Magazine August 2019

Issue 57
AUGUST 2019
FREE
INDUSTRY
EXPERTS
“You can’t
say autism”
Helping children to
accept those with
additional needs
Should we force
children to say ‘sorry’?
+ lots more
Write for us
for a chance to
WIN
£50
p19
“WHY DID SOMEONE STICK THOSE
APPLES ON THE TREES?”
Tamsin Grimmer discusses how mud kitchen play can help to combat
the increasing problem of nature-deficit disorder
NATIONAL PLAYDAY • SUMMER HOLIDAYS ON A BUDGET • NATIONAL COLOURING BOOK DAY

Hello and welcome to the August edition of the Parenta magazine!
As the hot weather continues for most of us, we bring you some fantastic ideas for activities for the
children to do - not just within your setting, but that can be shared with parents as they prepare for the
long school holiday. There are around six weeks of summer holidays – that’s 42 days to fill!
We look at some of the more traditional ways to keep the little ones occupied, like keeping a summer
scrapbook, or holding a teddy bears’ picnic. These give such wonderful opportunities for making precious
memories, at the same time as keeping their creative and literacy skills alive. More ideas can be found on page 16 – one
for every day of the holiday – and all can be done on even the smallest of budgets!
We have such a diverse range of expert advice from our guest authors this month. Turn to page 8 to discover how, through
effective questioning, we can enrich a child’s learning even further than just through child-initiated play. Stacey Kelly’s article on
page 36 called “Should we should force children to say ‘sorry?’” is guaranteed to spark discussion – do give us your thoughts!
On a musical note, on page 10, Frances Turnbull explores the importance of teaching children to love music from an early age
and gives us her top tips on how we can put this into practice; while Galina Zenin illustrates on page 28, how singing can be
incorporated into everyday tasks and used to make the children’s routine transitions during the day run smoothly.
Congratulations to Joanna Grace, our guest author competition winner! Her article “Communication hacks” gives some great
advice for dealing with children’s resistance to instructions. 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 19 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, parents and colleagues!
Allan
SING IT!
Galina Zenin explores
ways that singing can
be used to make the
transitions in a child’s
everyday routine run
more smoothly
SORRY!
hello
WELCOME TO OUR FAMILY
28
36
Stacey Kelly discusses
whether forcing children
to say ‘sorry’ really does
them any good and gives
5 alternative options
which encourage children
to understand the impact
of their actions
APPLES ON TREES?
Tamsin Grimmer considers the growing
problem that is Nature-Deficit Disorder
and discusses the benefits that a
mud kitchen can bring to a child’s
development
20
AUGUST 2019 ISSUE 57
IN THIS EDITION
REGULARS
19 Write for us for a chance to win £50
19 Guest author winner announced
30 Clay leaf print craft
31 What our customers say
NEWS
4 Sussex nursery is urging others to go plastic-free
5 Elmscot Woodlands Nursery delivers generous
donation to Uganda
6 From Maidstone to Monaco – the Parenta Trust
rally teams return triumphant!
ADVICE
8 How to extend children’s learning through
effective questioning
12 How to potty train a child during the summer
months
16 Summer outdoor activities – have fun but stay
safe!
22 Summer holidays on a budget – my summer
scrapbook
26 National Colouring Book Day
34 National Playday - 7th August
38 Healthy cold food for the perfect teddy bears’
picnic
INDUSTRY EXPERTS
10 Music ABCs for littlies
14 “You can’t say autism”
20 “Why did someone stick those apples on the
trees?” How mud kitchen play can help to
combat Nature-Deficit Disorder
24 Promoting young children’s health – putting it in
to practice
28 Sing your way to smooth transitions
32 Helping children to accept those with additional
needs
36 Should we force children to say ‘sorry’?
42 fun things to do outdoors this summer 16
Extend children’s learning through effective questioning 8
National Colouring Book Day - free templates! 26
National Playday - why not play with water? 34

Sussex nursery is urging others
to go plastic-free
Elmscot Woodlands Nursery delivers
generous donation to Uganda
The owner of Young Friends Nursery and Nature School in Hove, Louise Lloyd-Evans, has
launched an online platform to help other settings go plastic-free.
Elmscot Woodlands Day Nursery and Nursery School has made a wonderful gesture to those
less fortunate by donating and personally delivering items to families in Uganda.
Sustainable Nurseries Against
Plastic (SNAP) was created to
encourage nurseries to share tips
and ideas on how to be more
sustainable.
Until the website, which is still
under construction, goes live,
parents can follow the SNAP group
on Facebook as well as join their
regular meetings.
Children and families who attend the
nursery collected items to donate.
They were able to gather enough to
fill an entire suitcase, ready for one
of the nursery practitioners to take
to Uganda. The donated items were
all things Elmscot Woodlands felt the
children of Uganda would enjoy –
including toys, stationary, basic care
items and books.
The nursery’s approach to running
a sustainable model of childcare
made Ms Lloyd-Evans want to
share ideas and tips with others.
Young Friends Nursery and Nature
School received an Eco-Schools
Green Flag award for their plasticfree
and nature-based ethos.
Speaking to Nursery World, Ms
Lloyd-Evans said: “SNAP was
born from a passion to change
and provide a better world for
our children. In today’s climate,
we have a duty to educate young
people, staff and owners from
day one so it becomes a natural
responsibility.
“I was disturbed by the lack of care
about the environment in nurseries
which are terrible at using singleuse
plastic: shoe covers, glitter, wet
wipes, nappy sacks, disposable
nappies, balloons, the list is
endless. People are scared by
change, so we started to make
them one by one and teach the
children why we were doing so.
“SNAP is about helping nurseries
wake up to sustainability. It’s not
just about providing statistics
and information on the harm we
are doing. It’s creating a groundlevel
discussion for early years
professionals on how we can
change, improve, identify and
share the problems we may face
in doing so, and most importantly
how we can overcome these
together.”
Peter Kyle, MP for Hove said to
Nursery World: “The climate and
environmental crisis is finally
rising up the political agenda and
it’s inspiring initiatives like the
SNAP scheme, that show what
a difference we can make as
communities and as individuals
when we put our minds to it.
“I support the SNAP scheme
wholeheartedly – it’s an amazing
idea that is rightly getting the
recognition it deserves, and I’ll be
doing everything I can to be its
champion!”
Ms Lloyd-Evans added, “I’m
realistic, I don’t expect everyone
to become an eco-school, but we
really ought to be doing the basics.
SNAP can teach other nurseries to
do this in a cost-effective and userfriendly
way.”
Visit the SNAP Facebook page for
more information.
Georgia Heywood, Early Years
Assistant Practitioner at Elmscot
Woodlands, was the one to make
the journey to deliver the donations.
During her two weeks in Kampala,
the capital of Uganda, Georgia
spent time in the many orphanages,
children’s centres, schools and
local villages. The children Georgia
met were even able to receive the
Elmscot Woodlands’ experience, as
she led some play sessions while
volunteering and getting to know
some of the local people.
On her return, Georgia kindly
brought back traditional treasures
and photographs from her time in
Uganda for the children at Elmscot
Woodlands to explore.
Danielle Riley, Nursery Manager at
Elmscot Woodlands said: “We value
and celebrate differences at Elmscot
Woodlands and encourage children
to develop an understanding of
diversity beyond their immediate
family experiences. We strive to
embed a tolerance of differences,
as we think about how we can be
kind to others less fortunate than
ourselves. We highlight to our
families a snippet of global childcare
issues and the reality of the lives of
disadvantaged children.
“This has proven to be an eyeopening
experience for all involved
and we feel privileged to have
been able to make even just a little
difference to the lives of others.”
Do you want to do something to help underprivileged children, but not sure where to start?
Here at Parenta we’re passionate about supporting disadvantaged children across the world by providing them
with the opportunity to receive a quality pre-school education, in a safe and loving environment.
Visit parentatrust.com to find out ways that you can make a huge difference to a child’s life.
4 Parenta.com August 2019 5

From Maidstone to
Monaco – the Parenta
Trust rally teams
return triumphant!
NEWS
From Maidstone to Monaco – the Parenta
Trust rally teams return triumphant!
FREE EYFS
tracker!
As this magazine went to print
last month, the Parenta Trust
rally teams were setting off
on their epic adventure from
Maidstone to Monaco on the
“Drive to Build a School”.
During their five-day escapade, eleven
teams travelled through eight countries,
traversed the Alps and negotiated the
winding roads of the Furka Pass in
some of the hottest temperatures ever
recorded! They camped under the stars
and undertook various challenges along
the way, before reaching their final
destination of Monaco.
After the teams had returned from their
expedition, we spoke to Parenta Trust
founder and trustee, Allan Presland, and
first-time rally participant and Parenta
software developer, Luke Liddell.
Allan said; “A massive thank you goes
out to everyone who supported and
sponsored our teams throughout a very
hot, but incredible journey. This year’s
rally was probably the most successful!
We had a record number of teams enter
- 11 in total – with a diverse range of cars,
not to mention an interesting array of
team names…..’Piston Broke’, ‘Veloce-
Raptor’ and our first all-female team,
Monty2Monty with “Kerry and Perry”!
Although funds are still due in, it looks
as if we have raised about £20,000
which means we are well on our way to
building our next pre-school – for that we
are incredibly grateful. Every day I feel
privileged to have the opportunity to play
a part in the crucial task of giving children
in deprived areas of the world, the chance
to have an early years education.
“A particular highlight for me was the
challenges. From making a promotional
video and bringing a snowman to dinner,
to taking a photograph of themselves
on ice (naked!) - all the challenges were
really well received. Everyone joined
in and there was a great sense of
camaraderie throughout the whole rally.
“We were in France on the hottest day ever
recorded and three of our teams were in
convertibles…with no air conditioning! It
was extremely tough for them – several
people melted somewhat – but they pushed
on and continued with their journey.
“What I find incredible is the resilience of
the people that participated – most of the
cars in the rally cost under £350 and yet
they travelled those distances in that heat,
up and down motorway mountain passes
on some of the fastest driving routes in
Europe…and the cars survived - well,
most of them! Sadly, one of our teams,
Piston Broke, had to pull out before we
reached our final destination.”
Luke’s Story - Team Piston Broke
“Before I had even started working for Parenta, my best mate and I had decided
that we wanted to take part in the Maidstone to Monaco rally. What better way to
have fun with like-minded people, all raising funds for such a worthy cause - and
for the company that I was just about to start working for! We drove my classic MG.
She did us proud, but in hindsight, we probably let her down by not taking enough
breaks, especially in such hot conditions…which is why she broke down halfway
there! We made it home in one piece and we live to tell the tale! We absolutely
loved the experience and even though we didn’t make it to Monaco, I would highly
recommend it. We can’t wait to do it again next year…with a slightly newer car!”
As an early years professional, we know how much giving children a quality education
means to you. Parenta Trust aims to support disadvantaged children across the world by
providing them with a pre-school education.
Read on to find out how you can support the incredible work of Parenta Trust by
sponsoring a child … or even signing up for next year’s Maidstone to Monaco rally!
EYFS Learning
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to track and record detailed and essential observations?
Trial all of the amazing features of our FREE Footsteps 2 EYFS
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After that, you decide, with no obligation at all if you want to
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month to continue to have access to all the features.
Full details of this special offer can be found here:
parenta.com/footsteps2-60
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6 Parenta.com August 2019 7
visit www.parenta.com/footsteps2-60 or call us on 0800 002 9242

