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Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm Tuesday 8:30am - 4:30pm Wednesday 8:30am - 4:30pm Thursday 8:30am - 4:30pm Friday 8:30am - 4:30pm

Thrive with Ali Fleming

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Australia
Adelaide, SA
Thrive with Ali Fleming

I am an Early Years Intervention Teacher & Play Therapist. I create environments in which children can thrive. www.alifleming.com.au

Experienced and compassionate Early Education Teacher with experience in Australia and abroad. Ali has passionately supported children and families in diverse settings, from schools and kindergartens to homes and childcare centers. Holding a Bachelor of Education specialising in Early Childhood and a Diploma of Children’s Services, Ali's journey includes accolades such as being a Regional Winner in the Family Day Care Australia Excellence Award 2021 and 2024. In her personalised approach, Ali seamlessly integrates the philosophy of 'learning through play' to connect with children on an individual level. She incorporates her deep understanding of developmental stages and sensory profiles, she collaborates with families and caregivers as a key worker to plan interventions that foster holistic growth and development.

27/03/2026

A 3 year old child in our group had figured out a strategy that worked for him. He'd scream. The other child would get overwhelmed, run away, and he'd get what he wanted.

It worked. That was the problem.

So we taught him the swap strategy. Simple concept. Instead of screaming, he goes back to the other child, finds a resource he thinks they might like, and offers an exchange.

No screaming. No overwhelm. Just two kids figuring out how to share space.

The best part? He didn't just do it in the session. He started doing it at home. Then in the community. Different settings, different people, same strategy.

That's the thing about replacement behaviours. You can't just remove what a child is doing. You have to give them something that works just as well. When the new strategy gets them what they need, they'll use it.

He didn't need to stop wanting things. He needed a better way to get them.

23/03/2026

🏡 Welcome to our little studio — where the real magic happens every single day. ✨

This is the space where children laugh, grow, learn, and discover what they are truly capable of. Every corner has been thoughtfully designed to support learning through play, creativity, and comfort.

From the cosy reading nooks 📚 to the art supplies 🎨, the ukulele 🎵, and the beautiful garden just beyond the glass doors 🌿 — every element of this space is intentional.

Because we believe that when a child feels safe, settled, and joyful — that is when the most incredible growth happens. 💛

This is Thrive with Ali Fleming — and we are so proud to call this home. 🏠

📸 Photography by Oak Studio

20/03/2026

🌿 This is how we do nature play at Thrive with Ali Fleming — and we wouldn't have it any other way. 🌱

Research consistently shows that time spent in nature supports children's:

🌻 Sensory processing — through textures, sounds, smells, and natural light

🏃 Gross motor development — running, climbing, digging, and exploring

🧘 Emotional wellbeing — nature has a naturally calming effect on the nervous system

🌍 Environmental awareness — growing up to respect and appreciate the world around them

Our outdoor space includes a vegetable garden 🥦, chickens 🐔, a swing set, and so much open space for children to simply BE — to breathe, to move, and to thrive.

Because sometimes the best therapy happens outside. 💚

📸 Photography by Oak Studio

17/03/2026

🦎 Meet Chilli — one of our most popular little therapists here at Thrive with Ali Fleming! ✨

You might be surprised to learn that interacting with animals like our beautiful bearded dragon plays a huge role in a child's development. Holding and caring for Chilli helps build:

🌿 Emotional regulation — the calm focus required when handling an animal gently 🤝 Sensory tolerance — getting comfortable with different textures and sensations 💛 Confidence and trust — especially for children who find social connection challenging 🧠 Responsibility and empathy — nurturing a living creature builds real life skills

This is nature-based therapy at its finest — and the smiles it brings are absolutely priceless. 💚

📸 Photography by Oak Studio

27/02/2026

🌟 The Art of Not Answering: Why I Teach Children to Be Expert Problem Solvers 🌟

As an Early Childhood Intervention Therapist, one of the hardest things I do is resist the urge to simply give children the answer. It would be faster. It would be easier. But it would also rob them of something far more valuable — the ability to think.

