The Connection Curriculum challenges the status quo in education, arguing that a lack of genuine connection is harming students and communities. Drawing on extensive research, Matt Pitman explores the essential role of connection in fostering academic achievement and student wellbeing. Through candid reflections and practical insights, educators are invited to rethink traditional approaches and embrace sustainable strategies for building whole-school connectedness. Divided into three parts, this book delves into understanding connection, building sustainable practices and maintaining connection over time. It focuses on collective leadership and community engagement to equip educators with the tools and inspiration to embark on the journey towards creating truly connected communities. Whether you are a teacher, school leader or community member seeking to revolutionise your school culture or promote positive change in your organisation, The Connection Curriculum provides the path to make it happen.

Tricky Teens and Emerging Adults is a comprehensive guide for parents navigating the turbulent waters of adolescence. Written by clinical psychologist Andrew Fuller, this book offers practical strategies for understanding teenage behaviour, managing family conflicts and creating a harmonious home environment. Andrew reveals how ingrained habits and brain chemistry drive teenage actions, providing parents with the knowledge to effectively guide their children towards successful adulthood.The book is structured in four key sections, covering the science behind teenage behaviour, solutions to common problems, techniques for changing patterns and essential conversations to have with your teen. Drawing from years of experience, Andrew equips parents with the tools to not only survive the teenage years but to help their children thrive, ultimately preparing them for independence and a bright future.

This book is both a permission slip and a challenge. Permission to refuse the disconnection that has become normalised in schools, and a challenge to actually do something about it. Drawing on four classic works — The Outsiders, The Metamorphosis, The Odyssey and The Tempest — Matt Pitman explores how schools can reconnect with their students, their staff, their families and their wider communities. The third book in his acclaimed connection series argues that the crisis facing schools today is not simply a workload or wellbeing problem. It is a disconnection problem, and it requires a different kind of response. Teachers are leaving in record numbers, student attendance has fallen well below pre-pandemic levels, and the gap between people and the institutions meant to serve them keeps widening. The Connection Commitment is not about adding another program or initiative to an already exhausted system. It is about rethinking the conditions under which learning, professionalism and human connection become possible, and committing to building them deliberately. For anyone who works in a school, whatever their role, this book is an invitation to help write a better story.

Grab Matt Pitman's two books in this bundle. The Connection Curriculum (published June 2024)The Connection Conundrum (published August 2025)

Tricky Kids don’t need to be ‘fixed’ because they aren’t broken. They do, however, need to be shown ways to play to their own strengths and to learn a range of ways to interact with the world. They need to be shown how to flourish and thrive, and parents are the best people to do this. In this revised and updated edition of his bestselling book, Tricky Kids, leading Australian adolescent psychologist Andrew Fuller delves deeply into all the different types of tricky behaviour displayed by children. Using the latest thinking and developments in child psychology, he explains the most common reasons why children can display confronting behaviour and outlines practical steps you can take to help show them the way to live harmoniously with you and others.

In a world where tricky conversations can feel like navigating a minefield, Andrew Fuller serves as your guide, offering strategies to resolve conflicts and manage the dynamite sticks of humanity that are tricky people. From workplace politics to family dramas and romantic entanglements, learn how to wield the power of RESOLVE –Respond with respectEngageSeek understandingObserve feelingsLower the toneValue-add, andEmpower– to emerge victorious from the battleground of interpersonal interactions. Whether you're facing off against Genghis Khan or the school principal, this book equips you with the tools to turn confrontation into connection and chaos into calm.

Connecting with Your Teens is a simple, practical, down-to-earth guide for all parents and teachers who want to bond with their teenagers while also helping them to develop important life skills. This fun and effective book contains chapters that can be followed chronologically throughout the year, or by selecting a ‘life skill’ that may need to be learnt. Each chapter explores different understandings of these life skills, offers fun and engaging activities to develop these skills as a family and includes personal narratives relating to each life skill. Learning these skills will not only help your teen navigate the sometimes-tricky stages of adolescent life but ultimately thrive through the rest of their lives to come.  

Get 3 of Andrew Fuller's revised and updated Tricky books. Tricky Conversations (published July 2024) Tricky Teens and Emerging Adults (published September 2024) Tricky Kids (published November 2024).  

 Have you noticed that some families seem to be like a happy party just walking along, and others are kind of tense and awkward? How some parents and kids seem to get along really well, and others are awkward and negative, reduced to just sharp commands to "hurry up" or "don't touch that." It's not that one kind of parent doesn't love their kids just as much or work just as hard to feed and clothe and care for them, but more that they may not have found ways to be close, have fun, and share good times. Connection with our kids isn't some mystical thing, it's made up of shared activities and memories, often not the expensive ones but just stuff that happened. Andy McNeilly realised early in his work as a primary teacher (and dad) that not all kids get along with their parents very well, and not all parents know what to do to have good times with their children. After all, what's the point of feeding, clothing and caring for kids if you still just don't get along, and they don't feel close to you and able to trust you. If they grow into teens, and then adults, who don't have much connection to you, and just drift away. How sad would that be? The secret that Andy is happy to share is that there are thousands of things you can do with your kids, which are fun and helpful to building a good relationship. Don't be daunted by that, or by the pages of this book, into feeling that's just too much. This is a RECIPE book. Just one tasty "meal" from the activities in here can give you a really great time. Half a dozen of those might be all you need for a year! And because our minds are good at knowing what works for us, just trust yourself to pick out one or two and make a start. You'll get your money's worth if even one of these ideas takes off with you and your children. Sometimes as a parent, you feel stuck. Stuck for what to do, or what to say, or how to act. It's a terrible feeling, knowing there is something wise or clever or helpful needed, and you just don't know what that is. These activities unstick you. You start to get more creative, and inventive, and get into a nice flow with your kids that spreads to other parts of your family's life. When I think back to my childhood sixty years ago (yes, shocking aye? And I look so YOUNG) I remember fun times with my mum or dad, doing stuff and feeling that the world and life were a wonderful place. Activities, conversations, projects, games, that are simple and may not even cost a cent. Have fun with this book! Dive in somewhere, grab an idea, and give it a go. WarmestSteve Biddulph   * This title is a buy in and is for online orders only. 

