Author: Robert Peterson

Q1 2025 Blog: Yellow Door Q&A  

 

Much of Yellow Door’s content is inspired by customer feedback. How essential is it for you and your team to receive feedback on your content and how it helps create or modify content?

It’s a privilege and a joy to be welcomed into early childhood environments to work with children and educators throughout the development process. To ensure the design, content and appeal of new products offer optimum play value and learning opportunities, we talk to educators and children who offer a wealth of valuable ideas. This ensures the final products are robust enough to deliver learning opportunities through early childhood play experiences.
It’s wonderful to watch children play and see the additional value they get from the resources. Recently, our Fish – Sensory Play Stones were put to the test as they went on adventures swimming in the muddy pond, hiding under the Play Shell then cleaned off as they sped down water shoots into a clean water tray! We watched the co-operation and collaboration as children talked, imagined, explored, and learned from each other. Children’s curiosity about the natural world is limitless, and the nursery provided an indoor world of fish stories and activities to bring the fish indoors and extend their interest.
On another occasion, the children tested our “Discover Dinosaurs” app and questioned “Why don’t they roar?”, “Can they walk?”, and “What do they eat?”. These questions further shaped the development of this successful app.

“Alphabet Pebbles” is one of Yellow Door’s most popular titles. How did the feedback of this title help inspire other Sensory titles, as well Science & Nature titles?

Alphabet pebbles are a great example of how important testing and feedback are in the creation of Yellow Door products. We developed them back in 2008, and it was the first time we had tried to produce anything with stone.

We started out by tampa printing with ceramic paint on real river stones. However, when we took them into Early Childhood environments, we quickly discovered that if you put anything on the surface of a stone, it can be ground off, especially when used in sand (just think about how sand is made), and who wouldn’t want to play with pebbles in sand? This started a challenging manufacturing journey, and we found we could only achieve the durability we wanted by engraving each letter shape into the surface of the stone and applying a non-fade paint to each letter by hand.

We’ve been making our alphabet pebbles, and all our stone products, that way ever since because there’s no other way to create a product with all the natural appeal of real stone that stands up to rigorous use in an early childhood environment.

The tactile, visual and play appeal of these stones has been developed over many years into a wide range of sensory stones.

Our science and nature products have required creative innovation to develop familiar recognizable objects and shapes in a wide color palette with an appealing texture that meets all regulations and certification so it’s safe for children 2 years and above.

What are some new titles/projects that Yellow Door is currently working on that we can expect to see in 2025?

We have lots of exciting products in development for later this year and early 2026.
There will be a new addition to our best-selling “Let’s Roll” range and our popular Sensory Play Stones collection will continue to grow with new sets in our Mud Kitchen and Exploring the World ranges.

Other ideas are brand new, but we’re keeping them a secret for now! We’ll be using familiar materials and some new ones too, all while continuing to be environmentally aware in our choices.

We have recently launched a Discover Dinosaurs app and have a lovely idea for an app that we are working hard to make a reality, so look out for news on our website and register for email updates.

Play is at the heart of Yellow Door’s mission. How important is Play in early learning development?

As Maria Montessori famously said, ‘Play is the work of the child’. During a child’s formative years, play is the essential foundation upon which all learning and development are built. Through play, children make sense of the world, absorb new concepts, practice new skills, forge friendships, and develop confidence. It is a deeply enriching and therapeutic experience offering clarity, calm and comfort while embedding essential life skills. The deeper the engagement, the stronger the connections – both in the brain and in the child’s understanding of the world.

Children are intrinsically drawn to the natural world and learn best when engaged with visually appealing, tactile resources. This is why so many of our products draw inspiration from nature and are weatherproof, durable and designed to withstand robust, outdoor exploration.

From Traditional Tales books, apps and wooden characters to our popular dinosaur and bug-themed collections, our products are designed to spark curiosity and nurture children’s innate drive for discovery.

The Yellow Door approach is to offer digital play experiences alongside physical play to deepen learning. Our apps have been structured to develop skills in line with early learning standards, using a variety of visual representations, animations and simple interactions which put the child at the centre of their own learning.
We create apps to add value and give children a positive experience of using technology as they learn and grow. Digital environments allow children to discover and play in an imaginary world, encouraging children to explore, investigate and deepen their understanding in an interactive hands-on way.
We also support educators with expert pedagogy, providing a collection of downloadable materials to support our resources, proving practical ways to inspire learning, extend play and reinforce key learning concepts. Because when play is enriched with carefully curated resources, the learning stays with children long after the play has ended.

What is the history behind Yellow Door the company? How and why was it founded?

Yellow Door was founded in 2006 and from the beginning, play has been at the heart of everything we do. Our aim is to spread the joy of play-based learning through resources that inspire, excite and delight! Our products are well-loved and well-known for their quality, innovative design and open-ended nature.

We’re proud to offer a creative combination of resources in a variety of formats from digital software to hands-on resources made from natural, quality materials like stone and sustainably-source wood. Together, they provide rich educational opportunities for children to explore early learning concepts in hands-on meaningful ways.

Have you ever wondered how trending technology will change the way children learn? Read how technology has impacted and improved one of the most popular learning styles for young learners – experiential learning.

