Warm authority isn’t about controlling children - and it’s not about “letting them get away with things” either.
In the final episode for Season 4, I dig into one of the most misunderstood aspects of behaviour support: what it means to hold your authority without slipping into power-over or permissiveness. This is the episode I wish every educator and assistant could hear before heading into a new year.
You’ll hear:
✨ The critical difference between discipline and punishment
✨ Why high warmth and high expectations is the sweet spot for behaviour support
✨ The expectation gap: how unrealistic adult expectations derail connection
✨ What warm authority actually sounds and looks like in real moments
✨ How to lead with swagger (without threats, bribes, or giving in)
This one is packed with powerful mindset shifts, real-life scripts, and supportive scaffolding. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck between being too soft or too strict, this is your roadmap back to confident, calm leadership.
Let's Connect!
Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Just because a child is included doesn’t mean they feel they belong.
In this powerful episode, I dig into what belonging actually looks and feels like for children - beyond the buzzword, the policies, and the Pinterest-perfect classroom. Drawing on compelling Australian research and real-world reflection, I unpack the difference between showing up and feeling held, and how our beliefs and biases shape belonging more than we realise.
You’ll hear:
🤝 How children define belonging - and what helps them feel like they belong
🤝 The everyday language, routines and rituals that quietly send the message “you matter here”
🤝 How to navigate a child’s sense of belonging when you’re not feeling connected to them
🤝 How your inner stories about “challenging” behaviour can shape who feels worthy of belonging
🤝 6 tangible ways to bring belonging to life through environment, identity, rituals, and relationship
If you’re someone who wants to move from saying belonging matters to making it matter, this one’s for you.
Articles
Belonging in their words: Exploring early childhood perspectives using the draw, write, tell method
Starting school in Australia: What gives young children a sense of school belonging?
Let's Connect!
Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
What if the most powerful co-regulation tool in your room didn’t cost a cent?
Music has always mattered - and in early learning, it’s more than fun; it’s nervous system work. It’s behaviour support. It’s belonging in action.
In this episode, I unpack the neuroscience, research and real-world power of music in early childhood settings and why it's one of the most under-utilised wellbeing tools we have.
You’ll hear:
🎵 How music regulates the nervous system, even before words do
🎵 What the research says about music and social-emotional learning
🎵 Simple, spontaneous ways to embed music into your daily practice
🎵 How music supports identity, agency and rights-based participation
🎵 Practical musical cues, rhythms and reflection ideas to try tomorrow
This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt like your days are chaotic, transitions are tricky, or you want to do more behaviour support without raising your voice. It's also for you if you’re curious about how music can support inclusion, belonging, and the emotional development of every child - especially those who don’t yet have the words.
Let's Connect!
Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Stickers. Marble jars. Token systems. Oh my!
They're everywhere in early childhood - and for good reason. Rewards often work - but what are they really teaching children? And what if we’re using them in ways that create more problems down the track?
In this episode, I unpack the biggest myths about rewards and give you six practical, research-aligned ways to use them without crushing motivation, connection, or community.
You’ll hear:
🪄The problem with how rewards are often studied—and what’s missing from the data.
🪄Three myths about rewards that just won’t die (and why they’re so sticky).
🪄 Six practical ways to use rewards well, without relying on bribes or behaviour scripts.
🪄The difference between “supporting behaviour” and “controlling it.”
🪄 Why praise matters too—and how to use it to build self-worth, not just win approval.
Whether you’re pro, anti, or somewhere in the murky middle, this episode will give you clarity and confidence to use rewards with intention; not just habit.
Helpful links
Download my free guide Navigating Rewards When You’re Expected to Use Reward Systems
Purchase my Behaviour Bites guide More Than “Good Job”: A Practical Guide to Praise That Builds Lifelong Learners
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Hey, quick heads up before you go - I've got an epic Black Friday sale running!
Peep my 5 Deals of the Day here.
Discipline must always be consistent with a child’s dignity.
This episode is all about culture and how we create spaces where rights aren’t just printed on a poster but felt in the moment - especially when behaviour gets tough.
Building on part one, I explore how to translate rights-based values into real-world practice using the UNICEF Pathway framework.
