Oliver Riddett
About Oliver
Oliver Riddett is an early childhood educator, author and founder of The Archetype Approach. He owns and leads Children of Towan Kindergarten in Cornwall and has worked with young children and families for almost twenty years.
Olli had a strong Rebel streak himself when he was younger, and that has probably shaped the children he tends to notice. He has always had a soft spot for those who sit slightly outside the group or find themselves regularly in trouble with adults. Often, these were the children who needed to move, challenge, joke, question or bring a lot of energy into the room.
Rather than seeing those qualities as something to get rid of, Olli became interested in what they might be for and how they could be supported.
The Archetype Approach gradually grew from that curiosity.
Through years of observing children, Olli identified twelve recurring patterns across the ways children move, relate, think, create and respond to the world. These became the twelve archetypes and six Axes of Balance.
The approach is not about deciding what ‘type’ of child someone is. Every child can express all twelve patterns in different ways and at different times. It simply gives adults another way to think about what may be happening beneath the behaviour they can see.
Olli now uses the approach throughout everyday practice at Children of Towan, including observations, planning, staff reflection and conversations with families. He has also written books and developed resources and training to help other educators explore it, which can all be found on the Archetype Approach official website.
Opens the Archetype Approach website
The Archetype Approach on Tapestry
Our partnership with Oliver has two aims: to share the Archetype Approach with more settings and schools, and to make it simple for those already using Tapestry to put it into practice.
We’ve already taken the first step. The twelve Core Patterns are available on Tapestry as a flag set, so you can start using them in your observations straight away. Next, we’ll be exploring how the wider Archetype Approach framework, including the Axes of Balance, can be integrated into Tapestry
To see how the approach works within Tapestry so far, you can visit our Archetype Approach framework page.
New to the Archetype Approach?
Our free Beginner’s Guide to the Archetype Approach, written by Oliver, is the best place to start. It explains the thinking behind the approach and shows how you can start using it in your setting, with no formal assessment needed.
Inside, you’ll find:
- An introduction to the twelve Core Patterns and the six Axes of Balance
- Why the approach matters, and how it helps adults look beyond their first reading of a child’s behaviour
- A simple six-step process for using it day to day, with a practical example
- Reflection questions to explore with your team
- Guidance on using the Core Pattern flags on Tapestry
You’ll find it on our education site, alongside the rest of our Beginner’s Guides.
Opens on our Education site