How to extend
children’s
learning through
effective
questioning
As an early years practitioner, you
spend the majority of your time
teaching the children in your care
through child-initiated play. But how
can we, as adults, enrich a child’s
learning even further?
encourage them to take
it wherever they want
to – this may not be
exactly what you had in
mind but if you trust the
child to create their own
learning path and then
challenge them along
the way – you could be
pleasantly surprised by
the outcome!
The content in this
article has been kindly
provided by special
education teacher, Gina
Smith. Read Gina’s
latest article for Parenta
on page 32 or click here
for all of the articles
Gina has written for
Parenta!
The famous
psychologist, Lev
Vygotsky introduced
a concept called ‘The
Zone of Proximal
Development’. This
refers to the difference
between what a child
can do both with
and without help.
Whilst he believed
in the importance of
children developing
spontaneously, he also
claimed that children
should not be left to
discover everything on
their own. Instead, we
should provide them
with challenges that
are slightly too hard for
them and gently ‘pull
them along’.
Based on this theory,
we should let children
learn through play,
then extend their
learning even further.
We look at
how to extend
children’s learning
through ‘effective
questioning’.
Because children need
the opportunity to
play an active part in
their own learning, we
should be mindful that
we don’t just give them
experience of ‘directed
learning’ (i.e. telling
them what to do), but
in addition, let some
of their tasks be openended
– we could, for
example, let them
take their learning
through play where
they want to take it!
As the children are
playing, this gives us
the chance to go in and
extend their learning
through gentle
challenges.
A few examples
of these effective
challenges/questions
could be:
• Can you tell me how
you made that?
• Why is the ice
melting?
• How could you
make the tower
even taller?
• What do you need
to do to make the
car go faster?
• What does the
rabbit feel like?
• How is that person
feeling?
• How could you
make your friend
feel happier?
Whilst you’re asking
the questions, you
could record what the
children are doing using
online EYFS learning
journey software if you
want to save time and
not record everything
using pen and paper.
Answers to these
questions are going to
give you some fantastic
observations for the
child’s learning journal!
Effective questioning
can give you some
particularly great
observations in the
areas of ‘Understanding
the World’ and
‘Communication and
Language’. When
questioning the
children, try not to limit
their learning. You could
Sign up today for
your FREE 60-DAY
ACCESS to Footsteps
2 - Parenta’s EYFS
online learning
journey software:
parenta.com/
footsteps2-60
Our friendly
customer experience
team will help you
with any questions
you have about this
new software which
has some unique
features! hello@
parenta.com or
0800 002 9242
8 Parenta.com August 2019 9

Music ABCs ABCs for
for littlies littlies
“What is the most important musical
thing I can teach my baby/toddler/preschooler?”
This is the most common question that most
parents attending early music sessions ask.
And the most common answer is, teach your
child to love music. But depending on our own
culture or upbringing, we may have insecurities
about being measured up and found not to be
good enough in different ways. On top of which,
different activities come more naturally to some
than others, and people who struggle to keep
up, especially in front of a group, are often
mocked or shamed by their peers for trying. The
good news is that with little ones, they have
no other source of comparison than you – and
you are perfect to them! You are the funniest,
kindest, most important person in the world who
can do no wrong, and as a parent or carer, you
can use this to unleash your inner dancer or
singer and perform without worrying! So, how do
you teach your child to love music? This article is
going to break it down.
A: Be natural
Getting caught up in “appropriate” musical styles or what you
think they “should” like is not helpful to anyone, especially you
and your little one. But if they see you singing comfortably,
playing, dancing and having fun, that will make a greater
impression on them. From birth, little ones are watching their
parents and the important people in their lives. Babies watch
parents to learn how to survive, what to value, and what to
avoid so that they do not get hurt. As they get older, children
learn to watch to see what gives you pleasure, what puts you
in a good mood, and they take in every tiny detail, reading
body language better than any professional profiler! So, play
the music you love, the music that makes you laugh and cry,
the music that makes you feel, that makes you remember.
Share this unique part of your life that they can hold on to for
the times that you may not be around. And when they see
you unselfconsciously sing or dance, it not only gives them
permission to explore these skills, it gives them confidence
that if you can do it, so can they.
B: Get moving
Different types of music can evoke different reactions. By
moving, we can begin to sense the type of song we are
hearing, whether we tap our feet or clap our hands, to
physically moving arms, legs and bodies in time with the
music. Whether you have been taught the difference between
3/4 and 4/4 timing, or whether you can just instinctively
feel when to move makes no difference – as long as you
move. Lullabies like “Rock A Bye Baby” generally get us
swaying gently to the beat, while “The Grand Old Duke Of
York” immediately gets us marching along to the song – it
would be quite strange to march to “Rock A Bye Baby”! These
are examples of fairly powerful movements because of the
emotions they convey. For example, rocking has a relational
element to it, as children are comforted by the closeness, the
smell of mummy or daddy, the sound of the heartbeat and
humming vibrations from your chest, and the warmth, which
makes it a powerful, secret anti-tantrum tool. In comparison,
marching has a communal quality, as an action that is
relatively easy to copy, that can be done altogether by a
group of any size, and feels like an incredible, choregraphed
performance when everyone is caught up in the magic of the
moment! In terms of musical skills, moving helps your little
one to begin to recognise pulse and rhythm!
C: Experiment with sound
You may be a natural at finding a harmony, or you may not yet notice any difference
between the notes in a song – it does not matter to small children because everything
is new and exciting! The first steps to hearing more accurately is hearing the differences
between different objects or instruments, also called timbre (pronounced tamber). What
does metal on metal sound like? What about wood on wood? Glass bottles with different
levels of liquid? Strings tied at different lengths and pulled tight? What happens when you
blow through pipes of different sizes? Hearing the difference between spoons on pans,
or sticks on a plastic tub begins to introduce the idea of low sounds and high sounds.
Imitating these sounds with the voice gets the body used to how it feels to sing a high note
or a low note. Next steps are singing along with your favourite singer, following their ups
and downs, which is great practice for learning to sing in tune. Using funny voices (‘witchy’
voice, ‘fairy’ voice, ‘giant’ voice, ‘dinosaur’ voice, ‘opera’ voice, ‘whispery’ voice) also helps
you to find your own unique sound. Experimenting is a natural part of little ones’ lives, so
they will love experimenting with you! And in musical terms, this experimentation teaches
them to identify pitch and melody!
Once you move to the beat, and hear the differences between sounds, learning music is
all about being able to hear and copy smaller and smaller differences in beats and sounds,
and the next article will provide more suggestions on musical milestones that little ones may
reach. Just as reading takes us to a written world beyond our imagination, music takes us
Frances Turnbull
Musician, researcher and
author, Frances Turnbull, is
a self-taught guitarist who
has played contemporary
and community music from
the age of 12. She delivers
music sessions to the early
years and KS1. Trained in the
music education techniques
of Kodály (specialist
singing), Dalcroze (specialist
movement) and Orff (specialist
percussion instruments), she
has a Bachelor’s degree in
Psychology (Open University)
and a Master’s degree in
Education (University of
Cambridge). She runs a local
community choir, the Bolton
Warblers, and delivers the
Sound Sense initiative aiming
for “A choir in every care
home” within local care and
residential homes, supporting
health and wellbeing through
her community interest
company.
She has represented the
early years music community
at the House of Commons,
advocating for recognition for
early years music educators,
and her table of progressive
music skills for under 7s
features in her curriculum
books.
Frances is the author of
“Learning with Music:
Games and Activities for the
Early Years“, published by
Routledge, August 2017.
www.musicaliti.co.uk
to a sonic world full of emotion. By helping your little one develop a love for music, you are giving them many more life skills
than research has been able to identify. You are introducing them to repeated patterns they will use in education; giving them
a healthy space to unwind and destress as life gets more complicated; and introducing them to a lifelong friend that always
knows just how they feel.
10 Parenta.com August 2019 11

