Tag: preschool

Mosaic Pegbord Magic: A Mathematical Treasure Trove

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

“This isn’t just a game—it’s a real treasure chest of geometry, combinatorics, logic, and pattern recognition tasks,” says the author of a hugely popular child development book.

There are quite a few varieties of mosaics available—plastic, magnetic, ones with letters, and ones with little pegs. For mathematical purposes, a rectangular mosaic board with colourful peg buttons works best. This way, we develop not only spatial thinking and concentration, but also fine motor skills. Ideally, you should have several boards (it’s convenient for working with multiple children, and you can also “connect” boards to each other). The larger the pegs, the better. As children grow, you can reduce their size.

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Following a Pattern: Pegboard

The first task is to create a figure following a pattern. Usually, these come with the mosaic sets, but if you don’t have any, you can make up patterns yourself by drawing them with markers.

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Symmetry

Mathematician Alexander Zvonkin recommends starting with the principle “from simple to complex.” First, lay out an axis on the board with pegs of one colour—a vertical line running down the middle of the field. This line will be the “mirror,” and different figures will be reflected in this mirror.

Build a simple figure on one side—a square, rectangle—and ask the child to repeat it on the other side of the “mirror.” You can vary the colour, size, and position of the figures. To check how accurately the children managed to mirror your figure, take a real mirror. If it’s the same, everything’s fine. If not, let’s try to fix it.

In the next session, you can change the axis position: first, make it horizontal, then diagonal. The figures you create can become progressively more complex. Make multicoloured diamonds, create butterflies. Check with the mirror. Symmetry, according to Zvonkin, is a rich topic—definitely search online for photos of snowflakes and other examples of symmetry in nature, or look in H. Weyl’s book “Symmetry.”

Learning to Write

According to Maria Montessori’s definition, reading is the transformation of sounds into symbols. That’s exactly what we’ll do with the mosaic. We’ll compose keywords, and then move on to sentences. This is especially useful when learning a foreign language.

I give the child cards with so-called sight words or basic words, and they copy them for me on the mosaic. The spelling rules pass through the “hand.”

Why This Works:

The mosaic board is a brilliant multisensory tool. Children aren’t just seeing letters and patterns—they’re building them, peg by peg. Each placement requires precision, planning, and physical engagement. When a four-year-old recreates the word “the” or “cat” with colourful pegs, they’re encoding that word into muscle memory. The tactile experience of pushing each peg into place creates a stronger neural pathway than simply writing with a pencil.

And for symmetry work? There’s something magical about the moment a child places that final peg and realises their butterfly’s wings are perfectly balanced. Mathematics becomes visible, tangible, and deeply satisfying.

Why sensory play matters for toddlers?

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Yesterday, my 3-year-old neighbour visited us. He was allured by the green garden we have and a lot of interesting things it has to offer – pinecones, shells and many other wonderful nature loose parts. A kindergarten teacher at heart, I quickly set up water play with food dyes and eye droppers, and he played with so much engagement.

If you have ever watched a toddler sit in a mud patch, swirl water in a bowl, or run bark chips through their fingers, you can see how deeply they learn through their senses. Sensory play is not just “messy play”. It is how toddlers make sense of the world long before they have the words to explain what they know.

For toddlers, learning starts with looking closely, touching, smelling, listening, and moving. This is exactly what nature invites. When a toddler crouches down to watch ants or scoops wet sand, they are already engaged in early inquiry. They are comparing textures, testing ideas, and noticing patterns. Inquiry does not need a worksheet. It starts with curiosity.

Research in this unit reminds us that toddlers learn best through active, embodied experiences. In Outdoor Learning Environments, Little writes that young children need rich sensory experiences outdoors to build confidence, resilience, and problem-solving skills, and that risk-taking is part of healthy development when it is supported thoughtfully (Little, 2017, pp. 19–38). This helps us see sensory play not as an “extra”, but as a core curriculum.

