In our fast-paced, high-achievement world, it can be tempting to view childhood as a series of milestones to be met, classes to be attended and skills to be mastered. We often pack our little ones’ schedules with back-to-back activities, hoping to provide them with the best possible head start. However, when it comes to early years learning, the importance of having unstructured time each day can’t be over-emphasised.
Unstructured time doesn’t mean an absence of guidance. Rather, it means an absence of prescribed outcomes. It is a period where there’s no right way to use a block, no correct way to paint, and no teacher-led agenda to follow. It’s the time when the classroom or home environment - Third Teacher, as referred to by the Reggio Emilia approach - truly comes alive.
Unstructured time doesn’t mean nothing to do. It means having the opportunity to explore personal interests, follow curiosity and, very often, a road that leads to some very unexpected outcomes.
This could be as simple as sitting in the garden or out on a picnic with no fixed plan in place. In these kinds of scenarios, a child is free to do whatever they want. This could be marvelling at a butterfly, finding crunchy leaves to crumple in their hand, or asking questions about why the clouds are moving or why the sun feels warm. Mother Nature is a wonderful environment for unstructured play, with outdoor experiences playing a vital role in early childhood education.
Similarly, unstructured inside time certainly doesn’t have to be in front of a screen or with a planned agenda. When allowed access to interesting materials, such as shells, fabric, or wooden tiles, a child will naturally reach out, touch and hold. Without a pre-designated pathway or structured ‘lesson’, the young brain will be undergoing multiple processes that are surprisingly complex, even if they don’t appear to be doing much.
Examples of these might be:
They’ll also be developing fine motor skills through manipulating the materials that they choose to play with, perhaps categorising as they movie objects into groups of similar sizes or colours, learning spatial awareness through movement and developing social skills through interacting with their peers.
While you probably don’t want your entire home to resemble a children’s playground, having a messy room or corner is for unstructured time and play is very important. Having a place filled with open-ended materials, like natural objects, recycled goods and things that can be used in multiple ways depending on the child’s current mission, is key.
Prepare to be amazed by the different ways that a child will choose to use them if left to their own devices. Those cardboard boxes might be a fort today but tomorrow become a boat to sail a stormy sea (with cushion waves to be navigated), and that silky piece of material may work just as well as an ice rink for a favourite toy as it does a headscarf when dressing up.
What is there doesn’t matter so much as the ability to have unfettered access and unstructured time to make up stories, role play, ask questions and figure things out.
Parents, caregivers and early childhood educators are there to create a balance between guidance and unstructured learning. Being an observer of child play, rather than a director, can be quite hard at first. A good way to approach this is to use an open questioning approach. For example, when your child comes home from a day of unstructured play, you might hear, "I just played with blocks today.” This is your cue to ask questions like,
Unstructured time is all about validating a child’s curiosity and giving them the space to follow their own desires. In turn, this plays a huge role in their development of a sense of self, confidence and a crucial can-do attitude that they can take forward as they grow and navigate life’s challenges.
At Evoke Early Learning, unstructured play is part and parcel of every day. Our early learning educators are an extension of the great work that parents and caregivers are already doing – we don’t just prepare them for school, we prepare them for life.
Our early learning curriculum is built around the Reggio Emilia approach, with a safe, caring environment for our nursery, toddler and kindergarten programs from both our Albert Park and Clayton centres.
Discover more about our enrolment process and book a t our today to see our team in action.
Has boredom become a dirty word? In today’s high-speed world with entertainment on-tap, parents might view the phrase, “I’m bored”, as a cue to instantly find something to fill the void.
However, before you hand over your tablet or rush to jump in with something fun to do, consider this…
Boredom is not the enemy. Conversely, developmental psychology and the principles of early childhood education show that it’s an essential catalyst for some of the most critical cognitive and emotional milestones in your child’s development.
When we constantly provide digital entertainment or adult-directed tasks, we’re essentially outsourcing imagination. When a screen tells a child exactly what to see, hear and feel, the brain moves into a passive, receptive state.
