Little Hands, Big Writers – A Playful Journey from Sounds to Stories

Before the Pencil: Mastering Early Literacy through the Power of EYFS

In the EYFS framework, writing is the culmination of a sophisticated sensory and auditory journey. In this high-energy session, Meliha Chausheva, a Jolly Phonics Trainer Consultant visiting from Bulgaria, reveals how to bridge the gap between a child’s natural curiosity and the physical mastery of the page.
This workshop moves away from traditional desk-based learning to explore the critical, yet often hidden, precursors to literacy. Meliha demonstrates how to transform the classroom into a sensory laboratory where auditory blending and phonological precision are developed through movement and strategic play. Using a unique toolkit of unconventional materials—from tactile tapes to acoustic “telephones”—participants will discover how physical development and “hearing the sounds” directly fuel later writing success.

Key highlights of the session:
• The Sound Engine: Innovative techniques for isolating initial and final sounds, designed to enhance the Jolly Phonics journey through immersive auditory play.
• The Physics of the Page: Mastering hand-eye coordination and the fundamental pencil grip using sensory objects and “off-the-page” movement.
• Narrative Logic: Developing story sequencing and auditory memory through interactive wall displays and rhythmic storytelling.
• The EYFS Advantage: Leveraging the principles of Communication and Physical Development to create a seamless, joyful transition into literacy.
Above all, this session invites you to bring your belief in yourself as the best teacher in your classroom, leaving with a practical toolkit to transform your approach and empower your youngest learners.

Meliha Chausheva, widely known as Miss Melly, is a visionary educator and international consultant dedicated to the holistic development of teachers and children. As the founder and head of Melly Jolly School, she has established a center of excellence that transcends traditional language teaching.
With an extensive career that includes roles as a School Director and lead teacher across all early years and primary age groups, English kindergartens, Meliha’s expertise spans the UK, Europe, Egypt, and the Middle East. Her approach is rooted in the EYFS framework and the Jolly Phonics methodology, but her impact goes much deeper. She specializes in age-appropriate strategies that integrate Early Childhood Development with Thinking Skills and Classroom Management.
Meliha is uniquely distinguished by her focus on the intersection of pedagogy and neuroscience, helping educators understand brain functions to enhance literacy and reading skills. Her mission is to equip teachers with a sophisticated toolkit of innovative techniques that foster critical thinking and emotional intelligence in young learners.
As a trusted mentor for educators across Europe and a sought-after guest speaker, Meliha has influenced countless educators through her high-energy trainings and school consultations. She believes that by empowering teachers with the right tools and a scientific understanding of how children learn, we can transform the educational experience into a journey of confidence and lifelong success.

Say It, Build It, Write It: Growing Independent Writers Step by Step

How do children move from carefully guided writing to confident, independent expression?
This hands-on workshop explores how Jolly Learning strategies support a clear and effective progression from controlled writing activities to independent composition. Rooted in systematic phonics and multisensory learning, the session demonstrates how children can be guided step by step from sound–letter recognition to building words, sentences, and meaningful texts.
Participants will explore practical classroom techniques that begin with structured support—such as tracing, guided spelling, and sentence frames—and gradually release responsibility to the learner through word building, sentence creation, and creative writing tasks. The workshop highlights how blending, segmenting, and tricky word strategies can be seamlessly applied to writing, not just reading.

Key highlights of the session:
Through engaging activities, games, and collaborative tasks, educators will learn how to scaffold writing in a way that builds accuracy, confidence, and independence. Special focus will be given to maintaining motivation and ensuring success for all learners, including those who may need additional support.
By the end of the session, participants will gain a clear pathway and a toolkit of adaptable strategies to help children progress from supported writing to becoming confident, independent writers—transforming early writing experiences into lasting success.

Developing Writing from Learning Grammar

In this workshop we will look at how the teaching of spelling and grammar is interlinked and how it can be applied to, and help develop, both the children’s vocabulary and their writing.
It will include some practical ideas to help encourage and improve children’s writing, building on the systematic teaching of grammar, spelling, and punctuation.

Cooperative Learning Strategies to Support Writing Skills

This workshop explores how cooperative learning strategies can effectively support the development of writing skills in young learners aged 7–11, within the framework of Jolly Phonics and Jolly Grammar. Combining systematic phonics instruction with structured peer interaction, the session demonstrates how cooperation can enhance students’ confidence, creativity, and accuracy in writing.
Drawing on principles from cooperative learning research associated with David W. Johnson and Roger T. Johnson, Kagan structures, and Aronson’s Jigsaw, participants will explore practical, classroom-ready strategies such as shared writing, pair composition, and group story writing.

Key highlights of the session:
The workshop highlights how these approaches can reinforce phonics knowledge, support sentence construction, and scaffold the writing process from early mark-making to more extended texts.
Attendees will gain insight into designing age-appropriate, collaborative writing tasks that align with the stages of Jolly Literacy, while fostering active engagement and inclusive participation.

This session is particularly relevant for primary educators seeking to integrate play-based, interactive methods into writing instruction.

Julieta Petre graduated from the University of Bucharest, Faculty of Philology English-French), as well as Golders Green College, London. She has a Master in Intercultural Education and a post-university certificate in Cooperative Learning, Dante Alighieri University, Italy.
At the moment Julieta is one of the co-founders of Reggio-inspired CLAS Kindergarten and Nursery and CLAS International School, accredited by the Romanian Ministry of Education, based in Snagov / Ilfov, Romania. Julieta is also a keen EFL & ESL teacher and a Jolly Learning Professional trainer with more than 35 years teaching experience in public and private schools in Bucharest and Verona, Italy. She is the author of the book entitled “Cooperative Learning in CLIL Contexts”, Quiedit, as well. Together with her determination and high expertise in running her own school as a principal, Julieta takes part as a spokesperson or a workshop organiser in conferences such as Reggio Emilia Conference, persuading teachers to embrace the Jolly Phonics & Jolly Literacy methods using a Reggio-inspired approach and Cooperative Learning strategies.

Small Writers, Big Results: Creative Skills for Cambridge YLE