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

Little Hands, Big Writers

International Hybrid Conference

• When: May 16th, 2026

• How: Hybrid Event | Romania & Online

• Who: Designed for ESL and Primary Educators

• Bonus: Certificates provided

About the Conference

How do confident writers grow — and how early should the journey begin?

Little Hands, Big Writers is an international hybrid conference dedicated to exploring how writing skills can be nurtured from the earliest years through primary education using playful, structured and research-informed approaches that create lasting impact.

Bringing together educators, literacy specialists and international contributors from the Jolly Learning community, the event offers a rich programme designed for teachers working with children aged 3–11, from emergent writers to developing independent authors.

Participants will explore:

• Play-based strategies that develop language, fine motor skills, and early writing readiness

• Practical phonics-to-writing pathways supporting guided and independent writing

• Grammar and vocabulary development that strengthens written expression

• Creative writing approaches linked to learner confidence and exam success

• Cooperative learning techniques that encourage collaboration and authentic communication.

Led by experienced trainers, literacy consultants and classroom practitioners, sessions combine theory with immediately applicable classroom practice — ensuring teachers leave inspired, equipped and confident to support every child’s writing journey.

Speakers and Workshops

Sara Wernham

Co-author of the Jolly Phonics programme, author of the Jolly Grammar programme

About Sara: I began my teaching career and so had to learn and understand how to teach reading and writing from the very start. I subsequently taught throughout the primary years and was Special Educational Needs Coordinator for 5 years. I am passionate that reading and writing are taught in the simplest and most effective way possible.

I joined with Sue Lloyd to write Jolly Phonics, a fun, multi-sensory, systematic synthetic phonics programme, which goes from nursery through to Year 6. This developed directly from our experience in the classroom. I have continued to work with Sue and Jolly Learning to develop Jolly Literacy. I also provide teacher training and support to schools and teachers, quite literally all over the world. speakers. I try and explain it by saying it excitedly.

Workshop: 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.

Meliha Chausheva (Miss Melly)

Jolly Learning Professional Trainer Romania, founder of Class International School Snagov

About Julieta: 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 Petre is one of the co-founders of Reggio-inspired CLAS Kindergarten and Nursery and CLAS International School, accredited by the Romanian Ministery of Education and they are based in Snagov, county Ilfov, in 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. 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 Fischer Conference and Reggio Emilia Conference.

Workshop: Cooperative Learning Strategies to Enhance Early Writing 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.

Alice Istrate

Jolly Learning Trainer Consultant Bulgaria

About Miss Melly: 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.

Workshop: 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.

Yvonne Dalorto & Silvana Serbanescu

About Yvonne: Yvonne is a former Headteacher and British teacher (BA Ed, M.ED, Cert: SEN Early Years) with experience in Southern Spain and worldwide training in the Jolly Learning programme. As the Training and Content Manager for Jolly Learning, she works with global trainers and schools to support Jolly Learning Programme implementation. Yvonne specialises in Early Years and ESL, adapting the programme to suit different ages, curriculums, and abilities. Her global work reflects strong expertise in phonics, early literacy, and supporting diverse learners.

About Silvana: Silvana Serbanescu, UK Jolly Phonics professional Trainer and Trainer Consultant, experienced ESL teacher CELTA certified is also the manager of the independent educational company Jolly Star Learning Centre. She conducted tens of workshops across Romania and the Republic of Moldova on developing children’s reading and writing skills using Jolly Phonics, a fantastic synthetic phonics programme trusted by teachers and loved by children across the world which has been validated by the British Department for Education as an effective systematic programme.

She also provided the teacher training in the pilot programme conducted by the Romania’s Ministry of Education and Jolly Learning UK in various counties across Romania.

“Phonics is like a dog. It’s not for Christmas, it’s for life. I’m interested in children succeeding and using the quickest, easiest and simplest way of getting the mechanisms of writing embedded. Then we can all go and write dissertations, love letters, read Shakespeare or The Sun”

Workshop: 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.

Julieta Petre

ELT consultant, founder of English for Life

About Alice: Alice Istrate graduated from the University of Iasi, Romania, with a BA in English and Romanian. She works as a freelance ELT professional and is involved in teaching, teacher training, and assessment. She has been a Teacher of English for over 25 years and has worked with a range of students, from children and teenagers to adults and corporate students. She has worked with different employers and partner organisations, from state schools to private language centres and NGOs. As an English Lead for the British Council Bucharest, she liaised with teachers, Romanian authorities in education and teacher training.

Workshop: Small Writers, Big Results: Creative Skills for Cambridge YLE Young learners thrive when they are given meaningful opportunities to express their ideas, yet creative writing is often overlooked in early exam preparation. This session explores how developing creative writing skills can directly support success in Cambridge YLE exams, helping learners build confidence, expand language use, and respond more effectively to exam tasks.

Partners