This week during our nature walk, we stumbled across a pile of scattered feathers — black, blue, and green. As an adult, I immediately knew what had happened. But instead of explaining, I asked questions.

🔍 How we became clue detectives together:

✨ "I wonder what happened here?" — opening with curiosity, not facts

✨ "What kind of creature has feathers?" — prompting them to reach into their memory bank

✨ "What eats birds?" — brainstorming possibilities, where there's no single right answer

✨ "What clues can we see?" — teaching observation before conclusion

One young person answered, "Foxes!" Another added, "Maybe a cat?" Both brilliant hypotheses. Both entirely valid. The point wasn't arriving at the exact predator — it was practising the thinking process itself.

🧠 Why hypothesising matters more than correct answers:

✨ Memory strengthens through recall — when children retrieve information themselves rather than receiving it, the neural pathway deepens

✨ Sequential thinking develops — following clues in order builds the same skills needed for multi-step instructions

✨ Independence grows — children who can problem-solve become less reliant on adults to navigate uncertainty

✨ Engagement increases — a racing brain that's given space to wonder and guess applies its own brakes naturally

✨ Confidence blooms — children learn to trust their own thinking, not just external authority

For children developing executive functioning, memory, or attention skills, these "thinking breaks" are gold. Rather than speeding past the unknown, we lean into it — slowly, curiously, collaboratively.

The ADHD brain, for instance, is like a Ferrari weaving through traffic at lightning speed. Hypothesising gives that brain a reason to pause, consider, and choose a direction — practicing the skill of applied focus in a context that feels like play, not pressure. 🚗

What everyday moment could you turn into a wondering game with your child? Sometimes the best learning happens when we hold back the answer just a little bit longer. 💚

23/02/2026

When Words Fail: Building Communication Tools That Honour a Child's Voice

This week I sat with a young person who sometimes finds verbal communication overwhelming — especially when dysregulated, anxious, or flooded with sensory input. Traditional classroom expectations assume children can always use words to express their needs. For some children, that assumption sets them up to fail.

So we created something different together.

A visual communication lanyard, designed entirely by the child. Not a standardised system handed to them, but cards they chose, drew, ordered, and personalised based on what their body actually needs when overwhelmed.

🎨 What this child's self-designed lanyard includes:

✨ Heavy work (weighted items, deep pressure input)
✨ More time (to finish complex play sequences without being rushed)
✨ Sensory room (a dark, quiet space to be invisible for a moment)
✨ Give my body space (using a hula hoop boundary where no one talks, looks, or approaches)
✨ I feel sick (acknowledging that physical distress is a valid communication)

For children who experience selective mutism, heightened shame responses, or demand avoidance presentations, being forced to verbalise needs when dysregulated compounds the overwhelm. A visual system removes that barrier entirely.

💛 Why child-created tools work better than standardised ones:

✨ Ownership creates buy-in — children use tools they've designed far more readily than ones imposed on them
✨ Personalisation honours individual nervous systems — what regulates one child might dysregulate another
✨ Non-verbal communication is still communication — and deserves equal respect
✨ Connection before correction — when schools facilitate what a child asks for through these tools, trust builds; compliance follows trust, never the other way around

When this child shows their lanyard card, they're advocating for themselves. That self-awareness and self-advocacy is worth more than any compliance-based behaviour chart. 🌱

Does your child struggle to communicate needs when overwhelmed? Sometimes the most powerful voice isn't verbal at all. 💚

22/02/2026

Hello friend ❤️

Address

Tea Tree Gully
Adelaide, SA
5091

Opening Hours

Monday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Tuesday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday	8:30am - 4:30pm
Friday	8:30am - 4:30pm

Telephone

0423769549

Website

https://linktr.ee/alifleming

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Our Story

I am a teacher who is passionate about outdoor education & supporting children to grow holistically, in their own time. I believe positive relationships are central to developing feelings of wellbeing and I consider it vital that a connection is established with each child from day one.