Together We Grow Foundation

Please see information for Hervey Bay Oztag for littlies.

The Tiny Taggers Program is for 4- and 5-year-olds, and the program is based on skills, drills, and games, helping kids to build coordination and footy skills.

Sometimes the behaviour we see is the tip of the iceberg.

When a child cannot walk through the school gates, our instinct is often to focus on attendance. But lasting change rarely comes from pushing harder. It comes from understanding deeper.

School avoidance is often a child’s way of telling us that something feels too overwhelming, too frightening, or too difficult to cope with.

When we shift our question from “How do we get them into school?” to “What is making school feel impossible?”, we move from managing behaviour to understanding need.

Understanding always comes before meaningful support.

If this resonated with you, please consider sharing it. It may help another family feel seen today.

By the time a child turns 5, their brain has already formed about 90% of its neural pathways. This period is not about memorizing facts. It is about wiring how the brain learns, regulates emotions, and solves problems. Yet many parents feel pressured to push flashcards, letters, and numbers too early.

Neuroscience shows that memorization does little to shape long-term intelligence. Instead, three types of play matter most. Pretend play builds language and emotional understanding. Physical play strengthens focus, coordination, and stress regulation. Open-ended problem-solving play teaches flexibility, reasoning, and resilience.

These forms of play activate multiple brain regions at once. The brain learns best when curiosity, movement, and emotion work together. Repetition through play strengthens neural connections far more effectively than drills, which often increase stress without improving understanding.

Children are not falling behind by playing. They are building the foundation for learning itself. When parents prioritize play over pressure, they support attention, emotional regulation, creativity, and cognitive growth. Early childhood is not about producing early academics. It is about shaping a brain that can learn, adapt, and thrive for life.

A CHILD’S VOICE: I Need to Stim

Stimming is a natural way that many autistic and neurodivergent children regulate their nervous system. It can help them feel calm, process emotions, focus, express excitement, or cope with overwhelming environments.

Not all stimming is a sign of distress. Sometimes it’s a sign that a child feels happy, excited, or deeply engaged in what they’re doing.

Rather than asking, “How do I stop it?” it can be more helpful to ask, “What is my child communicating?” Understanding the reason behind the stim allows us to provide the support they actually need.

When stimming is safe, accepting it can reduce stress and help children feel understood. If a stim could cause harm, the goal isn’t to stop the need to regulate—it’s to help find a safer alternative that meets the same need.

📌 Save this post so you can come back to it whenever you need a reminder.

Share it with your child’s family, school, and wider community to help more people understand why stimming matters.

Anorexia, Bulimia, BED, OSFED.

ARFID, PICA, fussy eating, picky eating, challenges with eating.

When you look at the top list, fussy and picky eating are not included.
Of course they're not. Because they are not eating disorders like the others are.

So why then do some people think it is okay to group ARFID in with fussy or picky eating?
ARFID is also a serious eating disorder!

More and more professionals from various sectors are grouping ARFID in with fussy/picky eating when creating educational content!!
Example:
"If you know someone who is a fussy or picky eater, has ARFID or finds mealtimes challenging, then this course is for you," 😠😠

They are NOT the same thing!!

I have seen book titles
"How to support someone with ARFID and fussy eating at mealtimes"

Honestly, it infuriates me.
We are trying so hard to educate the wider community about ARFID and how it's a serious eating disorder, and then this undoes all the hard work we have done so far.

Here's the problem, the people who are actually living with ARFID already know they are completely different.
Those who know nothing about ARFID will just read the headline and think, "ahhh, so ARFID is the same as a fussy eater," and that's it.
They won't attend the course or read the book.
Reading the headline is the extent of their research.
But next time they see a story posted about someone with ARFID, they'll remember that headline and potentially respond to the post really negatively!

Individuals with ARFID don't have "challenging" mealtimes. They often don't even have mealtimes at all. There is so much more to ARFID than "challenging mealtimes."
ARFID can affect every aspect of someone's life! Picky eating does not!

I know that having a loved one in the home who IS a picky eater can be really frustrating.
I understand that they may also need some support, but not to the same extent that someone with ARFID needs.

ARFID and picky eating are completely separate and should not be grouped together as though they are the same thing.

To build pencil grip you need…

3 foundational elements that support a child’s pencil grip skills for handwriting development.

Handwriting skills take a lot of work and often don’t come naturally. Like anything else, handwriting is a skill that is developed as it is practiced and perfected over time.

However, when children haven’t developed certain foundational skills, handwriting skills often fall behind or become frustrating for the student.

To find out what all 3 foundational elements support a child’s pencil grip and handwriting development, check them out here: https://ilslearningcorner.com/4-foundational-elements-needed-for-pencil-grip-preparation-and-achievement/?utm_source=Google%20Ads&utm_medium=Test2&utm_campaign=Test3

🧠 I AM 1 – The Brain Development Behind What You See

You asked for it… so I created it.

Many of you have been asking for the youngest ages in the Brain Development Series, so today I’m sharing I Am 1.

This series explores what is happening inside a child’s developing brain at different ages, helping us look beyond behaviour and better understand the skills, emotions and experiences developing beneath the surface.

Tomorrow morning I’ll be sharing I Am 2.

Save this post so you can come back to it as your child grows.
Tap the image, then the three dots (•••) and select Save. You can build your own library of every age in the series as they’re released.

As promised, today I’m sharing I Am 2.

Following yesterday’s I Am 1, we’re continuing the Brain Development Series with another stage in a child’s incredible journey of development.

The Brain Development Series follows children’s development from ages 1–25, helping explain what is happening inside the developing brain at each stage. Every child develops at their own pace, but understanding the journey can help us respond with greater patience, confidence and understanding.

Today’s post explores the exciting stage where independence grows, curiosity explodes and those famous words… “Me do it!” become part of everyday life.

Save this post so you can come back to it as your child grows.
Tap the image, then the three dots (•••) and select Save. You can build your own library of every age in the series as they’re released.