Future Little Thinkers

If you're anywhere near Kingston over the next couple of days, stop what you're doing and get tickets to see 'Fantastically Great Women Who Changed the World'. A show for daughters and sons, old and young. We were with a small team of 6 year old girls and we're not sure who loved it more, their mothers or daughters. We were blown away by show last night. "Inspired and inspiring" it is. With growing concern surrounding the mental health statistics of teenage girls in the UK specifically, I couldn't think of a more important show to support important questions in uncertain times around the nature of self. We need more dreamy productions like these to build a sense of purpose and fulfilment, with a focus on the collective rather than the individual. 90 mins of superb acting and catchy music to send you info a frenzy of positivity. A pure delight. What did we take home? It's not just about the goal, but who you're going to take along with you. It's not just about what you do in your lifetime, but the legacy and thread you leave behind.
Congratulations on creating something special 👌👏

💛Happy World Children’s Day💛 I have far too many thoughts to distil what this means today. I am surrounded by children I know coming down with Covid throughout the UK and however schools choose to attempt to diminish the spread there is no stopping this virus reaching our precious children in some form, only leaving us with the hope as parents and educators that it will be mild. I look at our current 4 & 5 year olds who have so far grown up as toddlers told that they couldn’t do the simplest of things; visiting the playground, seeing and touching their loved ones “just in case”, with the background noise of some people dying, getting seriously ill and losing their livelihoods. These little people have spent a large proportion of their lives unable to live freely and now face the concept of growing up on a planet that is ‘not well’. For the four year old who has just started school this Autumn, boundaries of what is appropriate and inappropriate have become blurred every few months for nearly half their lifetime. But many things remain. They are growing up living and breathing resilience, they are finding their own coping mechanisms, they are trouble-shooting, problem-solving and friendship has never felt, nor sounded, so joyful. This academic year should not be about ‘catch-up’, but about forging long lasting human connections once again, building trust, friendship and empathy within those daily interactions to make each and every child feel whole. As frequently remind me in their advertising, “We are the future.” Yes, you are. The future is yours. Today we celebrate you. You are the agents of change that the world needs and we hope that we make you feel as safe and hopeful as you deserve, because life and the future is full of promise. You already have a phenomenal skillset as you face the future whatever your age. Some might say education flourishes under the strength of school leadership. But the impact of the teacher on the ground is limitless. Empower them.

We’ve tried to do our bit to light up London in green tonight for after a day in our beloved If your son or daughter are tucked up in bed whilst this airs, remember to watch it on and involve them in the conversation. We are delighted that a bright light is shining on what matters most for our globally tonight.

If you’re a parent this Sunday evening on and you’re worried about your child’s mental health, make a decision tonight to speak up and out. Talk to your child’s teacher, school or trusted adult who you feel ‘gets’ your child. Our children spend thousands of hours at school and knowledge and understanding around what makes them tick can be transformational. Encourage your child to speak up and out too. The last 18 months have been gruelling, regardless of age or background. Children across the UK and worldwide have had tremendous struggles and now is the time to ensure that we move towards stronger foundations for our children’s mental health. To write, to talk, to draw, to start a journey on piecing together the many complex feelings. It’s okay to ask for help.

💥Wise Wednesdays💥 Issue 23 of landed on my doorstep on a very tiring Tuesday and I am making time and space today to fill my mind with happy, uplifting, positive, exciting news from around the world. If you’re a teacher who is struggling a little with the busy start of term, or perhaps the atmosphere in your class is a little flat with a number of pupils isolating, if you’re a parent who is feeling a little empty or overwhelmed with the new shift back to school during continuing uncertain times or you need to create some precious time with your children doing something ‘different’- look no further than Emily Coxhead’s amazing newspaper. Life can feel like a covid rollercoaster at the moment and finding our calm or a lighter headspace can be tricky. Fill your minds and your children’s minds with the good stuff. This is not an AD. Just spreading the joy. Link in the bio. Another great issue 👏💥🙌

Another day of change in the UK again today, with boundaries and individual freedoms opening up a little. I’ve heard many stories in the last 3 weeks of ‘back to school’ with struggles in children of all ages adapting with being back in physical classrooms and mixing with others again in person. It’s made me reflect on what, and how, we can be supporting our children who have given up so much, or rather been thrust into giving up so much. The moving goal posts, such as those which have arrived today, have a huge impact on our mindset. Simple things have become treats. Simple things have become uncomfortable. Simple things have become scary. What was simple, has become complex. I firmly believe recognising these complexities and exploring them with our children is imperative. Talk about your own adjustments and feelings. Read books which touch upon challenges. Encourage your child to express themselves through art, poetry, journal writing, music and make tike for chats at bedtime. Children can be enormously resilient. But they can also have great survival skills. They need to process these changes, however small, just like us.

