Discovery Playtime

Spaces That Support Growth is a professional development webinar designed to support early years educators in understanding the important role the environment plays in children’s holistic development, wellbeing, belonging and learning through play. The session will encourage educators to move beyond thinking about the environment simply in terms of layout, resources or planned activities and instead consider the experiences they want to make possible for children. Participants will develop a deeper understanding of how intentional environments can spark curiosity, support independence and agency, nurture connection and belonging, promote inclusion, and respond to children’s individual needs and emerging interests. By the end of the webinar, participants will be able to reflect more intentionally on their own learning environments, recognise how environmental choices can influence children’s experiences and development, and identify practical changes that can enhance play, exploration, relationships and learning. The session will support educators in connecting their environmental practice with Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (2024) and in using ongoing observation and reflection to create environments that evolve alongside the children who use them.

Growing Through Outdoor Play is a 60-minute professional development webinar for Early Years educators exploring how outdoor environments can support children’s holistic learning, development and wellbeing through play. Grounded in Aistear: the Early Childhood Curriculum Framework (2024) and explored through the Play for Growth Framework, the webinar encourages educators to see the outdoors as a rich learning environment rather than simply a space for physical activity or a break from indoor learning. Participants explore the opportunities outdoor play creates for movement, investigation, creativity, connection, nature, independence, agency and appropriate challenge. The session combines curriculum understanding, reflection and practical examples to help educators recognise the possibilities within the outdoor space they already have and make more intentional choices based on the children’s interests, needs and play.

This 90-minute interactive webinar provides Spanish-speaking early years educators working in Ireland with a practical introduction to Aistear, Ireland’s early childhood curriculum framework. Delivered in Spanish, the session supports participants in developing a clearer understanding of Aistear and applying its principles confidently within their everyday practice. The webinar explores child-led and play-based learning, the educator’s role in supporting children’s development, and the importance of observing children’s interests, needs and emerging ideas. Participants will examine how meaningful learning opportunities can be created through responsive environments, interactions and thoughtfully planned invitations to play. Practical examples will demonstrate how educators can connect Aistear with everyday experiences in an early years setting. Participants will also be encouraged to reflect on their current practice, consider how their decisions influence children’s engagement and identify realistic strategies they can implement within their own settings. The session combines prepared content, visual presentation materials, practical examples, opportunities for reflection and an interactive question-and-answer element. It is specifically designed to make Irish early years guidance more accessible to educators whose first language is Spanish, while supporting professional confidence, reflective practice and high-quality play-based provision.

Understanding Behaviour and Supporting Emotional Growth and Regulation is a professional development webinar designed to help early years and school-age childcare educators develop a deeper understanding of children's behaviour and strengthen their ability to respond to emotional and behavioural challenges with confidence, empathy and intention. Based on the Play for Growth Framework, developed by Mireia Lopez, founder of Discovery Playtime, the webinar explores the connection between children's emotions, experiences, nervous system regulation and observable behaviour. It encourages educators to look beyond the immediate action and consider what a child may be communicating through their behaviour. A key focus of the training is recognising everyday challenges, such as frustration, conflict, emotional outbursts and difficulty with transitions, as potential opportunities to support children's emotional intelligence, communication, problem-solving and holistic development. Participants explore the difference between regulation and dysregulation, learn to recognise signs of overwhelm and reflect on how their own emotions, expectations and automatic reactions influence their interactions with children. The webinar introduces practical co-regulation strategies and a structured five-step approach: Pause, Connect, Reassure, Guide and Grow, to support educators in moving from reactive behaviour management towards intentional, relationship-based responses. Through interactive discussions, visual examples, realistic scenarios involving different age groups and guided reflection, educators develop practical approaches to positive communication, emotional validation, respectful boundaries and meaningful choices. The session concludes with a practical regulation toolkit featuring playful, age-appropriate experiences that educators can introduce into their daily practice to support children's emotional wellbeing and developing self-regulation skills. The overall aim is to empower educators to create safe, supportive learning environments where children's emotional experiences are understood, their individual needs are respected and everyday challenges become meaningful opportunities for growth.