How to potty train a child
during the summer months
What is your policy on potty training? Do you insist that children are independent and potty trained
before you accept them? Or do you only allow training pants until the child is potty trained?
However you look at it, nurseries deal with children’s ‘nature calls’ on a daily basis!
When it comes to potty training, there
is no magic ‘right age’; only the right
time, which is when the child itself is
ready. The NHS website page on potty
training says that “children are able to
control their bladder and bowels when
they’re physically ready and when they
want to be dry and clean.“ It warns
against comparing one child against
another but offers the following
information as a guide:
“Using a potty is a new skill for your
child to learn. It’s best to take it slowly
and go at your child’s pace.
• by age 1, most babies have stopped
doing poos at night
• by age 2, some children will be dry
during the day, but this is still quite
early
• by age 3, 9 out of 10 children are
dry most days – even then, all
children have the odd accident,
especially when they’re excited,
upset or absorbed in something
else
• by age 4, most children are reliably
dry during the day
• It usually takes a little longer
for children to learn to stay dry
throughout the night. Although most
learn this between the ages of 3
and 5, up to 1 in 5 children aged 5
sometimes wet the bed.”
Many parents feel that the summer is
the perfect time to begin potty training
and you can often assist them by
offering practical support and advice.
Benefits of summer potty training
1. In the summer, little ones tend
to run around outside more, in
less clothing. Weather permitting,
some parents may also allow their
youngsters to go bare-bottomed in
the garden (wearing a longer t-shirt
to cover their modesty!) to help with
potty training.
2. With less restrictions on clothing,
many children become more
acutely aware of their need to
pee, especially if they are wearing
training pants or a swimsuit, as
accidents are more obvious to them.
3. If accidents do happen, it’s often
easier to rinse out a swimsuit or
pair of underpants than heavier
winter clothes.
4. Parents often have more holiday time
so there are less distractions and
more time to allocate to potty training.
5. A full bladder (and consequent
peeing) can be encouraged by
getting children to drink more water,
juices and popsicles.
Training pants or no training pants?
There’s no doubt that nappies are
undergoing a fundamental change –
and we’re not talking ‘poop’ here either!
We mean the increasing awareness
of both nurseries and parents of the
impact of single-use nappies on the
environment. Last month we reported
on the launch of the GECCO real nappy
amidst concerns that disposable nappies
were adding to global plastic pollution.
Training pants are a half-way house
between a ‘soak-up-all’ nappy and
conventional underwear. The benefit is
that children get to practice at pulling
them up/down when using the potty,
but they can catch any ‘mistakes’ if the
child doesn’t get there on time. The child
will also feel the wetness more easily in
training pants than nappies.
Both reusable cloth training pants and
disposable ones are available. The
question of whether to use them is
really a parent/nursery decision based
on several factors including the nursery
policies/resources, parent preferences
and the needs of the child.
Top tips for summer potty training
1. Recognise the signs. The main aim is to get the child to recognise
when they need the toilet and to let you know beforehand, so help
them to recognise their own ‘toilet dance’ and remind them of what
this means. When they are wet, explain that this is a result of them
peeing, so they can begin to recognise the signs themselves.
2. Stay calm, stay patient, be prepared. Toilet training needs
compassion and understanding. Accidents will happen but
it’s just part of the learning process. Stay positive and be
prepared for a few clean-ups. In the grand scheme of
life, they’re nothing.
3. Praise where possible, ignore any ‘mistakes’. Children
respond much better to praise than punishment and want
to get it right too, so praise them when they do, and forgive
them if they don’t. Be positive - there’s always next time.
4. Buy some character undies! If children love their underwear,
they will be less inclined to get it wet, so parents may want
to invest in some underwear that has pictures of the child’s
favourite character on it.
5. Make some ‘potty time’. Many children need to go to the toilet
after eating or drinking, so encourage them to use the potty
after lunch or a snack to see if they need to go. Don’t sit them
there for more than a few minutes, but it could be just the trigger
they need.
6. Use a toilet trainer seat. Children love to be like their older siblings
and adults, so allow them to use the toilet with a trainer seat too.
7. Keep a potty handy. Keep enough potties on hand so that you can
get your child there on time. It’s no good if the potty is upstairs,
outside or in the car!
8. Consider the child’s individual needs. Everyone is different –
treat them as individuals. If you have a disabled child, the NHS
recommends looking at the charity, Contact, and downloading their
parents’ guide to potty training a disabled child.
What to do in the event of problems?
Occasionally, children will suffer problems when
toilet training that are related to other physical or
mental issues. If you or parents are concerned
about a child, there is a lot of information and
advice at ERIC, the Children’s Bowel and Bladder
Charity. Their helpline is available on 0808 169
9949 (Monday to Thursday, 10am to 2pm) or by
email via a webform at www.eric.org.uk/helpline.
12 Parenta.com August 2019 13

“You can’t say autism”
Words are labels we use to
convey meaning.
Using labels is easier than
the alternative...
I remember once being told by another professional “Yes, but
you can’t use the word autism.”
TREE
“This is my son, he
has autism ”
We were discussing a child who was having a lot of difficulties
at school and their parents were really struggling with
understanding their child at home.
The child had autism, okay so I am not
a diagnostician, but I would certainly
be willing to bet my next mortgage
payment on the fact that they were
neurodivergent. I had written a report
for their parents explaining that certain
strategies commonly helpful to people
with autism might be useful for them to
adopt at home. I was shocked by the
venom in the response of my colleague.
Why couldn’t I use the word autism?
The ferocity with which they said it made
me feel as if they thought I was insulting
the child. They saw offence in the word.
I am autistic. I was deeply saddened by
their response and it made me wonder
how many professionals are spotting the
signs of autism early on in a child’s life
but not saying so for fear of using this
‘dirty’ word!
Research shows across the board that
with regards to the identification of a
learning disability or a neurodivergent
condition, the sooner they are spotted,
the better the long-term outcomes for
the child. If we hold the child’s best
interests at heart, then we should all be
working to ensure that the early signs
are noted. We should work in a world
when I can say “I think they are autistic”
and if it turns out in a few months’ time
that I am clearly wrong, then it is no
big deal, no one has minded that word
being used in association with that child,
the relevant investigations have been
done and we move on.
If we act like “autism” or indeed any
other condition-associated word is
something only to be spoken of in
hushed tones, then we all dance around
information that would be useful to that
child.
Identification of a difference or disability
means that support can be put in place
that is relevant to your needs, it means
teaching strategies can be adopted
that match your ways of learning, it
means that you can be wholly known
and understood for who you are;
not misunderstood and judged for
something you are not.
People say they are against “labels”
but in saying this, they once again
reveal their own prejudice towards
these conditions. I am female, white,
middle-aged, brown-haired, browneyed,
English, a mother, a daughter,
and so on and so on. If you use any of
these descriptors in association with
me, I won’t be offended. I won’t jump on
your back for “labelling” me. Likewise,
if you call me autistic, I will take it in the
same way as any of these, it is simply a
description of me.
We use the term “label” to refer to a
descriptive term to which prejudice has
been attached.
If I were a child today, I would want to
have my diagnosis as early as possible.
For me, it would make little difference to
my success at school, I was always quiet
and focused. I was not a problem to my
teachers. Like many autistic women I
was a problem to myself. Knowing why
I was different would have helped me
not to feel bad about being so. I would
have loved to have received help making
friends, something that I was not able to
do for myself until my twenties.
If we were a little less afraid of our
own prejudice and spoke more freely
and acceptingly about neurological
differences and disabilities, perhaps we
would create education environments
where understanding and acceptance
blossomed.
...it saves us precious time.
“This is my son, he is very
zzzzz
caring and sensitive. He has an
obsession with trees, he becomes
agitated if he has to wear the colour
blue. He loves maths
and likes to count to
very big numbers. He
will only use a fork if
it has four prongs. He
often walks on tip toes,
he has the whole of the
first series of Doctor Who
memorised along with the
3
names and...”
Sometimes we choose labels
because they appear clean...
6
SPASTIC
SCOPIE
CEREBAL
PALSY
What those people mean is that
they do not like the pollution
of the labels they use.
9
“PROBLEM”
PREJUDICE
IGNORANCE
1
This label means
that big green woody
thing over there.
Labels work if everyone
understands them.
4
PREJUDICE
IGNORANCE
7
definition
of autism
“Autism”
SCOPIE
... but this
is just a
temporary
solution.
Promoting awareness and
understanding helps.
10
2
Without understanding labels
get grubby.
5
PREJUDICE
IGNORANCE
Some people say they do not
want labels at all, but all
words are labels.
8
No-one should feel sad about
their labels.
SPECIAL OLD GIRL GINGER
JEW
GAY
DISABLED
11
CLEVER
SHORT
POC
MUSLIM
CANCER
MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES
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
neurodivergent conditions and
time spent as a registered
foster carer for children with
profound disabilities.
Joanna has published three
practitioner books: “Sensory
Stories for Children and Teens”,
“Sensory-Being for Sensory
Beings” and “Sharing Sensory
Stories and Conversations with
People with Dementia”. and
two inclusive sensory story
children’s books: “Voyage to
Arghan” and “Ernest and I”.
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
14 Parenta.com If you want to learn more about autism, or refresh your existing knowledge, why not take a look at our
August 2019 15
eLearning CPD course “Autism Awareness” here?

