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Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA)The terms we use really do matter..... Many terms have been used to describe children’s absence from school and historically these have included terms such as ‘school refusal’ and ‘truancy.’ However, where the reasons behind a child’s non-attendance in school is rooted in high level anxiety, we must be more careful about the language we use. Terms such as sch

We asked some of the ZestLab team and our art club members the question 'Why art matters?' For some the answer definitely couldn't be written on a postcard, but in a nutshell the responses were all along a similar theme.Here are some of the top few:  It's fun and I learn new things Develops wider character skills of peserverance and commitment   Being creative/artistic is a key skill for life, sol

Have you ever wondered why: your young child seems to wrap up everything from their teddy to a half eaten apple? handbags are filled with Lego and the duvet is always off the bed? they spend hours climbing up and down a slide in the garden and then jumping off the bedroom furniture? you seem to spend an ever increasing amount of time unfastening objects that have been tied together with string, wo

Not just a great explainer diagram (thank you Richard from Kind Design), but the absolute driving principle behind ZestLab. Quite simply, a bit of each segment is what the ZestLab team firmly believe is needed for everyone and anyone to be thriving and getting a Zest4life!  This drives everything we do at ZestLab, from the content and opportunities coming from the platform to the way that the Zest

For some people playing with your child feels comfortable and natural, but for lots of us, this can feel awkward and as an adult you wonder what your role should be. How often do you join in alongside your child in their play? Do you let them lead you in the play and take a back seat? Perhaps your child is brilliant and content with sustaining their own play, or they have siblings that they play w

How much time does your child have to choose what they want with no structure or adult involvement? When is their play truly led by them? Too often as an adult we are busy getting involved, feeling like we should be guiding, supporting and doing it with them.  These interactions are of course really important, but is your child having enough time and space to be in the driving seat to direct their

We love books. Yes all of us at ZestLab team and our friends. From those of us that are avid daily readers to the ones that are 'I only read books on holiday' types, we all agree there is some warm connection with the thought of book.We know the importance of reading to a child and for those of us in Education we commit a lot of time to promoting the sharing of books and stories at school and home

This is definitely a question a lot of parents ask and one that many teachers ponder about every year. The age that children start more formal education differs around the world and there is a lot of interesting research and evidence that debate the age for this. However, in the UK, starting in Reception for a large majority of children starts the September after their 4th birthday and for some ch