challenging as judging 

depth and speed is a huge challenge for 

those with nystagmus. 

TIP: Consider adapting the games, e.g. 

oversized balls or brightly-coloured balls or 

reducing the number of participants to make 

a slower and more visually-clear way to play 

games that require hand and eye coordination. 

Clutter: In early years environments, freeflow 

and daily environmental changes 

for activities, can be hard for someone 

with a visual impairment. Often the skill 

of memory is used to be able to navigate 

familiar environments and so areas 

that are packed with different toys and 

activities can lead to something called 

‘crowding’, in which it becomes hard to 

visually see everything. This can frustrate 

and lead to impacted play as they may 

not be able to see what they want. 

TIP: Limit clutter and give adequate processing 

times. Pre-select a few toys and show them 

away from the clutter so they can choose what 

they want without getting overwhelmed. Give 

them more time to react and process. 

Body language: Some people with 

Nystagmus can find it difficult to give eye 

contact, which might be misinterpreted 

by others and could impact on social 

interactions with peers. 

TIP: Don’t emphasise the need for front-facing 

eye contact - especially for school photos! 

Let them look at the camera in the most 

comfortable position for them. 

Fatigue: Having wobbly eyes can make 

some with nystagmus fatigue very easily. 

nystagmus fluctuates throughout the day 

with its intensity. Having a quiet or lessbusy 

area available to the child for them 

to play in if they get fatigue, increases 

independence and coping skills across 

the day. 

Safety: Nystagmus can affect depth 

perception - so think stairs, steps and 

changes in flooring, which could be 

harder to see and navigate. This can 

affect judging speed - so think about 

children rushing around them or balls 

being thrown at them in P.E. and being 

able to react. On school trips, be aware 

that new environments can raise anxiety, 

unfamiliar faces, places and information 

having to be processed. This can 

affect nystagmus making it worse and 

increasing fatigue. Lots of pre-visual and 

auditory explanations can reduce this. 

Factoring in breaks and finding quiet 

areas to relax in, can be beneficial too. 

These are just a few ideas to help you better support 

children with nystagmus as well as other visual 

impairments. Within the book, there are many more 

helpful ideas, as well as a handy checklist to make 

sure you are set each term! You can grab a copy 

from Amazon and other online retailers. For more 

information on the book, or if you would like me to 

come and visit your school, visit nadineneckles.co.uk 

for more information. 

Nadine Neckles, is a special needs blogger and life 

coach who has written for leading disability charities 

including Carers UK, Caring in the Chaos and Firefly. 

She is also mum and full-time carer to her six-year-old 

daughter who has nystagmus and Chromosome 18qsyndrome, 

a rare genetic condition. She is the inspiration 

behind her first book “Can I Tell You About Nystagmus?”. 


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