At our most recent professional development day, our educators were inspired and energised by the Fostering Independence in the Early Years Professional Development Conference. This full-day event brought together leading early childhood experts who shared powerful ideas about how we can nurture independence, creativity, movement, and thinking skills in our youngest learners.

Dr Rachel Jones reminded us that “movement is more than just play”, it’s essential for healthy brain development and deeply connected to learning. Her sessions challenged us to think differently about how indoor and outdoor environments support children’s physical development. She encouraged us to get moving, get creative, and use every opportunity throughout the day to promote active learning through movement and risky play. Dr Rachel spoke about our seven senses, which also include the proprioception and vestibular senses. Vestibular referring to our sense of balance and the proprioception which refers to our body awareness.

Dr Rosalyn Muir focused on her PhD research into self-regulation and executive functions, developed through the SOWATT approach, which she co-created with Russell Kaplan. She shared an aspect of SOWATT with us, taking us deep into the world of metacognition, or “thinking about thinking.” We learned how even very young children can become more aware of their own learning, make thoughtful choices, and reflect on their actions. With playful, practical strategies, we explored how to guide children to develop independence and confidence in their thinking and learning. As well as putting the ‘self’ into self regulation.

Lili-Ann Kriegler helped break down the myth that we have to choose between play and learning. That pay is actually learning! Especially when it’s intentional, supported, and full of rich meaningful and positive interactions. She shared practical tools to plan engaging learning experiences while enhancing the children’s creativity and agency. We explored the idea of the Infinity Learning Loop, which is a beautiful reminder that children shape their environment just as much as the environment shapes them. Lily-Ann reminded us that “Our role is to support children to unpack concepts in learning and in play, and then to step away, teaching agency and independence.”

Throughout the day, we were reminded that independence doesn’t mean children doing everything alone. It means creating environments that empower children to ‘explore, move, think, and reflect’ and take an active role in their own learning journeys, and to continue to grow into confident, capable learners.

Jennifer Duband, ELC Educational Leader & Teacher