Articles

With National Science Week on from 9th to 17th August 2025, this is a great opportunity to introduce science to babies. For babies it’s less about formal experiments and more about sensory exploration, pattern recognition, and curiosity-driven play—all foundational to…

Creating a purposeful outdoor space means more than scattering toys—it’s about crafting an environment that actively supports children’s growth. By weaving the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the National Quality Standard (NQS) into your outdoor design, you ensure every…

Young children often explore their world through touch and close contact, but rough play can lead to upset or hurt feelings. Introducing personal space and consent concepts early helps preschoolers learn boundaries, empathy, and respectful interactions.

Children asserting “boys only” or “girls only” play zones can create unfair barriers and hurt feelings. As educators, guiding young learners toward inclusive play builds empathy, respects diversity, and lays the foundation for equitable relationships.

Educators and families deserve a system that mirrors real-time quality and safety—one that responds instantly to compliance breaches or serious incidents rather than waiting years for the next review. Here’s a blueprint for transforming our current “tick-and-forget” model into a…

When a service operates without external cleaning staff, it’s reasonable to expect educators to maintain day-to-day hygiene. However, there’s a clear boundary between routine surface-level cleaning that supports children’s health and deep-cleaning or maintenance tasks that should be outsourced or…

Teaching young children how to use their hands for kindness rather than harm is foundational to building a caring classroom culture. At ages four and five, children are still developing self-regulation and may act out physically when emotions feel overwhelming.…

Ensuring families feel informed and engaged is more than a compliance checkbox—it’s the foundation of true collaboration that supports each child’s learning journey. National Quality Standard (NQS) Element 1.3.3 requires services to keep families up-to-date about the educational program and…

Children don’t learn to read by starting with phonics worksheets—they begin with listening, talking, imagining, and playing. Pre-reading skills emerge organically when environments are rich in language, storytelling, and joyful exploration. These foundational abilities must be nurtured before formal reading…

Child wellbeing. It’s a phrase we use daily—but how often do we pause to ask, what does it actually mean here, in this room, for this child? Early childhood settings are shaped by diverse pedagogies, cultural frameworks, and personal experiences.…

In many early childhood settings, we celebrate children's creativity, imagination, and emotional expression—until gendered assumptions silently step in. A boy cradling a doll may still prompt side glances, teasing, or even misguided redirection. But it's time we call out this…

In homes and centres across the country, early childhood educators once viewed documentation as a treasure map—capturing the magical moments of play, thought, and connection that helped children grow. But today, many feel they are no longer tracing children’s journeys.…