Kinder News

Children’s interest in AFL continued as we explored the significance of the Sir Doug Nicholls Round and built on our growing understanding of football culture and community.

We were very lucky to have Brendan and Eden from the Essendon Football Club visit to run a fun and engaging clinic with the children. The sessions were filled with active learning, teamwork, and new discoveries.

During the clinic, the children learnt about the different jumpers AFL players wear, including:

The special jumpers worn during the Anzac Day Round

Clash jumpers used when teams have similar colours

The unique and meaningful jumpers worn during the Sir Doug Nicholls Round, which celebrate and recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

The children were highly engaged as we moved into some warm-up activities. One of their favourite’s involved performing different movements inspired by AFL teams, encouraging both creativity and physical coordination.

We then put our skills into practice by:

Handballing through targets, developing aim and control

Kicking goals, with lots of excitement and cheering from their peers

To finish off the session, we enjoyed some parachute play, fostering teamwork and cooperation in a fun and inclusive way.

As part of our continued learning about Indigenous perspectives in sport, we also explored Marngrook, a traditional Aboriginal game believed to have influenced Australian Rules Football. The children were very interested to see what a Marngrook ball looked like and learnt about the natural materials it was traditionally made from.

The children thoroughly enjoyed these experiences and showed great curiosity and enthusiasm in learning about the history and meaning behind the game.

It has been wonderful to see their confidence grow as they participate in new physical skills while also deepening their understanding of culture and community.

We look forward to continuing this exciting learning journey together!