The Bloom Room: An Early Childhood Podcast

Danica See
  • 5.0 (4)
  • EDUCATION
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

Where big feelings are welcome, tricky behaviour isn’t shamed, and early childhood educators finally feel seen.Are you an educator, teacher, or school leader navigating the messy, beautiful world of guiding children’s behaviour, emotions, and sense of belonging? You’ve just found your people.I’m Danica - early childhood mentor and consultant, and your go-to gal for honest, heart-led conversations about what actually works when supporting young children. Inside The Bloom Room, we go beyond sticker charts and surface-level strategies. Each week, I bring you fresh episodes packed with:
✨ Real, evidence-informed tools you can use tomorrow
.✨ Thoughtful chats with experts and educators doing the work.
✨ Practical guidance for supporting behaviour without shame.
✨ A whole lot of validation, nuance, and “OMG SAME” moments.Whether you're a seasoned leader or fresh out of uni, this is your space to grow, reflect, and reimagine what’s possible for the children in your care - and for yourself.New episodes drop every Tuesday.
Come on in and let’s bloom 🌼

  1. EP 50 | What Warm Authority Looks Like: Rethinking Discipline in the Early Years

    12/15/2025

    EP 50 | What Warm Authority Looks Like: Rethinking Discipline in the Early Years

    Warm authority isn’t about controlling children - and it’s not about “letting them get away with things” either. In the final episode for Season 4, I dig into one of the most misunderstood aspects of behaviour support: what it means to hold your authority without slipping into power-over or permissiveness. This is the episode I wish every educator and assistant could hear before heading into a new year. You’ll hear: ✨ The critical difference between discipline and punishment ✨ Why high warmth and high expectations is the sweet spot for behaviour support ✨ The expectation gap: how unrealistic adult expectations derail connection ✨ What warm authority actually sounds and looks like in real moments ✨ How to lead with swagger (without threats, bribes, or giving in) This one is packed with powerful mindset shifts, real-life scripts, and supportive scaffolding. If you’ve ever found yourself stuck between being too soft or too strict, this is your roadmap back to confident, calm leadership. Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    29 min
  2. EP 49 | Belonging is More Than Inclusion: What Children Tell us Matters Most to Them

    12/08/2025

    EP 49 | Belonging is More Than Inclusion: What Children Tell us Matters Most to Them

    Just because a child is included doesn’t mean they feel they belong. In this powerful episode, I dig into what belonging actually looks and feels like for children - beyond the buzzword, the policies, and the Pinterest-perfect classroom. Drawing on compelling Australian research and real-world reflection, I unpack the difference between showing up and feeling held, and how our beliefs and biases shape belonging more than we realise. You’ll hear: 🤝 How children define belonging - and what helps them feel like they belong 🤝 The everyday language, routines and rituals that quietly send the message “you matter here” 🤝 How to navigate a child’s sense of belonging when you’re not feeling connected to them 🤝 How your inner stories about “challenging” behaviour can shape who feels worthy of belonging 🤝 6 tangible ways to bring belonging to life through environment, identity, rituals, and relationship If you’re someone who wants to move from saying belonging matters to making it matter, this one’s for you. Articles Belonging in their words: Exploring early childhood perspectives using the draw, write, tell method Starting school in Australia: What gives young children a sense of school belonging? Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    31 min
  3. EP 48 | The Benefits of Music for Children’s Wellbeing and Social-Emotional Development

    12/01/2025

    EP 48 | The Benefits of Music for Children’s Wellbeing and Social-Emotional Development

    What if the most powerful co-regulation tool in your room didn’t cost a cent? Music has always mattered - and in early learning, it’s more than fun; it’s nervous system work. It’s behaviour support. It’s belonging in action. In this episode, I unpack the neuroscience, research and real-world power of music in early childhood settings and why it's one of the most under-utilised wellbeing tools we have. You’ll hear: 🎵 How music regulates the nervous system, even before words do 🎵 What the research says about music and social-emotional learning 🎵 Simple, spontaneous ways to embed music into your daily practice 🎵 How music supports identity, agency and rights-based participation 🎵 Practical musical cues, rhythms and reflection ideas to try tomorrow This episode is for you if you’ve ever felt like your days are chaotic, transitions are tricky, or you want to do more behaviour support without raising your voice. It's also for you if you’re curious about how music can support inclusion, belonging, and the emotional development of every child - especially those who don’t yet have the words. Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    24 min
  4. EP 47 | Using Rewards Without Wrecking Intrinsic Motivation: What Actually Works

    11/17/2025

    EP 47 | Using Rewards Without Wrecking Intrinsic Motivation: What Actually Works

    Stickers. Marble jars. Token systems. Oh my! They're everywhere in early childhood - and for good reason. Rewards often work - but what are they really teaching children? And what if we’re using them in ways that create more problems down the track? In this episode, I unpack the biggest myths about rewards and give you six practical, research-aligned ways to use them without crushing motivation, connection, or community. You’ll hear:  🪄The problem with how rewards are often studied (and what’s missing from the data). 🪄Three myths about rewards that just won’t die (and why they’re so sticky). 🪄 Six practical ways to use rewards well, without relying on bribes or behaviour scripts. 🪄The difference between “supporting behaviour” and “controlling it.” 🪄 Why praise matters and how to use it to build self-worth, not just win approval. Whether you’re pro, anti, or somewhere in the murky middle, this episode will give you clarity and confidence to use rewards with intention; not just habit. Helpful links Download my free guide Navigating Rewards When You’re Expected to Use Reward Systems Purchase my Behaviour Bites guide More Than “Good Job”: A Practical Guide to Praise That Builds Lifelong Learners Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    29 min
  5. EP 46 | How to Bring Children’s Rights to Life When Supporting Behaviour

