Victorian children enrolled in funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten this year will receive a fun-filled Kinder Kit
To celebrate the exciting statewide roll out of funded Three-Year-Old Kindergarten this year, the Victorian government will give children enrolled in the program a Kinder Kit.
Kinder Kits are a bright and engaging collection of useful resources for children. They are filled with books, toys and activities designed to encourage children to continue learning at home and to help parents support their child to thrive in the first year of kindergarten.
Encouraging children to be creative and use their imagination
A panel of early childhood education experts carefully curated the contents of the Kits, choosing items to suit the developmental needs of 3-year-old children.
Josette Nunn, kindergarten teacher of 44 years and Early Childhood Teacher of the Year 2020, was a member of the expert selection panel. She explained what she looked for when recommending items to include in the 'little boxes of wonder'.
'I looked at whether they were Victorian and if they came from recycled products or materials and how durable the materials would be,' she said.
Josette also chose items the children could use in a variety of ways.
'They are not just one-way activities, they are very open ended and can be anything they want them to be, in their own imaginative world,' she said.
The universal activities included in the Kits teach children problem-solving, cooperation and collaboration — all skills that give children the best start in life.
Learning while having fun
Many Victorians have contributed to the creation of the kits, including Mel Haque, mother of a 3-year-old and creator of Wild Dough.
Wild Dough is a play dough soft enough for little hands.
'It's such a fun developmental tool, kids don't even know they're learning while they're playing with it,' Mel said.
Every bag of Wild Dough is made in Melbourne using Australian ingredients.
To see what else is in the Kinder Kits, refer to the video below.
Find
out more
For more information about the kits and to hear from the passionate people behind the products, visit
Kinder Kits.
Kids playing with the Kinder Kit
Josette Nunn, Kindergarten Teacher and Early Childhood Teacher of the Year 2020