You'll hear:
📣 Why discipline doesn’t mean punishment-and what it actually does mean
📣 The four pathways of UNICEF's Child Rights Education framework and how they can show up in daily work
📣 How exclusion undermines rights - and why we need to question it
📣 Why advocating for rights means speaking up and acting differently
📣 Ten guidelines to help you support behaviour while upholding rights
If you’re someone who believes that all children deserve to feel safe, heard, and held - especially in their hardest moments - this episode is for you.
Helpful links
10 books to explore rights with children
10 guidelines for embedding rights into behaviour support
Explore the UNICEF Child Rights Education Toolkit
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Hey, quick heads up before you go - Black Friday at Little Bloom is coming.
Five days. Five offers. Zero behaviour charts in sight.
If you want early access to the inside scoop and a secret early-bird deal that won’t be shared anywhere else, join the waitlist here.
Children’s rights don’t disappear when behaviour gets loud.
Yet too often, what we say we believe - safety, dignity, belonging - quietly slips away when behaviour gets tricky. This episode unpacks the powerful, uncomfortable intersection between behaviour and rights and why the two must always go hand-in-hand.
You’ll hear:
⚖️ What children’s rights actually are
⚖️ Why children’s rights are not conditional - and how “good behaviour” can’t be the price of belonging
⚖️ How to shift from being a gatekeeper of behaviour to a gatekeeper of rights
⚖️ Why traditional ideas of authority and ‘being in control’ need to be unlearned
⚖️ Four big myths that keep you stuck in outdated behaviour models
This episode isn’t about blame; it’s about breaking the old scripts so we can lead with connection, not compliance.
Helpful links
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Hey, quick heads up before you go - Black Friday at Little Bloom is coming.
Five days. Five offers. Zero behaviour charts in sight.
If you want early access to the inside scoop and a secret early-bird deal that won’t be shared anywhere else, join the waitlist here.
Empathy isn’t a “sorry” on cue.
In the final part of the Big Feelings 101 series, we bring it all home with the skills that transform awareness into action. This episode unpacks how children build emotional resilience, connect through empathy, and develop that inner knowing: “I can handle this.”
You’ll hear:
🌱 The difference between affective and cognitive empathy (and why both matter)
🌱 Why “how would you like it if…” often misses the mark in early childhood
🌱 Practical ways to build empathy and perspective-taking through stories, play, and everyday repair
🌱 How emotional communication creates connection - not just expression
🌱 What emotional self-efficacy really looks like in practice (hint: it’s not calm; it’s trust)
If you're ready to go beyond naming feelings and start building emotional wisdom in your practice, this episode will guide the way.
Helpful links
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Take a peek at my Behaviour Bites guide, Beyond "Say Sorry"
Articles
Implications of Carolyn Saarni’s work for preschoolers’ emotional competence
Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence
Early childhood teachers’ socialization of children’s emotional competence
"Use your words." But what if the words don’t exist yet?
In Part 3 of my Big Feelings 101 series, I dive deep into emotional expression and vocabulary - how children move from raw feelings to regulated communication, and why the way we respond to their emotions matters more than we think.
You’ll hear:
💬 Why some children stop showing emotions (and what that really means)
💬 How emotional language builds brain pathways for regulation
💬 The difference between naming feelings and truly connecting them to experience
💬 Four ways to build emotional vocabulary that go beyond charts and scripts
💬 What “display rules” are - and how we teach context without shutting down authenticity
This episode is your guide to turning emotional expression into emotional intelligence - so children can feel their feelings and share them in ways that deepen connection.
Helpful links
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Articles
Emotion Wheel For Kids: What It Is, Benefits, and How to Use
Implications of Carolyn Saarni’s work for preschoolers’ emotional competence
Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence
Early childhood teachers’ socialization of children’s emotional competence
'Regulated' doesn’t always mean calm.
If you’re guiding children through big feelings with nothing but deep breaths and “use your words,” this episode will change everything. In Part 2 of my Big Feelings 101 mini-series, we go deeper into what emotional regulation really is (and isn’t), the integral role of co-regulation, and the often-misunderstood difference between regulation and coping.
