There’s something new and exciting on the calendar at Child’s Play. If your little one has come racing out at pick-up bursting to tell you about something they made, danced, or grew, there’s a good chance they’ve been part of one of our incursion programmes.
We’re thrilled to share that our brand-new incursion programmes are rolling out across all Child’s Play ELC centres starting this May, with all four programmes running across every centre by July.
It’s one of the things we’re most proud of adding to our curriculum this year, and we can’t wait for every family to experience it.
What is a childcare incursion?
Think of it like an excursion, but instead of leaving the centre, the experience comes to your child.
A childcare incursion is a specially designed programme that brings rich, real-world learning directly into the familiar, safe space of the classroom.
When children get to experience something new and exciting surrounded by their friends and trusted educators, without the change in routine that can come with leaving the centre, they’re more relaxed, more open, and more ready to dive in.
How incursions boost early learning
Children learn best when they’re actively engaged, curious, and having fun. Incursions are built around that idea.
Here’s what the research, and our own experience, tells us about why they make such a difference:
• They build confidence
Trying something new is always a little bit brave. Doing it in a familiar environment, with people your child already trusts, makes it so much less daunting. Week by week, children discover what they’re capable of.
• They spark genuine curiosity
New textures, new sounds, new challenges: incursions give children something fresh to explore, question, and wonder about. That curiosity is the foundation of a lifelong love of learning.
• They develop real skills
Whether it’s fine motor strength, emotional regulation, body awareness, or scientific thinking, every incursion at Child’s Play is designed to build something lasting.
• They foster relationships with our educators
Because our incursions are run by your child’s own educators rather than visiting providers, there’s no warming-up period or getting-to-know-you phase. Your child’s educator already knows what makes them light up, what they’re working on, and what they’re ready for next.
• They create moments your child will want to tell you about
Don’t be surprised if the incursion is the very first thing they mention at pick-up!
Introducing our four new incursion programmes!
At Child’s Play ELC, we’ve developed four original incursion programmes, each running over six weeks with one 30-minute session per week for each programme, plus lots of bonus sessions.
Every programme has been designed with two age-specific plans: one for under threes, and one for the three-to-fives, so the experience is always just right for your child’s stage of development.
Every session is aligned to the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework (VEYLDF), which means the learning that happens is meaningful, intentional, and documented.
Here’s a closer look at what your child can look forward to.
🍳 Little Chefs Kitchen
Little Chefs Kitchen is our hands-on cooking programme where children cook up a storm!
From mashing seasonal fruit to safely chopping vegetables, mixing dough, and assembling a garden salad, every week builds on the last as children grow more confident in the kitchen.
And the best part? Every session ends with eating what they made together.
Throughout the year, special bonus sessions bring cultural celebrations into the kitchen: ANZAC biscuits, Lunar New Year dumplings, Diwali ladoo sweets, and more. Families receive a copy of every recipe, so you can recreate the magic at home on the weekend.
🧘 Yoga Gurus
Yoga Gurus introduces children to gently movement, breathing, and body awareness through play, storytelling, and imagination.
Every session is joyful and completely pressure-free. Children are always invited to participate in their own way and at their own pace, and watching from the edge of the mat is always perfectly valid, too.
Sessions are themed around nature, animals, seasons, and community, weaving beautiful connections between movement and the world outside.
Children learn poses, build simple sequences, and practise breathing techniques they can use anywhere, including ones specifically designed to help with big feelings and settling before sleep.
🪩 Disco Divas
There’s no right or wrong way to dance in Disco Divas, and that’s exactly the point. This high-energy programme celebrates rhythm, self-expression, and the joy of moving your body to music.
Children explore world music from diverse traditions, including South Asian, African, Latin, and First Nations cultures. And they even create and teach their own dance moves to their peers!
Bonus sessions throughout the year include a Kinder Graduation showcase, Bollywood-inspired Diwali dancing, and Halloween character dances.
🌱 Gardening and Sustainability
Gardening and Sustainability takes children on a journey from seed to harvest. Children plant, tend, and harvest real food following Melbourne’s seasonal calendar.
In autumn and winter, expect cool-season greens, herbs, and root vegetables. In spring and summer, it’s tomatoes, sunflowers, and beans.
The programme weaves sustainability into every task: composting, conserving water, reducing waste. First Nations knowledge of Country, land, and plants is woven through thoughtfully throughout.
At the end of the programme, every child takes home a seedling they’ve helped grow, along with a care card they helped create!
Our incursions are woven into special events throughout the year
Each incursion programme also includes bonus sessions tied to significant dates across the year: Harmony Day, ANZAC Day, Reconciliation Week, Diwali, Lunar New Year, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Kinder Graduation, and more.
These moments connect the programme to the broader community and to the wonderful cultural richness of our Child’s Play families.
Something to look forward to every single week
Children genuinely look forward to their incursion sessions each week. There’s something special about knowing something wonderful is coming, and then getting to share it with friends.
Our first programmes kick off in May, and by July, all four will be running across every Child’s Play centre. We can’t wait for your family to be part of it.
If you’d like to find out more about our incursion programme or book a tour of your nearest Child’s Play ELC centre, we’d love to hear from you!
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