Early Years Workshop at the Global Conference on Children and Youth
7th Global Conference on Children and Youth
Workshop Title: Prepared Environments, Routines, and Resilience in the Early Years
Discover how thoughtfully prepared environments and intentional routines can support children’s development, wellbeing, and self-regulation. Drawing on Montessori principles, Positive Discipline (Adlerian psychology), and brain-based insights, this interactive workshop explores practical strategies to foster independence, resilience, and emotional regulation while reducing stress and conflict in educational settings. Through reflective discussions and hands-on activities, participants will leave with actionable ideas for creating supportive spaces that nurture confidence, cooperation, and essential life skills.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to:
Identify key elements of prepared environments and routines that support independence, emotional regulation, and engagement in the early years.
Explore how Montessori principles, Adlerian psychology, and brain-based insights can foster resilience and reduce conflict in educational settings.
Analyse how environment and predictability influence children’s self-regulation, wellbeing, and life skills development.
Reflect on current practices and identify strategies to create more supportive and empowering learning environments.
Workshop Leader
Lucy Gibson is an educator and routines and spaces specialist based in Southampton, UK. Through her business, Positively Simple, she supports families, schools, and organisations in creating more connected, respectful environments. She brings Montessori principles, Adlerian psychology, and simplified living into practical everyday strategies that work across the lifespan.
With over twenty years of experience in educational settings across Brazil and the UK, Lucy combines classroom practice with a cross-cultural perspective on education and family life.
Her professional portfolio includes roles in IB international and bilingual schools, as well as collaborations with organisations such as IKEA UK, the Institute of Montessori Training USA, local schools, colleges, and charities. She has also spoken at national and international conferences, sharing practical, research-informed approaches to parenting and education.
Lucy leads a public engagement space through her live radio show, School Run on VoiceFM, writes for a local magazine, and shares her weekly Positively Simple Sundays newsletter, making educational ideas accessible and applicable in everyday life.
She also co-chairs the Education Section of the North American Society of Adlerian Psychology, where she collaborates with educators, researchers, and practitioners to integrate Adlerian principles into modern educational systems.