Sparky and Shady for Early Years – Five Things to be Happy and Well

Prospective users

Aims & approach

Sparky and Shady for Early Years is a sequenced wellbeing and behaviour-support program for children aged 3–8 years, delivered by early years educators and classroom teachers with optional family participation. It aims to strengthen children’s sense of identity and belonging, emotional literacy, self-regulation and coping skills, social awareness and prosocial behaviour (e.g. empathy, cooperation, and repair after conflict). It also supports readiness to learn by helping children recognise body needs, feelings, thoughts, and choices using simple, child-friendly language.

The program is typically implemented across five weeks (one lesson per week), using short videos, guided discussion and strategy practice in a 20 – 40 minute session. During the week, educators reinforce learning through everyday language and routines, supported by a fictional story and suggested game that helps children practise the weekly strategy. Videos and discussions may be revisited as needed to support consolidation.

Content is taught through five child-friendly lessons: (1) Connect with Sparky – recognising the calm, brave and kind part of ourselves and learning to pause, connect and ask for help when needed; (2) Train Shady – understanding the protective part of us that can overreact under stress, noticing when it is helping or not helping, and learning simple language to “train” Shady in safe, supportive ways; (3) Look After Your Body – noticing body signals and basic physical needs (e.g. hunger, thirst, tiredness) and how unmet needs can affect feelings and behaviour; (4) Feel Your Feelings – normalising feelings as human, learning to name emotions, and practising safe ways to express big feelings with support from trusted adults; (5) Love Yourself – building self-worth and self-compassion through kind inner self-talk and affirmations, and continuing to practise the program’s core strategies over time.

The program includes five practical behaviour-support strategies for educators and families presented one per lesson, including: (1) Wise Choice, (2) SBCS (Safety- Boundaries-Connection-Support) for Tricky Behaviours, (3) SBCS for Conflict Resolution, (4) CARS (Connect-Acknowledge-Repeat-Support) for Big Feelings and (5) Repair for Grownups and Children. These strategies support calm boundaries, co-regulation, strengths-based behaviour guidance, problem-solving, conflict resolution and relationship repair.

No formal accreditation is required; educators can implement the program directly, with optional introductory support available.

Implementation support

• Access to professional facilitator, instructor or mentor
• Ongoing helpdesk, email or phone support

Evidence

Internal evaluation conducted. Testimonials received.