Learn through Play

Start Strong and Learn Through Play

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Do you want some advice to help your child learn?

Talk to EarlyEd for free advice and support about anything to do with your child’s development and learning.  We can also assist you with starting preschool, childcare or school. Including finding a place and identifying if your child is ready. All you need to do is call us on (02)9923 2727email us or join one of our programs.

Ideas so that every child of every ability has:

  • lots of great play and activities to do
  • opportunities to learn through play ​
  • support to families to know how to help their children learn

because play matters!

Inclusion
EarlyEd’s approach to child’s play focuses on making sure ideas are inclusive of all children of all abilities.  We incorporate strategies that support all children and find ways to make sure all children are part of the action.

Learn to Play – Play to Learn

For regular great low cost/no cost play ideas each week follow us on Instagram and Facebook.  Play supports children’s learning and social inclusion.

Learn to Play_Play to Learn brings you ideas with a difference.

These are play ideas for children of all abilities and are easy for parents to manage. These are all low cost / no cost, inclusive  and family friendly ideas.

EarlyEd and Play for All Australia have partnered to bring families Learn to Play – Play to Learn.

Play Matters

“But there are just so many ideas out there! What is different about this information?”
When a family has children with different abilities and ages it is hard to sift through all the ideas to find what will meet their needs.   Learn to Play – Play to Learn focuses on ideas that fit with the needs of children under 8 years of age. Not every activity will work every time for all children and families but we are making sure we share a range of ideas.

Resources

Our approach uses things we can find around the home.  We have included ideas that:

  • support children that need help to learn to play
  • help children learn what they need to be able to do to join in at childcare / preschool
  • involve the whole family
  • don’t make parents feel like they need to be a super parent
  • can be played in anyone’s home
  • use what is available around the house
  • can be adapted to suit the needs of many children.

Click here to read some of the ideas you may have missed if you haven’t been following.

Click here to download the Learn to Play – Play to Learn flyer.

Active Play Active Learning

Active Play_Active Learning resources highlight the play and learning opportunities found in local outdoor spaces.

This not only includes playgrounds but also parks, streetscapes, and in particular, small neighbourhood pocket parks.

These active play ideas also support early child development and learning.

When we play close to home we can:

  • play more often for both short and long periods because we don’t need to travel
  • create opportunities for sharing and connecting with neighbours

When children play outdoors they develop physical strength, stamina and coordination while solving problems, being imaginative and independent.

Reconnecting with local play spaces
Families say that the “Main barrier to engaging in family-related activities” is “lack of suitable activities, cost and lack of time”. When we help families know how to make greater use of local spaces close to their home it can help them manage these constraints.

Reconnect with local play spaces was funded for Willoughby City Council area with the support of Chatswood RSL Club LTD ClubGRANTS 2020.

Why have we developed these resources:
Activity levels drop off in new parents. If we can support parents to be physically active when they play with their children we can support the health and wellbeing of the whole family and help young children start life being active. The Nest Action Agenda item “vi) Nutrition, Physical activity and Obesity” has indicated the need for “Parent support and home activities that encourage children to be more active, eat more nutritious foods and spend less time on TV, video games and screen-based activities.”

Hanen® Target Word

About Target Word

Target Word is family focused. This program was developed by The Hanen Centre to help families meet the needs of children who are late talkers. Research shows that how parents play and talk with their children can create opportunities for children to learn new words. Families will learn ways to naturally create opportunities for their child to use words during everyday routines and activities.

What will Target Word look like?

  • How to introduce new words and ideas into playtime and other activities.
  • How to join in their child’s play and favourite activities in ways that help their child use new words.
  • How to set up activities so their child can learn new words.

Who is Target Word for?

If your child:

  • hasn’t started childcare yet
  • is under 2.5 years
  • lives in Northern or Western Sydney
  • is a late talker i.e. communicates messages to you but does not use as many words as other children their age.
  • understands what you say, can take turns and play but not using as many words as you would expect

then Target Word might be right for you.

This program was specifically designed for groups of parents of very young children who understand what they are told, have good play and turn-taking skills, and have no trouble learning everyday routines. When it comes to talking, they are using a few words but their vocabulary is limited and they are not using multiple two-word combinations.

Storytime

Online Storytime - A Free Supported Interactive Session With an EarlyEd Educator

Concerned about your child

Talk to EarlyEd about anything to do with your child’s development and learning.

Perhaps you:

  • are not sure how to how to find a preschool or childcare
  • don’t know if your child is ready
  • want ideas to help your child learn.

All you need to do is:

to meet one of our team.

For great low cost / no cost play ideas each week follow us on Instagram and Facebook.

Ready to Learn with Storytime - A Free Individual Session with an EarlyEd Educator

Do you need some advice to help your child learn?

Do you:

  • want to learn more about how to help your child be ready for learning?
  • want to help your child be ready for childcare or preschool?
  • need some help to find a suitable childcare/preschool?
  • want your child to experience great language and early literacy experiences?

Book in with us for a free Ready to Learn with story time session with our educators.