Summer outdoor
activities – have fun
but stay safe!
There are generally 6 weeks of summer holidays, that’s 42 days
to fill with something to do, including the weekends. The summer
is a great time to get outdoors and give your body a chance
to make some vital vitamin D, a nutrient that is essential to the
body as it helps maintain healthy bones and teeth; supports the
immune, cardiovascular and nervous systems; and may also
protect against a range of conditions such as cancer, Type 1
diabetes, and multiple sclerosis 1 .
Vitamins are nutrients that cannot be
created by the body and therefore
must be taken in through our diet, but
despite its name, vitamin D is actually
considered a pro-hormone because
it can be synthesised by the body in
response to sun exposure.
It is estimated that sensible sun
exposure on bare skin for 5-10 minutes
2-3 times per week allows most people
to produce sufficient vitamin D, but
vitamin D breaks down quite quickly,
meaning that stores can run low,
especially in winter. Recent data also
suggests that many people are actually
vitamin D deficient and could benefit
from vitamin D supplements.
So correct sun exposure is important, but
obviously, sun exposure has to be safe,
especially for younger children as it can
cause sunburn, heat exhaustion and in
the longer term, over-exposure to UV
rays has been linked to skin cancer, eye
problems and premature ageing.
The NHS have issued the following
advice regarding sun exposure and
young children 2 :
“Children aged under six months should
be kept out of direct strong sunlight.
From March to October in the UK,
children should:
• cover up with suitable clothing
• spend time in the shade (particularly
from 11am to 3pm)
• wear at least SPF15 sunscreen
To ensure they get enough vitamin D,
children aged under five are advised to
take vitamin D supplements even if they
do get out in the sun.“
In Australia, where levels of sun
exposure are generally higher than
in the UK due to the weather, the
government created a ‘Slip, Slop, Slap”
campaign in the 1980s that is still very
popular today, and they have recently
added “Seek and Slide” to the advice. It
stands for:
1. Slip on a shirt
2. Slop on some suntan lotion
3. Slap on a hat
4. Seek some shade, and
5. Slide on some ‘shades’ (sunglasses
to you and me).
The campaign is fronted by a friendly
seagull named Sid, and has a very
catchy little song and video that you
can use with your children to advise
them of the 5 ways to stay safe in the
sun. You can find the updated video on
the SunSmart website 3 and the original
video can be found on YouTube too.
So, once you know how to stay safe in
the sun, there’s no excuse not to get out
there and really make the most of the
warm weather. And to make sure you
don’t run out of ideas, we’ve listed 42
different things you can do outdoors with
pre-schoolers this summer:
Lyrics for the ‘Slip,
Slop, Slap’ song were
written by the founder
of Bonkers Beat Music &
Wellbeing programs, Galina
Zenin. The song is widely
used in Australia. Take a
look at Galina’s article
on page 28!
1. Go on a nature walk and see how many different trees, plants and animals you
can see
2. Create a pavement chalk picture
3. Paddle in a stream – but remember your water safety code though
4. Take a trip to a beach and bury each other in the sand
5. Collect leaves and make a scrapbook of different trees or a forest picture
6. Learn to skip forwards and backwards
7. Visit a local play area and have a picnic
8. Learn a country dance
9. Make some rose-petal perfume
10. Roll down a large hill (avoiding the nettles!)
11. Learn to ride a balance bike or normal bike
12. Make a dandelion or daisy chain
13. Create an outdoor show jumping course and ride over it on a hobby horse or tree
branch
14. Visit a children’s farm
15. Make a den or a tent
16. Visit a steam railway and ride on a steam train – miniature or full size
17. Go on a boat trip
18. Give an outdoor drama/dance performance
19. Make some mud pies
20. Feed the ducks at a local pond or park (bird seed, not bread though)
21. Lie down and look up at the clouds – what shapes and stories can you tell?
22. Learn to do a forward roll
23. Visit a local wildlife or animal centre
24. Play football using your jumpers for goal posts
25. Fill a matchbox with something beginning with every letter of the alphabet – this
one might take a bit of thought and more than a day!
26. Watch the sun set
27. Sit under a tree and write a story or poem
28. Go for a ride on an open-top bus
29. Make a wildlife or bug hotel
30. Set up an outdoor treasure hunt
31. Learn to skim stones on water – or at least see how far you can throw them
32. Go to an open-air swimming pool or start learning to swim
33. Chalk out a pattern and play hopscotch
34. Make giant bubbles with some rope and washing up liquid
35. Hunt for fossils at the beach
36. See how many stones you can balance on top of each other
37. Set up an outdoor assault course
38. Send yourself or your friends a postcard from at least 6 different locations – one
for each week of the holidays
39. Find some unusually-shaped stones, clean and paint them – you can paint them to
look like animals, cars, houses or anything else you can think of
40. Learn to catch a ball and throw a frisbee
41. Create a miniature fairy garden
42. Toast marshmallows on a campfire – with adult supervision and help of course!
References:
16 Parenta.com 1. www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/161618.php
2. www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/injuries/skin-injuries/sunburn
August 2019 17
3. www.sunsmart.com.au/tools/videos/current-tv-campaigns/slip-slop-slap-seek-slide-sid-seagull.html

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August 2019 19

“Why did someone stick stick those those apples
on apples the trees?” on the How trees?” mud kitchen play
How mud kitchen play can help to combat Nature-Deficit Disorder
can help to combat Disorder
I was recently told of a city toddler who, growing up in London, had not seen an apple tree before - let alone
an orchard. His mum took him to visit an orchard and he saw apples growing on a tree for the first time. He
remarked, “Mummy, why did someone stick all those apples in the trees?” This may make us laugh or smile
at his innocent naivety, however, it highlights a more serious issue that modern society is being faced with:
the disconnect between children and nature. The National Trust acknowledged this concern in their Natural
Childhood report, where they noted that, “One in three [children] could not identify a magpie; half could not
tell the difference between a bee and a wasp; yet nine out of ten could recognise a Dalek.”
The term ‘Nature-Deficit Disorder’ was
coined by Richard Louv in his controversial
book, “Last Child in the Woods”. Despite
its name, this is not a medical diagnosis;
rather he uses this term as a metaphor to
describe the children of this generation
who are, quite literally, deprived of nature
and the freedom to play outdoors. He
suggests that these children are more
likely to have physical and emotional
illnesses as a direct result of not playing
outside or being connected with nature.
Children in the UK are spending more
and more time inside and a recent Ofcom
Survey found that children aged between
3 and 4 spend an average of 14 hours per
week watching television and a further
9 hours per week online. On top of this,
the 2016 National Statistics NHS Health
survey found that 83% of children aged
between 2 and 4 spend less than an
hour being physically active in a typical
day. With the decline in children playing
outside, it is easy to see why Richard
Louv is concerned and, in fact, why we all
should be.
One way that many settings are
combatting Nature-Deficit Disorder is by
creating a mud kitchen in their outside
area. Mud kitchens are just that – an
outdoor kitchen where children can
make mud pies or use natural materials
like leaves, grass, sticks and stones to
engage in sensory role-play relating to
cooking and eating. Over the years I have
seen many different ways of creating
these, from expensive purpose-built
outdoor play equipment, to pots and pans
‘cooking’ on a plank resting on bricks. I
have even seen mud-free kitchens where
settings choose to use sand or just gravel
or leaves. Personally, I prefer the muddy
20 Parenta.com
variety as there is nothing like a sticky,
gooey mud pie sprinkled with freshly cut
grass to whet the appetite!
Although there are commercially-produced
mud kitchens available on the market, our
own mud kitchen is in an old beach tent
and includes a low table, pots and pans,
and kitchen utensils. I recently added to
this a basket with felt flames around the
rim as an alternative fire pit for them to
cook on. We also have a blackboard on
which to write a menu and, of course, the
vital ingredient of mud!
In her booklet Making a Mud Kitchen,
Jan White suggests that the best mud
kitchens are made in collaboration with
the children who will be using them. Think
about what you are providing and how
it will enhance the children’s learning
experience. For example, if you provide
measuring jugs, this will encourage
children to use numbers as labels and
for counting. Although there are no rules
as to how you design your kitchen, the
following ideas might be helpful:
ff
ff
ff
Find a suitable space outside to
position your mud kitchen, an
enclosed space or corner works well
and helps to define the area.
Provide a worktop space for children
to ‘cook’ on and ensure that it is
child-height.
Collect a variety of kitchen utensils
and cookware and think about how
you will store these. Any vertical
services can be used to hang pots
and utensils, or use cupboards and
shelves under the worktop.
ff
ff
ff
ff
ff
Source pre-loved items for your mud
kitchen by asking for donations from
parents and carers or your own
family and friends. You could also
search in local charity shops or even
ask at the local recycling centre.
Provide mud or sand
alongside other natural
materials that the children
can create with, such as
gravel, stones, leaves,
moss, sticks and grass.
Allow access to a water
source or provide a
bowl containing water.
Remember to conduct a
risk-benefit analysis
and ensure that
children wash their
hands carefully after
playing with the mud kitchen.
Be creative with the space
and ensure that your kitchen
continually evolves as the
children use it.
Within early childhood settings we
can help children to become more
connected or, indeed, re-connected
with nature by presenting our children
with a mud kitchen. We must
ensure that the children we
care for can recognise
a bee and do
know that
apples grow
on trees!
Suggested Kit List for a mud kitchen!
• Cooker - an old microwave or camping stove works really well. Equally some red and
black laminated circles make a great electric hob - just stick them onto the table.
• Pots and pans - the children will need something to cook in. Provide a variety of sizes
and types, like a frying pan, milk pan and large saucepan. Remember that aluminium
pans are lighter for younger children to use.
• Jugs and bowls - offer containers for children to mix their concoctions in.
• Utensils - whisks, spoons, sieves, colanders, ladles – include some unusual ones like
an ice cream scoop or garlic crusher.
• Bakeware - include some cupcake trays or smaller bakeware as the children will love
filling them with mud and sand!
• Small containers and jars - ones with lids attached will reduce the number of pots
which lose a lid! These can be used to store potions or special mixtures, and the
children will enjoy filling and emptying them.
• Large washing up bowl - encourage the children to help to wash up as part of the play.
• Special ingredients - you might want to think about enhancing your mud kitchen with
spices, food colouring and essential oils to add a sensory twist to their creations.
Ideas adapted from Jan White and muddyfaces.co.uk
For further reading materials please
visit: bit.ly/tamsin-august
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