Connecting with Your Students is a simple, practical resource for all educators who want to build meaningful relationships with their students while developing essential life skills that drive academic success. This engaging and effective book contains 40 chapters organised across four school terms, each focusing on a different life skill. Teachers can follow the chapters chronologically throughout the year or select specific skills that align with their students’ needs. Each chapter features inspiring quotes, student-friendly definitions, ten practical classroom activities requiring minimal preparation, and real-life stories illustrating each skill in action. The activities foster positive classroom relationships while equipping students with the tools they need to overcome challenges and flourish. Learning these skills will help your students not only navigate the demands of school life but also thrive throughout their lives.   Preparing developing brains for life. Andrew Fuller Andy shows teachers exactly how to build genuine relationships. Professor Pasi Sahlberg The secret sauce for teachers: relationships before curriculum. Andrew Dalgleish

Keeping Our Kids Hopeful delves into the essence of what drives us to face each new day: hope and confidence in the future. It explores how this sense of hope can be fostered in children, even amid uncertainties and challenges. By questioning the traditional pursuit of happiness as the ultimate goal for children, the book underscores the importance of equipping them with emotional literacy and resilience. It stresses that a rich and fulfilling life naturally encompasses a range of emotional experiences, from joy to discomfort, all of which contribute to personal growth and self-understanding. Drawing from experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic, the book highlights the profound impact of social and environmental changes on children's mental health. It sheds light on how the lockdowns intensified the need for mental health awareness and support in early childhood settings and schools. The author, a seasoned psychologist, advocates for a balanced approach that not only addresses mental health issues but also promotes positive mental health. Emphasising authoritative parenting, the book provides practical guidance for parents to help their children feel heard, supported and capable, thereby instilling a lasting sense of hope and confidence in them.

Get the two books in this series in this special bundle. Connecting with Your Kids (published February 2019). Connecting with Your Teens (published October 2023).   

Life is too short to take too seriously, so why not make every day a playful adventure? 365 Days of Play is your go-to guide for injecting joy, connection, and a whole lot of laughter into your daily routine. Packed with creative challenges, uplifting stories, and science-backed activities, this book is designed to help families, friends, and even solo adventurers rediscover the magic of play. Created by world-renowned play experts Dale Sidebottom & Paul Campbell from The School of Play, this book is more than just a collection of games, it's a movement toward a happier, healthier, and more playful life. From brain-boosting ideas and wacky movement games to gratitude reflections and kindness missions, every day brings a new surprise that will have you smiling, moving, and connecting in ways you never imagined. So, what are you waiting for? Flip to today's page, dive in, and let the fun begin! Let's play!

Rachel Stewart is a parent engagement specialist and mother of three. In Creating Connections: Inspire your child to thrive in their learning, Rachel explores the vital role of parents (and carers) in their children’s education, in particular during the transition to learning at school. With touching anecdotes from her own life, Rachel describes how the adults who care for children can learn alongside them - with children, families and teachers forming a powerful learning team. With a focus on compassion - for self and for others - Rachel encourages parents to reflect on their life and grow their awareness of how their experiences might influence their parenting style. She encourages a close relationship between parents and teachers for the benefit of the child and invites parents to build a relationship with their children that encourages a love for learning and growth as unique individuals. Importantly, Rachel explains how to stay connected while letting go. Creating Connections provides the support and affirmation craved by any parent who has wondered if they are doing a good job.  

In schools around the world, a crisis is growing: students are disengaging, teachers are burning out, and communities are fracturing under competing priorities. Despite overwhelming evidence that meaningful connection underpins both academic success and wellbeing, schools continue to treat relationship-building as a "nice-to-have" rather than essential work. Author Matt Pitman calls this The Connection Conundrum – the paradox of knowing connection matters yet consistently prioritising everything else. Like any great endeavour, success in education depends on trust, collaboration, and shared purpose. Pitman shows how educators can navigate the challenges of modern schooling by placing connection at the centre of everything they do. Written for teachers unwilling to wait for permission to lead change, this follow-up to The Connection Curriculum offers a practical roadmap through the 4Cs – Culture, Communication, Collaboration, and Curiosity – that transform disconnected classrooms into thriving learning communities. Matt Pitman empowers educators to lead from where they are, providing actionable strategies to build relationships, foster belonging, and sustain meaningful connection, even when formal leadership hesitates. The Connection Conundrum is an urgent call to action for anyone who believes schools should put people first – offering the tools to make that vision a reality.

Grab Matt Pitman's three books in this bundle. The whole set! The Connection Curriculum (published June 2024)The Connection Conundrum (published August 2025)The Connection Commitment (published October 2026)