Maria Montessori (1870–1952) was an Italian physician and educator whose work transformed approaches to children’s learning and development. Drawing on her medical background, Montessori developed an educational philosophy centred on observation, independence, and respect for children as active participants in their own learning.
This reflective piece explores the power of Helicopter Stories to unlock children’s thinking, imagination and emotional expression. Through real-life examples, it illustrates how storytelling can offer deep insight into children’s inner worlds, build community, and provide an inclusive, child-centred approach where every voice is valued and every story matters.
In early childhood, stories are more than words on a page. They are bridges—between experiences, identities, and possibilities. This idea sits at the heart of a powerful conversation with Laura Henry-Allain MBE: award-winning early education specialist, author, and creator of the ground-breaking CBeebies series JoJo and Gran Gran. In this podcast episode, Laura shares her insights on the transformative potential of books in early childhood settings, and how storytelling can offer every child a sense of belonging.
The early childhood community in England is experiencing a significant shift in how early years provision is inspected and understood. Ofsted’s renewed early years inspection framework, now in place, shapes this episode and article. Drawing on a conversation with Jayne Coward from Ofsted, it explores what has changed, what remains central, and what this means for educators, children and families.
This article and podcast episode explore how Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) principles can be understood through EYFS language and practice. We show how strategies such as breaking learning into small steps, celebrating success, and creating enabling environments align seamlessly with EYFS priorities. Drawing on research evidence and examples from First Bridge Education, we highlight how educators can use evidence-based approaches to motivate children, reduce barriers, and support inclusive learning.
In Young Minds Big Maths, university mathematicians and early years educators collaborate to explore mathematics. We discuss how the project led us to create a booklet to help educators discover maths through play in their settings. The booklet uses real-life examples of ramp play—something children love—to show how building and experimenting with ramps reveals rich mathematical ideas.
Play is not a luxury—it’s a biological necessity. From early childhood through adulthood, play fuels cognitive growth, emotional resilience, social competence, and physical development. This article and podcast episode explore why play matters, how it shapes learning, and what educators and caregivers must consider to protect and promote it.
Emotional intelligence refers to the ability to recognise, understand and manage one’s own emotions whilst also being able to empathise with and respond appropriately to the emotions of others. This article and podcast episode delve into this subject to explore what we can do to support emotional intelligence in the earliest years.
There has never been a more urgent time to reflect on how we, as a profession, present ourselves to the world. The early childhood community is rich in knowledge, experience and deep commitment to children’s learning and wellbeing. Yet, we continue to wrestle with misunderstanding, mistrust and misrepresentation—externally and, at times, internally. This podcast episode and article draw attention to the language we use in early childhood education—how it defines us, how it connects (or disconnects) us from the wider world, and how it influences perceptions of what we do. Language shapes reality. The words we choose matter.
This article and podcast episode with Dr Dan Wuori, author of The Daycare Myth, challenge outdated perceptions of early childhood education, highlighting the need for policy reform, professional respect, and fair pay. Drawing on decades of experience, Dr Wuori calls for a reimagining of early learning as essential, complex, and deserving of greater societal value.