Summer holidays
Summer holidays
on a
on
budget
a budget
– my
summer scrapbook
If you decide to embark on a
summer scrapbook adventure, there
are many ways in which you can
make memories and collate content
that won’t break the bank! Here are
a few ideas – but above all…enjoy!
My summer scrapbook
The summer always seems to be a long time coming. Yet, when it eventually
arrives, it can be daunting for those parents who have to think about
entertaining their little ones during the holidays (as well as trying to keep their creative and literacy
skills alive) – all on a budget!
What better way to keep the children’s minds active - whilst making precious memories - than to
create a summer scrapbook?
Scrapbooks not only help preserve
memories for years to come,
they’re also a fun and educational
way for children to occupy those
days when there is nothing planned
or when the weather is inclement
– a regular occurrence during the
British summer!
Here are some of our top tips
for making a super summer
scrapbook!
Make the pages
really stand out!
Low key or lavish?
This depends on the children – there is no right or wrong and try and let them lead
on this if possible – sometimes, ‘less is more’! Some will choose to have simple
drawings (or scribbles!), others might use written captions (age dependent) and
some will want to use physical mementos, such as digital photos, a ticket to an
exhibition, cut-out pictures from an attraction leaflet – in fact, anything that reminds
them of that particular day.
Get started
If you already have some days out planned, make sure you collect as much as you can
from your trips. Postcards, photos, feathers, shells, straws, even sand. You will need
lots of different things to be able to colour, decorate and stick as much as you like!
The great thing about taking photos is that you can take hundreds but only need to print out the best ones. You could make
a photo collage of your favourite snaps and add some colour by sticking coloured or shiny paper around it. The children can
improvise by using bits of wrapping paper or even kitchen foil.
They can add texture by sticking leaves, twigs, grass or sand to the pages – anything that has been collected on their day. If the
children love to paint, they could use a couple of pages to interpret their day out through their painting.
If they run out of things they have collected, they can use little bits from around the house, like buttons, fabric or colourful cutouts
from magazines. The list is endless – you can really let their imaginations run wild!
Scrapbooking can be such a fun and relaxing activity that most children love – the result of which will be a
beautiful keepsake that they will treasure for years to come.
A day of cooking or baking
Let the children pick a recipe, then visit your local shops for
the ingredients and cook something together that you can
all enjoy eating. Cake baking always seems to be a firm
favourite!
Fruit picking
Pick your own (PYO) is a fun, less expensive (and almost
always messy!) way to buy your fruit. Save pennies and find
out where your local PYO farms are - you can even have a little
competition to see who can pick the most fruit!
Den building and camping
Weather permitting, you can build your den outside. All you
need are some boxes or sofa cushions, a few blankets, and
a bit of imagination. If you have a tent, you could arrange a
camping trip in your garden with the children for one night.
Garden races
Hold your own garden races with games that don’t need much
equipment...a sack race with pillowcases, a tug of war with
a dressing gown belt! Jumping over boxes and under old
blankets – you can let your imagination run wild!
Visit your local library
Local libraries are often under-used but can be a real blessing
in the summer holidays. You can borrow audio books (great
for long car journeys) and DVDs as well as normal books, and
many libraries run a Summer Reading Challenge. You can also
use the library to research free events in your local area.
Museums don’t need to be boring
Whether the children are interested in sports, animals, art or
history, there is usually at least one free museum in the area,
some of which will have interactive family-friendly activities
during the holidays.
Have a movie day
Choose a couple of favourite films, get some popcorn (and hot
chocolate if the weather isn’t great) grab the favourite teddies
and blankets and put your feet up with the children.
Dressing-up
As well as delving into the children’s dressing-up box, have
a look in your own wardrobe and play dress-up with your
old clothes. You can also use this as a recycling exercise by
sorting through your clothes together, and taking to the charity
shop or clothes bank the ones that you never wear and the
little ones have grown out of.
Top tip for settings:
Being able to take their summer
scrapbooks into nursery after the
holidays also presents settings with
a great opportunity for children of
different cultures to be able to share
some of their experiences with
others. This is an excellent way of
promoting the British Value of mutual
respect and tolerance of those with
different faiths and beliefs.
22 Parenta.com August 2019 23

Promoting young children’s
health – putting it in to practice
Brambles is a pre-school nursery setting with 106 children on roll. Karen Nash is the Manager,
Nicola is the Deputy Manager and Karen Neal is the Family Coordinator. Here, they discuss the Early
Childhood Health Promotion research they carried out in partnership with Jackie Musgrave, who
works at The Open University.
Karen, Nicola and Karen: Why
are you interested in promoting
the health of children?
We have always been committed
to healthy eating and to
becoming a healthy nursery.
For several years we have had
a campaign to encourage the
children, parents and the staff to
think about what they can do to
promote their health. The health
issues that affect the children in
our nursery include dental decay,
speech and language delay,
obesity, infectious diseases and
some mental health problems.
Last autumn, we started to
discuss what we could do to
make the nursery a place where
children could eat even more
healthily. We were becoming
concerned about the quality of
some of the food that children
were bringing in from home.
We are really aware of the
pressure that parents are under
for a range of reasons, but we
wanted to work with parents
to encourage them to provide
similar meals at home to those
they are provided with at nursery.
It was at this time that Jackie
got in touch with us to ask if we
would be willing to be involved
in a piece of research that she
was hoping to carry out. During
our initial meeting to discuss
the research, Jackie described
a toolkit that she had devised
to help practitioners to identify
ways to promote health in
settings.
Jackie: what was your
motivation for doing the child
health promotion research?
I was a Children’s Nurse before
I started teaching children’s
health to early years students at
the local college. When I moved
into higher education, I became
even more fascinated by the
ways that practitioners support
children’s health; adapting
routines and activities to ensure
that children with on-going
health conditions, for example,
eczema and asthma, are
included as much as possible.
More recently, partly because of
the school-readiness agenda,
I started to think about the
ways that practitioners promote
children’s health. I started
to look at publications and
research relating to promoting
health in pre-school children
and realised that there was very
little available that practitioners
could use to develop their
knowledge in general about
health promotion. Neither was
there anything available to guide
thinking about how to identify
health promotion activities in
settings. Most of the publications
relate to health promotion in
school-aged children. It’s as
if children can only have their
health promoted once they get
to school. However, the staff
at Brambles are really aware
of the need to ‘get them early’
and to teach children about
making healthy choices. So,
when I showed them the Toolkit
for Early Childhood Education
and Care Practitioners they were
really interested to be involved
in the research. The Toolkit is in
two parts, the first part includes
information about health
promotion in early childhood.
It includes definitions of health
promotion, there is a section
on the benefits of promoting
children’s health, an explanation
of the ways that many of the
health issues can be prevented.
It also includes clear links about
the ways that the aims of the
Early Years Foundation Stage
can promote health in children
aged 0–5 years. The second
part includes a series of 5 steps:
each step has been designed to
guide practitioners to identify the
health priorities for the children
and families in their setting;
consider ways to select a health
promotion intervention; support
them in preparing an action
plan and finally, to evaluate the
impact of the intervention.
I was delighted when the staff
at Brambles agreed to take
part in the research; Karen N
is the Family Coordinator at the
nursery, so she was my coresearcher.
Karen N: what are your
thoughts about the reasons
for taking part in the health
promotion research?
As Family Coordinator, I work
closely with the parents and I
am very aware of some of the
difficulties that they have in their
lives and how this can impact
on children’s health. It is really
important to be sensitive to that.
However, we wanted to find
ways of working with them to
make eating healthier at home.
Becoming involved with Jackie’s
research helped us put a plan in
place. Discussing the plan with
the practitioners in each of the
rooms made us look at what
we can do to promote health,
in ways that can benefit the
children that are relevant to the
age and stage of development.
Although we started off talking
about healthy eating, we quickly
realised that we needed to look
at healthy drinking too and we
needed to encourage children
to drink more water. We had
gone juice-free last year, but we
were concerned that the children
may not be drinking enough
water, and of course, there is
a risk of the children becoming
dehydrated. Very young children
don’t always make the links
between how they feel when
they are thirsty and may not
have the vocabulary to express
the way they feel. So, part of our
plan included activities aimed
at increasing the children’s
water intake in ways that were
appropriate.
As part of our plan to work with
parents, I sent out questionnaires
to parents to find out more
about their knowledge of healthy
eating. Some of the results were
surprising, especially in relation
to their knowledge about food
types and nutrition in general.
In response to the findings from
the questionnaires, I decided to
create a healthy eating display
board for parents’ evening.
Jackie: How useful was the
parents’ evening health
education display?
The display that Karen created
was fantastic: she set it up in the
entrance to the nursery which
was also the area where the
parents waited before going to
see their child’s practitioner at
the appointed time. Karen had
carefully identified the areas
that the parents had indicated
they wanted more information
about, and then she researched
the information she wanted to
pass on. She decided to make
the display really visual, as
you can see in the photo, she
measured out the actual sugar
content that was in some of the
products that children brought
into the nursery in their lunch
boxes. I was invited to attend
the parents’ evening and it was
striking how many of the parents
took the time to really look at the
display; nearly all were shocked
at the sugar content in some of
the products that they considered
to be healthy. What was really
interesting was that many of the
parents went on to ask Karen
questions about other healthrelated
issues, such as weaning,
dental health and toilet training.
Another really impressive part of
the health education display, was
that Karen had created a recipe
booklet of the children’s favourite
easy-to-cook, cheap but
nutritious meals that were served
at nursery. She had carefully
identified the meals that the
children enjoyed: these included
a West African stew, a Polish
cabbage dish and even pilchard
curry! To show the parents that
the children really did enjoy
the dishes, photos were sent
of the children eating them via
the electronic communication
system. Parents commented that
they were really surprised that
the children did eat the food. To
try and encourage the parents to
cook the dishes at home, Karen
included a list of ingredients as
well as the cooking instructions.
Nicola: what are your
thoughts about the health
promotion research?
The biggest thing that has come
out of it is the staff awareness
of health and wellbeing, not
just for the children, but for
themselves as well; it’s almost
as if they have changed some of
their lifestyle choices too. They’re
embedding it into their own lives
as well as their own practice.
Jackie: what are your
thoughts about how Brambles
have used the Toolkit and how
they have approached their
healthy eating and drinking
campaign for 2019?
The staff at Brambles have
demonstrated that early years
practitioners have a vital role
to play in promoting children’s
health. Although their campaign
started off as looking at healthy
eating, this quickly included the
need for them to think about
healthy drinking, in particular
how they could teach children
about the need to keep hydrated
with water. They then realised
that whilst healthy eating and
healthy drinking are vitally
important, these concepts also
affect the children’s dental
health and in turn, this can
impact on speech and language
development. If a child is
not given food that will help
jaw muscle development, for
example, fruits and vegetables
that require chewing, this can
mean that the muscles required
for speech don’t develop and
language can be affected. If
children have food that helps
teeth to decay and teeth can
become unsightly, even in
very young children, they can
become aware of this. One
of my students described
how a 7-year-old child had
been referred for speech and
language therapy, and when
he was being assessed by the
therapist, it turned out that his
teeth were so badly decayed, he
tried to conceal this by keeping
his mouth tightly closed and of
course, this meant he wasn’t
able to speak properly. Of course,
there are lots of other ways that
healthy eating and drinking
contribute to healthy living.
At Brambles they have developed
what can be called a ‘whole
systems’ approach to healthy
living. We started calling it the
Rs of Early Childhood Health
Promotion because they have
selected interventions that are
relevant to the children and
families; they are embedding
healthy living activities into the
routines of the nursery; the
practitioners have become role
models for the children, teaching
the children the importance of the
approaches by demonstration
and example. What is also really
important is that the interventions
are realistic and some have
no, or very little, extra resource.
The biggest resource need is
for a commitment to spend
time reflecting and developing
their approach. And of huge
importance, is the way that
Brambles have developed their
health promotion approach
on the foundations of their
relationships with the children
and their families in the setting.
It is so important that we identify
ways of promoting children’s
health and are doing all we can
to turn the tide in relation to some
of the important issues that are
making children unhealthy. After
all, healthy children will have
higher levels of wellbeing and will
learn better. What Brambles are
doing is a great example of highquality
attention to promoting
good health in their children.
Jackie Musgrave
Jackie Musgrave joined
the Open University as
Programme Lead for Early
Childhood in October 2017.
Before that, she worked in
the Centre for Children and
Families at the University of
Worcester from April 2012
as the Course Leader for the
BA (Hons) in Early Childhood
(Professional Practice).
Jackie trained as a General
Nurse and she did postregistration
training to
become a Sick Children’s
Nurse at Birmingham
Children’s Hospital. Her
professional interests as
a Practice Nurse included
chronic disease prevention
programmes, childhood
immunisations and women’s
health promotion.
Jackie graduated with a
Master’s degree in Early
Childhood Education from
the University of Sheffield,
gaining a distinction for
her dissertation as well as
being awarded the Rutland
Prize for Early Childhood
Education. Her doctoral
research explored the
effects of chronic health
conditions on young
children and ways in which
practitioners could create
inclusive environments for
these children.
Jackie’s research-based
book, Supporting Children’s
Health and Wellbeing, was
published by Sage in May
2017.
24 Parenta.com August 2019 25