Boredom, by contrast, forces the brain to initiate. When external stimuli are removed, the child must look inward. They have to scan their own interests, memories and curiosities to decide what to do next. And it’s when this occurs that the magic happens. It’s the moment the child switches from being a consumer of entertainment to a creator of their own reality.
One of the most important lessons a child can learn is that they’re capable of navigating their own internal states. If a child never experiences boredom, they never learn what’s necessary to overcome it. This can lead to a dependence on external fixes to regulate their mood.
Children learn resilience from having nothing to do. And it’s something that children are, given the chance, incredibly good at. By allowing them to solve the ‘problem’ of boredom, they learn to utilise their internal resources, which helps build a robust sense of self-efficacy and the confidence to realise that they don’t need an adult or a device to make life interesting. Instead, they can do it all by themselves.
It’s no coincidence that the most creative thinkers, artists and innovators often cite daydreaming (AKA, boredom) as the source of their best ideas. When the mind isn’t directed by external input, it has the chance to wander…. It makes strange connections... It asks, “What if?”...
This is one of the marvels that early childhood educators regularly see in action. For example, a child might stand at the edge of the sandbox for five minutes doing absolutely nothing. This can, for adults who are constantly rushing from task to task and juggling multiple life necessities, look like time wasted. But, in reality, that child might be observing the flow of the sand, watching a beetle crawl over a leaf or constructing an elaborate backstory for a toy dinosaur in their head.
When they finally dive into the sand, the play that follows is deeper, more complex and more personal because it was born from their own observation, rather than a prompt from an adult.
Early learning environments, such as the Reggio Emilia Approach, have many simple, open-ended materials – ‘loose parts’ – available for children to use as they choose. Natural materials, like stones, sticks, ribbons, cardboard boxes…. These are perfect for the bored child because they have no ‘right’ way to be used. A stick can be a wand, a thermometer, a fishing pole, a structural beam… When you pair a bored child with loose parts, you provide the ingredients for recipes that let the imagination to run wild.
Embracing the boredom gap, rather than filling their daily schedule entirely, is key. With just a few gentle shifts, parents and caregivers can integrate simple strategies into everyday life that encourage little ones to discover the wonders of their internal mechanisms.
Things like:
At Evoke Early Learning, our early childhood educators are highly skilled in the co-learner role. Indeed, guiding and watching the children discover their own interests is something that gives our staff that warm fuzzy feeling. Our childcare philosophy is firmly based around each child being powerful, capable and full of curiosity, something that never fails to delight us each and every day.
If you’re looking for an early learning environment for your child in either Albert Park or Clayton, check out our enrolment policy for the next steps.
Young minds are truly wonderful. Full of curiosity and open to exploration, which is exactly why provocation-based learning is so powerful. Rather than simply telling a child about, for example, a country, animal or custom, setting them up to question, investigate and find out things for themselves, driven by their own interests, is far more powerful.
Such ‘provocation’ is exactly what underlines the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education. Reggio learning spaces are carefully designed to encourage children’s natural urge to wonder, with a philosophy that every individual is an active participant in their own learning journey.
Quite simply, a provocation is an intentional invitation to explore. This could be as simple as a tray of autumn leaves, magnifying glasses and drawing tools placed near a sunny window. It could be a collection of recycled materials arranged beside photographs of bridges, prompting children to experiment with structure and design. It might even begin with a simple question, like “What do you think will happen if…?”
It’s less about what the stimulus is, and more about what and how it encourages exploration. Crucially, a provocation is open-ended, with no single correct answer, no model to copy and no pressure to produce a neat final product. Instead, the focus is on the process of discovery. Children observe, test ideas, revise their thinking and - one of the best parts of all - very often head off in directions adults didn’t predict. And it’s this element that’s often where the richest learning happens.
Provocation-based learning supports a wide range of developmental outcomes. But, perhaps even more importantly, it’s fun! Thoughtfully designed provocations encourage the development of key skills and help children achieve their learning targets – all while having a fabulous time as they learn.
