Time to Connect

19/07/2025

Screen time isn’t all bad. But it’s not all good either. So how do we find the middle ground?

Our latest article takes an honest, balanced look at technology in early childhood, helping parents feel informed - not judged - about how to make it work for their families.

You’ll find:

🧠 The benefits - from video calls with grandparents to phonics games and movement videos

⚠️ The risks - including reduced emotional regulation and missed social cues

📏 Boundaries that work - like screen-free zones, co-viewing, and setting simple routines

💛 Alternatives - that fuel creativity, connection, and child-led joy

This isn’t about guilt or perfection. It’s about making conscious, confident choices that support your child’s emotional wellbeing in a tech-filled world.

📲 Read the full article here: https://www.timetoconnect.org.uk/post/navigating-screen-time-in-the-early-years-a-guide-for-conscious-parenting

Let’s put connection first - and use technology to support, not replace, what matters most.

Julie Karen Robinson

19/07/2025

Stuck for ideas to keep little ones entertained this summer - without spending a fortune?

We’ve got you covered.

This article is full of budget-friendly, meaningful activities to keep children engaged, learning, and smiling throughout the holiday weeks. From junk modelling with cereal boxes to sponge relays in the garden, you’ll find inspiration that’s both creative and realistic.

What we love most? These activities aren’t just about keeping busy - they’re about building memories, nurturing independence, and creating joyful family time.

🌿 Outdoor play that builds confidence

🎨 Creative mess with purpose

📚 Learning through everyday life

👫 Real-life connection > screen-time battles

Because summer doesn’t need to be perfect - it just needs to be present.

📖 Read the full guide: https://www.timetoconnect.org.uk/post/simple-and-affordable-ways-to-keep-children-busy-this-summer

Julie Karen Robinson

We’d love to hear what ideas you try!

19/07/2025

☀️ Summer is more than just holidays and sunshine - it’s a powerful chance to slow down, connect, and nurture the relationships that matter most.

In this gentle reflection, Dr Janet Macfarlane explores how we can use the season to strengthen emotional wellbeing for children and ourselves.

From saying goodbye to familiar faces, to welcoming new beginnings, it’s a timely reminder of how connection shapes childhood - and how small, mindful moments can make a big difference.

Julie Karen Robinson

💛 Read the full article here: https://www.timetoconnect.org.uk/post/nurturing-relationships-through-summer-reflections-for-families-and-educators

29/06/2025

💬✨ Words Matter - Especially the Ones We Tell Ourselves ✨💬

Affirmations aren’t just fluffy phrases - they’re small, powerful reminders that can shift our mindset, reset our day, and help us show up with intention.

Whether whispered in the car before drop-off, said out loud during circle time, or written on a post-it above your desk, affirmations can help us:

🌿 Re-centre when things feel overwhelming

💛 Model self-love and confidence to the children around us

🧠 Rewire the stories we tell ourselves with kindness

Today, we’re sharing a few gentle affirmations to support your wellbeing and emotional resilience.

Say them. Feel them. Believe them.

Which one do you need to hear most today?

29/06/2025

🌿✨ Take a Breath With Us ✨🌿

In the rush of the day - nappies, planning, snack times, meetings - it’s easy to forget the most important pause: the one we give ourselves.

Whether you're an educator, a parent, or simply holding space for little ones, these 5 simple mindfulness tips are here to gently bring you back to the present.

🧠 Small moments of calm can make a big difference - for you and for the children watching how you move through the world.

Let’s take a mindful moment… together.

Which tip will you try today?

Julie Karen Robinson Mini Minds Matter UK

29/06/2025

At Time to Connect, our ongoing partnership with Male Childcare and Teaching Jobs is more than a collaboration - it’s a shared mission to challenge outdated narratives and build a future rooted in belonging, emotional intelligence, and inclusivity.

Together, we’re not just increasing the visibility of male educators in early years - we’re:
✨ Empowering young boys to explore a healthier, more compassionate version of masculinity
👨‍👧 Supporting fathers on their parenting journeys through mentoring, community, and practical tools
🧠 Creating safe spaces where men in early years can thrive, connect, and be celebrated

MCTJ leads powerful work that helps shift societal perceptions - proving that care, nurture, and education aren’t gendered. And we’re proud to be walking beside them, pushing this vision forward.