National Colouring Book Day
What will you do on 2nd August? Change a few nappies? Get stuck in traffic? Struggle to get
everyone out of the door on time? Chances are that you might be doing at least a few activities
that could cause you some anxiety or stress.
But did you know that 2nd August also happens to have the perfect antidote to stress, in that it is
National Colouring Book Day? You didn’t? Then read on, to find out how you can use this age-old,
creative technique to not only entertain the children in your care but reduce your own stress levels
at the same time.
National Colouring Book Day was
started in America in the 1970s when a
company, Dover Publications, launched
the first colouring book for adults.
Until then, colouring in had been
the preserve of children, and mostly
very young children at that. But since
then, colouring for adults has really
taken off, and more recently, as adults
struggle to find non-screen-based
activities for children to keep them
occupied, the humble colouring book
has seen a resurgence in its popularity.
Nowadays, you can get colouring
books on virtually every topic under
the sun, from simple patterns to
complex, meditative mandalas;
animals to the human body; and
characters from every TV show or
popular film have found their way
onto the pages of a colouring book
somewhere!
THE BENEFITS OF COLOURING
Children have always loved colouring
in pictures, and for them, it’s a way
to learn and practice many important
skills including:
Development of fine motor skills
In order to colour, children need to
hold pencils/pens or crayons in their
little fingers, so practicing colouring
helps the development of their
muscles in their hands and fingers
and helps them to get a good grip.
Colour and shape recognition
By using different colours, children
can learn to name and distinguish
them, especially if helped by an adult,
who says the name and repeats it.
By blending or colouring over things,
children can also learn about the
subtleties of colour and the affect
they can have on their own work.
Hand and eye coordination
Hand and eye coordination is
extremely important in life when
doing many practical tasks – pouring,
catching and writing to name but a
few. When you look at a very young
child’s colouring, you notice how they
appear to scribble over the image
and find it difficult to stay within
the lines, but by practicing, children
gradually become more adept at
this skill as their hand and eye
coordination improves.
Concentration
Colouring things requires a good
deal of concentration and children
can extend their concentration spans
by practicing and focusing on
tasks, so colouring is great for
developing this skill. You
can even break the task
down if needed, by
say, focusing only
on one part of the picture or on one
colour to start with.
Sense of pride and self-esteem
There is a huge sense of achievement
and pride attained from finishing
something well and feeling you have
done your best. It’s even better if
your work is admired by others too,
so remember to praise the children
for completing their work and watch
them smile.
Creativity
Everyone experiences the world in
different ways and so allowing children
their own version of ‘reality’ can help
with their creativity rather than stifle
it. As they become more confident,
they may also experiment with their
creativity more using special effects
or even ‘pushing the boundaries’, and
colour over the lines again.
Self-expression
Who says you can’t colour the grass
blue and the trees purple? This is
linked to creativity too, as colouring
can be a great way to allow children
to express themselves and their mood.
Art therapists understand that using
different colours can reflect children’s
own experiences or their mood, so
be aware of this and be careful not
to criticise a choice of colour even if it
does not fit with conventional reality.
It could just be the child expressing
themselves in that moment. And
where would Art be generally if we
always had to stick with one version of
‘reality’?
Spatial awareness and boundary
recognition
Learning spatial awareness is
important in everyday life. Colouring
can help with this on a micro level
by making the child aware of 2D
boundaries and of different shapes
and areas.
Handwriting skills
Developing fine motor skills is
essential for the development of
legible handwriting. Colouring helps
develop these muscles so that
mastering letters later on can be more
easily achieved.
Reduced stress and anxiety
Recent studies have shown that
colouring can help reduce stress and
anxiety in adults due to the focused
and creative nature of the activity 1,2 .
Researchers found that colouring for
as little as 10 minutes a day, can have
positive mental health outcomes,
which suggests that colouring is no
longer just for children: you can add
some stress-relief to your staff’s day
as well, by encouraging them to get
involved and colour something in too.
SOME IDEAS FOR NATIONAL
COLOURING BOOK DAY
One of the great benefits of colouring
is that you really don’t need a lot
of expensive equipment. There are
colouring books you can buy on a
variety of different topics, and the
internet is full of free, downloadable
resources too.
Why not make your own patterns to
colour by using a large marker pen to
trace or draw the outline of an object
or a pattern and then photocopy them
for the children to colour in?
Think big! Colouring does not have to
be just a two-dimensional activity.
You could colour something in and
then wrap it around a cardboard
tube to make a spaceship; or
download some maths nets from
the internet to create a giant,
colourful dice; or cut out some
paper patterns to make animals,
pencil pot
covers or
murals. And
with a bit of
research, you
can turn your
finished designs
into mugs, T-shirts
or tea towels so use
your imagination
and let us know how
creative you can be!
We’ve created some
free downloadable
pages for you to use in
your setting too. Click
here to access them.
References:
1. www.tandfonline.com/doi/
abs/10.1080/10400419.2017.1
376505
2. files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/
EJ688443.pdf
26 Parenta.com August 2019 27

Sing your way to smooth transitions
In early childhood education we all put so much time and effort into coming up with experiences
that are stimulating, enjoyable, challenging and educational. But what about the time between
these experiences? This, at times chaotic, transitional space between parts of the day can not only
be made easier for you and the children in your care, but can also offer an opportunity for further
learning and development.
With the overall wellbeing of children
so crucial to all areas of their ongoing
development, it’s important to be aware
of how we can minimise stress levels
for children through managing calm,
smooth transitions – essential. “Children
who have sustained high stress levels
are less able to learn and develop to
their potential” (Sims, 2008) as a result of
high levels of cortisol or ‘stress hormone’
in their bodies. Today’s children face
fast-paced, busy lives and we can all
contribute to lowering the anxiety and
stress in their days during these pivotal
early years.
Making the transition
It’s a special thing to witness when
children are particularly enjoying an
element of their day, but it’s more
stressful when you know the time is
approaching to move on to something
else. What about the morning rush?
Children can often arrive at the nursery
feeling rushed and tense which leaves
them clinging to mum or dad and
potentially disrupting the morning flow
in the room. So how do we alleviate the
stress of transitions while simultaneously
maximising children’s learning? Enter:
transitional songs.
What are transitional songs?
Both research and experience support
the use of songs to ease children’s
experience with transitions, keeping in
mind that there are several transitions
across a standard day. These are the
transitions we tend to face each day
in settings that can sometimes be
challenging for children:
• Home to the settings
• Activity to activity
• Activity to pack up
• Room to room
• Outside to inside
Throughout numerous conversations and
surveys, educators have identified three
most challenging transitions for the day:
1. Rest time
2. Group time
3. Tidy/pack-away time
At the end of this article, we are sharing
a transitional song to tackle each of
these routines so you can see how
transitional songs can be tailored to
individual situations.
Why use transitional songs?
Before we understand why transitional
songs are so important, we need to
consider why children sometimes
struggle with transitions.
Here are four of the most common
problems that can cause transitions to
be chaotic:
1. Transitions are rushed
2. Children don’t know what is coming
next
3. Children are not ready to stop doing
what they are doing
4. Children have little or no warning of
what is expected of them
A consistent routine, fortified with
music in the form of transitional
songs, will solve all of these problems.
And while routine alone is crucial to a
positive environment for children, the
incorporation of music in any form – in
this case, singing - will always further
improve the scenario. At Bonkers Beat
Music Kinder, we have seen first-hand
the positive impact of singing throughout
the day, an experience backed up by
many other educators who implement
our program in their settings.
Transitional songs can play a pivotal role
for a child’s development. The time spent
struggling to convince children to move on
to the next task can be utilised effectively by
lowering stress levels during transitions and
incorporating singing and its many benefits
into children’s days.
Time to rhyme
There has been ample research telling us
that children who struggle with rhymes are
likely to have difficulties reading (Journal of
Child Psychology & Psychiatry Vol 31, Issue
2, Jan 1990), and this, combined with the
countless benefits of music for wellbeing,
is surely enough for us to consider how we
can use songs in children’s day-to-day lives.
Transitional songs are a simple, useful and
effective way to incorporate songs, rhymes,
poems and music into each and every day.
Transitional songs also serve us well
in encouraging rote learning through
memorisation, which I believe assists
children to retain all the information they
take in every day, so that they can recall it
and apply it when it’s needed.
Tips for using transitional songs
Consistency is key with making transitional
songs effective. Use the same song/s at
the same time/s to see results. Eventually
you may even find children using the songs
without prompting.
Make the songs fun – include some actions
or fun sounds to make!
In my experience transitional songs seem to
work best when the words in the song tell
the children what is happening or what they
are going to be doing.
Try these musical ideas for the top three
most challenging transitions in the day:
1. Rest time
2. Group time
3. Tidy/pack away time
Transitional songs not only ease children
in moving from one activity to another,
but they are also an enjoyable way of
incorporating music and singing into the
day and reaping the rewards on children’s
social and emotional wellbeing. If you are
looking for a way to make your day run
more smoothly, transitional songs could be
the answer.
To find out more about the first music kinder
in Australia visit the Bonkers Beat website.
To share your ideas and views, visit the
Bonkers Beat Facebook page
Galina Zenin
Galina Zenin (B.Mus. Ed.,
Dip. Teach.) is a presenter,
early childhood educator and
qualified music and voice
training teacher, author,
composer and storyteller.
She writes her own music
and brings to her programs
a wealth of European and
Australian experience,
together with a high level of
professionalism.
Her Bonkers Beat® programs
are breakthrough, multiaward-winning
music and
wellbeing programs for early
years that enrich the lives of
young children and boost
settings’ occupancy at the
same time. They have been
introduced in many settings
across Australia, empowering
educators and enhancing
the wellbeing of hundreds of
children and families.
Galina is a recipient of the
2015 National Excellence in
Teaching Award by Australian
Scholarships Group (ASG)
and the creator of Bonkers
Beat Music & Bonkers Gym
Wellbeing Programs. From
keynote address to small
group workshops, she has
inspired audiences on 4
continents and has been
widely featured in the
national media.
You can follow Galina on
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
and LinkedIn.
28 Parenta.com August 2019 29