They help children build:
This plays wholly into one of the prime strategies of Reggio Emilia, ‘The hundred languages of children'. This is about the many ways children express their thinking and communicate to the outside world. Talking is only one method, with multiple other, often non-verbal, ways to express their inner feelings and thoughts. Examples include drawing, movement, sculpture, dramatic play, storytelling, construction and conversation.
A single provocation can unlock several of these languages at once. A basket of shells and clay, for example, might lead to counting, pattern-making, sculpture and storytelling about the ocean. And who knows where that surprisingly passionate discussion about hermit crabs came from….
Another important Reggio Emilia philosophy is that ‘The environment as the third teacher’. This includes both the natural world around us and spaces that are intentionally designed to invite engagement, independence and reflection. Provocations work best when the environment is calm, aesthetically pleasing and rich in possibilities, which is typical of a Reggio classroom and also surprisingly easy to replicate at home.
Natural materials, loose parts, light, texture, mirrors, books and meaningful objects can all contribute to a sense of invitation. Presentation matters too. A few carefully arranged natural items are often more compelling than an overcrowded table full of plastic bits and pieces. When materials are displayed with thought and care, children receive the message that exploration is valuable and that their ideas matter.
Let’s not forget outdoor environments too, as these are particularly fertile ground for provocations. Puddles, sticks, stones, insects and shifting shadows can prompt deep scientific and creative inquiry. Such areas encourage children to connect with nature through play and discovery, making plenty of outdoor experiences essential for early childhood development.
In provocation-based learning, educators don’t step back entirely, nor do they dominate the experience. Instead, they observe carefully, listen deeply and respond with intention. They might extend learning by adding a new material, documenting children’s ideas or posing thoughtful questions, such as:
Questions like these not only encourage children to follow what interests them, but also allows educators to plan future provocations based on what genuinely captures children’s attention. In other words, the curriculum is responsive and dynamic, rather than being set in stone.
The beauty of provocations is that they don’t require elaborate resources or Pinterest-level perfection. Often, the most engaging invitations come from ordinary objects presented in thoughtful ways. A mirror beside flowers can spark close observation. A ramp and a selection of balls can launch a full-scale investigation into speed, distance and gravity. Add a clipboard, and suddenly everyone is a scientist…
At Evoke Early Learning, our educators use provocations within a Reggio-Emilia-inspired framework. They nurture curiosity, resilience, collaboration and a lasting sense of wonder that the world is full of questions worth exploring. For young minds, not only is this exciting, but it lays the building blocks for a lifelong love of learning.
With programs aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework for nursery, toddler and kindergarten aged children, we’d love to invite you to come and see us in action.
Book a tour today. We can’t wait to meet you.
Early childhood educators, parents, caregivers and all family members, play a pivotal role in everything that shapes a child’s formative years. Whether it’s formal or informal education, guiding children without taking over is a critical skill that provides essential insight into a child’s development.
The Reggio Emilia approach champions this, with educators actively watching and listening to all the unique elements that make every child the wonderful human being they are. This allows for a tailored, bespoke approach where learning needs are identified, future guidance is planned and families can easily be integrated into the process.
Careful observation of children as they play, learn and discover their environment should be an intentional and interactive process. Examples of how this translates to the real world include:
By observing, listening and communicating with a child, educators gain enhanced understanding of every facet of their personality and development. This key information is then documented in a variety of ways, such as:
Observing and listening are powerful tools that play a valuable role in identifying a child’s strengths and weaknesses. These active and intentional steps mean that a child is truly free to express themselves without any, even unintentional, outside direction from the adult.
It allows educators and families to better:
In short, active observation and listening allow educators and caregivers to gain a better insight into how the child sees the world. With a better understanding of this, educators and parents can gain a far more beneficial overview of the ‘why’, rather than the ‘what’, which is really important for understanding elements, like behaviours and potential developmental challenges.
At Evoke Early Learning, observing our children’s wonderful personalities and learning journey is part and parcel of day-to-day life. The talented early childhood educators at both our Albert Park and Clayton Centres embrace a suite of multi-faceted observation techniques that naturally integrate with the Evoke philosophy.Book a tour today and come and see for yourself.
Book a tour today and come and see for yourself.
