Tag: preschool teacher

When it is too much on your plate…

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

There was a year in my career as an early childhood educator that I now think of as one of the darkest. Not dramatic. Just heavy.

In that same year, I became a single mother. I was adjusting to a new long-daycare environment, learning new routines, new expectations, new relationships. My body was struggling. I had frequent migraines. I was exhausted in a way that sleep did not fix. I was also made redundant from another role. On top of this, I was trying to hold together paid work, part-time tutoring, writing, and caring for an eight-year-old child who needed stability, presence, and love.

It was too much.

I remember falling asleep everywhere. On the couch. Sitting upright. Sometimes between tasks. At the time, I did not have the language for it, but now I know these were signs of burnout, nervous system overload, and quiet anxiety. Many educators will recognise this state. You are still functioning, still caring, still showing up, but your body is waving a small white flag.

What helped me during this time was not a quick fix. It did not remove the struggle or magically give me more energy. What helped was a shift in how I related to myself.

I began reading Brené Brown’s work, and I devoured it. Her writing on shame, vulnerability, and wholeheartedness gave me language for experiences I had never named before. Brown writes that shame thrives in silence and self-judgement, while empathy and connection loosen its grip (Brown, 2012). That idea alone was a turning point. I realised how harsh my inner voice had become, especially around not coping “well enough”.

At the same time, I was listening to audiobooks and talks through Sounds True. I listened to Kristin Neff, Tara Brach, Pema Chödrön, and other Buddhist teachers. These teachings did not ask me to be positive or strong. They asked me to be honest.

Kristin Neff’s work on self-compassion was especially grounding. She explains that self-compassion involves three core elements: kindness towards oneself, recognition of common humanity, and mindful awareness of suffering (Neff, 2011). This mattered deeply to me. Instead of asking, “What is wrong with me?”, I slowly learned to ask, “This is hard. How can I respond with care?”

Pema Chödrön’s teachings added another layer. She speaks about staying with discomfort rather than running from it, and about the courage to remain open even when life feels uncertain (Chödrön, 2006). That idea did not make my life easier, but it made it more spacious. I stopped fighting my exhaustion as a personal failure. I started seeing it as a signal.

These ideas did not remove my need for rest. They did not make the workload lighter. But they helped me stay afloat.

Here are a few takeaways that carried me through, and that I now share with other educators.

First, suffering does not mean you are weak or unsuited to this profession. Caring work is emotionally demanding by nature. As Neff reminds us, struggle is part of being human, not a personal flaw (Neff, 2011).

Second, self-compassion is not self-indulgence. It is a form of responsibility. Brené Brown argues that sustainable care for others begins with honesty and boundaries, not self-sacrifice at all costs (Brown, 2010). For educators, this matters. You cannot pour endlessly from an empty cup.

Third, you do not need to fix yourself before you are worthy of rest or kindness. Pema Chödrön writes about meeting ourselves exactly as we are, without waiting for improvement (Chödrön, 2006). That idea was radical for me. It allowed me to pause without guilt.

I am sharing this not because everyone will be walking the same path I did, but because many educators are quietly carrying more than they show. If you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, or disconnected from the joy that once brought you into this profession, you are not alone.

You are doing meaningful work in a caring profession. You deserve the same compassion you offer to children every day.

Sometimes staying afloat is enough.

Your Storykate

P.S. Here are links to the books

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https://amzn.to/3Z8H06j

References

Brown, B. (2010). The gifts of imperfection. Hazelden.

Brown, B. (2012). Daring greatly. Gotham Books.

Chödrön, P. (2006). The places that scare you. Shambhala.

Neff, K. (2011). Self-compassion: The proven power of being kind to yourself. William Morrow.

Mosaic Pegbord Magic: A Mathematical Treasure Trove

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

“This isn’t just a game—it’s a real treasure chest of geometry, combinatorics, logic, and pattern recognition tasks,” says the author of a hugely popular child development book.

