Protecting children’s right to play Play is a vital avenue for learning and development in young children. Early Childhood Australia (ECA) is consulting with early childhood experts to find out how to stop it from diminishing. If you were asked to explain why play is important for children, what would you say? ECA recently asked […]
The problem with ‘school readiness.’ ‘School readiness’—many find it controversial. MAREE ALDWINCKLE explores this concept and shares her experience as an early childhood teacher and academic. How can we use better terms and activities to describe children preparing for their transition to school? This question has never been more relevant as Australian children slip behind […]
One question Dr Claire Warden is asked about the Floorbook Approach is whether there is a set sequence, here she answers this popular query. This is part two to a three-part blog series, you can read the first one here. Claire shares how you can make the most of Floorbooks and Talking Tubs to effectively consult […]
KAREN HOPE shares some key discussion points after facilitating a group of educators, who were delving into re-thinking ways to document learning and development for educators and children. Karen asked the group ‘what current documentation practices might they leave behind?’—This opened up ideas to what changes could be implemented to create documentation to improve ideas, […]
With the brunt of winter hitting, it can be hard to continue a healthy and active lifestyle in a cold climate. LARA HERNANDEZ and JOE XU from the NSW Office of Preventive Health share various resources and facts for educators and families; they also mention a new program developed by NSW Office of Preventive Health called ‘Time […]
For International Children’s Book Day (Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday on 2 April) we’ve put together ideas from authors and educators, along with some popular ECA quality-assured books to encourage and support educators in reading aloud with groups of children. The birthday of Hans Christian Andersen, 2 April, is the inspiration for International Children’s Book […]
With a pushdown of school-style curriculum into preschools, kindergartens and childcare centres, it can be difficult for teachers to maintain a play-based program. Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorld provides a model for teaching through play, and is particularly strong for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. It is based on more than a decade of research. Marilyn Fleer breaks […]
‘As an early childhood and primary teacher, I enjoy working with children of all ages. In this chapter of my career, I find myself gaining behind-the-scenes insight into the primary school environment that the preschoolers I used to teach now experience’, writes Virginia Artinian. I work as a classroom teacher in a school of almost 1000 […]
The future of Australia rests on early education. Early Childhood Australia’s (ECA) National President, Christine Legg talks about children’s early development and why Australia needs to invest in and support a high-quality early childhood education system. If you imagine a child’s brain as a five-drawer filing cabinet, research indicates that the majority of those drawers […]
Not all families are seeking advice, support or education from early childhood educators. What happens to partnership with families when we view early childhood relationships through different lenses? As early childhood students graduate and early career educators review their first year in the sector, Fay Hadley and Elizabeth Rouse explore this timely question and the […]
