Sustainability isn’t just about recycling; it’s about helping children understand their role as caretakers of the planet. In OOSH settings, educators have a unique opportunity to weave eco-friendly practices into everyday routines, turning play and learning into powerful lessons about responsibility and respect for the environment.
The following mapped activities are grouped into five key areas: Recycling & Reuse, Energy & Resources, Nature & Gardening, Biodiversity & Care, and Creative & Reflective, each with six practical ideas to inspire children and educators alike.
Rainy days don’t have to dampen the fun in OOSH! When outdoor play isn’t possible, educators can turn indoor time into an opportunity for creativity, movement, and laughter. Wet weather games are more than just "fillers"; they help children release energy, practice teamwork, and build social-emotional skills in a safe environment.
The following 20 indoor games are designed to be simple, adaptable, and fun for mixed-age groups, ensuring that rainy days become memorable moments of play and learning.
The Zones of Regulation are a self-regulation framework that helps children identify and manage their emotions, energy, and attention. In OOSH settings, where children transition between school, home, and care environments, this tool can be especially powerful for fostering independence, resilience, and social-emotional wellbeing.
Risky play in OOSH services is encouraged as a way to build children’s confidence, resilience, and risk-assessment skills, but it must be balanced with structured risk management and compliance practices.
In Out of School Hours care, educators manage large groups of children in dynamic environments where safety, belonging, and engagement must coexist. One of the most essential, yet often contested, practices is the roll call and headcount.
This article explores practical strategies to help OOSH educators balance safety with connection, reduce parent complaints, and transform roll call into a positive ritual.
For OOSH (Out of School Hours) children, Reconciliation Week topics should focus on identity, respect, caring for Country, storytelling, friendship, and truth-telling. These themes help children understand Australia’s shared history and celebrate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures in age‑appropriate ways.
The Quality Improvement Plan (QIP) is not just a compliance document—it’s the heartbeat of continuous improvement in OOSH services. It shows how your service reflects on practice, identifies strengths, and sets goals for better outcomes. Even if you’ve never written one before, you can contribute meaningfully by following a clear, mapped process.
Yes, observations are required in OOSH, but they look different from early childhood settings. Educators must document children’s engagement, wellbeing, and learning through observations, though the focus is on leisure, social development, and safety rather than formal developmental milestones.
Managing behaviour in Out of School Hours (OOSH) care can feel overwhelming when children test boundaries, show disrespect, or escalate into physical conflict. Educators often find themselves stuck between documenting incidents and wondering what real impact those reports have. The truth is, effective behaviour management isn’t about endless paperwork—it’s about creating a consistent, responsive environment where children understand expectations, experience logical consequences, and feel supported to repair harm. This article offers practical strategies and policy anchors that move beyond “reporting only” and into approaches that actually work in the OOSH setting.
This cheat sheet condenses the principles, practices, and learning outcomes into a quick reference, with real OOSH examples to show how theory translates into everyday practice.
Open ended questions cannot be responded to with one word answers such as yes or no. These types of questions enables a child to provide… Read More
During your child’s preschool years, an important milestone begins to emerge. This is the development of pre-writing skills. Pre-writing skills are used to encourage, develop… Read More
An Acknowledgment of the Country is a way of showing respect for the Traditional Owners and can be given by both non-Indigenous people and Aboriginal… Read More
Open ended materials enables children to play freely. They are objects that have no rules to follow, use or function. Raw materials that can be… Read More
Language plays an important role in a child’s development. It enables a child to communicate effectively with their family, learn at school, socialize with friends,… Read More
Like adults, children have to deal with their own stress in life. Moving house, starting a new school, preparing for a new sibling - these are… Read More
Playdough is such a versatile material. It provides numerous benefits to children as they manipulate it, it is safe and soothing and provides children with… Read More
Teaching children about sustainability enables them to appreciate and respect the natural environment. Early childhood services can provide meaningful hand on learning experiences in order… Read More
Recycling is an important concept that teaches children to care for the environment. It encourages children to be responsible and show a growing appreciating for… Read More
Incursions provide children with the opportunity to explore meaningful learning experiences in the comfort of their early childhood service. The following provides a directory of… Read More
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