Thrive with Ali Fleming

Vacancy for term 3

alifleming.com

A rare vacancy has become available for 2 new young people to join our tribe alternate Tuesdays for a full-day group in Term 3.

This small group session ( Max 4 children) is run from 8:30 am - 4:30 pm at our purpose built Play Therapy studio in Tea Tree Gully.

The 2 positions are perfect for children developing differently between the ages of 4-7

More information can be found via alifleming.com.au or by contacting admin@ alifleming.com.au

alifleming.com

🌿💧 **Happy International Day of Play!** 🎉

At our sessions, play isn't something we schedule — it's something we *live*. And one of our favourite expressions of that is our daily wellbeing walk.

Sometimes we head out in explorer suits. Sometimes rubber boots. Sometimes barefoot on the grass. Sometimes shoes firmly on. Sometimes we arrive back soaking wet, muddy, and absolutely buzzing.

Before we go, we think together 🧠 — *Will there be water in the creek today? Might we need to climb over something, squeeze under something? Are there rocks underfoot? What does your body need today?*

Because every child is different. Every sensory preference is valid. And the goal is always that *everyone* gets to stay, explore, and enjoy — for as long as the whole group wants to — not just until the first muddy splash sends us home.

That's the magic of it. A wet child is not a reason to leave. It's a reason to keep going. 🐾

Our wellbeing walks are about building body awareness, deepening connection with the natural world, and honouring the fact that we are all individuals — with different needs, different boundaries, and different joys.

On this International Day of Play, we celebrate the creek, the mud, the cold water on bare feet, and every child who trusted themselves enough to decide what *their* body needed today. 💙

**

Food exploration through play — low pressure, high gain.

Food exploration through play — low pressure, high gain.

Some children find new foods genuinely distressing. And no amount of "just try a bite" changes that.

What does help? Play.

When we explore food through play — squeezing, smelling, juicing, mixing — we lower the pressure completely. There's no expectation to eat. Just permission to explore.

Over time, that exploration builds familiarity. Familiarity builds comfort. And comfort? That's when real progress begins.

If mealtimes feel like a battle in your home, you're not alone — and there are gentle, playful ways forward. 💛

🌟 When Therapy Looks Like This: Cutting, Drawing, and Making Something Real 🌟

Today in our home studio, a child wearing noise-dampening headphones used our KidSafe chomping saw to cut out their own creations — and the learning woven through that single activity was extraordinary.

✂️ What was actually happening beneath the surface:
✨ Fine motor planning and hand strength — guiding paper through a tool requires coordination, attention, and effort
✨ Creative visualisation — drawing characters and objects before cutting them shows planning and intentionality
✨ Aural motor support built into the environment — a noisy tool, headphones as a choice, regulation embedded throughout
✨ Sensory needs met without interruption — this child worked deeply and joyfully because their nervous system was supported
✨ Pride in a real, tangible outcome, something entirely their own

This is what a purposefully designed therapeutic space looks like. Every element has a reason. Nothing is accidental.

And the result? A regulated, engaged, creative child making something they are genuinely proud of. 🌱💛

What does your child's most focused, joyful learning look like? I would love to know. 💚

🌻 Playgroup is BACK for Term 2! 🌻
We are so excited to welcome our little ones back tomorrow — Tuesday 28 April 2026 from 9:00am – 11:00am! 💚
Term 2 is here and we cannot wait to reconnect, play, learn and grow together. Our playgroup is a warm, inclusive and supportive space where children can explore and thrive at their own pace — and where mums, dads and carers can breathe, chat and feel supported too. 🙌

📍 Thrive with Ali Fleming
🕤 Time: 9:00am – 11:00am
📅 Date: Tuesday, 28 April 2026

🅿️ PARKING REMINDER
Please note parking is no longer available off Heitmann Court due to council restrictions. Please park at the Tea Tree Gully RSL car park off Memorial Drive.
How to find us from the car park:
🚶 Park at the Tea Tree Gully RSL car park off Memorial Drive
🚶 Walk between the basketball and tennis courts
🚶 Follow the path down towards the studio
🚶 Turn right at the bottom of the path
✅ You'll find our same entry point — just a few extra steps!
Register Here: https://alifleming.com.au/playgroup-registration-form
Any questions? Don't hesitate to reach out! 😊
📧 [email protected]

The stages of play — and why rushing them doesn't work.
Play develops in stages, just like learning to walk. You don't skip crawling and expect a child to run — and you don't skip solo play and expect a child to collaborate.
Solo → Parallel → Associative → Cooperative
Each stage matters. Each stage builds the next. A child who plays happily alone is building the very foundation they'll eventually draw on to play with — and alongside — others.
For many neurodivergent children — whether they are autistic, have ADHD, or are AuDHD — the journey through these stages may look different, move at a different pace, or express itself in unexpected ways. That is not a deficit. That is a different, equally valid developmental path.
If your child seems to prefer playing alongside their peers rather than with them right now — that's not a problem. That's parallel play, and it's exactly where they may need to be.
Trust the process. Let the stages unfold in their own time. Your child's play is purposeful — even when it doesn't look the way you expected. 🌱