Author: Ali

Mini INSET Session: Joyful Pedagogy

This comprehensive 45-minute staff meeting template guides early years practitioners through understanding and implementing joyful pedagogy in their setting. The resource explores how joy differs from simple enjoyment, examining it as a deeper, lasting state of wellbeing that benefits both children and educators. Teams work through practical activities including sharing personal experiences of joy, identifying recent joyful moments with children, and mapping barriers and bridges to joy in their provision. The template emphasises how joy is expressed differently across cultures and encourages practitioners to recognise diverse forms of joyful expression. With reference to research showing that engaging in joyful play reduces educator stress whilst enhancing wellbeing, this resource includes follow-up activities, supervision prompts, and suggestions for creating ongoing celebrations of joy. The template empowers settings to prioritise authentic, culturally responsive joyful experiences that foster children’s relationships, self-determination, and positive social-emotional development.

Read More

New Early Years Nutrition Guidance – What You Need to Know by Jo Ingleby

This blog explores the updated Early Years Nutrition Guidance, the changes it brings, and why it matters now more than ever—particularly for children from disadvantaged backgrounds. With rising food insecurity and increased marketing of ultra-processed foods, the early years sector has a vital role to play in shaping healthy eating habits from the very start. Clearer guidance offers a much-needed opportunity to align practice across all settings and support families with consistent, realistic, and affordable messages around food. As nutrition becomes a statutory part of the EYFS safeguarding and welfare requirements from September 2025, this blog highlights how settings can respond, adapt, and lead the way.

Read More

Sowing Seeds for the Future: Education for Sustainability for Childminders and Early Years Settings by Millie Colwey

As the impacts of climate change become increasingly visible, the work of building sustainable futures for the youngest generations has never been more urgent. Millie Colwey explains how childminders and early years settings play a pivotal role in fostering environmental responsibility and sustainable behaviours in children. This blog explores the importance of education for sustainability, practical steps you can take, and how our sector can lead the way to creating a greener, safer future for young children. Through simple changes to their environments, such as using scrap stores for resources and choosing ethical banking, settings themselves can become more sustainable. Meanwhile, activities like outdoor nature exploration and food growing help develop children’s understanding of the world while teaching them they can make a real difference to our environment.

Read More