17/12/2025
Behaviour is changing in our schools.
More and more educators I work with are saying the same thing:
“The needs of our children feel different now.”
And if that’s true — if the children are changing — then our role as educators has to change too.
We cannot keep responding to today’s children with yesterday’s expectations.
That doesn’t mean lowering standards.
It means deepening our understanding.
It may mean:
• Relearning what regulation actually looks like
• Reflecting on what behaviour is communicating
• Letting go of practices that no longer serve children
• And bravely asking, “Is this still developmentally appropriate?”
Which brings us to a question many settings are quietly wrestling with:
How appropriate is whole-class carpet time — and the expectations we place on children during it?
Is it realistic to expect:
• 30 children to sit still
• To listen passively
• To regulate their bodies
• To override sensory needs
• To process language-heavy input
…all at the same time?
For some children, carpet time is manageable.
For many others, it is overwhelming.
And when their nervous systems can’t cope, what do we often see?
• Fidgeting
• Calling out
• Rolling
• Disrupting
• Withdrawing
• “Challenging behaviour”
What if those behaviours aren’t defiance…
but communication?
What if the behaviour is telling us:
• “This is too much.”
• “This doesn’t feel safe for my body.”
• “I need to move.”
• “I can’t process this right now.”
This isn’t about removing structure.
It’s about designing environments and rhythms that support children’s nervous systems, not constantly push against them.
Because when children feel regulated, they don’t need to communicate through behaviour.
And when adults feel supported to adapt practice — not just manage behaviour — everything begins to soften.
Discover more from my heart led training at www.hyggeintheearlyyears.co.uk
