Yeah Baby! is a specialist conference concerned with the education and care of our infants from birth to three years of age. This one-day conference runs from 9am-3pm on a Saturday and includes trade fair, and great seminar and workshops style presentations. The format for the day ensures delegates will return to their early childhood settings affirmed and inspired with up-to-date research as well as practical advice, guidance and solutions all relevant to work and play with children under 3. New information is shared each year and each programme varies according to region.

Programme:

9am-10.30am: Toni & Robin Christie - Respectful people, places, and things

The New Zealand Early Childhood Curriculum, Te Whāriki, refers to “people, places and things” as the learning context for young children. How do people show respect for children and their families? What kind of places are respectful spaces for children? What things are available to children within the environment, where have they come from, and who made them? How do they demonstrate respect for diversity, culture and the child? This opening address will inspire participants with practical ideas, and prompt us to examine our own ideas about what respect looks and feels like for our youngest and most vulnerable citizens.

10.30-11am: morning tea

11am-12.30pm: Toni Christie -  Music and movement for infants and toddlers

Music is crucial for infant development and encourages joyful and secure attachments between tamariki and kaiako. Music and movement stimulate various aspects of a baby's development, including cognitive abilities, social skills, motor skills, emotional regulation, and language acquisition, all while providing a fun and engaging way to interact with their environment; essentially laying the foundation for future learning through rhythm, pattern recognition, and sensory stimulation. This session will explore recent research and rationale for incorporating singing and dancing in your ECE programme, as well as offering participants the opportunity to share and practice songs and finger rhymes for joyful engagement with infants and toddlers. 

12.30-1.15pm: lunch and a chance to check out the trade fair

1.15-2.45pm: Robin Christie - Snip, Snap, Snover, That Story’s Over! Storytelling with and for very young children

Storytelling is as old as humanity itself – an effective and entertaining way to exchange ideas, explore moral concepts, and create connections within communities. For toddlers the transition from stories out of books to stories co-created with kaiako is related to the development of imagination, the playful use of language, and the ability to take another’s perspective. This highly entertaining hands-on session will equip kaiako with the confidence and ideas to take their storytelling with very young children to the next level.

General admission price: $260
Special price for subscribers to The Space or Childspace at Your Place (CAYP): $220

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