When toddlers stir water with sticks or explore mud, they are also practising fine and gross motor skills, regulating their bodies, and building attention. Even very young toddlers show early inquiry behaviours. A child (let’s call him Hudson), 14 months watches ants with deep focus. This moment of sensory attention becomes an opportunity for an educator to respond to what matters to him, which aligns with the principles of inquiry-based learning. The parent or the educator listens, questions, and guides rather than directs.

Nature pedagogies tell us that young children build knowledge through relationships with place, materials, and more-than-human life. This connects strongly to sensory play. Natural materials such as stones, seedpods, leaves and water are open-ended. They have what Malaguzzi called “affordances”, meaning they invite different actions depending on the child’s interest and intention. The Mudbook: Nature Play Framework also points out that sensory-rich outdoor experiences help children develop ecological connection and care (Childhoodnature, n.d.) . When toddlers feel the coolness of water or the roughness of bark, they are forming these early ecological relationships.

In Australia, regulatory requirements also highlight the need to balance safety with challenge. Jeavons, Jameson and Elliott explain that outdoor spaces should offer both safety and opportunities for meaningful exploration, including natural materials that encourage sensory engagement (Jeavons et al., 2017, pp.120–143). This means sensory play must be planned, supervised, and supported, not avoided. Safe spaces do not need to be sterile.

Sensory play also supports early communication. When toddlers point, gesture, name textures, or make sounds, they are expressing what they notice. These small interactions strengthen relationships with educators and peers.

Overall, sensory play is a natural entry point into inquiry because toddlers are already doing the work. Our role is to slow down, follow their lead, offer rich materials, keep environments safe but stimulating, and notice the learning taking place. When we do that, sensory play becomes the foundation for curiosity, connection, and early science thinking.

What are your favourite sensory play set-ups in your rooms or centres?

Storykate 🪇👧🏻

Why children are stuck inside on a rainy day?

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I went into the Toddler Room during the rain, and it was clear the children had so much bottled-up energy. There was screaming, there were behaviour issues, and you could see the educator was trying to run an activity. She even pulled out some sort of balancing cushion for them to walk on. But it was obvious that many of the children just wanted to jump and run. One girl kept running to the little music radio and trying to turn it on so she could dance.

And I had a very reasonable question in my head. Why on earth do they keep children inside every time there is summer rain? It wasn’t even cold outside. It wasn’t hot or cold, it was just rain. Put the children in proper clothing for the weather. It’s called a raincoat. Put on the gumboots and go outside for a walk, for goodness’ sake. Why is this not allowed?

When I was little, we were outside all the time. If you don’t want to dress the children properly, fine, then set up an indoor hall. When I was growing up, we had a Swedish wall, we had rings, we had hoops, we could climb on it, and no one ever fell. People even had Swedish walls in their flats, and many still do. Because yes, sometimes it’s very cold, icy or stormy outside. But that doesn’t mean children shouldn’t move. Everyone understood this, especially in Scandinavian countries. Children need to move, either outside or indoors.

And this is what really annoys me about Australian childcare centres. The owners and managers often think of band-aid solutions or choose risk-averse ways of running their program. I think many educators have barriers that are anchored in their beliefs, stopping them from enjoying outdoor play in any weather. The irony is that ACECQA does not promote indoor play only on rainy days… Look at the resource they recommend – raincoats, gum books, umbrellas, watering cans; chalk; objects to float.

Yet, whenever I wanted to stay out in the rain with the children, the manager would come and ask me to go inside…

Be honest. What happens in your room when it rains?

Options:

  1. We go outside. Puddles are life
  2. Indoors, but we set up climbing and movement play
  3. Mostly indoors because we’re not set up for wet weather
  4. I wish we could go outside more often

Let’s talk money…

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Hey educators,

A quick chat about money, I mean our educators’ award. As we work across diversity of centres, it may be confusing when it comes to salary and getting your paycheck.

