Dr Jacqueline Harding is Director of Tomorrow Child and an honorary research fellow at Middlesex University. She is an internationally acclaimed child development expert with experience as a BBC Education editor, Headteacher, government consultant and author of numerous books for and about children. She is chair of the Bright Start Foundation. Jacqueline also provides consultancy on children’s TV shows. Her newest book is ‘The Brain that Loves to Laugh’, published by Routledge in April 2026.
Trisha Lee pioneered Helicopter Stories in the UK, mentored by Vivian Gussin Paley. In addition to her in-class work with children aged 2 to 7, Trisha has developed online training programmes for teachers in how to deliver Helicopter Stories, alongside initiatives like The Poetry Basket and The Story Basket designed to support teachers in cultivating a language rich environment in their settings. She has written numerous articles and publications about her work, including the best-selling Princesses, Dragons and Helicopter Stories, and The Growth of a Storyteller. There are a number of Helicopter Stories included in the book ‘The Brain that Loves to Laugh’
Discover the neuroscience behind laughter and why it may be the most underused tool in Early Years practice. In this session, Dr Harding and Trisha Lee share research and real classroom examples that reveal how hope, humour and human connection create the conditions where children truly learn, and why emotional safety comes first.
In this episode you’ll:
- Discover why laughter activates both hemispheres of the brain and supports children’s cognitive development in ways that are often overlooked
- Find out how emotional safety is the essential foundation before laughter — and learning — can really take root
- See real classroom research showing children who had struggled to grasp the concept of time making significant progress through music, movement and laughter
- Explore how Helicopter Stories give children the freedom and agency to express humour through storytelling, language play, and physical comedy
- Learn why Ofsted inspectors need not be a barrier to a laughter-rich setting — and how hope, humour and human connection can actually strengthen your practice
Watch this episode to explore the research behind laughter and learning, and discover how you can bring more joy, connection and cognitive challenge into your Early Years setting.
Episode Links:
https://amzn.to/4sEtDsb – The Brain that Loves to Laugh
https://amzn.to/4jGTtI6 – The Brain that Loves to Play
https://www.drjacquelineharding.com/
https://amzn.to/4jGRlQC – The Growth of a Storyteller
https://amzn.to/4aZY2em – Princesses, Dragons and Helicopter Stories (1st Edition)
https://www.routledge.com/Princesses-Dragons-and-Helicopter-Stories-Storytelling-and-Story-Acting-in-the-Early-Years/Lee/p/book/9781032897080 Princesses, Dragons and Helicopter Stories (2nd Edition)
https://helicopterstories.co.uk
https://helicopterstories.co.uk/join/ – Join our free story community, and receive inspring stories from nurseries, schools and SEND settings who are using Helicopter Stories or one of our other programmes, as well as creative ideas, poems, and news about upcoming events, including our termly Helicopter Stories exchange free webinar.
https://www.youtube.com/@TheListeningClassroom subscribe to our brand new Youtube channel The Listening Classroom where I share weekly videos on the stories children tell, as well as the impact of stories on the brain and the heart, alongside discussing the benefits of a story rich diet.
Episode Includes
- 1 Video
