We also wanted to work more closely with families and community members. We recognise that children exist within a web of relationships and that we best serve them when we are connected to the community that encircles them.

Our teams have begun training in the Floorbook Approach – Planning with and for children. This approach was developed by Dr Claire Warden an internationally renowned, award-winning educational consultant and leader in early years education. With a PhD in nature pedagogy and child led inquiry, Claire’s philosophy sits in synergy with Capers own strong emphasis on connection with nature and empowering children to be lifelong learners.

The Floorbook Approach is now included in National Curricular documents and endorsed by governing bodies around the world, including Australia, as an example of outstanding practice perfectly aligning to Children’s Rights.

FAQ’s

Where will I see what my child’s group is doing?

Each room will have a Floorbook clearly displayed where we encourage you to pause with your child and ask them to show you what they have been doing (If you have a baby or toddler please see the question below).

Most children will love to show you the photo’s and drawing in the floorbooks and use this as a way of recalling and sharing with you. This process of revisiting learning with you deepens their focus and creates shared sustained thinking.

As you flip through the floorbook you’ll see how the children are wondering, questioning and reflection on their learning.

If children are leading, what are teachers and educators doing?

In Early Childhood Education teachers and educators are rarely involved in formal structured education because that’s not developmentally appropriate for children under 5. Young children are hands-on, full-bodied learners driven by curiosity, connection and the unfolding of natural developmental processes. Just like a seed, if they are nurtured within a supportive environment they will thrive.

Teachers and Educators create environments and experiences and connections that inspire children. They listen and observe closely to understand what children are drawn to, what they are curious about and then combine their developmental and curricular knowledge to foster growing curiosity.

Teachers and educators use a variety of strategies to nurture wonder and deepen thinking. Questioning, reflecting and holding space for children to own their “I did it” moments.

As part of our professional practice Teachers and Educators also reflect on our pedagogy and document and record children’s learning to share with families.

How does this fit with the Early Years Learning Framework? Or the Queensland Kindergarten Guidelines?   

Teachers and Educators are required to use the Early Years Learning Framework and Queensland Kindergarten Guidelines to support planning and reporting outcomes for all children. This will continue with the Floorbook Approach.

How can I get involved?

We welcome and encourage families input into the Floorbooks. If you have stories, information, ideas or resources to share please write them on a post it note and add to the Floorbooks or pass to one of our teachers or educators. Have a chat with us about what you are seeing in the book and how you can contribute to a richer environment for all our children.

Will I still see my child’s individual learning?

Yes absolutely! Individual observations of your child will be in their OWNA account.

Are the Babies and Toddlers doing this too?

Yes! Although floorbooks will of course look a little different aligning to their stage of development. These floorbooks will have more photos and adult input. Our 0-3 Educators will be sharing their observations of the groups identifying how children are moving through developmental schemas and milestones. Although these little people are less verbal their thinking and learning is visible through their actions, interests and connections.

Our 0-3 Educators and Teachers use Primary Caregiving systems to attune to individual development and shared experiences.

From 5 January 2026, all CCS eligible families can get at least 72 hours of subsidised child care per fortnight.

Families can get 100 hours of subsidised child care each fortnight for each child if they:

• are caring for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander child
• have more than 48 hours each fortnight of recognised participation
• have an exemption or experience exceptional circumstances, or
• receive Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS) child wellbeing, temporary financial hardship or grandparent payments.

Families can find out more about how this applies to their specific circumstances on the Services Australia website. 

Families:

• do not need to do anything if they already get CCS
• must still pay a gap fee, except in certain circumstances
• must still meet entitlement and eligibility criteria.

Click the link below for more inforamtion through the Australian Goverment – Department of Education:

3 Day Guarantee – Department of Education, Australian Government

Relaxation techniques can help reverse these effects, relieving stress, tension and anxiety. Teaching young children relaxation and mindfulness techniques while they’re feeling calm can improve their health and wellbeing, while giving them coping tools to use in times of stress. Regular practise is important to get the benefits – practise makes perfect!

