Glen Education Mordialloc

A child's voice.

By Stacey Cramer, Early Childhood Educator

For children to be able to express their voice, is a vital aspect of what makes Glen Mordialloc Kindergarten a welcoming community. We always ensure children are aware of their rights in every way possible, i.e., during play, conversations where they can share their opinions and ideas (especially regarding topics that impact them), expressing concern about their safety or the safety of others, and embracing their similarities and differences (culture, religion etc.).  

At Glen Mordialloc Kindergarten we have been engaging in various methods to ensure we utilise a child’s voice when planning for their learning. 

Methods include asking them to share their perspectives in activities and encouraging them to self-reflect on their individuality. 

Recently, we explored the hidden meaning of the story ‘Have you Filled a Bucket today’ by Carol McCloud. We asked the children to share their ways in how they fill the buckets of their loved ones. Some said, “I share my stickers,” or “I help my mummy bake.” 

Such examples in asking the children to share their opinions encourages them to collaborate with others and also makes them feel valued, knowing that their voice matters. We then asked the children to decorate their own buckets and hung these up in the classroom so they could all admire their creative work. 

Extending on this learning, each time a child filled someone’s bucket/made their day, they could get a popsicle stick to add to the cup. This allowed them to learn about how to be the best version of themselves through doing kind acts for others.  

As we slowly approach the end of Term 3, we reflect on how we utilise the child’s voice when planning and implementing our program, we can with certainty, say, that we encourage children to learn who they are and embrace their unique traits, to grow and learn while thinking for themselves and to share their ideas and be listened to on things that impact them, all of which is done in a safe and nurturing setting.  

So how does this impact future learning? 

Our methods can positively impact future learning because we have established a learning space that gives children agency to express their wants and needs in learning, along with opening their minds about the different people around them and how they can work together to build a brighter future.