Ready to Learn with story time

Contact EarlyEd and let your child benefit from a supported, interactive story time session.  Story time is an ideal way for your child to learn the skills they need to join in play, join in group time and support their language development.  Our educators choose books to suit your child’s individual needs and adjust the way they help your child to take part in the story telling.

Join in a free Pop Up Playgroup

Join us at a free Pop Up Session

Our Pop Up Sessions (playgroup and chats) pop-up where communities need them.

Who are they for?

The playgroups are designed for any family who are:

  • wanting support to help their child learn during their early years
  • worried about their child’s development.

Join us at a free Pop Up Session

Our Pop Up Sessions (playgroup and chats) pop-up where communities need them.

Community  Partnerships

Pop Up session can join a current community playgroups or programs e.g. toy libraries, playgroups.

We will:

  • tailor activities to support the individual learning needs of the group,
  • help parents with specific ideas for their child and
  • provide information about starting at childcare/preschool.

Find us regularly at Possibilities Playgroup at Lane Cove and Forestville Playgroup.

Who are they for?

The playgroups are designed for any family who are:

  • wanting support to help their child learn during their early years
  • worried about their child’s development.

Ask us for a Pop Up session or to support your current playgroup

We are particularly interested in organising Pop Up Playgroups in shopping centres ,parks and at community centres where babies, toddlers and preschoolers and parents and grandparent meet up.

Our programs can join in and complement your current community early childhood programs e.g. toy libraries, playgroups.

Click here To refer a family to a playgroup.

Email services@earlyed.com.au to invite us to support at yours.

Cubby House Toy Library

Start Strong Pathways funding support for the Cubby House Toy Library at Forestville helps families use this well established, valuable community resource and access advice about child development. Call to ask for support (02)9923 2727 or go to this page for more information about borrowing and supports.
Ask about how the Cubby House Toy Library can offer support to community activities and services.

Community Events

EarlyEd’s Mobile Early Childhood Education approach is to meet families who may not be part of mainstream community education activities. We use local opportunities to connect with families and support them into mainstream services and share early education ideas.

Click here to see upcoming events at EarlyEd

Professional Development

Community  Partnerships

Ask us for a Pop Up Playgroup or to support yours. 

Our funding is particularly designed to support 0-3 year olds who haven’t or who can’t access childcare or preschool.

We are particularly interested in organising Pop Up Playgroups in shopping centres parks and at community centres where babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers and parents and grandparent might go.

Our programs join in and complement your current community early childhood programs e.g. toy libraries, playgroups. Pop-up playgroups may be an extra session or join in a current program.

Refer a family to a Playgroup or invite us to support at yours. (click here)

EarlyEd supports playgroup coordinators, early childhood centres preschools and other community programs through training and advice to improve their skills in supporting children to learn and be included.  We help services that want to know more about child development, understanding if a child needs help, all areas of early education and how to help families that ask them for advice. We have been running supported playgroups since 2005 and currently even run some online!-this doesn’t make sense here under training and development

Our programs provide relevant, practical training that target what each centre or service needs so that by the end of the training staff feel confident to implement the strategies and ideas with all children. EarlyEd’s training programs are more than a workshop!

To find out more, click here.

Start Strong

EarlyEd is funded for Sector Development Capacity Building and Start Strong Pathways by the Department of Education as part of their commitment to early childhood education for all children no matter what a child’s circumstances are.

“Community based and not-for-profit services are available to help support the early learning needs of young children by offering families a pathway into early childhood education. These services also help expand a child’s social horizons beyond family and home-based interactions.”

About the “Sector Development Capacity Building Program”

EarlyEd is funded to support Sector Development Capacity Building of preschools designated to EarlyEd in Western Sydney. When delivering this role EarlyEd educators bring with them EarlyEd’s commitment and training in collaborative practices as well as many years of experience in early childhood intervention and supporting inclusion. EarlyEd is able to offer capacity building support to centre staff that meets their individual needs. This is developed after shared conversation and planning. Mentoring and training have been the most requested support particularly regarding behaviour support and managing NDIS in their centre.

Purpose

“Research shows that children who participate in a quality early childhood education program for at least 600 hours in the year before school are more likely to arrive at school equipped with the social, cognitive and emotional skills they need to engage in learning.”

The benefits endure well beyond primary school. Higher levels of educational attainment, economic participation and family well-being have all been linked to moderate levels of participation in early childhood education.” – NSW Department of Education

Note: Not one of our designated preschools? Other early childhood education services not funded under Start Strong may find there is other funding they can access to obtain support from EarlyEd. Please call us on (02)9923 2727 to discuss training needs.

About Start Strong Pathways

1. Purpose

The Start Strong Pathways program will help provide educational supports for young children prior to preschool enrolment, strengthen the engagement of children within these services, and help promote the importance of early childhood education to parents.

2. Objectives

“Start Strong Pathways has three core objectives:

  • support educational engagement of children too young to receive a preschool education
  • support pathways to preschool
  • promote the importance of early childhood education to parents and communities”

Start Strong and Learn through Play

Toy Library

Find out how our Toy Library can help your child’s development through play.

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