Happy Mother’s Day 2021 to all mothers in the UK. We have been stretched in ways that none of us could have predicted this year. Some with too much to juggle and too much pressure, and others with too much silence away from those we love. But hope is on the horizon. May the day be full of light and love. Thank you to the monumental effort of schools making mothers with school-aged children feel like a million bucks with homemade cards today ❤️

Thinking of every parent and child who start a new chapter today in England. 12 weeks away from school. You did it. May the day be kind on you and full of warm fuzziness. Fly away towards independence again

Are you feeling anxious or excited about tomorrow? (swipe➡️) Children, teachers and parents in England are all going to feel a little strange today. I’ve definitely been feeling today turvy since last week adjusting to this new shifting norm of the return to school. Elation one minute, nervousness the next, euphoria, relief, low level anxiety... It’s all in there. Children and parents are being reintroduced to the physical classroom after weeks of feeling ‘locked away’ with limited human contact. Teachers have thrown themselves into creating and commuting to digital learning platforms that are ‘keeping-their-pupils-going’ alongside their usual aims to inspire and reach learning goals. They want nothing more than to be back in the classroom, but with that change, some will be able to pivot easily, whilst others will be more naturally change-resistant as human beings. The same is true of children and parents. Some children might feel excited today and wake up feeling nervous tomorrow. Some might be refusing to leave the house, whilst others are back on the school bus without looking back. It feels like the ultimate uneasy Sunday feeling, coupled with the realisation that children will be heading into classrooms filled with chatter, laughter and fun. Most schools will be focusing on the multi dimensional wellbeing aspects of returning to school, rather than focusing on the learning gaps. We have all been through an extraordinary amount, putting our all into keeping a sense of normality, whilst keeping the learning going. Talk about those feelings. Talk about the complexity of these emotions, ask questions, encourage journal writing, art therapy, build in time to read, chat and reflect today and this week. Build in extra time for hugs, getting to the school in time, doing up buckles if you have a 4 year old, talking with your 13 yr old, reading with your 9 year old, having dinner and discussions with your 17 year old. Recognise all the feelings and accept them for what they are. Don’t lock it in. Let it out 💙

The best day of the academic year has arrived! Authors can’t visit classrooms today, but they are still reaching hundreds of thousands of children across 100 countries world wide to open their minds and bring their writing to life through the power of technology for many! The Early Years in the UK now have the importance of books at the heart of their foundation - and even in a covid world we are able to read books online. The mission of World Book Day is to promote reading for pleasure, offering every child and young person the opportunity to have a book of their own. Did you know that reading for pleasure is the single biggest indicator of a child’s future success – more than their family circumstances, their parents’ educational background or their income? A big statement. Open some books today, make sure you follow the link in the bio to learn more.

🌟World Wildlife Day🌟 If you’re looking for any inspiration today to inspire your child who is achingly close to the finish line of their remote learning (in England) head over to and to jump into an array of incredible wildlife moments of the natural world captured by a group of the UK’s most talented photographers. Life has shrunk for most of us in the last year, for many beyond all recognition. But it is so important to keep looking up, to keep looking out, beyond the realms of our current everyday covid existence of distancing ourselves towards an exciting future for our children, who are still intrigued and curious, keen to learn and have their eyes opened. Our planet is incredible and we can continue to instil a love of learning and curiosity about the natural world. Help bring it to life today by sharing some images with them of the splendour of our planet’s wildlife today. Whether it be outside or on a screen! Take a moment.

Lots of glimmers of hope and sunshine for all children (and their parents). The readjustment to remote learning after half-term has been harder for many, and the screen fatigue is real for all. We watch on in hope that more normal days are coming and a love of learning will be re-established in physical classrooms for all rather than the few with the distanced learning approach. We can’t wait to hear the sound of children’s laughter and stories from school and classes. Thank you teachers for your continued efforts to bring learning to life in these final weeks 💙💚💛🧡❤️💜