First, let’s talk about the difference between these three: Award vs Enterprise Agreement vs VECTEA

  • Awards are the baseline pay and conditions set by the Fair Work Commission. In early childhood, the relevant one is the Children’s Services Award 2010. It sets minimum pay rates (e.g. Diploma Level 3.4 = $30.59/hr in July 2024), plus conditions like breaks and overtime. No employer can go below this.
  • Enterprise Agreement (EBA/EA) is a deal negotiated between an employer (like Goodstart, KU, G8) and its employees (often with a union). It sets out wages and conditions for that organisation, and must leave workers better off overall than the Award. An EA usually runs for a few years, then gets renegotiated. Because employers compete for staff, these agreements often pay above Award rates.
  • VECTEA (Victorian Early Childhood Teachers and Educators Agreement) is specific type of enterprise agreement for the community kindergarten sector in Victoria, negotiated with the Department of Education and the union. It covers both teachers and educators in sessional kinders, and is often described as the “gold standard” for conditions (lots of leave, guaranteed non-contact time, PD days), but the hourly pay rates aren’t always the highest compared with big LDC EBAs.

You may ask: why the differences matter? Let me explain:

Kindergarten (sessional, VECTEA) educators are covered by VECTEA. Pay can look lower per hour, but the trade-off is conditions: 10 weeks leave (HOLIDAYS!!!) , extra PD/organisation days, allowances, and protections like minimum non-contact time.

LDC (Long Day Care) educators are usually covered by the Children’s Services Award or an enterprise agreement their employer has in place. If it’s just the Award, pay is at the minimum. If it’s an EA, pay is usually higher. Big employers like Goodstart or KU have EBAs with boosted pay (recently Goodstart added 10% in 2024).

In practice

  • A Diploma educator in LDC on a strong EA might be paid more per hour than a Diploma under VECTEA.
  • A Diploma educator in LDC on just the Award would usually earn less than a VECTEA diploma.
  • VECTEA wins on overall work-life balance and entitlements; LDC EBAs can win on wages.

What award are you on?

What’s changed in 2025?

  • Awards went up on 1 July 2025 (these are the national minimum pay scales set by Fair Work).
    • Diploma in LDC: now about $31.66/hr.
    • From December 2024, wages in LDC got a 10% lift.
    • From December 2025, they’ll get another 5%.
    • This only applies in services that get CCS funding (long day care, not sessional kindergartens).

What about Early Childhood Teachers or ECTs? It depends on where you work, of course.

ECTs in Long Day Care are usually covered by the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2020, or by an enterprise agreement if the service has one (e.g. Goodstart, KU, some council-run centres).

Award base rates for a 4-year trained ECT (as of July 2024) start around $69K and move into the mid-$80Ks annually. Under strong EBAs, this can be higher, for example, Goodstart’s EA has pulled rates up by 10% in 2024, with another 5% coming. Non-contact time exists, but it may be more limited than in sessional kindergarten

ECTs in Community Kindergartens (on VECTEA in Victoria)

  • We are covered by the Victorian Early Childhood Teachers and Educators Agreement (VECTEA). This is a sector-wide enterprise agreement for funded 3- and 4-year-old kindergarten programs in community or council settings.
  • The hourly rates translate into salaries from the mid-$70Ks up to over $100K for experienced teachers (depending on classification). Not the very highest headline salaries in Australia, but strong compared to LDC Award.

VECTEA is good for many reasons: 46/52 model (paid 46 weeks across the year, with 10–12 weeks paid leave), guaranteed non-contact time, PD and organisational days built into the year, there are allowances for roles like Nominated Supervisor or First Aid. These conditions make community kinder very attractive for many teachers, even if raw salary is sometimes below private school levels.

