New toys for early learners

Early numeracy: Tyler practices his weighing and measuring with help from Member for Eureka, Michaela Settle, before he heads off to school next year. Photo: EDWINA WILLIAMS

KINDERGARTENS across the region will become even more playful after receiving a five-thousand-dollar grant to cover the cost of new toys and equipment.

The play-based learning resources have been funded by the State Government via the Department of Education, with an aim to ensure all kinders have materials that are up-to-date, appropriate, and inclusive.

Member for Eureka, Michaela Settle, visited Brown Hill Kindergarten on Monday to announce the funding locally.

“These grants are recognition of the importance of play in learning,” she said. “We’ve had huge expansion in the early years through our Best Start, Best Life program.

“With that, comes the need to renew toys, so it’s a lovely story of being able to update and renew educational toys.”

Eureka Community Kindergarten Association CEO Jo Geurts said the grant allows centres to replace ageing equipment and purchase new items for hands-on use.

“It will really add to the opportunities for learning for our children,” she said.

“One of the key things is building foundational literacy and numeracy, and through play, there are ways the children can learn colours and counting, measuring, weighing; all those sorts of very early literacy and numeracy concepts.

“When you go into the classroom, you might think a child is just threading a bit of coloured spaghetti, but they’re getting their fine motor skills, and looking at colours; all of that learning is preparing them for school.”

All kindergartens across Victoria are receiving the $5000 grant.