My biggest influence

Many of you who follow me here and on my other social media outlets will know that I have recently lost my Mum to cancer. As I’m sure you’ll understand, this has been devastating, particularly as I live many hundreds of miles away from my parents. However, I didn’t want to focus on the negative aspect of losing my Mum, but rather celebrate her influence in my pedagogy of play. Growing up my mum was my constant companion (I’m an only child) but rather than send me to my room to play, she would co-play with me. She introduced me to play dough and messy play and encouraged my imagination. With grief comes remembrance and reflection, and this time has allowed me to think back to my formative early years and understand just how much of an influence she really was.I’ve often said that I’ve been influenced by classic theorists such as Montessori and Frobel, or even present day influences such as Dr. Sarah Goldsmith, but my core influence has been my Mum. She taught me to play by playing with me, she taught me that toys are toys for everyone, she taught me that having a vivid imagination is vital.Thank you for being my biggest influence Mum, you live on in everything I do.