Thrive with Ali Fleming

20/08/2026

What a magical fortnight it has been! ✨

Over the last two weeks we have taken five of our six groups to see Patch Theatre's stunning production, Me & My Shadow — a beautiful, wordless story of a girl learning to make friends with her own shadow, told through light, movement and colour.

It has been the perfect real-life backdrop for so much of the work we do in our groups: perspective-taking, reading body language, noticing when someone else has a different idea to your own, and practising the wonderful skill of turning "your idea" and "my idea" into something brand new together.

We also used the excursion to keep building independence in the community — practising our bus safety routines, our expected behaviour in a theatre, and even navigating a precious art gallery along the way with beautifully careful hands.

So proud of every one of our young people for the way they showed up, watched, wondered, and reflected together. 🎭💛

14/08/2026

Another wonderful day out with our Thrive with Ali Fleming group! ✨

Today the crew headed off to Patch Theatre to see "Me and My Shadow," followed by some hands-on wonder at the Jam Factory watching glassblowers at work.

Before the show, we talked through what's expected and unexpected as an audience member — when to sit, when it's okay to laugh, and how to use a whisper voice if you need to share something with a friend. Setting kids up for success before the moment happens is one of our favourite tools 💛

We also kept practising one of our core group phrases all day: "keeping your body in the group." It's expected to keep your body with the group, and unexpected for it to wander off — and our friends are getting so good at gently reminding each other, with kindness and zero shame, when someone needs the reminder (including me — I'm still learning too!).

The glassblowers at the Jam Factory gave us a beautiful bonus lesson: watching grown-ups share tools, check in with each other, and work as a team reminded the kids that being kind and respectful isn't just a "kid rule" — it's a people rule.

So proud of this crew today 🌟

10/08/2026

07/08/2026

✨Local Legend Spotlight✨

Meet Ali Fleming, the heart behind Thrive with Ali Fleming right here in Tea Tree Gully. Ali runs a home based play therapy service for neurodivergent kids, with small groups of just four, sensory led play and a free community playgroup every second Tuesday.

She's also neurodivergent herself, and that lived experience shapes everything from her risk-benefit approach to outdoor play to the way she helps kids work through big feelings without judgement.

If you're raising a child who thinks, feels or moves through the world a little differently, this is a community worth knowing about.

Read Ali's story here: https://teatreegullyconnect.com.au/thrive-with-ali-fleming-a-home-for-neurodivergent-kids/

07/08/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1C5AeeE59T/

06/08/2026

Today's group session was all about theory of mind — the ability to recognise that other people have their own thoughts, feelings, and perspectives, which might be completely different from our own 🧠💭

We practised checking in with friends before moving on to a new activity, rather than assuming everyone is ready just because we are. We looked for visual clues to work out how others might be feeling. We talked about how two people can experience the exact same moment and walk away with two different interpretations of it, and why that's okay.

Little by little, these small moments of pausing to ask "how might my friend be seeing this?" build big skills — empathy, flexibility, and genuine connection with others.

31/07/2026

Connection is Key 🔑

One of the things we love most about play therapy is how much learning happens in the small, unscripted moments — resetting the environment to spark new invitations to play, noticing who's drawn to what, and watching persistence and resilience grow in real time.

Today's session was a beautiful reminder of our philosophy: connect before correct. When children feel deeply connected to the people and space around them, they're more willing to be flexible, to negotiate, to hear "no," and to try again.

We saw it in consent-based games, where children practice reading body language and respecting a friend's boundaries. We saw it in group decision-making, where not everyone gets their way every time — and that's okay, because being part of a group means learning to find joy even when you're not the one leading. And we saw it in the quiet, mindful moments too — hands in coloured rice, a puzzle revisited, a shared game of chasey.

Every one of these moments is doing real developmental work: building language, building trust, building connection.

Connection is Key. 💛

30/07/2026

🌱 Little moments, big learning
Today one of our children needed to move — really move — kneeling, spinning, shifting from side to side — while working through a task. It looked like distraction. It wasn't.
For some kids, the body needs to move in order for the brain to focus. Stillness isn't always the goal — regulation is. When we give children the freedom to move the way their body asks, we often see them attend, respond, and engage more, not less.
A gentle reminder that "sitting still and listening" isn't the only way to be present. 💛
ADELAIDE