Hi, I'm Ash
I’ve spent a lot of time in the rooms where those little learners grow!
That is – the classroom, and specifically, the Early Years classroom, where play is so important and hearing a five-year-old sounding out their first word feels like one of the most important things in the world. Well, because it is!
I’m the founder of Nurtured Neurons, and I’ve spent more than a decade helping little learners grow – first as a Teaching Assistant, and now through everything I create here.
A little bit about me
I have a degree in Biological Sciences. I spent years learning how living things work – including, as it turns out, the most fascinating living thing of all: the developing brain. It also gave me a super understanding of how to use research and evidence-based practice. So when I create resources for Nurtured Neurons, I’m not just going with what looks cute (although it almost certainly will!). I’m thinking about what actually works.
After graduating, I went to work in schools, and I never really left. For ten years I worked as a Teaching Assistant in Elementary schools with most of my time spent in the Early Years – that brilliant, chaotic, endlessly surprising world of three-to-five-year-olds who are learning absolutely everything at once!
My specialism was phonics and early literacy, early numeracy, and supporting children with additional needs. It’s work I loved, and it shaped everything I now create.
Recently, I’ve moved to work on Nurtured Neurons full time. I still help out at school when I can, because honestly, some things you just don’t give up!
Oh – and I have two kids of my own. My son is eight (where did that go?) and my daughter is three, which means I’m currently living the Early Years experience at home as well as creating resources for it. Still right in the thick of it!
Why Nurtured Neurons exists
I started this site when my son was tiny. I was a new parent, a Biology graduate, and a Teaching Assistant – basically someone who had thought a lot about how children learn.
I wanted to learn as much as I could about how little ones develop. I was experienced at reading and digesting research papers and thought I might as well share that knowledge as I went.
As my little boy got a bit older, I struggled to find activities that were genuinely matched to his developing skills so I decided to start making my own.
And that was the beginning of Nurtured Neurons!
Since then it’s grown into something I’m genuinely proud of: a library of over 1000 printable activities, crafts, games, and worksheets, plus a suite of tools that let teachers and parents create custom resources in minutes.
Everything here is designed with child development at its heart – not just to keep little ones busy, but to help them build the skills they actually need as they grow!
What I believe about early learning
Early childhood education moves fast – new strategies, new buzzwords, new frameworks seem to appear every few months. And while a lot of that thinking is really valuable, sometimes the fundamental skills that children actually need can get lost in the noise!
Phonics. Number sense. Fine motor development. The ability to focus, to take turns, to try something hard. These aren’t glamorous, but they’re the building blocks everything else sits on. No amount of pedagogical trend-chasing changes that.
I also firmly believe that one size doesn’t fit all. In ten years of working with young children – including many with additional needs – I never once met a child who learned exactly like another one.
The activities that unlock something for one child can completely miss another. Themes one little learner enjoys are super boring to their best friend. And that’s not anyone’s fault – it’s just how children work.
And yes, I really believe play is everything in the early years. It should be the heart of what we do. But I’ll also say something that occasionally raises eyebrows: there is absolutely a place for a quick, well-designed worksheet. Not as a replacement for play. Not as busywork. But as a focused, satisfying five minutes that practises or consolidates something new. In my experience, children often enjoy them and can get a great sense of accomplishment and confidence when they complete one!
That balance is what Nurtured Neurons is built on.
Who Nurtured Neurons is for
Whether you’re a kindergarten teacher planning your week, a homeschooling parent looking for curriculum-aligned resources, or just someone who wants to sit down with their little one and do something fun and meaningful – you’re in the right place.
Over 2,600 members trust Nurtured Neurons to help their little learners grow. I add new activities every week (pretty much every day, honestly), and every single one is created with the same question in mind: will this actually help a child learn something?
If the answer isn’t yes, it doesn’t make it in.
Want to say hi?
I’m a real person and I read every message. You can reach me at ash@nurturedneurons.com
or find Nurtured Neurons on Pinterest | Instagram | Facebook | X
Let’s nurture those neurons.