 

Technology’s Impact on Experiential Learning for Young Learners

 

What is experiential learning?
Experiential learning is a teaching approach that emphasizes learning through experience and reflection.
It involves hands-on activities, experimentation, and problem-solving. The National Association for the
Education of Young Children (NAEYC) boasts the importance of experiential learning as a part of young
learners’ education with, “learning through purposeful experiences has long been recognized as an
effective approach to teaching children. Pioneers of early education understood the importance of
children making sense of their world through observation and experimentation. Their keen understanding
of how young children learn continues to influence contemporary approaches to early childhood
education.

How does technology impact experiential learning?
Experiential learning, when combined with technology, can become even more powerful, providing
children with new and innovative ways to learn. Here are some ways that technology can enhance
children’s learning experience:
One of the most significant advantages of technology in experiential learning is that it provides young
learners with access to a wide range of resources and tools that can enhance their learning experience.
For instance, digital learning spaces. Using digital spaces to educate can be a great way to enhance
engagement by connecting young learners to experts in their field of study. In addition, digital spaces can
encourage collaboration by creating a forum to share ideas and experiences.

Another way technology is changing experiential learning is through online simulations and games. These
tools can be used to create a fun and engaging learning environment where students can learn through
trial and error. Games and simulations can also be tailored to the specific learning needs of individual
students, making the learning experience more personalized and effective.

Another significant advantage of technology in experiential learning in early education is that it can
provide children with a safe and controlled environment to practice their skills and apply theoretical
knowledge to real-world situations. For instance, virtual reality (VR) technology can simulate real-world
situations and provide children with a safe and controlled environment to practice their skills. According to
a publication by the National Library of Medicine on the use of technology, VR technology can be used in
various fields such as science, math, and language learning, to name a few, to provide children with an
immersive and interactive learning experience. Despite the numerous benefits, technology in experiential
learning in early education also presents its own set of challenges.

One of the biggest challenges is the need for teachers and parents to ensure that children are using
technology in an age-appropriate and safe manner. Moreover, it is essential to ensure that technology is
not a substitute for human interaction and that children have ample opportunities to interact with their
peers and teachers in a real-world setting.

In conclusion, technology has had a significant impact on experiential learning in early education,
transforming the way children learn and experience the world around them. By leveraging the power of
technology in experiential learning, children can develop critical thinking, problem-solving, and
collaboration skills that will prepare them for success in the future.

 

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What can libraries do to help reengage parents in their children’s education? Discover the 6 ways schools engage parents to improve the skills of young learners and how libraries can help parents reinforce what children are learning in the classroom.

 

 

Family Engagement Leads to Early Childhood Success

Family engagement is about the knowledge, values, and actions that enable children to be successful learners. For schools
and libraries, family engagement refers to meaningful partnerships with parents that
provide the opportunity to be active in the learning and development of their children.
Family engagement keeps parents informed – via in-person conversations, e-mails, or
online communication tools – of their young learner’s academic standing. These practices
increase parental involvement in important education-related decisions.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the relationship between schools and parents reinforces learning
and health beyond the classroom. This includes at home, in school, out-of school programs,
and in the community. To increase parent engagement, schools can make a positive
connection with parents, provide a variety of activities and opportunities to engage
parents, and sustain their engagement by addressing common challenges. Through
collaboration with schools, local libraries can host afterschool educational programs for
early learners and their parents.
Family engagement, however, is not a linear process. Each community is unique and must
adapt their own set of best practices. Researchers have identified six types of involvement
that schools can use to engage parents and improve the skills of young learners:
1. Providing parenting support
2. Communicate directly with parents
3. Provide a variety of volunteer opportunities
4. Support learning at home
5. Encourage parents to be part of decision making in schools
6. Collaborate with the community
It is important for educators to encourage family engagement both at school and within the
community. When teachers take the time to understand families’ needs, they invite an opportunity for collaboration. By
welcoming parents and families to events focused on their child’s early learning, educators
build a sense of trust and teamwork with individuals that are critical to early childhood
success. A study discussed in Teaching Young illustrates that these events help to develop a rapport between
educator and the family.

Studies conducted by the Harvard Family Research Project show that family engagement improves academic performance,
increases school attendance, and ultimately increases graduation rates. Furthermore, it
reduces at-risk behaviors and positively impacts attitudes and overall well-being.
Especially in early childhood, active parental involvement in the young learner’s education process helps to build early literacy skills.
Libraries also place a focus on family engagement and have implemented strategies such as Every Child Ready to Read to
support parents in building their child’s early literacy skills. Similarly, 21st Century
Community Learning Centers that provide out-of-school learning and afterschool programs
also play a fundamental role in family engagement. Development of this role includes strategies such as:
• Have an adequate and welcoming space to engage families
• Establish policies and procedures to promote family engagement
• Communicate and build trusting relationships
• Be intentional about staff hiring and training to promote effective staff-family
interactions
• Connect families to each other, to the program staff, to schools, and to other
community institutions
• Help support families and their basic needs

Family engagement results in short-term and long-term academic success for young
learners. From the child’s perspective, it is important to see the collaboration between their
family and the educators in their lives. What types of in school or out of school programs
would you attend in order to have the most impact on your young learner’s early education?

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