There is a moment most days, usually around 3pm, when the energy shifts.
The room feels louder. Transitions feel heavier. Small frustrations become big reactions. Children who were coping beautifully at 10am suddenly seem overwhelmed.
And if we are honest… sometimes we are too.
In early childhood education, we speak often about children learning to regulate. We talk about self-regulation, calming strategies, breathing techniques, and quiet spaces.
But regulation does not begin with the child.
It begins with us.
Regulation Is Relational
Children are not born knowing how to calm themselves. They borrow our nervous systems before they build their own capacity.
When a child is dysregulated, crying, yelling, refusing, hitting, withdrawing, it is not “bad behaviour.” It is communication. It is a nervous system saying, I am overwhelmed.
In those moments, the most powerful intervention is not a consequence. It is co-regulation.
Our tone.
Our pace.
Our body language.
Our breathing.
When we slow ourselves, we lend stability.
And here is the part we don’t talk about enough, this is exhausting work.
The Hidden Load of Regulation Fatigue
Early childhood environments are sensory rich. Noise. Movement. Competing needs. Compliance demands. Emotional intensity.
Holding space for 20+ nervous systems while managing curriculum, documentation, and compliance is complex emotional labour.
If our own nervous system is heightened — rushing, stressed, overstimulated, children feel it.
Not because we are failing.
But because regulation is contagious.
So is dysregulation.
The invitation is not perfection. It is awareness.
What does your body feel like during transitions?
How do you know when you are moving from calm to reactive?
What helps you return?
Regulation Is Professional Practice
In EYLF Version 2.0, we speak of wellbeing, belonging, and secure relationships. Regulation sits at the centre of all three.
A regulated educator creates:
- Safer learning spaces
- More predictable responses
- Fewer power struggles
- Stronger attachments
- Deeper learning engagement
When we understand behaviour as nervous system communication, we move from control to connection.
And that shift changes everything.
This month, simply begin by noticing.
Not fixing.
Not judging.
Not adding another strategy to your already full plate.
Just noticing.
Because awareness is the first step toward sustainability.
And sustainable educators build sustainable classrooms.
Janine Kelly