Every noticeable step in child development is a culmination of many, almost unnoticeable, smaller ones. Documentation allows us to see the bigger picture and how a child is evolving over time. From learning and honing independent problem-solving skills to the ongoing development of fine motor skills, recording learning provides educators, parents and caregivers with a wonderful overview of achievements and progression
But… Documentation in the Reggio Emilia approach isn’t simply a case of educators’ notes or spreadsheets. Instead, it’s interwoven into the entire learning model, meaning that it’s visible, accessible and something that everyone is a part of and, crucially, one that children are also directly involved in.
One thing that’s immediately evident on entering any Reggio Emilia space is the many displays of what’s been happening in the classroom. Group projects of all shapes, sizes and subjects, but, crucially, there are also many other elements that provide a visual overview of the children’s journeys. These might be photos, transcripts of what the children have said, their pictures, drawings and more.
These documentation panels are a vital element of every child’s progress that’s carefully curated to provide everyone, parents, caregivers and children included, with a great overview of their early life journey.
It doesn’t stop there, however. Additional affirmation is provided by:
Noting and following a child’s progression is, of course, part and parcel of an educator’s role. But it’s also hugely advantageous for families and the child themselves.
Parents and caregivers get to be involved in their child’s progression and, through access to their child’s portfolio, are kept firmly in the loop, understand their experiences and play a strategic part in their learning and development journey.
Educators have an ongoing visual window onto each child’s progression, giving them an overall snapshot of developmental growth, as well as any areas they might be struggling, which can be used to support and plan future planning.
Lastly, but equally as importantly, the child themselves gets to play a starring role in their own learning journey. Being able to see what they’ve achieved underlines one of the key principles of the Reggio Emilia approach: that every child is a capable learner and plays a central role in their own journey. Being able to visualise their own progress shows children that their ideas, feelings and interests matter.
Human nature is innately boosted by visual stimuli. For a young child, seeing their artwork on a wall or their model included in a classroom project, for example, stimulates positive neural growth that boosts self-worth, self-value and helps promote a healthy, can-do attitude.
Such visual documentation that includes educators, children and families is a hugely important aspect of the Reggio Emilia approach, and one that everyone is involved in at Evoke Early Learning.
Our childcare philosophy is built around each of the key concepts of the method, championing every child as being capable, powerful and full of curiosity. Our Albert Park and Clayton centres have been carefully designed to provide children with an environment and the tools they need to encourage these delightful traits. Of course, it goes without saying that our walls are festooned with the achievements of every child in our care.Book a tour to see us in action and our welcoming team will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Book a tour to see us in action and our welcoming team will be happy to answer any questions you might have.
Most of us have cherished memories of favourite childhood stories. It’s common for children to want to hear their best-loved ones told over and over – and the reasons for this go far deeper than simply enjoying a good tale.
Storytelling has been used since the dawn of time to both entertain and instil deeper, important values and messages. Indeed, it’s a wonderful way to help build cultural awareness in early childhood, as well as introduce bigger life-skills and subjects in age-appropriate bite-sized chunks.
This makes it a powerful tool, and one that has massive potential to create solid building blocks for social skills, empathy and problem-solving abilities during the crucial formative years.
Sharing story time with children is a sheer delight for everyone involved. Spinning a tale is an art and, done right, can captivate in a way that no computer, TV or phone screen can compete with. It also is a wonderful method of tapping into the 100 languages of children. By integrating additional aspects, like exaggerated expressions, movement, music, dance, etc, the art of the humble story morphs into an incredibly valuable tool that can encompass virtually any subject and expressive aspect you can imagine.
When you tell a story, both adults and children enter a world with endless possibilities, one that naturally introduces key learning concepts, such as increasing vocabulary, basic grammar, intonation, and even the building blocks of more advanced skills, like conflict resolution and problem solving,
Great stories aren’t just a string of words. They transport the listener, reader or orator to a completely different world. There’s nothing quite as magical as watching children become transfixed as they live a spoken adventure. Such moments far exceed the educational benefits of watching an iPad screen or a favourite television show. While such tools have their place, the potent draw of a well-spoken tale captivates in a way like no other.