Clay leaf print craft
What our customers say
WHAT OUR CUSTOMERS SAY
YOU WILL NEED:
• Clay (we used an air drying one)
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Leaves/flowers or whatever you would like to
print on the clay
SOFTWARE SUPPORT - JULY 2019
Fabulous customer service. I never have a
problem getting through to the team and
when I do, they are happy and upbeat and
are always patient. Usually the problems
are operator error from my side but the
team humour my lack of computer skills
and are very patient with me. I cannot
recommend Parenta enough to people.
Great system but an A* customer service.
St Johns Nursery
TRAINING - JUNE 2019
The services on offer have been
fantastic. I have felt nothing but
supported throughout my time of
doing my apprenticeship.
Daniel Burgess
1. Get the clay ready and ask the children to create
different shapes with it.
2. Let the children press their chosen leaves onto the
clay. They might need help, as it needs to be pressed
hard.
3. Leave the leaves and the clay to dry. We left it
overnight.
4. Once the clay is dry, the children can paint it.
5. You are done!
TRAINING - JULY 2019
I couldn’t have asked for a better mentor throughout my time
of doing my level 3. Laura made me feel comfortable, calm
and most importantly, made me feel confident in myself. Was
happy to have her through everything.
Natasha Douglass - Footsteps Day Nursery
TRAINING - JULY 2019
Many thanks for your email and
for all the support Parenta has
given Stephanie, Tina is wonderful.
Fruit Tree Nursery
TRAINING - JULY 2019
I would like to say how much
I have enjoyed doing the
level 2 and level 3 courses
that I have done with
Parenta. My assessor, Amy
Webber, was brilliant all the
way through and supported
me extremely well.
Allison Johnson
30 Parenta.com August 2019 31

Helping children to accept those
with additional needs
Inclusion in early years settings and schools is something that is widely discussed thanks to
its advantages and disadvantages. Despite any disadvantages, one major bonus of inclusion
is the opportunity for children to mix with other children with different needs and learn about
differences in others. Throughout their early years and schooling, a child is likely to meet
others with a wide range of abilities and needs.
Young children are very accepting of
differences. They aren’t born judging
others – they learn this. Children will
learn prejudices from their parents or
other outside influences. Therefore
as practitioners, we have a duty to
teach children to accept one another,
no matter what their needs.
To young children, the additional
needs of others may sometimes be
obvious - for example one of their
peers may be a wheelchair user, or
the needs may be hidden. So how
do we teach children to accept and
respect those children around them
with additional needs, whatever they
are?
Teach children that we are all
different. To begin with, we need
to teach children that no two people
are the same. Circle time is a great
opportunity for this. Talk about the
fact that we all look different – some
have curly hair, we have different
eye colours, different skin colour,
some people wear glasses. Then
extend to other differences such as
where people live, what language
they speak, what different things
they like doing. The important thing
to emphasise here is that it is ok to
be different. In fact it is a good thing.
Wouldn’t it be boring if we all looked
exactly the same?
Once we’ve established the fact
that differences are a positive thing,
then you can include the fact that
one girl wears glasses because her
eyes need a little extra help to see,
and another boy uses a wheelchair
because his legs don’t work well.
Teach children that we all have
similarities. As well as differences
we also all have common ground.
Point out the fact that a few children
like a certain book character, a
few have the same lunch box, a
few have the same hair colour etc.
Include the child with special needs
when discussing similarities so that
all children can see that their need
doesn’t define them – they have
lots of other wonderful things about
them that we can learn about.
Extend to the fact that we all
find some things easy and some
things hard. It’s important for
children to realise that we all learn
at different speeds. Use yourself
as an example – there are things
that you learnt to do quickly
and things that you need to
practise again and again. It’s
just the same for all of us. It doesn’t
matter how long we take to learn
something, as long as we try our
hardest and don’t give up. Again, a
good way to tackle this is at circle
time. Ask the children what they
are good at and what they find
hard, again highlighting everyone’s
differences.
Once you’ve helped develop an
understanding and acceptance of
the fact that we all have differences
– with regard to our looks, our
circumstances and the things that
we find easy and hard - then you
can start to talk about the particular
needs that are in your setting if
necessary.
Talk about behaviour head-on.
This is the area that you are most
likely to need to discuss with children
because if one child in your setting
is really struggling with behaviour,
it can easily have a knock-on effect
on others. As we know, children are
constantly observing one another
and tend to copy behaviours, which
can be something that
needs addressing. You
may also have
children
that are worried or upset by another
child’s behaviour. If you have a child
that is displaying negative behaviour,
don’t sweep it under the carpet.
Acknowledge it to the other children
and talk about how the behaviour
makes them feel. Come back to the
fact that we all find some things
easy and some things hard. Now
explain to the rest of the children
that, just as you find it hard to do
e.g. drawing, this child finds it hard
to do the right thing. Reassure the
children that you are dealing with
this child’s behaviour in the best way
for them and that they do not need
to worry.
Ask them to help. Get children
involved. Explain that we can all
help one another by showing each
other the right thing to do. Use
it as an opportunity to reiterate
your expectations and let the
children know how proud you are
of both them, and the child that is
struggling. You can also discuss
practical ways that the children in
your setting can help another child.
Teach children that it is ok to ask
questions. Understanding is key to
acceptance, therefore children need
to feel safe to ask questions about
their friend’s needs. Just encourage
them to do so sensitively.
As in all aspect of life, acceptance is
always going to be a sticky issue that
can cause problems. Children with
special needs, just like all children,
want friends and respect. Thankfully,
if we can educate children to accept
and understand others at a very
young age, then they stand a good
chance of being more tolerant of
others as they grow up.
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
32 Parenta.com August 2019 33