  • VECTEA (community kinder) in 2025 still in place while the new agreement is being worked on.
  • Pay went up a little in July 2025 (linked to Fair Work’s annual increase).
  • Example: A new teacher in VECTEA gets about $36.50/hr, while an experienced teacher can earn over $52/hr.
  • So by the end of 2025, LDC teachers may out-earn VECTEA teachers on raw pay.

ECTs in Private Schools (including Independent and Catholic schools)

I recently visited a private school as a relief teacher and was very impressed by their resources and program. ECTs usually are hired under the relevant Schools Enterprise Agreement (Catholic EA, Independent Schools EA, or the state government’s public school agreement if employed in a state school with an ELC attached).

  • Teachers are generally aligned to primary school pay scales. That means salaries from ~$75K for a graduate up to $120K+ for experienced teachers or those with leadership allowances. In some cases, ECTs in private school kindergartens earn more than both VECTEA and LDC teachers.

There are a few perks as well. ECTs in private schools enjoy long school breaks and smaller classes, pay parity with primary teachers and a lot of PDs that are paid four.

The power of imaginative play

~ Storykate ~ Leave a comment

Have you ever sat and watched children playing, wondering how they can shift from one scenario to another so quickly, and yet somehow keep it all together? From the outside, it can look random or even chaotic, but inside their world, there is an order and meaning that makes perfect sense to them.

Vygotsky theory of play

Vygotsky was a Russian psychologist. If you have watched my videos on Vygotsky’s theory, where I compare Vygotsky to Piaget, or when I unpack Vygotsky’s theory in more depth, you’d probably know that Vygotsky’s social-cultural theory, also called the cultural-historical perspective, values play a lot!

According to Vygotsky, children’s pretend or imaginary play is very important. He described it as a leading activity for development (Vygotsky, 1973, p. 103). Through actions and interactions with others, children become aware of what they could do and could not do on their own. I really like this definition because I have observed my niece involved in very complex play. I have also watched many young children playing throughout my career as an early childhood teacher, as a mum, as an early childhood educator, as a playgroup facilitator and as a storyteller. Sometimes I sit back and watch children as they play. I can see how their scenario changes, but it all happens in a way that, while it might seem messy from the outside, is internally very structured. That is where Vygotsky’s theory comes into play.

The features of pretend play

According to Vygotsky, pretend play has three features.

Number one, children create an imaginary situation. As he says, the child pretends as if this stick is a horse or as if this block is a phone.

Two: they take on this situation and then act out roles. They usually assign these roles to each other. For example, they might say, “I am going to be a policeman, you are going to be someone who is running away”, or “I am going to be a cat and you are going to be a mum at home.”

Three: They follow the rules they have created, and usually these rules come from the social and cultural context of the roles. The imaginary situation allows children to engage in a pretend rather than a real world.

Honestly, my niece really lives there. She loves pretending. She is at that stage. She is eight years old, and the wondrous world of imagination is really mesmerising. I watched her a lot this summer. In this world, in pretend play, an object can be separated from its meaning. Object substitutions are possible, reflecting an important element of cognitive development (Smolucha & Smolucha, 2021).

Children enact roles in play, and they show emotions associated with these roles. For example, if a baby is your role in play, you might cry or crawl after your peers and the “mum” and other people who are involved. Pretend play is a context where children can explore and express a lot of emotions. I have seen this — from fear to reasoning, from frustration to being very happy. This is an important step in emotional regulation.

Imaginative play is very important!

While children engage in pretend play freely, for more than 20 minutes or even one, two, or three hours, and create their own rules connected to their roles, they are developing, according to Vygotsky. They are learning within their zone of proximal development.

To sum up, I recognise play as an important process. The EYLF states that it is play-based and it is part of our curriculum framework, but quite often, people do not understand that to develop scenarios and roles, children need time. As an early childhood educator and teacher, I advocate for opportunities for children to discover, create, improvise and imagine. This should be supported by intentional actions of educators, which means they must have time and space for it.

What do you think about imaginative play?