This is about more than gender balance in the workforce. It’s about creating a ripple effect of acceptance and confidence that reaches every child, every parent, and every setting we touch.

29/06/2025

🧠✨ Positive Minds, Connected Communities ✨🧠

At Time to Connect, we’re grateful for our ongoing collaboration with Dr Janet Macfarlane, whose work in Positive Psychology continues to shape the heart of what we do.

Jan’s approach brings science and soul together - helping educators, families, and community leaders understand how strengths-based thinking, emotional regulation, and mindset theory can transform lives. Through her guidance, we’ve been able to embed practical wellbeing strategies into our training, forums, and mentoring spaces.

Together, we’re ensuring that children and the adults who support them are not only coping - but thriving.

Whether it’s building resilience, fostering hope, or cultivating gratitude, Dr Jan’s influence reminds us that mental health isn’t just about addressing what’s wrong - it’s about nurturing what’s strong. 💚

We’re honoured to walk alongside her in our shared mission to create emotionally intelligent, connected communities.

Julie Karen Robinson Mini Minds Matter UK

29/06/2025

🚹 How do we help boys feel free to be who they are, not who they’re told to be?

Our latest article explores how outdated ideas of masculinity still shape boys’ experiences in school - and what we can do to change that. 💬

✨ Here are 5 practical ways to support boys in building dreams beyond stereotypes:

1. Celebrate caring traits - praise empathy, kindness, and emotional intelligence.

2. Diversify role models - bring boys into contact with men in nurturing and creative roles.

3. Challenge “that’s not for boys” talk - whether it’s ballet or childcare, encourage curiosity.

4. Open up career conversations - explore all options, not just the typical ones.

5. Redefine success - show that being strong includes being thoughtful, expressive, and open.

👉 Read the full piece here: https://www.timetoconnect.org.uk/post/rethinking-masculinity-supporting-boys-to-learn-grow-and-aspire-freely

Let’s rethink what boys can be - because real growth happens when we stop limiting their potential. 🌱

Julie Karen Robinson Mini Minds Matter UK Mini Minds Matter UK

29/06/2025

At Time to Connect, we’ve been proud to collaborate with Mini Minds Matter UK - an inspiring organisation, led by Julie Karen Robinson, who brings decades of experience in education, paediatric health, and emotional wellbeing into everything they do.

Together, we’ve been weaving our shared values into meaningful projects that support children, parents, and educators alike - from promoting mindfulness in early years settings to offering wellbeing-focused training and practical tools for families across the UK.

What we admire deeply about Mini Minds Matter is their commitment to nurturing growth mindsets, emotional resilience, and calm confidence in children - especially at times when anxiety and uncertainty have been high. Their approach is grounded, compassionate, and rooted in lived experience - just like ours.

This collaboration continues to energise our mission at Time to Connect: to create communities where wellbeing, inclusion, and emotional intelligence are not extras - but essentials.

✨ Here’s to building on what’s already blooming.

24/06/2025

Please read this article from one of our Directors. We will arrange a webinar to follow on from this topic.

Learn how to spot early signs of mental health struggles in boys, challenge harmful stereotypes, and support emotional wellbeing at home.

23/06/2025

Our boys deserve more than silence.

Many young boys are taught to hide how they feel - not by choice, but because of the messages they receive about what it means to be “strong.”

In our latest article, we gently explore:
🌱 Subtle signs of emotional distress in boys
🌱 How traditional gender expectations can limit emotional expression
🌱 Ways to create a safe, supportive space at home
🌱 Where to turn for help - for your child, and for you

Let’s build a world where boys feel safe to speak, cry, connect, and grow.

📖 Read the full piece here 👉 https://www.timetoconnect.org.uk/post/understanding-boys-mental-health-a-guide-for-families

Julie Karen Robinson

15/06/2025

💬 “Parenting takes time to adapt to.” 💛

In her latest blog, Julie Karen Robinson opens up about the highs, lows, and lessons of parenting - from gentle discipline to screen time struggles and beyond.

If you've ever felt overwhelmed, unsure, or simply in need of a little reassurance… this one's for you. You are not alone. 🌱

👉 Read now: https://www.timetoconnect.org.uk/post/how-do-we-parent-the-challenges-and-ways-to-overcome-them

Explore the realities of parenting, gentle discipline, screen time, and emotional connection in this heartfelt guide by Julie Robinson. You're not alone.