You'll hear:
🧠 Why emotional regulation isn’t the same as being quiet or compliant
🧠 The distinction between emotional regulation and self-regulation (and why it matters)
🧠 Real-life strategies to support regulation through naming, anchoring, and micro-moments
🧠 What happens in a child’s brain during emotional overload - and what they need from us
🧠 How to co-regulate without rescuing or fixing (and what repair looks like when we mess up)
If you’re someone who’s sick of shallow 'calm down' tips and wants to truly support children’s nervous systems and emotions with intention, this episode is for you.
Helpful links
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Articles
Implications of Carolyn Saarni’s work for preschoolers’ emotional competence
Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence
Early childhood teachers’ socialization of children’s emotional competence
Children can't regulate feelings they don't know how to feel.
In part one of this three-part mini-series - that I'm affectionately calling Big Feelings 101 - I'm providing a compassionate, practical look at what emotional competence actually is (hint: it’s much more than just regulation), why it’s essential to how we understand and support children’s behaviour and the eight skills involved. I'll also provide a deep(ish) dive into the first two skills and how to bring them to life in your practice.
You’ll hear:
🐰 What emotional competence really means and why it’s often misunderstood
🐰 The first two foundational skills: recognising your own feelings and recognising them in others
🐰 The deep interconnection between how we recognise emotions in ourselves and in others
🐰 How interoception and theory of mind shape emotional awareness
🐰 Micro-moment that support these skills through everyday connection
This episode sets the groundwork for guiding big feelings without shame, power-over, or rewards and gives you the language to name what children actually need to become emotionally competent individuals.
PS: Very (very) mild coarse language features in this episode.
Helpful links
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Articles
Implications of Carolyn Saarni’s work for preschoolers’ emotional competence
Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence
Early childhood teachers’ socialization of children’s emotional competence
What if movement was the missing piece in learning to read?
For too long, we’ve asked young children to sit still and focus when their brains are wired for motion. In this powerful episode, I chat with Stefanie Hohl, creator of ABC See, Hear, Do, about how movement can transform early literacy, especially for children who’ve struggled with traditional methods.
Stefanie Hohl is the creator of ABC See, Hear, Do - an innovative phonics program that helps children learn to read through movement and fun. As a literacy advocate, author, and educator, she has helped thousands of children develop a love for reading. Stefanie is passionate about making learning engaging, especially for active children.
You'll hear:
👋🏼 Why expecting children to sit still is actually hindering their learning.
👋🏼 How movement enhances phonics and creates stronger neural pathways.
👋🏼 The shocking gap in teacher training around reading instruction — and how it impacts classroom confidence.
👋🏼 What teachers can do today to weave purposeful movement into literacy learning.
👋🏼 Real stories of children who couldn’t read - until movement made it click.
This episode opens up a new, evidence-aligned path and is especially valuable for educators curious about the science of reading, phonics instruction, and meeting learners where they are.
Helpful Links
Visit Stefanie's website ABC See, Hear, Do
Check out Stefanie's products on Amazon
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Real inclusion isn’t about ticking boxes.
Phwoar. This conversation is a powerful one. I welcome Sarah Middleton and her 12-year-old son, Charlie (the first child on the show - yay!), to The Bloom Room for a critical conversation around why it’s time to move beyond Whole Body Listening towards inclusive listening practices. Charlie shares his lived experience of Whole Body Listening, reflecting on the consequences of this approach that were naked to the invisible eye.
This year, Sarah and Charlie undertook their first grass roots advocacy campaign - the Force 4 Good campaign - which fast became a movement, bringing like-minded people together to petition against the widespread use of Whole Body Listening in classrooms (learn more about this in the episode). In this discussion, Sarah shares the challenges encountered with their campaign (some quite surprising), and the hope that has come with connecting with others.
You’ll hear:
🌏 How the typical ‘teacher look’ can feel for a child with high sensitivity
🌏 Why quiet doesn’t always mean engaged
🌏 The importance of questioning “how things have always been done” and why ticking boxes doesn’t lead to long-lasting change
🌏 The links between whole-body listening, masking and belonging
🌏 How to advocate for change - and why quietly modelling inclusive listening practices might be the key to creating change in your environment
If you aren't already convinced that we need to move past Whole Body Listening - hearing Charlie's lived experience will get you over the line.
Helpful Links
Connect with Sarah on Instagram @sarah.middleton.blg
Visit the Force 4 Good campaign website Charlie's Letter
Read Dr. Connie Buckingham's blog Whole Body Listening: A First Attempt to Find the Science to Back a Change
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Forced sharing is out. Scaffolded turn taking is in.
