Thrive with Ali Fleming

Food exploration through play — low pressure, high gain.

Food exploration through play — low pressure, high gain.

Some children find new foods genuinely distressing. And no amount of "just try a bite" changes that.

What does help? Play.

When we explore food through play — squeezing, smelling, juicing, mixing — we lower the pressure completely. There's no expectation to eat. Just permission to explore.

Over time, that exploration builds familiarity. Familiarity builds comfort. And comfort? That's when real progress begins.

If mealtimes feel like a battle in your home, you're not alone — and there are gentle, playful ways forward. 💛

🌟 When Therapy Looks Like This: Cutting, Drawing, and Making Something Real 🌟

Today in our home studio, a child wearing noise-dampening headphones used our KidSafe chomping saw to cut out their own creations — and the learning woven through that single activity was extraordinary.

✂️ What was actually happening beneath the surface:
✨ Fine motor planning and hand strength — guiding paper through a tool requires coordination, attention, and effort
✨ Creative visualisation — drawing characters and objects before cutting them shows planning and intentionality
✨ Aural motor support built into the environment — a noisy tool, headphones as a choice, regulation embedded throughout
✨ Sensory needs met without interruption — this child worked deeply and joyfully because their nervous system was supported
✨ Pride in a real, tangible outcome, something entirely their own

This is what a purposefully designed therapeutic space looks like. Every element has a reason. Nothing is accidental.

And the result? A regulated, engaged, creative child making something they are genuinely proud of. 🌱💛

What does your child's most focused, joyful learning look like? I would love to know. 💚

🌻 Playgroup is BACK for Term 2! 🌻
We are so excited to welcome our little ones back tomorrow — Tuesday 28 April 2026 from 9:00am – 11:00am! 💚
Term 2 is here and we cannot wait to reconnect, play, learn and grow together. Our playgroup is a warm, inclusive and supportive space where children can explore and thrive at their own pace — and where mums, dads and carers can breathe, chat and feel supported too. 🙌

📍 Thrive with Ali Fleming
🕤 Time: 9:00am – 11:00am
📅 Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2026

🅿️ PARKING REMINDER
Please note parking is no longer available off Heitmann Court due to council restrictions. Please park at the Tea Tree Gully RSL car park off Memorial Drive.
How to find us from the car park:
🚶 Park at the Tea Tree Gully RSL car park off Memorial Drive
🚶 Walk between the basketball and tennis courts
🚶 Follow the path down towards the studio
🚶 Turn right at the bottom of the path
✅ You'll find our same entry point — just a few extra steps!
Register Here: https://alifleming.com.au/playgroup-registration-form
Any questions? Don't hesitate to reach out! 😊
📧 [email protected]

The stages of play — and why rushing them doesn't work.
Play develops in stages, just like learning to walk. You don't skip crawling and expect a child to run — and you don't skip solo play and expect a child to collaborate.
Solo → Parallel → Associative → Cooperative
Each stage matters. Each stage builds the next. A child who plays happily alone is building the very foundation they'll eventually draw on to play with — and alongside — others.
For many neurodivergent children — whether they are autistic, have ADHD, or are AuDHD — the journey through these stages may look different, move at a different pace, or express itself in unexpected ways. That is not a deficit. That is a different, equally valid developmental path.
If your child seems to prefer playing alongside their peers rather than with them right now — that's not a problem. That's parallel play, and it's exactly where they may need to be.
Trust the process. Let the stages unfold in their own time. Your child's play is purposeful — even when it doesn't look the way you expected. 🌱

Yin yoga taught me something I wish I'd learned as a child.

Discomfort isn't the enemy. It's the teacher.
In early childhood — and honestly, throughout life — one of the hardest lessons we face is learning to sit with what's uncomfortable.

The change we didn't ask for. The hope that didn't pan out. The uncertainty that just... lingers.

Yin yoga puts you right in that place. You hold a pose that challenges you, and instead of pulling away, you lean in. You breathe. You stay.

And slowly, something shifts — not the discomfort, but your relationship with it.
That's the practice. That's the gift. Learning that you can feel uncomfortable and still be okay. That disappointment won't break you. That change, even the hard kind, is something you can move through.

The mat becomes a training ground for life.
So next time life asks you to sit in the difficult — lean in. You've been practicing for this. 🌿

What is a play plan — and why does it matter?
At the start of every session, we begin with a play plan — not a rigid schedule, but an invitation for children to share their ideas.
Each child gets to share what they'd like to do, explore, or create that day. Maybe they want to build something. Maybe they want to go outside. Maybe they haven't quite decided yet — and that's perfectly okay.
The magic is in the brainstorming. When one child shares their idea, something wonderful happens — their peers get curious. "Oh, that sounds interesting. Maybe I'll try that too."
Arrows connect the same play choice into someone else's idea box. A possibility for collaborative play, friendship development… the possibilities are endless.
Play plans honour each child's voice. They tell children: I'm genuinely interested in what you want. And that trust? It changes everything. 🌱
What does your child love to do on a free play day?

🌟 Did you know?

Thrive with Ali Fleming runs an alternate Tuesday Playgroup from our home-based studio in Tea Tree Gully!

Sessions run from 9:00 – 11:00 am during term time only and do not operate during school holidays.

We'd love to see you there next term! 🌱

📆 Term 2 Playgroup Dates:

Tuesday, 28 April 2026
Tuesday, 12 May 2026
Tuesday, 26 May 2026
Tuesday, 9 June 2026
Tuesday, 23 June 2026
📝 Registration is essential 👉 Register here: https://alifleming.com.au/playgroup-registration-form

🚗 Did you know there is a new parking arrangement? Families are kindly asked to park at the Tea Tree Gully RSL car park, accessed via Memorial Drive.

How to find us from the new parking area: → Park at the Tea Tree Gully RSL car park off Memorial Drive → Walk down past the basketball and tennis courts → Turn right at the bottom of the path → You will find our same entry point — look for the sunflower on the back gate 🌻

Our studio entry point remains the same — only the parking location has changed. 😊

📞 0423 769 549 | ✉️ [email protected]