A great story told well, with the use of tone, volume and a touch of the theatrical creates a landscape where children listen and form connections with the characters. These then serve as role models, introducing age-appropriate challenges and potential solutions that promote many different life skills.
Examples include:
Using stories to grow social skills is a potent educational tool that can easily be integrated into everyday life. From bedtime favourites to making up their own adventures or, that age-old tradition of sitting on an older person’s knee and listening to their life experiences, stories come in many different guises.
Whether it’s reading from a book, recounting tales from your own childhood or making up an entire world full of fabulous characters and their adventures, educators, parents and caregivers can upscale the fun and learning benefits through:
At Evoke Early Learning, storytelling takes centre stage at pivotal points throughout the day. Stories fit into so many areas of early childhood education. From the classic book read to using an art project to showcase a tale or maybe using storytelling songs for dance and creative movement, never a day goes by without taking full advantage of a fictional world.
This applies to our nursery, toddler and kindergarten programmes, where the joy of stories are intertwined into our entire childcare philosophy.
Discover more about our enrolment process and come and see our talented early childhood educators in action.
Emotions are tough for little ones to navigate. Let’s face it, they’re challenging for us as adults, even with all our prior life experience and reasoning to help us understand. For preschoolers whose brains are still developing and processing a massive amount of new information, emotional feelings and thoughts can often spill into the ‘too much to handle’ realm.
There’s a reason that the toddler years are often referred to as ‘The Terrible Twos’. From around 18 months and onwards for a year or two, many children go through periods of defiance, tantrums and behavioural shifts as they get to grips with all the changes happening within their brains.
This is not a case of the child being naughty. It’s simply a progressive element of cognitive growth and development as the brain continues to process information and create neural connections in response. The child begins to better understand their likes and dislikes but, very importantly, doesn’t yet have the communication skills to adequately voice and express themselves. It’s this mismatch that causes emotional outbursts and changing behaviours.
Parents, caregivers and early childhood educators are in a unique place to provide valuable assistance during these times. Mindfulness isn’t just for burnt-out execs or parents juggling child and work responsibilities, it’s for everyone at every age, including toddlers. A big part of fostering emotional resilience in preschoolers is helping guide them through the emotional roller coaster of understanding and coping with big feelings.
Mindfulness is, without a doubt, a skill. The ability to zone out from the outside world and focus inwardly on the here and now is incredibly valuable. Whilst your toddler won’t understand the theory of calming techniques, what you will be giving them are the building blocks of a lifelong gift to help them manage their emotions and the ups and downs of everyday living.
A significant element of behaviour is down to learned techniques, and mindfulness is of immeasurable value. Some easy methods to help your child manage their emotions through calming practices include:
This list only scratches the surface of examples of mindfulness activities that can play a big part in helping children focus and calm big feelings. At Evoke Early Learning, we place a big focus on understanding temperament and the quirks that make all of our children the wonderful individuals they are.
Mindfulness activities are part and parcel of every Evoke day and a big element of our entire learning philosophy. Our early years program is dynamic, with our educators wholly invested in their own continuing professional development that fully aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
Come and see our team in action by booking a tour at either our Clayton or Albert Park facility.
The word ‘teacher’ probably brings to mind a person stood in a classroom instructing their pupils in whatever subject it is that they’re learning. However, in the landscape of pre-school it’s necessary for the educator to take on more of a facilitator’s role, gently guiding them on a discovery journey that’s led by whatever piques their interest.
This is certainly not a free-for-all. It’s a highly skilled method of encouraging young children to develop key life skills and a love of learning through the encouragement of their personal curiosities.
As you can imagine, managing to do this without taking over is an intricate balancing act. There’s a fine line between guidance and actively driving the direction of the flow, something that’s a key aspect of the Reggio Emilia approach, the development of critical thinking and other fundamental skills.
Educators in Reggio classrooms have key aims for the children in their charge, which include:
While some of these skills sound advanced, the early years are where the building blocks of all future learning are laid. Creating a strong foundation is crucial for ongoing life success, which is exactly what talented early childhood educators are so good at. The Reggio Emilia approach is trusted across the world as a premium educational model for setting young children up for future lifelong success.