Eeeep - we’ve all said it - "sharing is caring". Two children are locked in battle over a toy, voices rising and out comes the phrase we hope will fix it fast. But what if “sharing is caring” is doing more harm than good?
In this episode, I unpack the very real consequences of forced sharing, why it doesn’t teach what we think it does, and what to do instead. Spoiler: it’s not about children giving up the goods, nor is it about permissiveness. It’s about building trust, patience, and genuine empathy.
🦕 Why “sharing is caring” might actually teach self-sacrifice, not kindness.
🦕 The subtle but powerful difference between sharing and turn-taking.
🦕 The mixed messages we send when we say “You’ve had it long enough” or “Who had it first?”
🦕 How scaffolded turn-taking supports regulation and social growth.
🦕 Practical scripts for tricky moments - that honour both children’s needs.
This episode is for anyone who’s felt caught in the tug-of-war and just wants to handle it better next time - with calm, clarity, and a whole lot more trust in children’s capacity to grow.
Helpful Links
Download my freebie Is Sharing Really Caring?
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Emotional intelligence is the cornerstone of effective teaching.
This chat with Em Gentle will be like a hug for the parts of you telling you that you're not doing enough. Em shares so much of her wisdom in this discussion centred on emotionally intelligen edicators - what emotional intelligence is, why it's important, how we live it, and why it's the crux of all we do in our work with children (or should be!).
Em is former teacher and Assistant Principal turned Emotional Intelligence Coach driven by a mission to transform the way we teach and lead. She helps educators and leaders prioritise emotional intelligence and nervous system regulation as the foundation for thriving school communities. She is committed to equipping support staff, teachers, and leaders with the knowledge and practical tools they need to build compassionate, connected, and emotionally safe learning environments.
You’ll hear:
☀️ Why conversations about teacher wellbeing and student wellbeing need to happen together, not separately
☀️ The links between the nervous system and behaviour
☀️ The first step to take in your journey with emotional intelligence
☀️ The importance of regulating routines to support children's self-regulation
☀️ Vulnerable stories about when we get it 'wrong'
This conversation is your permission to be more self-compassionate and to let go of the idea of perfection - and to move towards emotional intelligence.
PS: Very (very) mild coarse language features in this episode.
Helpful Links
Connect with Em on Instagram @em_gentle
Visit Em's website emmagentle.com.au
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Holding a boundary is not about ‘being the boss.’
Boundaries are often thrown around as one of those behaviour support tools that’s the magic bullet for getting children to do what you want. Womp womp, friend - magic bullets for behaviour don’t exist. The good news? When done well, boundaries can be an excellent tool for behaviour guidance and for showing children where our line is.
You’ll hear:
🍎 What a boundary really is - and what happens when we confuse them with limits
🍎 The three most common traps we fall into when setting boundaries
🍎 Why big feelings in response to your boundaries don’t mean your boundary has failed
🍎 A framework for knowing which boundaries to remain steadfast on and which you can drop
🍎 The myth of consistency meaning 100% of the time
This episode’s for those of you feeling like your boundaries could do with a little spring clean (or maybe even a complete makeover).
PS: Very (very) mild coarse language features in this episode.
Helpful Links
Check out my behaviour bites guide Leading from the Middle
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Children deserve to take up space.
In this inspiring episode I speak with Anna Skates, a passionate advocate for children's rights, about the importance of truly seeing and listening to children. We unpack how adult discomfort, language, and societal structures can either uplift or silence children and how we make space for them.
Anna Skates is a children’s advocate, entrepreneur, and creator on a mission to help the world take kids seriously - and treat them accordingly. Whether she's hosting kid book clubs, creating content, leading youth camps, or building experiences like The Story Booth or Every Little Step, everything she does is built on the belief that kids are full people right now. Not someday. Not “when they can articulate it.” Right now.
You’ll hear:
🐞 Why children are full human beings right now
🐞 The need to get comfortable with the discomfort that comes with advocacy and being courageous
🐞 What it means to truly listen to children - with all of our senses
🐞 How shifting the way that we see, understand and relate to children and childhood could change the world
🐞 A frank conversation around the harm of the obsession with data in education
If you’re ready to hear powerful insights on empathy, advocacy, and the transformative potential of viewing children as valuable members of society, this is the episode for you.
