Educational Children's Activities
Children learn through play as well as formal
programs or activities. Below is a list of different
Australian Government programs and activities to engage
your child.
The Playground
The Playground is the Australian Broadcasting
Corporation's (ABC) website for children and their
carers.
The Playground is a rich and happy environment for
children to explore as well as a detailed information
point with easy access to everything you need to know
about your favourite ABC Kids' characters, TV programs
and online games.
The Playground is designed to be accessible to young
users. Its intuitive navigation and interaction makes it
super easy for children in preschool to find their way
around without the need of an adult. Parents and carers
can relax while children explore this site-it is a safe,
friendly and easy-to-use environment in which children
will have fun and learn.
To find out more and start exploring the site, please
visit The
Playground.
Active After-school Communities
The Active After-school Communities program is a
national initiative that provides primary school
children with access to free sport and other structured
physical activity programs in the after-school time slot
of 3.00 pm to 5.30 pm.
The program aims to engage traditionally inactive
children in sport and other structured physical
activities and, through a positive and fun experience,
develop a love of sport that inspires them to join a
local sporting club.
To find out how you can get
involved, please visit the
Active After-school Communities
program website.
PlayConnect (autism program)
PlayConnect Playgroups are designed to help families
of children with autism through play based activities.
It's also a great opportunity for connecting with other
families in similar circumstances to your own. Any
family that has a child aged 0-6 who has Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD), or ASD-like behaviours, is welcome to
join a PlayConnect Playgroup. Your child does not need a
formal ASD diagnosis to join a PlayConnect Playgroup.
For more information, visit the
PlayConnect section of the
Playgroups Australia website.
Playgroups
Playgroup is an informal session that gives children (under school age) the
chance to socialise and interact with other children and adults. Parents,
grandparents and carers are usually involved in the children's activities.
Playgroups are generally set up and run by parents and care givers. Activities
at playgroup are either free or low-cost, and may include:
- music and singing
- imaginative play
- outdoor and free play
- art and craft activities
- outings.
Playgroup can be held anywhere that is safe for
children and where groups of people can meet-community
and neighbourhood centres, health clinics, women's
centres, pre-schools and kindergartens, church halls and
even in someone's house. Playgroups are different from
child care because parents stay with their children
rather than leave them in someone else's care. For
information about the availability of playgroups in your
local area, please visit the
Playgroups Australia website or call 1800 171 882.
Vacation care and activities
Vacation care is a type of outside-school hours care. Vacation care services
provide care which includes creative indoor and outdoor activities. These
services are sometimes run by the same organisation that runs before and
after-school care. To locate a vacation care provider in your local area, please
use the
search option on this website. Other vacation activities are often organised
by local councils. Please contact your local council for more details.