Every child deserves the chance to become a confident and engaged communicator, at their own pace and in their own way. 

That’s why we pride ourselves on creating high-quality, modern educational resources for kids of all ages and abilities, in collaboration with leading speech pathologists, teachers and occupational therapists.

From puzzles and tracing boards, to phonics kits and emotional literacy tools, our range is proudly designed and manufactured in the small village of Gunning in New South Wales, using responsibly-sourced materials that perfectly complement the Early Years Learning Framework. 

By making learning meaningful, fun and engaging, our resources help lay the groundwork for helping kids learn to read, write and express themselves authentically in school, at home and in therapeutic environments. 

At Milestones & Mayhem, while we are passionate about nurturing kids’ confidence and skills, we also deeply care about supporting you - the amazing and determined parents, carers, early childhood educators, speech pathologists, occupational therapists, and teachers - who work tirelessly to give our kids the best chance to develop their literacy and numeracy skills.

We also offer a unique Play Collection sourced from Australian-owned & designed manufacturers that perfectly accompanies what we create in-house; all produced throughout the world in fairtrade conditions by highly skilled craftspeople. 

And, just in case that doesn’t have you covered, we also create custom business signage, personalised decor pieces like plaques and baby milestone cards, and our Celebrations Collection will help you mark all the important moments in life from Christmas to Mother’s Day and beyond! 

When you buy from Milestones & Mayhem, you are supporting:

• Australian-designed and manufactured
• Responsibly-sourced and sustainable products
• Inclusive and engaging learning resources for kids of all ages and abilities 
• Evidence-based tools that complement the Early Years Learning Framework
• A woman-run small business, passionate about helping kids thrive and the adults who support them

New owners Jess and Ellen are a mother and daughter team, living on a farming property just outside Gunning. They are creatives with backgrounds in illustration and printmaking. They currently own and run another successful Australian hand-made business and recently bought Milestones and Mayhem. They are looking forward to running these businesses side-by-side.

“When we saw Milestones and Mayhem was for sale, we jumped at the chance. Not just because it is an excellent business but also because it struck a chord with us on many levels - our love of children, our desire to keep pushing ourselves creatively and in business and the values which the business holds.”

Milestones and Mayhem is the brainchild of graphic designer and mother, Sarah O’Connell. With the birth of her son in 2012 Sarah wanted to spend time at home with him, whilst keeping her design skills sharp and up-to-date. Starting off by designing stationery, the business soon blossomed. Some years later Sarah’s son was diagnosed with ADHD and autism. Sarah found it difficult to find the right learning tools for him so in conjunction with leading speech pathologists, teachers and occupational therapists she developed learning tools which were engaging and fun. Having developed these phonics kits for her son Sarah wanted to share them with others. They remain one of Sarah’s proudest achievements and the cornerstone of Milestones and Mayhem values. In 2022 Sarah decided it was time for her to have a change in direction and pursue new challenges.