Helpful Links
Connect with Anna on Instagram @anna_skates
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Play isn’t a warm-up to the real work. It is the work.
In this energising chat with Simon Airey, we explore neurodivergent play through a radically affirming lens - one where movement, stimming, flow states, and autonomy aren’t side notes, but centre stage. If you’ve ever wondered how to support neurodivergent play without overriding it, this episode is for you.
Simon is a neurodiversity and inclusion specialist with over 25 years of experience in education. Through his content, talks, and podcast, Simon shares practical strategies that support the diverse needs of neurodivergent children in real, everyday classroom settings.
You’ll hear:
🌛 How certain forms of play are actually powerful self-regulation tools
🌛 How movement, repetition, and regulation show up in authentic play
🌛 Why adult-led agendas can interfere with connection and safety
🌛 Challenging the idea that play needs to fit into neat, expected boxes
🌛 How to create an environment that makes room for all kinds of play
If you’re ready to let go of the Pinterest version of play and make room for deeper connection, curiosity, and co-regulation, this conversation will stay with you.
Helpful Links
Connect with Simon on Instagram @simoninclusionteacher
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Children's rights are not an 'add-on' - they're the foundation.
In this powerful conversation with Lauren Mittell - a mother, teacher and advocate for children who embeds social justice and children's rights into her parenting and pedagogy - we dive deep into what it really means to uphold children’s rights in our practice. Beyond posters and policies, this episode is about how we show up every day - in our language, our decisions, and the way we hold space for children’s voices.
Lauren shares how her teaching philosophy is grounded in children’s rights, social justice, and anti-oppression. Rather than seeing education as a way to control or prepare children for the workforce, she advocates for creating learning spaces where children feel seen, heard, and empowered.
You’ll hear:
💫 The importance of critically reflecting on systems and traditions in education
💫 Unpacking the power dynamics between teachers and students and shifting from control to collaboration and shared power
💫 Practical, concrete, accessible changes you can make to uphold children’s rights
💫 A reminder that transformation starts with reconsidering how we see children
💫 How to shift from tokenism to truly listening, respecting, and including children
If you’re ready to go beyond buzzwords and reflect honestly on how your practice upholds (or overlooks) children’s rights, this episode is essential listening.
Helpful Links
Connect with Lauren on Instagram @ms_lauren_eve
Take a look at the book It's Not Fair by Eloise Rickman
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
Death by a thousand papercuts.
If you’ve ever ended a school day feeling utterly drained by the tiny behaviours that chip away at your patience, this episode is for you. We're tackling low-level behaviours - the eye-rolls, the pencil taps, the incessant chattering - and unpacking why they're anything but low-impact.
You’ll hear:
💫 Why I don’t actually like the term 'low-level behaviours' and what we should be calling them instead
💫 How small behaviours send big signals about disconnection, disengagement, or overwhelm
💫 Three common myths that stop educators from responding to these behaviours effectively
💫 Practical strategies for responding without escalating or ignoring
💫 Why proactive measures are invaluable for preserving your own energy whilst maintaining classroom culture and connection
If you’re sick of micromanaging every. little. behaviour. and want to build your toolkit, this episode is your starting point.
Helpful Links
Purchase a ticket to my August 21 workshop Tiny Behaviours, Big Impact
Download my *free* checklist Keeping Low-Level Behaviours Low
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au
A beanbag and a poster do not make a calm corner.
If your calm space is feeling more like a soft time-out than a supportive sanctuary, this episode will challenge everything you thought you knew. I unpack why calm corners often miss the markand what to shift so they actually support emotional regulation.
You’ll hear:
💫 Why many calm corners become time-out in disguise
💫 The role of co-regulation and adult presence in calm corners
💫 What calm corners truly need to be effective (hint: it's more than breathing posters)
💫 How to build a calm corner with children, not just for them
💫 What to do when a child resists the space, and how to preserve autonomy
This one’s for educators and carers who are ready to rethink calm down strategies and build spaces that truly support emotional growth.
Helpful Links
Check out my behaviour bites guide Building Emotional Competence
Connect with me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy
Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au