'How to Train your Dragon’ is all about controlling our emotions, understanding where they come from in the brain and what we can do about it. It provides an accessible introduction to the brain for younger learners, and depicts the amygdala (the brain’s emotional centre) as a dragon that we need to tame! We have found this incredibly useful across a range of year groups - EYFS/KS1/KS2. While it can seem intimidating to introduce neuroscience to young children, when it’s pitched correctly it can have enormous impact. A genuine quote from a 5 year old in my class last year: “I went on a rollercoaster at the weekend with my dad and I was feeling really scared, but then I remembered that I just had to give my prefrontal cortex some time to think and I felt much better!” The presentation covers several topics and as such can be spread over several lessons and built upon, or taught in one. It includes: *An introduction to the brain and 3 key players within it, depicted as characters to engage young learners. Meet PC Prefrontal Cortex, Hippocampus the memory saver, and Amygdala the dragon! *An understanding of why it’s so important to keep our brains and bodies healthy – eating healthily, exercising and getting enough sleep – as well as a reminder to wear a helmet when riding a bike or scooter, to protect our brains. *Interactive slides for discussion, e.g. How do you feel when… you’re playing with your friends/you hear a big bang at night/you’re riding a rollercoaster etc., and an understanding that all these emotions come from the amygdala (your dragon!) *Some ideas of how to calm down, consistent with a mindfulness approach (deep breathing, counting to 10 etc.) A discussion of why it’s so important to talk about our feelings. The key message is that if we show ‘Amygdala the dragon’ how to calm down and wait before acting out, we will give PC Prefrontal Cortex and Hippocampus enough time to come to the rescue, and help us to feel better. I hope you find it as beneficial as we have!

A Powerpoint presentation all about Christmas for children in the Early Years. Comprises: A simple overview of the Nativity Story Question prompts that ask children which festivals they celebrate An exploration of how people celebrate: giving gifts, decorating homes, eating special food etc. Information on the similarities and differences between Christmas celebrations around the world Some ways to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in different languages.

A selection of 10 different high quality photographs representing the season of Spring. We laminate these, cut them up and challenge children to complete the puzzles as an independent activity. It’s a great way of assessing number recognition and ordering and sequencing numerals to 10, with use of maths for a purpose.

A simple one page PDF document for parents that outlines the End of Reception expectations for Reading, Writing and Mathematics, with examples from the Early Years Exemplification materials. Useful to give to parents during parents’ evenings as a reminder of what to aim for.

A one page PDF parent questionnaire to support parent contributions to Learning Journals. Asks about child’s interests, their ability to use technology, celebrations of special occasions and where the family is from, as well as providing space to add further information.

A full Powerpoint presentation all about the number 1, delivered in rhyme. Children have the opportunity to: Recognise the numeral in different real-life contexts. Understand the ‘one-ness’ of one - what does it mean? Interact with the resource, e.g. Put 1 flower in 1 pot. Designed to engage young learners through story and rhyme, supporting them to become secure in the basics of mathematics. Consistent with Maths Mastery and White Rose schemes of learning.

An A-Z sound mat to support early writing development. Each sound features a letter formation picture prompt, using photo-realistic images instead of clipart - to support younger pupils, EAL and SEN learners who benefit more from real-life imagery.

This A-Z alphabet bunting features a photograph behind each sound to support grapheme-phoneme correspondence and letter formation. The images use photo-realistic images for each sound instead of clipart - to support younger pupils, EAL and SEN learners who benefit more from real-life imagery.

A simple 1 page tidy-up checklist for children to complete independently. We laminated these for my Reception class and they took turns being the ‘Tidy Up Officer’ each day. Useful for encouraging early reading and mark making.

A simple template designed for recording children’s ability to recognise their own name, whether they are right or left-handed, and the pencil grip they are currently using. Pictures of types of pencil grip are included to support practitioners’ recording. A PDF version is also included.

A selection of Maths resources for use alongside my Summer Term Maths Planning. Includes: Numeral cards to 20 Representation posters for the numbers 10-20 Number tracks to 10 Number tracks to 20 Blank number line templates to 20 Repeating Patterns for comparison Animal pictures for repeating patterns 2D shapes for halving game Part-whole templates (small/large) Ladybird templates for doubling ‘Doubling machine’ poster ‘5 Little Speckled Frogs’ resources Summer Term planning (12 weeks) is also available for purchase in my store.

A picture of a room filled with objects starting with the letter ‘p’ - designed to support phonics development in the Early Years and to make learning fun. “What’s in the sound room today?” Includes Powerpoint and PDF poster.

An editable medium-term planning format for the Spring Term in Reception, for Mathematics. Features assessment points from Development Matters to show curriculum coverage. The 12 week planning we use alongside this is available for purchase in my store.