I recently came across a piece of research linked to the concept of “power” within our relationships with children, and especially within the context of faith developing in children. Annemie Dillen (1) suggests that looking at the Christian tradition of developing faith in young children reveals a “complex interplay” between the power of children and the power of adults. She…
By the time this edition of Early Days goes to print I will have celebrated 30 years of marriage with my wonderful husband, Pete. So perhaps it is fitting that “Professional Love” is the theme of this magazine. There have been times in those thirty years when loving and sticking together has been a decision and commitment rather than a…
The introduction of British Values into Early Years was met with a raft of confusion and an abundance of resources available (at a charge!) on numerous Early Years websites. The range of posters displaying the Queen, the Union flag, roast dinners and tea parties not only showed the depth of misunderstanding, but served to promote exclusivity and not the “mutual…
Current interest in the understanding of “professional love” (Page, 2011), and how this is perceived in Early Years groups across the country, provides an important opportunity to look at how love might be understood in a Christian nursery, and how that links with our desire to express to children and families the unconditional love of God as our Father. Jools…
I’ve been pondering why we love stories so much and why children love to have their favourites read over and over again, and as I pondered the words of the old hymn came into my mind. I don’t think I have ever really looked at the words, but they were there somewhere hidden away. Stories bind us together, stories help…
It seems to me that these days it is a tough thing to be a two-year-old. How often do they hear that they need to be a “big boy or girl now”? It’s also a time when changes are happening to them that impact their short lives in quite dramatic ways. Maybe it’s heading off to nursery, and being told…
Rebecca Nye recently wrote a wonderful article about children’s spirituality and began with a wondering question about young children’s encounters with God: “What can we know of their spirituality? Perhaps playing a game of hide and seek is a good analogy here. What we are looking for is certainly already ‘there’ somewhere, but it can be hidden in so many…
Fifteen years ago, I felt the lord impress upon my heart to set up a nursery with a Christian ethos. In 2008 I received a word from a visiting pastor at the church I attended at the time who spoke to me and said, “You will bear so much fruit it will be indescribable”. At the time I wasn’t sure…
We live in a time of overwhelming assessment. From the cradle to the grave, it seems we must be measured, tested, checked against standards…and probably found wanting. If this leaves us feeling uneasy and unhappy, then how much more is it impacting on the lives of our youngest children? In the last few weeks I have listened to inspirational talks…
Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Ofsted Wolf…. Once upon a time there was a girl called Little Red Riding Hood. One day she decided that she loved learning so much that she wanted to help children have fun and learn new things. So, she decided to work in Early Years. Off she went into the wide, open…
