Glen Education Sacred Heart
Inspiring Learning through Joy!
Gurmeet Kaur, Early Childhood Educator
Defining Joy:
Joy is a feeling of great pleasure and happiness. It is a positive emotion that can have a profound impact on children’s development. Joy can be experienced in many different ways, such as through play, exploration, and learning. When children experience joy, it can help to boost their self-esteem, confidence, and resilience. Joy can also help children to form positive relationships with others and to develop a sense of belonging. In addition, experiencing joy can support children’s emotional regulation and help them to manage stress and challenges. As educators, it is important to create environments and experiences that foster joy in children’s lives. This can be achieved through providing opportunities for play, exploration, and creativity, as well as through building positive relationships with children and their families. By prioritizing joy in our work with children, we can support their overall well-being and development.
Finding Joy:
As educators, we find joy in the simple moments and experiences that bring happiness and contentment to each child’s learning and play. We welcome them in the morning; we find joy in communicating with their families and helping them settle in after separating from their loved ones. Recently Glen Sacred Heart Kindergarten hosted a Cultural Morning Tea to fundraise for VACCA (Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency) at our kindergarten, and it was a joyful moment to see the happy faces of children proud to share their experiences of kindergarten with families and to see how families have made connections in our community. Taking children into our local community is also a source of joy for us, this year we have been fortunately to visit the newly constructed Golf Links Ave Park on many occasions. Through this experience we see children connecting with place-based pedagogy, building their sense of connection to the world around them. Celebrating different cultures and traditions with children is also a source of joy for us as educators. Sharing in our communities’ celebrations offer opportunities for us to learn more about each other. Some of the celebrations we have shared this year include Holi., Japanese Children’s Day and Easter. We strive to create positive connections and experiences for children, our aim is for the kindergarten learning environment to be a source of joy for children.
Implications of Joy:
One of the most rewarding moments for us as educators is helping young children learn and grow. We enjoy creating inviting experiences that spark children’s interests and engaging with them as they explore. Seeing their pride in their own abilities and watching them grow more independent brings us immense joy. As educators, the development we see in our children is a constant source of happiness for us. As an educator, I enjoy seeing children make play dough and use it to create different shapes and colours. It’s great to see children engage their senses, imagination, and learn new skills through this activity.
Each of our educator’s reflected on how joy impacts them in their day-to-day work as an Early Childhood Educator:
“Being an early childhood teacher brings me many opportunities to experience and witness joy throughout the day. There is nothing better than sharing in the joy with a child as they try something new and take on a new challenge. It’s great to see how children grow with each new skill or idea they explore at kindergarten.” -Alisha
“A joyful moment for me as an educator is helping young children learn and grow. I enjoy creating inviting seating areas around children’s interests and observing them as they explore and discover meaningful learning. As an early childhood educator, the benefits for me include the joy and pride of seeing the children learn and grow.” Ripan
"My current moment of joy has been proudly seeing how far children have come from when they first started at our kindergarten. Many children enter our kindergarten feeling shy, unsure, and worried. Now, those same children are incredibly connected and comfortable in our kinder with both educators and peers. Instead of reaching out in moments of distress, they are reaching out in moments of joy, laughter, and pride.” - Grace
“As an early childhood educator, the benefit for me includes the joy and pride of seeing the children learn and grow.” Noor
“One of the most rewarding moments for as educators is helping young children learn and grow. Children’s interests, observing them as they explore, and seeing their pride in their own abilities are all ways to support their development and find joy in my work.” I feel joy when I play with children and they gave me hug and fun each other in kindergarten as an educator I have the unique opportunity to inspire and encourage young minds to explore there artistic abilities and to help them develop their creativity. Seeing the joy and excitement on children’s faces as they create something new can be a truly rewarding experience." - Gurmeet
We asked children what brings them joy when at kindergarten:
Harry: “Outside playing sand and making food”
Chihiro: “Playing with Tomoki, Sunny and Amelia. It’s so fun.”
Jungsher: “Puzzles”
Liam: “I play outside with Hamish”
Reyaansh: “Playing with my friends”
Mila: “When Tomoki holds my hands. I get so happy”.
Hamish: “Playing with Harry & Elias”
Zara: “I like riding the scooter”
Amelia L:” I like going to the park and playing with Amelia D”
Riviera: “I feel happy with my friends”
Stella: “I like playing with Puzzles”
Amelia D: “I like sharing with Amelia L”
Andy: “I like playing in the sandpit with Giacomo”
For us, joy is an integral part of the learning process. It is through sharing in joy that we can inspire children’s learning and development, build trusting and authentic relationships, develop important lifelong skills, and, most importantly, bring happiness into our lives.