There are quite a few varieties of mosaics available—plastic, magnetic, ones with letters, and ones with little pegs. For mathematical purposes, a rectangular mosaic board with colourful peg buttons works best. This way, we develop not only spatial thinking and concentration, but also fine motor skills. Ideally, you should have several boards (it’s convenient for working with multiple children, and you can also “connect” boards to each other). The larger the pegs, the better. As children grow, you can reduce their size.

Get your mosaic kit here https://amzn.to/3XWHsUY

Following a Pattern: Pegboard

The first task is to create a figure following a pattern. Usually, these come with the mosaic sets, but if you don’t have any, you can make up patterns yourself by drawing them with markers.

https://amzn.to/3Mw5fbR

Symmetry

Mathematician Alexander Zvonkin recommends starting with the principle “from simple to complex.” First, lay out an axis on the board with pegs of one colour—a vertical line running down the middle of the field. This line will be the “mirror,” and different figures will be reflected in this mirror.

Build a simple figure on one side—a square, rectangle—and ask the child to repeat it on the other side of the “mirror.” You can vary the colour, size, and position of the figures. To check how accurately the children managed to mirror your figure, take a real mirror. If it’s the same, everything’s fine. If not, let’s try to fix it.

In the next session, you can change the axis position: first, make it horizontal, then diagonal. The figures you create can become progressively more complex. Make multicoloured diamonds, create butterflies. Check with the mirror. Symmetry, according to Zvonkin, is a rich topic—definitely search online for photos of snowflakes and other examples of symmetry in nature, or look in H. Weyl’s book “Symmetry.”

Learning to Write

According to Maria Montessori’s definition, reading is the transformation of sounds into symbols. That’s exactly what we’ll do with the mosaic. We’ll compose keywords, and then move on to sentences. This is especially useful when learning a foreign language.

I give the child cards with so-called sight words or basic words, and they copy them for me on the mosaic. The spelling rules pass through the “hand.”

Why This Works:

The mosaic board is a brilliant multisensory tool. Children aren’t just seeing letters and patterns—they’re building them, peg by peg. Each placement requires precision, planning, and physical engagement. When a four-year-old recreates the word “the” or “cat” with colourful pegs, they’re encoding that word into muscle memory. The tactile experience of pushing each peg into place creates a stronger neural pathway than simply writing with a pencil.

And for symmetry work? There’s something magical about the moment a child places that final peg and realises their butterfly’s wings are perfectly balanced. Mathematics becomes visible, tangible, and deeply satisfying.

Montessori Kindergarten: Reports from the Field

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Once upon a time, I worked at a Montessori kindergarten in southeast Melbourne for over 6 months. I finally found time to put my impressions down on paper. I had read many books by Maria Montessori herself, monographs about the method, as well as textbooks during my studies at Monash University. I’d also encountered Montessori as a parent. When my son was a year and a half old, some friends and I enrolled in a “parent and toddler” group in Moscow. Misha loved it, but “parent and toddler” is more of an entertainment really—you can’t fully understand the system that way. A child needs complete immersion, ideally attending a Montessori kindergarten for half a day to a full day, at least three days a week.

So, my first impressions. To make this review more interesting, I decided to add sections: “How It Should Be” (that is, what a Montessori classroom should ideally be like—the principles, ideas, and my expectations) and “How It Actually Is” (what I saw in our Montessori kindergarten)! Out of respect for the children’s and their parents’ privacy, I’ll only publish photos of children at work if their faces aren’t visible.

SPACE

How It Should Be

Order is the fundamental principle of Maria Montessori’s approach. Therefore, the space should be clean, bright, and beautiful. Furniture and equipment should be child-friendly, chairs light enough for children to move, shelves accessible and convenient.

How It Actually Was

The Montessori kindergarten where I worked fully complied with Montessori “laws” and principles. It was a beautiful mansion, a real palace for children. Very bright, with natural sunlight rather than artificial light, thanks largely to enormous windows and glass doors. Wooden shelves, chairs, and tables created an atmosphere of naturalness. Add to this the magnificent pines and eucalyptus trees outside and a handcrafted playground covered with special wood chips.

