Institute for the Early Years

Institute for the Early Years Birth to 19 Institute for the Early Years works to improve young children’s development, learning and health.

We offer world-class teaching, training and qualifications for practitioners, support for settings, and ground-breaking initiatives for parents. A hub for all early years providers across Yorkshire and The Humber to improve outcomes for young children and address the impact of the pandemic on young children, by sharing effective practice.

What screens can’t replace...Join Chloe Storr from 50 Things to Do at our Less Screen Time, More Play Time Conference th...
05/10/2026

What screens can’t replace...

Join Chloe Storr from 50 Things to Do at our Less Screen Time, More Play Time Conference this November.

Chloe’s workshop, “What Screens Can’t Replace: Everyday Experiences that Build Healthy Childhoods,” will explore how play gives children the experiences, curiosity and opportunities they need to thrive.

Reducing screen time isn’t just about taking something away, it’s about making more space for play, discovery, connection and childhood.

- Wednesday 4 November 2026 | 9:00am – 4:00pm
- Find out more and book your place: https://cutt.ly/fythEKpJ

Last chance to save £30 on your conference ticket!Our early bird offer ends at midnight today (30 September) - don’t mis...
30/09/2026

Last chance to save £30 on your conference ticket!

Our early bird offer ends at midnight today (30 September) - don’t miss out!

Book your place today and save £30 per ticket. You can also secure the early bird rate by invoice (book now, pay later).

Join us on Wednesday 4 November for a day of conversation, ideas and collaboration as we explore how we can work together to put play back at the heart of early childhood.

- Wednesday 4 November 2026 | 9:00am–4:00pm
- Coin Street, London SE1 9NH
- Book your place: https://cutt.ly/3ythRtLz

We’d love to see you there and please share this with anyone who might be interested.

What can we offer young children instead of screen time?Rebecca Oberg is thrilled to be hosting an amazing group of spea...
29/09/2026

What can we offer young children instead of screen time?

Rebecca Oberg is thrilled to be hosting an amazing group of speakers at the Less Screen Time, More Play Time conference.

With a career rooted in Early Years and a passion for the importance of play, Rebecca is looking forward to bringing together inspiring voices from across early childhood, health, education and beyond.

It’s a conversation about more than reducing screen time - it’s about making space for play, imagination, connection, movement and simply being a child.

Rebecca can’t wait to welcome everyone and get the conversation started!

Wednesday 4 November 2026 | 9:00am–4:00pm

Find out more: https://cutt.ly/3ythRtLz

Early years practitioners … we want to hear from you 🫵🏼Screen time in early childhood is fast becoming one of the bigges...
29/09/2026

Early years practitioners … we want to hear from you 🫵🏼

Screen time in early childhood is fast becoming one of the biggest conversations in the sector,yet the evidence base is still catching up.

But practitioners like you are experiencing the impact first-hand, from communication and language development to emotional regulation and ability to sleep.

That's why we are launching, via our 50 Things To Do initiative, a short survey for early years practitioners.

We want to understand what you're seeing in your setting, how confident you feel talking to families about screen use and what support you need.

It takes around 10 minutes to complete. And it will make a real difference not only to our work, but, more importantly, to you, your setting and the families you work with day in and day out.

Every response will directly shape the resources, messaging and evidence we produce and gather.

Thank you.

Start the survey now: https://cutt.ly/Syb3rnSA

Just 2 days left to save £30 on your conference ticket!There’s still time to grab our early bird offer, but the deadline...
28/09/2026

Just 2 days left to save £30 on your conference ticket!

There’s still time to grab our early bird offer, but the deadline is fast approaching.

Book by midnight on Wednesday 30 September and save £30 per ticket.

And remember, you can also secure the early bird rate by invoice - book now, pay later.

Join us on Wednesday 4 November for a day of conversation, collaboration and ideas as we explore how we can work together to put play back at the heart of early childhood.

We’re bringing together people from across early childhood, policy and practice and we’d love you to be part of the conversation.

Book your place: https://cutt.ly/fythEKpJ

Please feel free to share this post with anyone who might be interested in joining us!

Thank you to Boromi and Eureka! The National Children's Museum for supporting our Less Screen Time, More Play Time Con...
25/09/2026

Thank you to Boromi and Eureka! The National Children's Museum for supporting our Less Screen Time, More Play Time Conference 2026 as sponsors.

Their support is helping us bring together researchers, policymakers and practitioners for an important national conversation about putting play back at the heart of early childhood.

We’re also inviting organisations that share our commitment to prioritising play in the early years to explore our sponsorship opportunities.

There are a range of sponsorship opportunities available, including Gold, Silver and Bronze packages, as well as options to support early years practitioners to attend.

Register your interest via our website:

https://cutt.ly/3ythRtLz

Thank you again to Boromi and Eureka! for helping us make this important conversation possible.

Early bird offer ending in one week!Passionate about play based learning and supporting parents with young children? The...
23/09/2026

Early bird offer ending in one week!

Passionate about play based learning and supporting parents with young children? Then join us at our Less Screen Time, More Play Time Conference on Wednesday 4 November in London.

Book by 30 September 2026 to take advantage of our early bird discount - and potentially save on travel costs too!

This is a chance to share ideas, hear from experts and connect with others who are passionate about putting play back at the heart of early childhood.

• Wednesday 4 November 2026 | 9:00am–4:00pm
• Coin Street, London SE1 9NH
• Book your place: https://cutt.ly/fythEKpJ

You can also secure our early bird offer by invoice (book now, pay later). Deadline is Wednesday 30 September.

We’d love you to be part of the conversation!

There's still time to book places on our live webinars for interested families next week ⬇️Looking into ways to support ...
22/09/2026

There's still time to book places on our live webinars for interested families next week ⬇️

Looking into ways to support families to reduce screen time?

If you work with families of young children, why not recommend our FREE Less Screen Time, More Play Time webinar to the parents and carers you support?

We’ll share practical, realistic tips to help families manage screen time, including:

☑️ What healthy screen time can look like
☑️ Setting boundaries that work
☑️ Safely using technology when children do use it.

We’ll also share easy, low-cost play ideas that families can use to replace some screen time, plus resources such as 50 Things to Do Before You’re Five to help families spend more time talking, playing and making memories together.

It’s a simple, practical resource you can share with families who might be struggling with screen time or looking for more ideas for play.

There are 2 sessions available:

➡️Tuesday 29 September | 1.00-1.45pm
➡️Wednesday 30 September | 7.00-7.45pm

Recommend the webinar to a family you work with and book their place here: https://ow.ly/VP2V50ZHCkk

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We can now reveal the full programme for our inaugural Less Screen Time, More Play Time Conference!Join us on 4 November...
18/09/2026

We can now reveal the full programme for our inaugural Less Screen Time, More Play Time Conference!

Join us on 4 November 2026 at Coin Street, London for a day exploring the importance of play, screen use and child development -and how we can put play back at the heart of childhood.

We’re delighted to welcome a fantastic line-up of speakers:

• Professor Sam Wass
• Guddi Singh BBC Radio 4
• Lynnette Brock of SchemaPlay Community Interest Company
• Professor Cat Davies University of Leeds
• Jennifer Holly
• Beth Cooper Playful Ltd

Whether you work in the early years, support families, or are passionate about giving children more opportunities to play, connect and experience the world beyond the screen, we’d love you to join us.

• Wednesday 4 November 2026
• Coin Street, London
• Check out the full programme and book your place:

https://cutt.ly/fythEKpJ

We can’t wait to welcome you!

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