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Welcome to Learn Play Thrive: The Podcast! Join us for expert insights and interviews, practical tips and inspiring stories in Early Childhood Education. Whether you are an educator or leader in the sector, this podcast is your go-to resource to discover strategies to foster learning, promote play and empower young minds to thrive.
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In this special episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast, host Simone Brand sits down with producer Linda Harrison to give you an exclusive sneak peek into our upcoming Pedagogy in Practice: Early Education Conference. Tune in to hear about our incredible lineup of experts—including Colin Slattery, Dr. Gai Lindsay, Dr. Kate Highfield, Amelia Scarf, Kirsty Liljegren and Jessica Staines. You'll discover how each session is designed to transform your teaching through leadership, STEAM, the art...
In this heartwarming episode of the Learn Play Thrive podcast, we shift the spotlight to where it truly belongs - the children. The Boab Committee is a small group of preschoolers who meet regularly with their educators to discuss real topics that matter in their everyday experiences at their long day care service. This episode gives listeners a joyful window into genuine child agency, democratic practice, and decision-making in action. Across the episode, you’ll hear directly from the childr...
Tune in for an important discussion on keeping our youngest road users safe! We welcome Louise Cosgrove and Amanda Menzies from Kids and Traffic (Transport for NSW) to share their expert insights. Discover how the Kids and Traffic key road safety messages function as a 'curriculum toolkit' helping educators bring road safety to life in an engaging, meaningful way. Learn how you can leverage your trusted position as an educator to create a strong culture of safety for children and their famili...
This episode of Little Dreamers is all about beautiful butterflies, guiding preschoolers through gentle imagery and promote deep relaxation, body awareness, and imaginative thinking. Host Kathryn uses storytelling to help children practice gratitude and breathing techniques, inviting them to imagine they are colourful butterflies with happy, thankful wings. Tune in to practice the butterfly pose, where children learn to feel their bodies become calm and quiet like a butterfly resting o...
We're bringing back a must-listen favorite! Join us for this powerful encore featuring Jessica Staines, founder of the Koori Curriculum, renowned for her work in culturally responsive pedagogical practices. Jessica offers essential, actionable strategies for educators committed to moving beyond tokenism and cultivating genuine cultural competency. Key insights for cultural competency: - Effective and respectful ways to integrate Aboriginal perspectives across your curriculum. - Cultural pr...
We’re bringing back a must-listen favourite. In this powerful encore, I sit down with Dr Kate Highfield to unpack one of the biggest conversations in early childhood right now: Generative AI — should we worry or be excited? Dr Kate brings clarity, calm, and deep expertise to a topic that can feel overwhelming. Together, we explore how AI is shaping our sector, what it means for documentation, planning and admin, and how we can step into this space ethically and confidently. Rather than fearin...
In this episode of Navigating the NQS, host Simone Brand guides educators to excellence by diving into the heart of Quality Area 1 - Standard 1.3: Assessment and Planning. This episode is essential for mastering the planning cycle—observing, analysing, planning, implementing, and reflecting—which assessors look for as the systematic bedrock of professional practice. We also explore the keys to Exceeding NQS, focusing on Critical Reflection (1.3.2) and Information for Families (1.3.3)....
This week, we're bringing back one of our favourite episodes just in time for the summer season. Simone Brand chats with Louise Lambeth, an experienced surf lifesaver and children's book author. With warmer weather encouraging more time near the water, this episode is a vital listen for every educator and parent. Louise’s mission is to teach children and families how to stay safe in and around the water, powerfully using the art of storytelling to embed crucial safety lessons. Key takeaways:...
Join host Linda Harrison and First Nations author, Melissa-Jane Fogarty, as we explore the picture book Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History. This story traces the site's story from the Gadi people gathering at Tubowgule over 60,000 years ago, through colonisation, and up to the construction of the Sydney Opera House. We discuss the story's key themes of Aboriginal culture and language; and how the picture book acts as a powerful tool to begin conversations with preschoolers about big co...
Join us for an inspiring discussion with two leading voices in early childhood education, Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee. We dive into an inquiry-project, which began with a discovery made by children digging in the sandpit. This unexpected find unfolded into a rich, extended inquiry that nurtured children's ecological identity, amplified the arts as a language of learning. Discover how an initial spark of curiosity developed into a project that transcended preschool boundaries, as th...