EQUIPMENT

How It Should Be

A prepared environment filled with Montessori-created materials, arranged by zones: sensory, practical life, mathematics, language, geography and world, biology, art.

In such a prepared environment, children learn independently; the teacher’s role is to create the appropriate learning environment. When working with materials, the child returns them to their place on the shelf. Each child has their own workspace—a mat for floor work or a table.

How It Actually Was

All the materials were absolutely new, high-quality, and pleasant to study and work with. However, children didn’t always put them back in place—they often scattered materials and lost “parts.” We teachers had to intervene in the process and “give presentations.” It was very heartening that children threw napkins in the trash, cleaned up sand after themselves, swept the room, dusted, poured water into pitchers, and watered plants.

You could say that the environment was indeed incredibly effective for developing independence.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/JcmVuQUOzBM?feature=share

THE CHILD

How It Should Be

Montessori believed children have an innate inclination toward learning, thanks to their absorbent minds.

Additionally, there are certain sensitive periods in a child’s life when they are most receptive to absorbing particular information or mastering certain skills.

Montessori education is child-centred, not curriculum-centred. In a Montessori classroom, each child develops at their own pace.

How It Actually Was

Although some special group lessons for everyone existed, children were generally free to choose what to do.

While three-year-old Evie poured water from one small pitcher to another, four-year-old Alex wrote in his notebook in capital letters “I love my mum,” and Harper worked on addition.

Most of the time, children were busy with activities, but I noticed that Montessori’s philosophy often needed Vygotsky’s added to it, with his zone of proximal development. Suggesting a child do something together (because it’s social and communicative), offering new materials or a new approach, or providing help.

What I Didn’t Like

I didn’t like that sometimes we had to raise our voices at the children. They wouldn’t listen. The impression from Montessori’s books is that directresses (as Maria called teachers) are role models for children and, consequently, speak quietly and calmly.

We often had to “bark” at the children to stop bad behaviour.

What I Really Liked

Personally, as a fan of Vygotsky and the sociocultural approach, I wasn’t thrilled that Montessori lessons are supposed to happen in complete silence. Children love to talk, and through communication with adults, they acquire language. Moreover, following Vygotsky, I believe that language and consciousness are closely connected.

Montessori undoubtedly develops self-regulation and self-control. Children learn to move carefully around the room, to listen for the bell as a signal that the teacher has a special message. They learn to take things and return them to their places. And neatness too. Of course, we can’t overlook that Maria Montessori developed amazing mathematics materials. These materials—the “red rods,” “spindles,” “geometric cabinet,” “golden material”—make it possible to give preschool-age children fundamental knowledge of mathematics

Other articles about Montessori

https://storykate.com.au/tag/maria-montessori-philosophy

Why sensory play matters for toddlers?

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday, my 3-year-old neighbour visited us. He was allured by the green garden we have and a lot of interesting things it has to offer – pinecones, shells and many other wonderful nature loose parts. A kindergarten teacher at heart, I quickly set up water play with food dyes and eye droppers, and he played with so much engagement.

If you have ever watched a toddler sit in a mud patch, swirl water in a bowl, or run bark chips through their fingers, you can see how deeply they learn through their senses. Sensory play is not just “messy play”. It is how toddlers make sense of the world long before they have the words to explain what they know.

For toddlers, learning starts with looking closely, touching, smelling, listening, and moving. This is exactly what nature invites. When a toddler crouches down to watch ants or scoops wet sand, they are already engaged in early inquiry. They are comparing textures, testing ideas, and noticing patterns. Inquiry does not need a worksheet. It starts with curiosity.