Some examples of how early childhood educators introduce these vital skills without taking over include:
That brings us onto another vital point that all great early childhood educators are so good at: asking open-ended questions. These encourage children to question and push forward, rather than simply providing a single piece of information. Rather than saying, for example, “The flower will grow if you water it”, they might say something along the lines of, “What do you think we can do to help the flower to grow?”
At Evoke Early Learning, we’re proud of our educators and the incredible efforts they take to be the best co-learning facilitators they can be. Our programs are committed to providing all our children with the best start in life possible. This is mirrored in our company philosophy and values.
But don’t just take our word for it, we’d love to show you in person. You can easily book a tour online at your chosen centre We can’t wait to meet you.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics – often abbreviated to STEM – might not be the first subjects that spring to mind when you think of early childhood education. But the building blocks of all learning are laid during these formative years, and early development through the neuroscience of play has a significant impact on future interests.
There are many wonderful ways that early childhood educators and caregivers can introduce big ideas to young minds. Not only are these fun, but they create the foundations for problem-solving skills, build curiosity and help prepare children for the transition to the more structured learning of primary school and beyond.
Examples of STEM in early childhood include activities like:
Yes, many an architect has had their interest piqued at a young age from this all-time favourite activity - making structures from building blocks. Some of the skills this helps hone include:
Another timeless classic, every child adores discovering the natural world. All it takes is a little outdoor space, a magnifying glass, maybe a couple of bug jars and an identification chart. Biology, ecology, environmental science and more are at the root of this fun adventure, and who can fail to be charmed by the joy of a child finding a worm or bug to identify. Plus, freeing their finds after they’ve been evaluated also plays a role in encouraging empathy and understanding of all living things.
This one definitely needs constant supervision, but playing with magnets and different materials to see what is attracted and what isn’t is a sure-fire way to captivate attention. It introduces the basic principles of magnetism and an understanding of different classifications of materials. You might encourage the child to predict whether they think a certain thing is magnetic or not before it’s brought close to the magnet, and then you can discuss the result.
This will, naturally, take place over the slightly longer term, but it introduces a realm of different scientific and natural world elements. Children get to plant, water and care for their seeds. Watching them germinate and grow into plants introduces a wealth of different aspects, such as lifecycles, a duty of care for living things and even subjects such as food and nutrition, should you choose to grow something that either the child or an animal can eventually eat.
Inquiry-based learning is a rather serious sounding title for something that is nothing short of transformational for young minds. Every child is born with an innate curiosity to find things out and explore what surrounds them. It’s this very reason that we have to incorporate so many safety elements in the home as soon as they begin to crawl. From opening cupboards to checking out the dog bed, discovering the intricacies of the world around them is an inherent desire.
This urge to find things out is exactly what we want to encourage in pre-schoolers. It’s one of the cornerstones of the Reggio Emilia approach, offering long-term benefits to shape lifelong learners.
Discovery and learning are always easier when it’s fun, whatever your age. However, for pre-schoolers, the right approach during this accelerated phase of brain development can influence their entire life. The neuroscience of play is well proven and understood, and inquiry-based learning drives the formation of crucial cranial connections that are the basis of many life skills, such as:
When activities are inquiry-based, children are encouraged to follow their natural curiosities. Perhaps that worm piques their interest, which leads to further exploration of soil and how this is where plants grow. In turn, this could lead to a planting project, with the wonderful journey of germinating their own seeds, right through to the joy of eating something that they grew themselves.
This is just a single example, but it demonstrates how following an initial interest can lead to other, more complex learning, all sparked from that first step of finding a worm.
The key to inquiry-based learning is that it’s personal. This isn’t about memorising facts, it’s about asking “why” and “how”, with the answers creating further questions that the child wants to ask. If we look at the list of life skills we mentioned above, we can demonstrate how such a method helps foster and grow these essential attributes:
A love of learning is truly a gift to give a child. Encouraging that incredible curiosity lies at the heart of the Reggio Emilia approach. Every time a child steps into an Evoke Early Learning space, they enter an environment where they’re actively encouraged to take (safe) risks, ask questions and allow their curiosity to roam in whatever direction they choose.