    11/10/2025

    EP 46 | How to Bring Children’s Rights to Life When Supporting Behaviour

    Discipline must always be consistent with a child’s dignity. This episode is all about culture and how we create spaces where rights aren’t just printed on a poster but felt in the moment - especially when behaviour gets tough. Building on part one, I explore how to translate rights-based values into real-world practice using the UNICEF Pathway framework. You'll hear: 📣 Why discipline doesn’t mean punishment-and what it actually does mean 📣 The four pathways of UNICEF's Child Rights Education framework and how they can show up in daily work 📣 How exclusion undermines rights - and why we need to question it 📣 Why advocating for rights means speaking up and acting differently 📣 Ten guidelines to help you support behaviour while upholding rights If you’re someone who believes that all children deserve to feel safe, heard, and held - especially in their hardest moments - this episode is for you. Helpful links 10 books to explore rights with children 10 guidelines for embedding rights into behaviour support Explore the UNICEF Child Rights Education Toolkit Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    36 min
  6. EP 45 | What It Means to Support Behaviour Through a Rights-Affirming Lens

    11/03/2025

    EP 45 | What It Means to Support Behaviour Through a Rights-Affirming Lens

    Children’s rights don’t disappear when behaviour gets loud. Yet too often, what we say we believe - safety, dignity, belonging - quietly slips away when behaviour gets tricky. This episode unpacks the powerful, uncomfortable intersection between behaviour and rights and why the two must always go hand-in-hand. You’ll hear: ⚖️ What children’s rights actually are ⚖️ Why children’s rights are not conditional - and how “good behaviour” can’t be the price of belonging ⚖️ How to shift from being a gatekeeper of behaviour to a gatekeeper of rights ⚖️ Why traditional ideas of authority and ‘being in control’ need to be unlearned ⚖️ Four big myths that keep you stuck in outdated behaviour models This episode isn’t about blame; it’s about breaking the old scripts so we can lead with connection, not compliance. Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    22 min
  7. EP 44 | The Social Side of Feelings: Why Empathy Isn’t Just ‘Being Nice’

    10/27/2025

    EP 44 | The Social Side of Feelings: Why Empathy Isn’t Just ‘Being Nice’

    Empathy isn’t a “sorry” on cue. In the final part of the Big Feelings 101 series, we bring it all home with the skills that transform awareness into action. This episode unpacks how children build emotional resilience, connect through empathy, and develop that inner knowing: “I can handle this.” You’ll hear: 🌱 The difference between affective and cognitive empathy (and why both matter) 🌱 Why “how would you like it if…” often misses the mark in early childhood 🌱 Practical ways to build empathy and perspective-taking through stories, play, and everyday repair 🌱 How emotional communication creates connection - not just expression 🌱 What emotional self-efficacy really looks like in practice (hint: it’s not calm; it’s trust) If you're ready to go beyond naming feelings and start building emotional wisdom in your practice, this episode will guide the way. Helpful links Take a peek at my Behaviour Bites guide, Beyond "Say Sorry" Articles Implications of Carolyn Saarni’s work for preschoolers’ emotional competence Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence Early childhood teachers’ socialization of children’s emotional competence Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    30 min
  8. EP 43 | How Children Learn to Name (and Share) Their Feelings

    10/20/2025

    EP 43 | How Children Learn to Name (and Share) Their Feelings

    "Use your words." But what if the words don’t exist yet? In Part 3 of my Big Feelings 101 series, I dive deep into emotional expression and vocabulary - how children move from raw feelings to regulated communication, and why the way we respond to their emotions matters more than we think. You’ll hear: 💬 Why some children stop showing emotions (and what that really means) 💬 How emotional language builds brain pathways for regulation 💬 The difference between naming feelings and truly connecting them to experience 💬 Four ways to build emotional vocabulary that go beyond charts and scripts 💬 What “display rules” are - and how we teach context without shutting down authenticity This episode is your guide to turning emotional expression into emotional intelligence - so children can feel their feelings and share them in ways that deepen connection.   Articles Emotion Wheel For Kids: What It Is, Benefits, and How to Use Implications of Carolyn Saarni’s work for preschoolers’ emotional competence Early childhood teachers as socializers of young children’s emotional competence Early childhood teachers’ socialization of children’s emotional competence Join the waitlist for my upcoming course launch for The Behaviour Reset. Let's Connect! Join me on Instagram @littlebloom.consultancy Visit my website www.littlebloomconsultancy.com.au

    27 min
See All (50)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Where big feelings are welcome, tricky behaviour isn’t shamed, and early childhood educators finally feel seen.Are you an educator, teacher, or school leader navigating the messy, beautiful world of guiding children’s behaviour, emotions, and sense of belonging? You’ve just found your people.I’m Danica - early childhood mentor and consultant, and your go-to gal for honest, heart-led conversations about what actually works when supporting young children. Inside The Bloom Room, we go beyond sticker charts and surface-level strategies. Each week, I bring you fresh episodes packed with:
✨ Real, evidence-informed tools you can use tomorrow
.✨ Thoughtful chats with experts and educators doing the work.
✨ Practical guidance for supporting behaviour without shame.
✨ A whole lot of validation, nuance, and “OMG SAME” moments.Whether you're a seasoned leader or fresh out of uni, this is your space to grow, reflect, and reimagine what’s possible for the children in your care - and for yourself.New episodes drop every Tuesday.
Come on in and let’s bloom 🌼

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