Research in this unit reminds us that toddlers learn best through active, embodied experiences. In Outdoor Learning Environments, Little writes that young children need rich sensory experiences outdoors to build confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills, and that risk-taking is part of healthy development when it is supported thoughtfully (Little, 2017, pp. 19–38). This helps us see sensory play not as an “extra”, but as a core curriculum.

When toddlers stir water with sticks or explore mud, they are also practising fine and gross motor skills, regulating their bodies, and building attention. Even very young toddlers show early inquiry behaviours. A child (let’s call him Hudson), 14 months watches ants with deep focus. This moment of sensory attention becomes an opportunity for an educator to respond to what matters to him, which aligns with the principles of inquiry-based learning. The parent or the educator listens, questions, and guides rather than directs.

Nature pedagogies tell us that young children build knowledge through relationships with place, materials, and more-than-human life. This connects strongly to sensory play. Natural materials such as stones, seedpods, leaves and water are open-ended. They have what Malaguzzi called “affordances”, meaning they invite different actions depending on the child’s interest and intention. The Mudbook: Nature Play Framework also points out that sensory-rich outdoor experiences help children develop ecological connection and care (Childhoodnature, n.d.) . When toddlers feel the coolness of water or the roughness of bark, they are forming these early ecological relationships.

In Australia, regulatory requirements also highlight the need to balance safety with challenge. Jeavons, Jameson and Elliott explain that outdoor spaces should offer both safety and opportunities for meaningful exploration, including natural materials that encourage sensory engagement (Jeavons et al., 2017, pp.120–143). This means sensory play must be planned, supervised, and supported, not avoided. Safe spaces do not need to be sterile.

Sensory play also supports early communication. When toddlers point, gesture, name textures, or make sounds, they are expressing what they notice. These small interactions strengthen relationships with educators and peers.

Overall, sensory play is a natural entry point into inquiry because toddlers are already doing the work. Our role is to slow down, follow their lead, offer rich materials, keep environments safe but stimulating, and notice the learning taking place. When we do that, sensory play becomes the foundation for curiosity, connection, and early science thinking.

What are your favourite sensory play set-ups in your rooms or centres?

Storykate 🪇👧🏻

Why children are stuck inside on a rainy day?

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

I went into the Toddler Room during the rain, and it was clear the children had so much bottled-up energy. There was screaming, there were behaviour issues, and you could see the educator was trying to run an activity. She even pulled out some sort of balancing cushion for them to walk on. But it was obvious that many of the children just wanted to jump and run. One girl kept running to the little music radio and trying to turn it on so she could dance.

And I had a very reasonable question in my head. Why on earth do they keep children inside every time there is summer rain? It wasn’t even cold outside. It wasn’t hot or cold, it was just rain. Put the children in proper clothing for the weather. It’s called a raincoat. Put on the gumboots and go outside for a walk, for goodness’ sake. Why is this not allowed?

When I was little, we were outside all the time. If you don’t want to dress the children properly, fine, then set up an indoor hall. When I was growing up, we had a Swedish wall, we had rings, we had hoops, we could climb on it, and no one ever fell. People even had Swedish walls in their flats, and many still do. Because yes, sometimes it’s very cold, icy or stormy outside. But that doesn’t mean children shouldn’t move. Everyone understood this, especially in Scandinavian countries. Children need to move, either outside or indoors.

And this is what really annoys me about Australian childcare centres. The owners and managers often think of band-aid solutions or choose risk-averse ways of running their program. I think many educators have barriers that are anchored in their beliefs, stopping them from enjoying outdoor play in any weather. The irony is that ACECQA does not promote indoor play only on rainy days… Look at the resource they recommend – raincoats, gum books, umbrellas, watering cans; chalk; objects to float.

Yet, whenever I wanted to stay out in the rain with the children, the manager would come and ask me to go inside…

Be honest. What happens in your room when it rains?

Options:

  1. We go outside. Puddles are life
  2. Indoors, but we set up climbing and movement play
  3. Mostly indoors because we’re not set up for wet weather
  4. I wish we could go outside more often