Boundaries and expectations are an important part of creating a safe, predictable, and caring environment where children can thrive. Together, we’ll explore how to co-create shared expectations with children through consistent routines, gentle guidance, and meaningful conversations. We’ll reflect on how our own presence, tone, and responses shape the emotional climate of our classrooms and consider how to foster a sense of safety, trust, and mutual respect. This session takes a thoughtful look at how we support children in learning boundaries, program expectations, and navigating social interactions.

Small group experiences offer powerful opportunities to connect with children, follow their interests, and extend their thinking. This session explores how to use small groups not just for activity time, but as rich spaces for conversation, exploration, and relationship-building. We’ll reflect on how to tune in to children’s ideas, use their interests to introduce new concepts and materials, and support emergent learning in responsive and meaningful ways.

Transitions are often seen as the bridges between the scheduled parts of the day, but what if we viewed them as meaningful moments in and of themselves? In this session, we’ll explore how transitions can be opportunities for care, connection, and learning. We’ll consider how small shifts in our routines can create calm, responsive moments that help children feel secure, engaged, and understood. You’ll be invited to slow down and reflect on the flow of your day, tuning into how even the simplest of transitions can be used to build relationships, model regulation, and respond to children’s unique needs and rhythms. Together, we’ll give ourselves permission to pause, to see transitions not as something to “get through”, but as moments filled with potential. You’ll leave with strategies to make your transitions developmentally responsive, meaningful, and full of connection.