top of page

My first Week

Date: 13/02/2025

Week 1, Day 1 (13/02/2025)

📍 Only About Children Alexandria
👶 Nursery Room

Key Experiences & Observations

It was my first day at the centre, and I introduced myself to the room leader and educational leader, Miss Pooja, and then gently introduced myself to the children. As expected, the children were not yet familiar with me and were initially hesitant to approach. However, through consistent, responsive, and respectful interactions throughout the day, I was able to begin building secure relationships with some of the children, which felt like a meaningful milestone (EYLF, Outcome 1; APST 4.1).

I took the opportunity to thoroughly observe the learning environment and daily routines. I loved how most of the children’s artwork and photographs were thoughtfully displayed at their eye level, promoting a sense of belonging and identity (EYLF V2.0, Outcome 1; NQS QA1.1.2).

I observed the daily routine closely and discussed it with the educators in the room. This included meal times, sleep routines, and transitions, each handled with intention and care to support children's wellbeing (NQS QA5; APST 6.2).

I also assisted with feeding, settling, and comforting children during drop-off. As it was Valentine’s week, children were engaged in Valentine’s Day activities. During Valentine’s sensory pizza-making activity, I observed Miss Pooja engaging children using modelling and descriptive language, which scaffolded their participation (Vygotsky, 1978; APST 3.2). Inspired, I encouraged hesitant children to participate, promoting agency and confidence (EYLF Outcome 1; Gascoyne, 2022).

Additionally, I helped set up the lunch table, where I learned about the centre’s colour-coded allergy placemat system:

  • ⚪ White = can eat everything

  • 🔴 Red = food allergies (noted on placemat)

  • 🔴 Red with “I eat puree” = puree-only diet

This visual system was highly informative and aligned with best practice in minimising food risk and ensuring safety for all children (NQS QA2 – Children’s Health and Safety; APST 4.4).

I also observed nappy bin was placed in the prep room, and the room leader explained this decision was made to prevent mobile infants from tipping it over, a thoughtful and child-safe approach that reflects hazard risk reduction for children learning to walk and explore (EYLF Practice: Learning Environments)

Challenges & Strategies

  • Initial Child Hesitation: As a new face in the room, children were not very comfortable engaging with me. By using warm facial expressions, gentle tone, and following their lead during play, I slowly gained their trust (Circle of Security; APST 4.1).

  • Drop-Off Support: I supported children during emotional transitions at drop-off by offering comforting words and proximity, which aligns with secure attachment practices and supports children's emotional regulation (Powell et al., 2014; EYLF Outcome 1).

 

Key Learnings & Professional Growth

  • Environment Matters: Seeing artwork and photos at children’s level reinforced the importance of inclusive, accessible spaces that reflect children’s lives and value their identity (NQS QA1.1.2).

  • Building Relationships Takes Time: I recognised that while children may not connect instantly, consistent and respectful engagement builds the foundation for trust (APST 4.1; EYLF Outcome 1).

  • Collaboration Enhances Practice: Engaging with educators to understand routines and their purpose helped me develop a more informed, reflective practice (APST 6.3).

  • Health and Safety Systems: The placemat and bin placement strategies showcased how intentional environments promote both safety and autonomy (NQS QA2; EYLF Practice: Learning environments).

 

Goals for Next Day

✅ Use visual cues (e.g., family photos) to support drop-off transitions.
✅ Observe how an educator leads a group experience and reflect on the approach.
✅ Try a new sleep-settling strategy observed today (patting and calm phrases).
✅ Engage more children through play-based activities and build deeper connections.

​

📅 Week: 1 (Day 2)
📍 Centre: Only About Children Alexandria
👩‍🏫 Student Educator: Anjila Lamichhane

1. Key Experiences – Day 2

Building on my experiences from the first day, my second day of placement provided deeper insight into how children engage in structured and spontaneous learning experiences. With Valentine’s Day as the theme, I observed and facilitated activities that promoted creativity, social interactions, and sensory exploration.

One of the highlights of the day was the Valentine's card-making activity, where children expressed emotions through art while developing fine motor skills. It was fascinating to observe how some children eagerly participated, while others required gentle encouragement. I applied my learning from the previous day’s pizza-making activity by allowing children to explore the materials at their own pace, ensuring they felt comfortable engaging in creative expression. Remy, who had explored pizza-making on the first day, demonstrated growing confidence in sensory play by eagerly using his hands to explore the paint.

Another engaging experience was musical instrument play, which provided opportunities for children to develop rhythm, coordination, and turn-taking skills. I noticed how children such as Arlo, Lachlan, and Eleanor actively participated, while others took time to observe before joining in. This reinforced the importance of providing both structured guidance and the freedom for children to engage when they feel ready.

As the weather was cold and rainy, we transitioned to indoor spontaneous play. I observed children naturally gravitating towards the kitchen play area, where they engaged in pretend play. This experience connected to my previous day's observation of children leading their learning based on their interests, similar to how River initiated the dinosaur play. Watching children assign roles, communicate, and problem-solve during pretend play reinforced the significance of open-ended play in fostering social and cognitive development.

2. Challenges & Strategies

  • Encouraging Reluctant Participants: Similar to the first day’s pizza-making activity, some children hesitated to engage in card-making. I am learning that allowing children time to observe before participating supports their confidence. Research highlights the role of scaffolding (Vygotsky, 1978) in gently guiding children towards engagement rather than forcing participation.

  • Managing Transitions Between Activities: Transitioning between activities took longer than expected, particularly after spontaneous play. Observing the educators, I noted their use of verbal cues, songs, and visual prompts to ease transitions, which I aim to incorporate into my practice.

  • Balancing Structured and Free Play: The musical play session demonstrated how children’s attention spans vary. While some were highly engaged, others lost interest quickly. This connects to my learning from the first day—following children’s cues and allowing flexibility in play enhances engagement (Edwards, 2017).

3. Key Learnings & Professional Growth

  • Building on Previous Experiences: Observing children’s responses over two days helped me recognize patterns in their engagement. Remy, for example, showed an increasing interest in sensory play from one day to the next.

  • Supporting Child-Led Play: Whether in dinosaur exploration on Day 1 or pretend play in the kitchen area on Day 2, children naturally extend their learning when given the freedom to explore. This highlights the importance of following their interests (Gascoyne, 2022).

  • Effective Transitions Enhance Engagement: I am beginning to understand how predictable routines help children move smoothly between activities, ensuring a sense of security (Brown & Harries, 2021).

4. Connection to EYLF & Pedagogical Practice

  • Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity – Encouraging hesitant children to participate at their own pace supported their confidence and emotional well-being.

  • Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world – Engaging in pretend play and social interactions fostered collaboration and shared experiences.

  • Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of well-being – Transitioning between activities with verbal prompts and songs helped children feel secure and supported.

  • Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners – Allowing children to take the lead in musical and pretend play enhanced their agency and decision-making skills.

5. Goals for Next Week

✅ Develop strategies for engaging hesitant children, using scaffolding techniques.
✅ Implement smoother transitions using songs, cues, and visual prompts.
✅ Observe how different children engage in both structured and free play to better support their learning styles.

bottom of page