.png)
Learn Play Thrive The Podcast
Welcome to Learn Play Thrive: The Podcast! Join us for expert insights and interviews, practical tips and inspiring stories in Early Childhood Education. Whether you are an educator or leader in the sector, this podcast is your go-to resource to discover strategies to foster learning, promote play and empower young minds to thrive.
Episodes
106 episodes
From Framework to Footpath: A Practical Guide to Road Safety in ECEC
Tune in for an important discussion on keeping our youngest road users safe! We welcome Louise Cosgrove and Amanda Menzies from Kids and Traffic (Transport for NSW) to share their expert insights. Discover how the Kids and Traffic<...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 107
•
22:32
.png)
Little Dreamers #8: Butterflies
This episode of Little Dreamers is all about beautiful butterflies, guiding preschoolers through gentle imagery and promote deep relaxation, body awareness, and imaginative thinking. Host Kathryn uses storytelling to help children practice grat...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 106
•
11:28
Episode Encore: Weaving Aboriginal Perspectives Across the Curriculum
We're bringing back a must-listen favorite! Join us for this powerful encore featuring Jessica Staines, founder of the Koori Curriculum, renowned for her work in culturally responsive pedagogical practices. Jessica offers essential, actionable ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 105
•
19:58
Episode Encore: Generative AI - Should we worry or be excited?
We’re bringing back a must-listen favourite. In this powerful encore, I sit down with Dr Kate Highfield to unpack one of the biggest conversations in early childhood right now: Generative AI — should we worry or be excited?Dr Kate...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 103
•
32:03
Navigating the NQS #3: Standard 1.3 - Assessment and planning
In this episode of Navigating the NQS, host Simone Brand guides educators to excellence by diving into the heart of Quality Area 1 - Standard 1.3: Assessment and Planning. This episode is essential for mastering the planning cycle—observing, an...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 102
•
12:05
Episode Encore: The Power of Play and Storytelling in Water Safety Education
This week, we're bringing back one of our favourite episodes just in time for the summer season. Simone Brand chats with Louise Lambeth, an experienced surf lifesaver and children's book author. With warmer weather encouraging more time near th...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 101
•
27:04
Little Library #8: Tubowgule - A Sydney Opera House History
Join host Linda Harrison and First Nations author, Melissa-Jane Fogarty, as we explore the picture book Tubowgule: A Sydney Opera House History. This story traces the site's story from the Gadi people gathering at Tubowgule over 60,000...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 100
•
21:42
Activating a Collective Ethic of Care and Co-responsibility with the Great Barrier Reef
Join us for an inspiring discussion with two leading voices in early childhood education, Debi Keyte-Hartland and Catherine Lee. We dive into an inquiry-project, which began with a discovery made by children digging in the sandpit. This unexpec...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 99
•
30:21
Little Dreamers #7: Flowers
Welcome to the Little Dreamers mini-series! These monthly episodes feature specially written mindfulness stories designed to ignite young imaginations and gently guide preschoolers toward relaxation and body awareness. This month, our theme is ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 98
•
11:21
Intentional Scaffolding: From Vygotsky to Today
Are you ready to transform your intentional teaching and learning practices? Join us for an essential discussion with Kate Hodgekiss, owner of Engaging Curriculum Solutions and a powerful advocate in the early childhood sector for over 25...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 96
•
26:43
Play Provocations #2: Pretend Play
In this episode of Play Provocations, hosts Linda Harrison and Lindsay Laing unpack the power of pretend play. Learn how inventing roles and narratives is the highest form of symbolic thought in early childhood, directly activating the prefront...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 96
•
14:05
The Magic of Mark-Making
How do we unlock the joy of meaningful mark-making for every child? This week, we host Dr. Gai Lindsay, Senior Lecturer and long-time early childhood expert, whose research is dedicated to empowering visual arts learning. Drawing inspir...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 95
•
29:52
Navigating the NQS #2: Standard 1.2 - Practice
This exciting monthly mini-series, Navigating the NQS, continues with host Simone Brand who draws on 15 years of exceeding-rated leadership experience. In this episode, we explore Standard 1.2 – Practice, focusing on how educators facilitate an...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 94
•
12:17
2025 ECA National Conference: Exhibiter Insights.mp3
We're hitting the floor at the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference 2025 in Perth! Host Simone Brand dives into the bustling Exhibition Hall to chat with the innovators, creators, and resource providers who are driving change in ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 93
•
29:20
Little Dreamers #6: A Transport Journey to Calm
Welcome back to Little Dreamers, the enchanting mini-series designed to bring calm and creativity to a young child's world! This month, get ready for an adventure as we climb aboard for a mindful journey about transport. Your preschooler will b...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 92
•
11:12
2025 ECA National Conference: Educator Voices
We're taking you live to Perth for the Early Childhood Australia (ECA) National Conference 2025! Learn Play Thrive host Simone Brand grabs the mic and dives into the heart of the sector, capturing the vibrant energy and vital conversations from...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 91
•
24:33
Little Library #7: The Christmas Tree Catastrophe
Ready to bring the magic of picture books into your early learning practice this festive season? Join Linda Harrison on Learn Play Thrive's Little Library as she talks with award-winning author Emma Bowd about her joyful new picture book, The C...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 90
•
25:08
Empowering Young Children Through Hands-On Disaster Preparedness
Get ready for an eye-opening chat with Dr. Sharleen Keleher about disaster preparedness. Drawing from her extensive research and hands-on work with communities recovering from floods, fires, and cyclones, she shows us that disaster resilience e...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 89
•
29:24
Play Provocations #1: Messy Play
Get ready to get playful with our brand-new monthly mini-series, Play Provocations, dropping once a month on Tuesdays! Join your hosts, Linda Harrison and Lindsay Laing, two experienced Early Childhood Education teachers and consultants, as the...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 88
•
13:11
%20(1).png)
Nurturing Sensory and Motor Development in Preschoolers
Join us as we talk to Amanda Bacon, a highly experienced Paediatric Physiotherapist and designer of the Targeted Motor Control (TMC) Screening Tool. Amanda shows us that small, early interventions in motor and sensory development create exponen...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 87
•
23:13
Navigating the NQS #1: Standard 1.1 - Program
This exciting new monthly mini-series, Navigating the NQS, is hosted by host Simone Brand! Drawing on her 15 years of experience as an educator, leader, and Approved Provider, Simone shares valuable insights into operating two exceeding-rated L...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 86
•
11:16
%20(2).png)
Montessori in Action: Practical Strategies for your ECEC Setting
We're excited to welcome back a very special international USA guest to the Learn Play Thrive podcast, early childhood educator and social-emotional learning expert, Cara Zelas! Cara, the founder of the educational platform Big World of Little ...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 85
•
26:26
Raising the Bar: A Guide to Thriving in the A&R Process
The Assessment and Rating (A&R) process doesn't have to be a source of stress! This episode of Learn Play Thrive is here to transform your perspective. We're joined by the brilliant and innovative minds behind The National Quality Framework...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 84
•
40:40
The Pedagogical Artistry of Shared Thinking
In this inspiring episode, we welcome back the conversation from last week and dive into the newly released book, Redefining Planning and Assessment: Seeing Children Through Pedagogical Documentation. We're sitting down with David Gilk...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 83
•
21:14
Redefining Planning and Assessment: Seeing Children Through Pedagogical Documentation
We’re thrilled to bring you an incredibly insightful episode of Learn Play Thrive, recorded at the REAIE conference in Adelaide! This week, we're joined by three of the early childhood sector’s most respected experts and authors - Dr. Alma Flee...
•
Season 1
•
Episode 82
•
18:41