Welcome to the Little Dreamers mini-series! These monthly episodes feature specially written mindfulness stories designed to ignite young imaginations and gently guide preschoolers toward relaxation and body awareness. This month, our theme is flowers! Join host Kathryn as she leads children through gentle imagery of falling rain and growing roots. As the story unfolds, children can follow along with simple yoga poses that physically embody the story. They will grow from a tiny seed, stretch...
Are you ready to transform your intentional teaching and learning practices? Join us for an essential discussion with Kate Hodgekiss, owner of Engaging Curriculum Solutions and a powerful advocate in the early childhood sector for over 25 years! This episode is your deep dive into the theory and practice of scaffolding, starting with breaking down Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and the role of the 'more knowledgeable other'. We explore how Bruner’s scaffolding theory in...
In this episode of Play Provocations, hosts Linda Harrison and Lindsay Laing unpack the power of pretend play. Learn how inventing roles and narratives is the highest form of symbolic thought in early childhood, directly activating the prefrontal cortex to boost executive function, creativity, and problem-solving. We share ideas for creating an inviting Outer Space Play Provocation, using a picture book as a hook; together with natural & recycled resources, tinkering tools and star...
How do we unlock the joy of meaningful mark-making for every child? This week, we host Dr. Gai Lindsay, Senior Lecturer and long-time early childhood expert, whose research is dedicated to empowering visual arts learning. Drawing inspiration from John Dewey and the constructivist Reggio Emilia approach, Dr. Lindsay explains how mark-making is far more than just art—it's a powerful visual language and a key to children’s cognitive development. We explore the connection between the Reggio Emi...
This exciting monthly mini-series, Navigating the NQS, continues with host Simone Brand who draws on 15 years of exceeding-rated leadership experience. In this episode, we explore Standard 1.2 – Practice, focusing on how educators facilitate and extend children's learning. Simone breaks down the three crucial elements: 1. Intentional Teaching 2. Responsive Teaching and Scaffolding 3. Child Directed Learning Simone shares actionable ideas, including an inspiring exampl...
We're hitting the floor at the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference 2025 in Perth! Host Simone Brand dives into the bustling Exhibition Hall to chat with the innovators, creators, and resource providers who are driving change in early learning. This episode is your quick-fire round of the biggest ideas and must-have resources for your service! We're bringing you exclusive insights from four game-changing exhibitors: Six Bricks Learning: Get hands-on with the power of Six Bric...
Welcome back to Little Dreamers, the enchanting mini-series designed to bring calm and creativity to a young child's world! This month, get ready for an adventure as we climb aboard for a mindful journey about transport. Your preschooler will be gently guided to imagine themselves travelling in a shiny red car, a rhythmic train, a breezy bicycle, and a floating hot air balloon. This mindfulness story is packed with simple yet powerful tools to help your child find their inner calm, boost thei...
We're taking you live to Perth for the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference 2025! Learn Play Thrive host Simone Brand grabs the mic and dives into the heart of the sector, capturing the vibrant energy and vital conversations from educators, researchers, and leaders across the country. The theme that sparked all the dialogue? ‘Universal not Uniform: Leading change, strengthening unity and honouring individuality’. Join us as we explore what this powerful theme means on the grou...
Ready to bring the magic of picture books into your early learning practice this festive season? Join Linda Harrison on Learn Play Thrive's Little Library as she talks with award-winning author Emma Bowd about her joyful new picture book, The Christmas Tree Catastrophe. This episode is packed with inspiration for educators, diving deep into how this funny, rhythmic story can be used to promote literacy, emotional regulation, STEM, social skills and resilience among preschoolers. Linda and...
Get ready for an eye-opening chat with Dr. Sharleen Keleher about disaster preparedness. Drawing from her extensive research and hands-on work with communities recovering from floods, fires, and cyclones, she shows us that disaster resilience education is an essential, play-centred pillar of early learning. We're diving deep into how this work naturally builds a child’s sense of agency, emotional regulation, and belonging. Learn how to talk about emergencies without causing anxiety and how ed...
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