National Playday
- 7th August
George Bernard Shaw famously wrote: “We
don’t stop playing because we grow old; we
grow old because we stop playing.” How right
he was!
“Every child has
the right to rest and
leisure, to engage in play
and recreational activities
appropriate to the age of the
child and to participate freely in
cultural life and the arts.”
Article 31. UN Convention on
the Rights of the Child.
It’s summer – why not try some water play?
Since the warm weather is finally kicking in, why not have
fun this Playday with some of our suggested water-based
play ideas.
1. Sprinkler Spree! Everyone loves running through a
sprinkler, thinking that we will somehow dodge the
water droplets and come out dry on the other side. Oh,
how wrong we are!!
Last month, the Government
published the KS1 and KS2
SATs results, and for many
young children, it marked
their first stage in the race to
reach the expected national
standards in academic
subjects by the ages of 7,
11, and 16. To some, this is
the culmination of years of
hard work studying maths,
English and SPAG (spelling,
punctuation and grammar)
and for many year 6
students, much of their last
year at primary school has
been focused on achieving
top results in these exams,
sometimes at the expense of
other curriculum items. It’s
no wonder that ‘playtime’
has become a dirty word in
some circles!
However, in the same month,
we also heard about the
increasing incidence of
mental health problems that
many young people suffer
from nowadays, often due
to the pressures they face
to do well across the board
in exams and academic
subjects, as well as feelings
of inadequacy and low selfesteem
that can be caused
by social media and a culture
which constantly promotes a
comparison with others.
And yet early years
professionals know that
children learn best when
they are engaged, interested
and excited by a subject;
and that often means that
the best learning is done
through PLAY and a holistic
approach to education!
So perhaps the time has
come to put ‘play’ back on
the curriculum and high on
the list! But fear not, the
humble playtime does have
its fair share of supporters
too – in fact it has its very
own awareness day!
Set up in 1987 by 3
London playworkers, Mick
Conway, Paul Bonel and
Kim Holdaway, Playday’s
initial aims were to raise
the profile of play and
alert people locally to the
potential loss of children’s
play services. But their idea
quickly gained momentum
and in 4 years, it went
national, and it is now
the biggest celebration of
children’s play in the UK.
Last year communities
celebrated Playday at more
than 850 events. The United
Nations have even officially
recognised the right to play
in their “Convention on the
Rights of the Child”.
You can read more about
Playday on the official
Playday website, and you
might also be surprised
to know that England,
Scotland, Wales and
Northern Ireland also have
their own charity groups
dedicated to promoting play
in their regions. This year,
Playday is on Wednesday
August 7th and there are
hundreds of activities for
you to join in all around the
country. Or you can always
set up your own event too.
The theme for this
year’s Playday is “Play
Builds Children”, and
the organisers and their
coordinating partners want
to “highlight the many ways
in which play is beneficial to
children and young people.”
Recent research has shown
play has many benefits,
not just for the children
undertaking the play, but
also for their families and
wider communities too. It
can:
• improve and maintain
children’s physical and
mental health
• give them the chance
to socialise with other
children of different
ages and social
backgrounds
• increase their
confidence, selfawareness
and selfesteem
• develop imagination
and creativity
• promote independence
• build resilience through
different physical and
mental challenges and
risk-taking
• offer opportunities for
problem-solving and
new encounters
That’s why this year’s theme
says that play can “build
children and communities”
– through their friendships,
their resilience, and their
health and wellbeing.
What can you do on
Playday?
The answer to this is quite
simple – PLAY!
There will be lots of
organised events you can
attend, either as an early
years setting, a family
or an individual. A quick
review of the some of the
events around the country
returned a whole myriad
of activities including: farm
activities, inflatables, crafts,
pop-up play, giant games,
messy play, circus skills,
willow weaving, balance
2. Set up a water run. You could set up a water run
by connecting different items together such as plastic/
wooden tubes, tilted bowls and old pipes. How far can
you get the water to travel?
3. Try some pond-dipping. This is great fun and highly
educational as well, helping you introduce mini-beasts
and different habitats/environments to your setting too.
4. Test your water pouring and maths skills.
Collect together a range of different containers of
different shapes and sizes that could hold water. Get
the children to pour the water from one container to
another and to say whether they think the water will fit
in or not.
5. Jump in muddy puddles! Although it’s summer, there
is no rule to say that you can’t make your own muddy
puddles to jump in. After all, if you can’t jump in a
muddy puddle when you’re a toddler, what has the
world come to?!
bikes, quad bikes, water/
mud slides, hay bales,
bouncy castles, sports, a
mobile skate park, treeplanting,
bolder-climbing,
face painting, magic shows,
water-play activities, Sumowrestling,
Capoeira, and a
plan “to fill a car park with
cardboard boxes!”
So it seems that ‘anything
goes’ as long as you are
playing and having fun!
Check out what is
happening near you by
visiting the Playday website,
and there are lots of
resources to help you if you
want to plan your own event
too, including logos, posters,
tips and an organiser’s
checklist.
For more information:
www.playday.org.uk
Reference for research
on play:
www.playengland.net/wpcontent/uploads/2015/09/
play-for-a-change-low-res.
pdf
34 Parenta.com August 2019 35

Should we force children to say ‘sorry’?
If a child does something to upset someone else quite often our automatic reaction is to ask
them to say ‘sorry’. It’s a natural response as we want them to learn manners and to be civilised
human beings. However, if we sit back and think about it, is this really doing them any good?
In a child’s early years, they have a
limited ability to feel empathy and
are literally the centre of their own
world. This therefore means that they
quite often struggle to see things
from another person’s point of view
and won’t truly understand what
‘sorry’ means or be able to say it in a
meaningful way. By forcing them to say
it, we are simply teaching them that an
empty word rectifies their actions and
allows them to avoid consequences.
It may sound extreme, but it also
indirectly teaches them to lie and does
the exact opposite of our intention,
which was to develop their empathy!
Now I’m not saying that we shouldn’t
ask children to say sorry as this is an
important thing to do in life. However,
I do think that in a child’s early years,
the emphasis should be more on
developing their understanding of
the situation, so that when they do
eventually say ‘sorry’, they will truly
understand what that means.
Ultimately, we want children to
understand the impact of their
actions and to make positive choices.
However, in order for them to do this,
we have to teach them how.
Instead of insisting that children say
’sorry’, here are 5 alternative options:
1. Natural consequences
It’s important for children to learn
about cause and effect, therefore
it is crucial that they learn natural
consequences. If a child hits
another child with a toy, the natural
consequence would be for that toy to
be taken away temporarily until they
can learn to play with it safely. If a
child hits someone, then that child
needs to be moved away (not isolated)
because the natural consequence is
that their friend probably won’t want
to be near them for a while. If we
come from a place of consequences
and teaching, rather than a place
of punishment and control, we will
give children more opportunities
to understand their behaviour and
therefore develop their self-awareness
and empathy.
2. Acknowledge feelings
Quite often we only acknowledge the
feelings of the child who has been
hurt or upset. However, it is important
to do the same for the other child too.
Have you ever been in a situation
where you have felt so frustrated,
yet nobody seemed to listen or
understand? It is infuriating isn’t
it? Well, it is the same for children.
Even though their actions may have
been wrong, they are still feeling
strong emotions. By asking children
how they feel you are giving them
an opportunity to learn and grow.
Behaviour is communication and if we
can support children to identify the
emotions and situation that have led
to their behaviour, we can help them
to develop better coping strategies in
the future.
3. Develop empathy
As well as identifying their own
feelings, it is also important to ask
children how they think their actions
might have made the other person feel
by asking questions such as:
• You did [action], how do you think
this made [child] feel?
• How would you feel if somebody
did [action] to you?
By asking these questions in a
supportive and gentle way, we give
children a safe space to explore what
has happened and to hopefully see
things from a different perspective,
which again will develop their
empathy.
4. Find an alternative solution
By giving children the opportunity
to think about how they could do
things differently in the future, you
are planting positive seeds in their
minds and supporting them to find an
alternative way of coping with their
emotions. Give them lots of praise for
their response and prompt them if
needed with questions like this:
• If we feel angry inside because
someone has taken our toy, what
can we do instead of hitting them?
• Could we ask nicely for it back?
• Could we tell a grown up?
• What would you do next time that
doesn’t hurt/upset someone?
5. Model the apology
You can ask children if they want to
say sorry but if they choose not, this
gives you a great opportunity to model
how to do it by apologising on their
behalf. If your apology is heartfelt and
explains why you are sorry (I am sorry
that [child] did [action] and that you
are feeling sad) children will see that
emotion and care are attached to this
word. You can also model apologies
when you make a mistake yourself.
Even though we are adults, we are still
human and make mistakes and it is
important to lead by example so that
children see it as the norm.
Apologising for your actions is
important. However, if there is no
meaning or care behind it, the word
‘sorry’ becomes worthless and simply a
tool to get away with things. Actions are
more important than words. A person
can say ‘sorry’ a million times but if their
actions never change, the word means
nothing. It is important for children to
learn to say it, but if we focus more on
supporting them to understand and
change their actions, when they do
eventually say ‘sorry’ it will be heartfelt
and for the right reasons.
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/
36 Parenta.com August 2019 37

Healthy cold food for the
perfect teddy bears’ picnic
“If you go down in the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise
If you go down in the woods today, you’d better go in disguise
For every bear that ever there was will gather there for certain
Because today’s the day the teddy bears have their picnic”
Everyone loves a teddy bears’ picnic – including the teddies, of course!
Ice lollies
Everyone loves an ice lolly on
a hot summer day and the
children can get involved with
helping to make them. You can
buy some lolly moulds and
sticks easily in any household
store. For a quick and simple
lolly, make up some fruit squash,
use fruit juices or yoghurts and put them in the freezer
to set. You can also make more natural ice lollies by
whizzing up in a blender strawberries, natural yoghurt or
apple/orange juice and adding honey for sweetness.
Crudities for kids
There’s nothing like a
delicious dip to tempt
children to eat their
veggies! Chop
up some carrots,
peppers, cucumber
and celery – you could let
the children make faces out of
the different shapes on their plates! You can prepare in
advance a couple of tasty dips which can be enjoyed by
children and adults alike - some easy to make healthy
dips can be found here.
The great thing about having a teddy bears’ picnic is that you don’t have to wait for the good weather to arrive -
you can have one pretty much anywhere. It can be just as much fun whether it’s indoors or outdoors and is a great
form of entertainment for little ones of all ages! You will almost certainly find that even the quieter children become
engaged and animated when it’s time to get the teddies out and have some fun! Children just love to compare their
teddies, play teddy bear games and of course, eat some scrumptious food.
With the warm weather upon us, here are some ideas for
healthy, cold, tasty treats for your very own teddy bears’
picnic…and they won’t break the bank!
Two-ingredient strawberry ice cream
Ice cream is usually a firm favourite with children and this delicious vegan-friendly, gluten/
dairy free, and no added sugar ice cream is sure to be no exception! You can prepare the fruit
in advance by chopping up a punnet of strawberries and 4 or 5 bananas. The children can
help by placing the fruit into zip-seal freezer bags and sealing them tight, being careful to
squeeze out the air without squeezing out the fruit! Freeze for 6 hours, break up into chunks
and blitz in a blender until it is the consistency of a smoothie. Pour it into a big dish, cover
and freeze for a further hour. The children can then spoon the ice cream straight from the
freezer and serve it to each other in a cone or in a cup. Don’t forget the sauce and sprinkles!
Fruit and vegetable teddies
Cut up some fruit and
vegetables into
different shapes.
You need some
round shapes to be
the head and body,
and some longer, thinner
shapes for the arms, legs and
ears. Get the children to make some edible 2D teddies
on a plate. For example, you could use half an apple
for the body; some celery for legs and arms; a slice of
orange for the head and some grapes for ears. Don’t
forget some raisins for eyes! Use your imagination and
see what lovely teddies you can create.... but sorry,
teddy.....you’re going to get eaten!
Sugar-free still lemonade
Lemonade is loved by children
everywhere – not so much by
parents and carers when it is
packed with sugar! Let the
children get messy with this
sugar-free, non-fizzy lemonade
which is fun to make. Use a
natural sweetener like honey and
add a couple of tablespoons to a cup of 5 or 6 freshly
squeezed lemons. Add this to a jug of iced water and a
few squeezed limes too.
If you want to learn more about diet and nutrition, or refresh your existing knowledge, why not take a look at
our eLearning CPD course “Diet and Nutrition” here?
For more healthy summer food ideas, read our top tips for favourite fun summer
food activities including making your own here.
38 Parenta.com August 2019 39

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