Early Years professionals
building a confident, expressive, skilled and happy body is a priority for every child
The JABADAO team has been researching physical development for over 20 years, observing children, talking with early years practitioners and teasing out theoretical models. The result is a constantly up-dating contemporary practice called Developmental Movement Play (DMP).
Development Movement Play
rethinking physical development
1. The Feeling of Me
sensory processing
2. Me Moving
the building blocks of confident, expressive, skilled movement
Children are hardwired to seek out what they need for great physical development. At first a set of magnificent reflexes guide them to the ways they need to move
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Then they listen to their bodies and choose movement that gives them what they need. They are very good at it ... they are infant experts
They don't need us to tell them what to do. They need us to know what they are looking for - and why - and make great spaces and places where they can create their own physical development programme. This is developmental movement play
If we understand more, we can be more Helpful Adults
Continuing Professional Development opportunities
Host a Course
If you and your team want to take a fresh look at how you support physical development, we'll devise a course for you - within a child-led, play-based approach.
If you're an advisor, or a manger supporting lots of settings, we offer courses for up to 24 Champions, to bring the work back to their setting.
All courses share radical thinking about physical development theory. You can also add in a specific focus if you'd like to - perhaps how physical development links with reading, writing or self-regulation.
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We're happy to talk with you about delivering training sessions on Zoom.
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Conferences & Workshops
If you want a thought-provoking and lively slot at your event, our Director - Penny Greenland MBE - is your woman. She loves presenting at conferences and CPD workshop days because they are such a great way to spark new thinking.
Lots of research-led ideas, challenging questions, and practical good humour. Penny is author of Hopping Home Backwards: movement play and body intelligence and has contributed to several early years
text books. Above all, she offers contemporary thinking about physical development.
She's happy to do Zoom sessions as well.
Support
If you have trained before and would like to check in, refresh your thinking or roll a specific question around - we're just a Zoom away.
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If we can be useful - get in touch. Just you, or a group of colleagues.
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Arts Projects
To stimulate, celebrate, enliven and delight
The Tig
The Tig is a stunning walk-in sculpture - soft, safe, as big as a house and filled with colour and light.
Inside there are six dancers and acrobats waiting to play. There are no words. There is a rich sound score.
What happens inside is led by children 0-5.
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We tour with The Tig during the summer months, usually in 5-day residencies. We will tour again when circumstances allow …
JABADAO Shop
Resources to prompt and support movement play
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Giant scrunchies, ribbon wavers, stretchy fabrics, body balls, beautiful body-friendly mats
Lots of open-ended resources to support child-led movement play