All our educators are well aware of the extremely privileged position they are in to be entrusted with the most important people in your life. No two days at Evoke are the same, with activities ranging from dance and dress-up to nature walks and story time. Indeed, no two terms are the same. Children might decide on a longer-term project to work on, perhaps something that the whole class can get involved in, with each child adding their own personal touch. Or a dance session might turn into the creation of a full-scale end-of-term production with all the parents and caregivers invited to watch the grand performance.
These are but two potential examples, because with inquiry-based learning, we act in a guiding role, meaning our classrooms are as individual as your child. We’d love for you to come and see us in action. Whether you’re interested in either our Albert Park or Clayton centres, we’re waiting to show you what a day at Evoke looks like.
Book a tour online and we look forward to welcoming you.
Science, technology, engineering and mathematics – often abbreviated to STEM – might not be the first subjects that spring to mind when you think of early childhood education. But the building blocks of all learning are laid during these formative years, and early development through the neuroscience of play has a significant impact on future interests.
There are many wonderful ways that early childhood educators and caregivers can introduce big ideas to young minds. Not only are these fun, but they create the foundations for problem-solving skills, build curiosity and help prepare children for the transition to the more structured learning of primary school and beyond.
Examples of STEM in early childhood include activities like:
Yes, many an architect has had their interest piqued at a young age from this all-time favourite activity - making structures from building blocks. Some of the skills this helps hone include:
Another timeless classic, every child adores discovering the natural world. All it takes is a little outdoor space, a magnifying glass, maybe a couple of bug jars and an identification chart. Biology, ecology, environmental science and more are at the root of this fun adventure, and who can fail to be charmed by the joy of a child finding a worm or bug to identify. Plus, freeing their finds after they’ve been evaluated also plays a role in encouraging empathy and understanding of all living things.
This one definitely needs constant supervision, but playing with magnets and different materials to see what is attracted and what isn’t is a sure-fire way to captivate attention. It introduces the basic principles of magnetism and an understanding of different classifications of materials. You might encourage the child to predict whether they think a certain thing is magnetic or not before it’s brought close to the magnet, and then you can discuss the result.
This will, naturally, take place over the slightly longer term, but it introduces a realm of different scientific and natural world elements. Children get to plant, water and care for their seeds. Watching them germinate and grow into plants introduces a wealth of different aspects, such as lifecycles, a duty of care for living things and even subjects such as food and nutrition, should you choose to grow something that either the child or an animal can eventually eat.
Children and water is something that they’ll never tire of, and there are so many aspects of water-based play that introduce many scientific subjects. Predicting and discovering what objects float and which sink isn’t just great fun to do, it also begins an understanding of the properties of the water itself and the materials you place in it. Add in some cups or jugs to increase or remove liquid and you’re also adding in the basics of measurements, volume and fluid dynamics too.
We can all make the classic bunny with our fingers, and this is a great start to introduce children to the concept of light, dark and light interaction. It only requires a lamp and a light-coloured wall or surface, and you and the child can experiment with using your hands or other objects to make shadows. Watch how they change as you move them in front of the light and discover how certain hand placements translate into different shapes introduces the basics, as well as promoting fine motor skills and creativity.
As you can see, none of these play-based activities are new, but they provide caregivers and educators with a different take on what they are actually teaching. Early STEM education helps prep children for life, laying solid foundations for reasoning, adaptability, attention and resilience. Indeed, prime early education methods, like Reggio Emilia and the development of critical thinking utilise a whole host of STEM-based learning, all of which naturally intertwine the introduction of these big ideas into regular daily routines.
At Evoke Early Learning, our childcare philosophy is wholly centred around providing our children with the environment, care and activities that equip them with the skills they need for future success. From STEM-based fun to our acclaimed Reggio Emilia Approach curriculum, we’d love to demonstrate our talented team in action.
Book a tour today at either our Albert Park or Clayton locations.