Niki Buchan Natural Learning

Playing with 4 year olds and rules….so beautifully explained.

We were playing hide and seek. A four year old asked me if two people can count at the same time.
Lev Vygotsky (not him again!) wrote heaps about children and rules. Rules start off hidden. If you are having a game of chasey the unspoken rule is, one person gets chased, the other has to chase. Without following this rule, the game would be called ‘senseless running’.
Next, they understand the concept of the spoken (or written) rules (they see our society covered in them). However, at the age of 3-6 they don’t place a lot of importance on how strict rules are. Rules will change depending on the outcome you want. For instance, in chasey, you’re not ‘out’ if someone touches you, unless you want to be out.
When you get a bit older, you start to appreciate strict rule, as it adds to the challenge. For instance, in “what’s the time Mr wolf’, all 4-year-olds want to be the wolf. You have a hundred wolves, and one person sneaking up. When the coalition of wolves yell out a number, say twenty fifty o’clock, the sneaker-upper basically adds a thousand more steps, because they really want to be standing an inch from the dinner-time wolf as soon as possible.
7 year olds, on the other hand have one wolf, and everybody is heavily scrutinised to make sure they only step the required steps. And there are no ‘100 o’clocks.’ They value rules as a means of enabling an activity to run smoothly, fairly, and with a level of predictability. Just like societal rules.
So, when the 4 year old kid asks me if two people can count at the same time, I say “sure! It isn’t the internationally accepted rules of hide and seek, but when you’re four, rules are meant to be explored, not obeyed. You have a whole life of rules ahead of you. Enjoy your anarchist existence while you can”

REMEMBER ME?
With 40 years experience in ECEC I have been around a bit....around the world, around so many different services and around so many amazing children, colleagues and friends. For 28 years I worked directly with children; owner, manager, director and head of centres. I have been part of the best and supported many to be the best they can be. I have trained so many who have gone on to become wonderful consultants themselves. I have worked in South Africa, Australia, Scotland, England,Ireland, Wales, China, South Korea, New Zealand, America, Canada, Sweden, Italy, Iceland, Norway, Denmark....have I forgotten any?

I have written a number of books on early years subjects close to me, I have lived in South Africa, Scotland, Australia and now back in Scotland, Australia said I was too old!!! I am old but I am also very experienced and hold a lot of knowledge, constantly updating through doing my own reading and research.

I have an Australian website at https://www.naturallearning.online and am in the process of publishing a UK website.

To view my range of very popular and affordable 1 hour webinars visit: https://www.naturallearning.online/online-webinars.html

To view my best selling E-courses and bundles visit: https://www.naturallearning.online/online-e-coursesbundles.html

To view my books and cards visit: https://www.naturallearning.online/resources.html

To contact me via Email write to: [email protected]

https://www.naturallearning.online/qld-kindy-uplift-program.html

We are excited that we have been involved in the QLD Kindy Uplift program for a number of years.

Did you know that all recorded webinars and bundled E-courses are delivered by Niki Buchan.

Contact Niki Buchan: [email protected]

QLD Kindy Uplift Program We are excited that we have been involved in the QLD Kindy Uplift Program for a number of years. All webinars and E-courses are delivered by Niki Buchan. ​We are delighted that we are now partnered...

Documentation valued by children, educators and families. Mostly on the floor with children of all ages instead of using valuable non contact time. Appropriate for outdoor, bush, beach and forest schools too. E-course to view in your own time or in staff meetings with 1 year unlimited access.

https://www.naturallearning.online/documentation--programming.html

Come and join us in Iceland in October. The best professional development with deep reflective conversations with highly experienced facilitators.

INTERNATIONAL PLAY ICELAND - October 2026!

This is a really unique trip and one I always look forward to being invited back to.

It is an opportunity to visit various settings in Iceland and then spend quality time discussing what you have seen with other early childhood professionals.

This study trip is not about a 'promise' to see outstanding early years practice. For me it is about the opportunity to observe, reflect, challenge and be challenged in a really positive and supportive environment, which helps our knowledge and practice to grow.

Plus some sightseeing, Icelandic culture, loads of food and really good fun!

When: 11th October - 16th October 2026.
Website: https://www.internationalplayiceland.com
Cost: varies for different countries, visit FAQ on our website.
What is included: flights from the UK, 4* single accommodation, all meals, all travel, all entrance fees, everything except alcohol, souvenirs and extra snacks!
Contact E-mail: [email protected]

If you are interested then apply via the website or get in touch with Tom ([email protected]

“Finland does not introduce formal reading instruction until children are 7 years old and consistently ranks first in global literacy!” Most other countries start 3 YEARS EARLIER but the extra 3 years doesn’t give them any advantage.

While most countries are drilling phonics into 4 year olds, Finland lets children play. And somehow Finland keeps winning.

Finland consistently ranks number one in global literacy despite not introducing formal reading instruction until age seven. The reason is not magic. It is brain development.

Researchers found that the neural pathways required for reading are simply not fully formed in most children before age six or seven. Pushing the skill earlier does not accelerate development. It creates stress, resistance and a complicated early relationship with learning.

Finland fills those early years with play, storytelling, conversation and social development. All of which build the exact cognitive foundations that make reading click naturally when the brain is actually ready.

Children taught to read at seven consistently catch up to and surpass early readers by age nine.

The race to start early is not giving children an advantage. Finland proved it is just making them tired sooner.

Look for the wild places. Go to parks, but play on the edges in the creeks and the bushes. Follow the animal tracks for interesting adventures. Walk up fire trails to go higher and see the world from above, and play low in the bushes and branches. Paddocks offer an abundance of space to use our bodies, and microhabitats to discover. Wild nature is everywhere.
This is how we play.

Image of Little Birdwings children playing and quotes are both attributed to Niki Buchan Natural Learning

Updated BLOG - Documentation. Mountains out of Molehills

Is this what it feels like? Do you feel like you are slowly sliding down that mountain? Pedagogical documentation should be FUN, and meaningful.

Niki shares her thoughts after actively using and developing the Australian Learning Tracks for nearly 20 years. Documentation that is proven, used by many centres including centres assessed as 'Excellent' with assessors commenting positively.

Programming. Mountains out of Molehills Programming, documentation, observation, assessment, reflection, and so much more, are part of our professional obligations as educators. It is also the one area many educators find the most...

International Play Iceland, have you registered to join us on this experience of a life time? Invest in the future of our children and practitioners. Contact Tom Shea today at [email protected] to register interest.

Play Iceland is a transformative educational experience, opening the door to Iceland's world-renowned approach to childhood development through play-based learning, whilst experiencing the magic of its culture and landscape.

Supported by a team of Icelandic practitioner guides and diverse panel of specialists from around the globe who lead discussion, share knowledge, challenge & enhance how we think about play.

Visit our website for more information https://www.internationalplayiceland.com

A sense of belonging is important to humans, so often children identified as “having challenging behaviour” lack a positive sense of belonging to the space. Nature Nurture starts supporting these children outdoors so that they will start feeling a sense of belonging again which is then transferred to the classroom.

This week is Children's Mental Health Week and the theme for 2026 is 'This is My Place'. Many of the children referred to Nature Nurture have never truly felt they belong.

Instead, they’ve learned — through exclusion, rejection or repeated failure — that they are too much, not enough, or don’t fit.

Nature Nurture in Practice is a targeted, therapeutic intervention that supports children to rebuild trust, self-belief and belonging through relational, outdoor-based work.

When children feel safe enough to belong, growth follows.

👉 Learn more about Nature Nurture in Practice:
https://salugen.uk/

🌿 Belonging changes everything