Welcome to The January 2026 PLAYlist! 💫🎉
Here Is Your Guide To Everything New & Exciting On The PLAYlist This Month!
Welcome to January!
Happy New Year! January has a particular quality in early years.
For adults, it is often a moment of quiet recalibration. Less about dramatic change, more about noticing and making adjustments.
This month’s PLAYlist focuses on gender, writing and schematic thinking.
Gender in the Early Years - and why it matters (all subscribers) - CLICK HERE
Original Article by Me! (Dr. Alistair Bryce-Clegg) + Listen Along
This month’s ABC article draws on the thinking of Professor Cordelia Fine to explore how children develop their understanding of gender, and how adult language, expectations and systems shape that understanding far more than we often realise.
The article looks at how stereotypes become embedded through everyday practice, why they are so persistent, and how a more informed, reflective approach can create environments that support all children more equitably. A short linked video offers additional context and prompts for reflection.
PLAYlist membership
If you are currently accessing The PLAYlist through the free subscription and finding it useful, full membership offers deeper, ongoing support. For £6 per month or £60 for the year, paid PLAYListers have access to the full back catalogue, monthly online training and a wide range of resources that are largely download and keep, all of which can be shared with your team.
Why handwriting sheets and dotted name cards don’t work (all subscribers) - CLICK HERE
ANOTHER ABC Article + Listen Along + Downloadable Resource
This month’s ABC article explores why handwriting worksheets and dotted name cards remain so common, and why research and developmental evidence consistently show that they are unhelpful for many children.
The piece explains what is happening cognitively and physically when children are asked to trace or overwrite, how this increases cognitive load, and why it can undermine confidence rather than build it. An audio version is available for those who prefer to listen, alongside a link to the writing training for practitioners who want practical, developmentally appropriate alternatives.
For PAID PLAYListers
Video interview with Professor Cordelia Fine - CLICK HERE
In the interview, Cordelia explores how systems, structures and assumptions shape gendered experiences, including how these ideas filter down into early childhood settings. The conversation unpacks common misunderstandings about biology and behaviour, challenges simplistic narratives, and offers clear, research-informed information that you can apply to your practice
10 Practitioner-created activities on schemas and schematic play - CLICK HERE
This month includes ten practitioner-created activity examples linked to schemas and schematic play. These are grounded in real classrooms and real observations, showing how adults have responded to children’s repeated patterns of behaviour by adapting provision rather than directing outcomes.
They are particularly helpful for teams developing confidence in recognising schemas and using them to deepen learning across areas of provision.
Free Online Training - Staffroom Session - CLICK HERE
Teaching children to write their names
The January Staffroom Session focuses on name writing as a developmental journey rather than a task to complete.
It explores what children need physically, cognitively and emotionally to write their names with confidence, how working memory plays a role, and why approaches based on repetition and copying often backfire. The session is designed to be watched together, paused and discussed, making it ideal for team (or individual) professional development.
Schemas E-zine - Digital Download - CLICK HERE
Paid subscribers also have access to the Schemas E-zine, which brings together key ideas about schemas and schematic play.
It supports observation, planning and discussion, and works well as a shared reference point for teams who want to build a consistent understanding of schematic behaviour across a setting.
January can feel LOOOONG! But it is also a great time for reflection and refinement.
I hope this month’s PLAYlist supports you in noticing what children are showing you, and some more knowledge and confidence to respond with what they need.
Alistair
