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I see you there Mumma – watching apprehensively as your baby crawls and discovers the ins and outs of your home, all the while wondering how on earth you’re going to get them to leave the dirt IN the pot plant – well you’re certainly not alone. When my daughter was around 9 months, I soon realised that the days of watching my relatively stationery newborn coo softly under the playgym and sleep most of the day had come to a close. All of a sudden I had a very curious baby on the move who wanted to be occupied…...

What is an invitation to play? An invitation to play is simply a collection of resources/materials set up together in an inviting way which helps to encourage children to explore the resources that are offered to them and learn through play. The process of laying out an invitation allows children to be creative and the play that comes from it is not directed by an adult but instead child led. Try to think of an invitation as a prompt for children to play in a different way that they may not have tried before. They can use their imagination to...

Did you have a favourite doll that you carried everywhere? That never missed an adventure? That over time became dirtier, more loved and your best friend? This love affair between a child and doll is quintessentially part of childhood and a cornerstone to pretend play. But why is this so important to development and how do we introduce our child to their first doll?   What is Doll Play? Doll play is an aspect of pretend play that develops in children between 11 and 18 months. It is where children pretend ‘as if’ the doll is real and re-enact scenes...

I worked in a long day care setting for 10 years prior to having my own children. Now I own and run Little Toy Tribe, sharing my knowledge and inspiring parents, carers, grandparents and other educators at home or at work to be more present with children and more engaged in play together.  Throughout my time at work I loved working with children of all different ages (3 months - 5 years) and it really shaped me to be the Mum I am today.  I think when you work in a setting with children everyday, you always think about the...