Child Studies

Year 10 Child Studies Excursion

The excursion to the Early Start Discovery Space at the University of Wollongong was a highly valuable and enjoyable experience for those studying Child Studies. It provided us with a deeper understanding of how important early intervention is in a child’s development, particularly during the first few years of life when the brain is growing rapidly. Early support can make a big difference in a child’s cognitive, emotional, and social development.

Walking through the university campus was an experience in itself, as none of us had seen a university before, we enjoyed exploring the different areas before we headed into a lecture in a theatre, feeling like uni students.The lecture was about child development and the importance of play and play based learning which is what we have been studying in class this term. One key takeaway was the importance of being consistently engaged in a child’s life. Babies and toddlers are very sensitive to how they’re treated. When they are ignored or not given enough attention, they can feel sad, unloved, and emotionally withdrawn. This can affect their long-term confidence and ability to build strong relationships.

After the lecture we headed into a group activity where we read a story about imaginative play. We were then given the task to create anything we wanted in a 5 minute time limit with cardboard boxes, tape and markers. This activity highlighted the importance of working together, working smart with the time limit and using our imagination. From this activity we were given 45 minutes to explore the discovery space on our own. 

Walking through the Early Start facility was both educational and fun. The hands-on activities helped us understand how play-based learning supports a child’s imagination, problem-solving, and emotional development. Being able to interact with the space ourselves made the learning more memorable and meaningful.

Overall, the excursion was a great experience that strengthened our knowledge of early childhood development. It reminded us of how important love, attention, and quality learning environments are in giving every child the best possible start in life.

Aria Isaac