Understanding behaviour in the early years is essential to creating calm, positive and nurturing environments where all children can thrive.

This practical, evidence-informed workshop explores what a child’s behaviour may really be communicating and equips practitioners with a toolkit of effective, compassionate strategies.

Drawing on real examples, developmental insight and a wide range of resources, the course helps practitioners respond proactively to behaviour, reduce anxiety and dysregulation, and support children to communicate and participate more successfully.

Learning Aims:

1. Understand what children’s behaviour is telling us, considering communication skills, sensory needs, and developmental stages
2. Learn how to observe behaviour effectively using ABC and STAR charts to identify patterns and triggers
3. Explore a range of positive strategies including praise, rewards, giving choices, clear rules, visual supports and structured routines
4. Gain practical ideas for developing interaction, play and social skills, including turn-taking, sensory play and adult–child engagement
5. Understand sensory processing needs and how sensory diets, calming spaces and low-arousal environments can reduce anxiety and challenging behaviour
6. Learn how to develop behaviour plans and nurture strategies tailored to individual children, including clear step-by-step responses for escalating behaviour.

This is a strategy-focused course designed for early years practitioners.

It explores how sensory processing affects young children’s emotions and behaviour, and how simple changes in the environment can support better self-regulation — especially for children with additional needs.

With real-life examples and tools, the course helps practitioners build confidence in spotting sensory challenges and supporting children to feel calm, safe, and ready to engage.

Learning Aims – attendees will:

1. develop an understanding of the 8 senses
2. develop an understanding of how children experience and show sensory differences
3. explore how these affect children’s emotional regulation
4. gain practical strategies to support your children

Please contact us for further information about this course.

Cost: £300 for up to 10 people, then £10 per person thereafter.This is a practical course designed for early years practitioners working with children who are not developing communication in the usual way.

The session focuses on how visual supports can help children make sense of their environment (receiving communication) and find ways to express their needs, wants, and feelings (giving communication).

Practitioners will explore a range of simple, effective strategies to reduce frustration, support emotional regulation, and encourage meaningful interaction. The course also looks at how to make settings more inclusive for children with a wide range of communication needs.

Learning aims:

1. Understand the different types of visual supports that can be used in your setting.
2. Which strategies you can use to support a child’s understanding.
3. Which strategies can be put in place to help the child to spontaneously communicate their needs and wants.
4. How to make your setting inclusive to all types of communication needs.

Please contact us for further information about this course.

This is a clear and accessible course for early years practitioners working with children who have autism or social communication difficulties.

SCERTS stands for Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Support — and this session introduces what the framework is, why it was developed, and how it can be used in early years practice.

With practical, play-based examples, the course shows how SCERTS can support children’s interactions, emotional well-being, and relationships. Practitioners will leave with a solid understanding of the approach and feel confident and excited to begin using it in their own settings.

Learning Aims:

1. To introduce the SCERTS (Social Communication, Emotional Regulation, and Transactional Support,) framework and its relevance for early years settings.
2. To identify how SCERTS strategies can be used to support children’s communication, relationships, and emotional wellbeing.
3. To explore how SCERTS strategies can be applied in everyday practice through real examples from play and routine-based activities.
4. To feel confident and motivated to begin using SCERTS in your setting to support inclusive, child-centred practice.

Please contact us for further information about this course.

This is a practical and supportive course for early years practitioners preparing children with additional needs for their move into school. The session explores the challenges that transitions can bring for children with SEND and offers realistic, child-centred strategies to reduce anxiety and build confidence. Practitioners will learn how to plan gradual, well-supported transitions, work effectively with families and receiving schools, and use visuals, routines, and communication tools to help each child feel safe and ready. The aim is to ensure every child is given the best possible start to their next stage of learning.

Learning Aims:

1. To understand why transitions can be particularly challenging for children with SEND.
2. To recognise the importance of working in partnership with families and schools during the transition process.
3. To learn how to use tools such as visuals, routines, and communication supports to prepare children for change.
4. To feel confident in planning personalised, inclusive transitions that help each child feel safe, secure, and ready to learn.