The Child's Play Way

12/12/2025

Ola all, long time no post.

You may have noticed we have been quieter than usual here, missing our weekly Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday evening updates.

Social media and in particular Facebook was very good to us in our early days, a place to share our ideas and servuce model, reaching an audience we never thought possible. This has been a positive side and awesome potential of social media, finding a tribe beyond what is available in your immediate physical community.

As an ABA led practitioner, I learned what my personal comfort zone was when it came to trolls and anti-science accounts, but I can not continue support the behaviour of an algorithm that promotes hate for views and actively censors and blocks marginalised communities.

For December we are voting with our feet (or thumbs!) and reducing 1) the time spent consuming content on 2) content creation on their platforms and

It's an interesting time to be a human online, so much is changing so quickly. Our behaviour is all we can be accountable for, and hope it leads to change for good.

12/12/2025

Ola all, long time no post. You may have noticed we have been quieter than usual here, missing our weekly Tuesday/Thursday/Sunday evening updates. Social media and in particular Facebook was very good to us in our early days, a place to share our ideas and servuce model, reaching an audience we never thought possible. This has been a positive side and awesome potential of social media, finding a tribe beyond what is available in your immediate physical community. As an ABA led practitioner, I learned what my personal comfort zone was when it came to trolls and anti-science accounts, but I can not continue support the behaviour of an algorithm that promotes hate for views and actively censors and blocks marginalised communities. For December we are voting with our feet (or thumbs!) and reducing 1) the time spent consuming content on Meta 2) content creation on their platforms Facebook and Instagram. It's an interesting time to be a human online, so much is changing so quickly. Our behaviour is all we can be accountable for, and hope it leads to change for good.

10/12/2025

Déanta go maith / well done to Gaelscoil an Choillín on the official launch of their biodiversity project - Reclaiming/creating urban green spaces, opportunities for outdoor learning, joint project applications for maximum community/ability involvement and frogs 🐸

23/11/2025

22/11/2025

We play with purpose, including children in our EI streams

We talk about wanting creative, curious, confident thinkers, yet the way we teach young children often does the opposite.

Creativity and problem-solving don’t grow from worksheets, crafts, or "measurable results." They grow from experimentation, flexibility, and play. When learning becomes about right and wrong, children stop taking risks. They stop wondering. They learn to please rather than to think.

The data is clear that play-based environments build stronger executive functioning, lower stress, and spark higher motivation. Creativity, one of the strongest predictors of future innovation by-the-way, thrives when children are free to explore and make mistakes. But when we overstructure early learning, we train compliance instead of curiosity, and that has lifelong consequences.

The foundation of learning is not rote drills, worksheets, crafts, memorization, or performance. It is the process — the trial and error, the problem solving, the self-discovery that builds the brain for all future learning.

If we want lifelong learners, we have to stop valuing products over process and start protecting the very experiences that grow creative, resilient, and adaptable minds.

Join us for our upcoming webinar, “Rethinking Early Learning: More Than Crafts and Worksheets,” where we’ll explore how real learning happens and why play-based, brain-aligned experiences create the outcomes we actually want to see (Nov 26, 2025 12:00 PM EST).

FREE REPLAY FOR EVERYONE WHO SIGNS UP!

Join for FREE: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_DfJ26HjERJSlS4BOhSgQ8w #/registration

Get CERTIFIED: https://www.weskoolhouse.com/store-webinars

14/11/2025

I don't know about you, but our kids are ALWAYS losing coats! Remember all kids clothes are justv€1 in our charity shop...Stay warm and dry folks 🌧🌧🌧

20/10/2025

It's been a busy few weeks, nearly ready for our come back 💃

28/08/2025

Kaelynn’s Autistic Angle all over my feed tgis morning 🌄

28/08/2025

🔺️🔻 sound familiar??

🤓 That “um…actually…” thing autistic folks are sometimes known for, can FEEL like they want the last word, but in reality, it’s ACTUALLY 👆a need for precision.

MOST people build a hierarchy of information that values the main point / conclusion,
and then the context,
and then the supporting details.

For example, you might say, “my mom just got the cutest poodle-type dog, and the other day he got into some chocolate and she had to take him to the emergency vet.”

If your mom’s dog is ACTUALLY a bichon, not a poodle,
it might not matter as much if the main point of your story was that the dog is sick.

For autistic people, our information hierarchy may involve exact details being the most important,
then chronological order of events,
and last is our main point.

Where you might prioritize social smoothness over accuracy to keep the conversation flowing, we may prioritize accuracy.

And while no one likes being corrected, especially in front of others...for us, trying to correct details is a way of stabilizing information so it feels usable to our brains.

HOWEVER, it should be noted that it’s FRUSTRATING to be on the receiving end of correction.
So here’s the middle ground…

When you hear something that’s not quite right, wait for a pause and say something like:

“I think what you meant was ___. Did I get that right?”
Or…
“Can I add a detail that feels important?”

If you’re on the receiving end of the correction that’s poorly timed, you can try something like this:

“I get that this detail is important to you, but I’d like to finish my story first.”
Or…
“Thanks for clarifying—can we keep moving? I don’t want to lose my train of thought.”

‼️Also…if you’re seeing this BEFORE August 25th register for a ✨FREE WEBINAR✨ for autistic adults 🤩 (link in comments)

21/08/2025

Did you know - you are able to use your Home Tuition / Early Intervention Grant in a Group Setting like our inclusive, play-based preschool???

For all intents and purposes Child's Play Kilbeggan is a Tusla Registered Creche, but we are also Westmeath's only private Early Intervention Center.

We have seen first-hand the benefits of developmentally-informed, play-based and inclusive education for all our children, and can't wait to share how this universal approach to education can break barriers and offer a truly supportive and accepting environment for all children to thrive together.

Don't take our word for it, read about the experiences of our very own families

💚💚💚

19/08/2025

You're invited!!!

Help us to celebrate some important milestones with us by calling by for our Open Day this Saturday August 23rd 11-1 pm. We are celebrating...

🎂 3 amazing years as Westmeath's only Inclusive Early Years Education and Intervention Centre in 6 Oak House, Riverview, Kilbeggan

📍 The official opening of the new community hub, We Are Here, at our home in 3 Oak House, Riverview, Kilbeggan, and

📗 The launch of our new book series, The Child's Play Way, a guide empowering all caregivers and educators to see and celebrate the small steps and development our children make in play

We have lots of fun activities planned to close out another wonderful summer, from our 3km family fundraising run around Kilbeggan, meet and greets of our fantastic teachers and facilities, and tasty treats from local bakers.

For all intents and purposes we are a Tusla Registered Creche, but as Westmeath's only private Early Intervention Center we also fill a gap when children can't access a school placement. We follow the model of best international guidance offering tiered levels of support to children of all abilities, from mainstream to severe and complex needs, with high quality preschool and afterschool, parent groups and our new manual and guide, The Child's Play Way.

We have seen first-hand the benefits of developmentally-informed, play-based and inclusive education for all our children, and can't wait to share how this universal approach to education can break barriers and offer a truly supportive and accepting environment for all children to thrive together.

For our birthday we are raising money towards upgrading our sensory room and equipment. We would truly appreciate your support in this underfunded service we offer the community and county. 

Please see our flyer attached with QR code if you're inspired or have been touched by our mission

19/08/2025

Onwards and upwards upstairs 🙌🙌🙌If anyone has any questions about what we are doing in Number 3 call in Saturday for our Open Day and Fun Run.