Learn Play Thrive: End-of-Year Festive Professional Learning Event
Featuring Keynote Speaker Maggie Dent
Join the Learn Play Thrive community as we celebrate the close of another dedicated year with an inspiring afternoon of connection, reflection, and practical professional learning.
We are thrilled to welcome one of Australia’s most loved and trusted parenting and education voices, Maggie Dent, delivering a virtual live, interactive keynote on one of the most critical challenges facing educators, teachers, professionals, and families today - childhood anxiety.
Whether you work directly with young children or are supporting families navigating big emotions, this session will equip you with deeply practical, compassionate strategies to bring calmness and confidence back into children’s daily home and early education environments.
Presentation topic: Exploring Children’s Anxiety
Topic audience: Early Childhood Educators, Centre Directors & Leaders. Primary Teachers, Allied Health Professionals, Support Staff, and Parents/Carers
Focus age group: Toddler through Primary Years
The landscape of childhood and childhood stress is rapidly shifting, with anxiety presenting more frequently and earlier than ever before. In this presentation, Maggie Dent explores:
What anxiety is and what we as parents and educators can do to help reduce anxiety and fear in today's kids.
Why anxiety is increasingly prevalent in modern childhood environments.
Practical, helpful and simple strategies to support a calmer home and classroom.
Proven ways to embed routine moments of peace and emotional safety into chaotic daily rhythms.
Maggie has Maggie has been writing about the importance of calmness and stillness in children’s lives since piblishing her 2003 book 'Saving Our Children From Our Chaotic World'. As well as helping you better understand anxiety, Maggie shares many highly practical, helpful and simple strategies to support a calmer home or classroom and, ultimately, calmer, happier kids.
Event Schedule
4:00 PM – 5:00 PM | Festive networking
Arrive early to mingle, celebrate the end of the working year, and connect with fellow educators and professionals. Food and drinks will be available for purchase at the venue.
5:00 PM – 6:45 PM | Virtual LIVE Keynote & audience Q&A with Maggie Dent
Settle in for an engaging, live-streamed presentation followed by an interactive Q&A session where Maggie answers your real-world questions. Please email your questions one week prior to the event - info@learnplaythrive.com.au
About Maggie Dent
Maggie Dent is a much-loved and trusted voice for parents, families, and educators across Australia and beyond. A bestselling parenting author, she has written more than 10 books, including Mothering Our Boys, From Boys to Men, Girlhood, Help Me Help My Teen, and, with Kirra Pendergast, Digital Freedom: A guide to less screen time for safer, happier and healthier families.
Maggie hosts The Good Enough Dad podcast and led six seasons of the acclaimed ABC podcast Parental As Anything. In 2025, she brought her wisdom to television in the ABC series The Role of a Lifetime. A mother of four sons and a grateful grandmother, Maggie continues to champion calmer, more connected childhoods.
What’s Included:
Access to the live professional learning keynote recording and Q&A afterwards.
A handout of resources on the topic.
End-of-year community networking.
Certificate of Professional Development attendance (available post-event upon request).
Reserve your spot today to celebrate the end of the year with your community and invest in practical prfoessional tools for the year ahead!