Relaxation techniques
There are many ways to relax, so it’s important to find what works for your child. Relaxation is a skill children can learn early and use throughout their lives. Here are some types of effective relaxation.

Deep breathing
Deep belly breathing is a common strategy used to help slow down breathing, lower heart rate, calm the body and lower feelings of stress and anxiety. Ask your child to get comfortable (e.g. lie on their back) and take a slow deep breath in through their nose, filling their lungs and belly with air and then slowly breathe out through their mouth. Children can practise their deep
breathing by placing their hand or a toy on their tummy and watching it ride up as their belly
expands and down when they exhale. Square or box breathing is another helpful technique for distracting or refocusing the mind and calming the nervous system.

Progressive muscle relaxation
Muscle relaxation is a helpful way to release tension in the body. To help a child feel more relaxed and calm, try playing ‘spaghetti muscles’ with them. Imagine each body part is uncooked spaghetti – hard, tight, rigid and straight. Then relax so it feels like cooked spaghetti – soft and noodly. For an example of how to do this, watch the Relaxing with Birdie – Spaghetti muscles animation together. Or play ‘Lemonade’ – squeeze your body into a ball, like squeezing a lemon tightly, then let the lemon burst, releasing all your arms and legs.

Guided imagery
Guided imagery involves imagining or visualising a happy or calming place. It’s a simple technique that can be done anywhere, to help a child manage pain and reduce their anxiety. Your child might like to imagine flying on a magic carpet, floating on a fluffy cloud, or drifting on a raft down a river. Try the Relaxing with Birdie – Fluffy cloud animation.
Another example to try:
• Ask the child to lie down, close their eyes, and take three or four deep belly breaths.
• Tell them to imagine they’re going to their special place. Where will they go? Somewhere they feel safe and happy, whether remembered or imaginary. Maybe a sandy beach?
• Ask them to use all their daydreaming skills to think about what they can hear, see, smell, touch or taste in this place.
• How does their body feel? Maybe they feel heavy, maybe their body is ‘melting’ into the sand, maybe they feel warm and floaty.
• To end the visualisation, ask them to gradually come back to the room, feel the floor they’re lying on, listen to the sounds, smell the smells – and open their eyes.

Or you could try asking your child to lie down, close their eyes, and imagine a magic stone (or something similar) on their forehead. Guide them to focus on the stone, imagining its shape, size, colour, texture, weight, warmth, or coolness, etc. Maybe the stone has some magic that can lead them on a guided visualisation (e.g. help them swim underwater, talk to animals).

Mindfulness and meditation
Mindfulness means paying attention to the present moment instead of focusing on the past or the future. Mindfulness aims to rest the mind and body by shifting your focus away from thinking to simply observingthoughts, feelings and sensations (e.g. sight, sound,
smell, touch, taste). There are many techniques to practise mindfulness, including meditation.
The 5-4-3-2-1 grounding technique is a great strategy to help your child learn how to tune into
their senses one at time. Smiling Mind (smilingmind.com.au) is a free web and app-based program of meditations for children and adults of all ages.

Kids’ yoga
Yoga is a great way to calm the body, relieve stress and regulate emotions. It’s also a great way to connect. Relaxing with Birdie is a freely available e-book with relaxation and yoga moves for young children.

Soothing sensory activities or objects

Music
Singing and playing music together can be relaxing, calming and enjoyable for children and parents. Make it part of your daily routine in a comfortable setting (e.g. during nappy changes, bath time or getting ready for bed). Your child doesn’t care if you can’t hold a tune – they just want to have fun with you. Put actions to the words, clap, dance or cuddle with your child. Remove distractions to help create special time together. Sometimes it takes a little while for children to learn to relax and listen to music. Start out by listening to one song and gradually increase. Your child may enjoy listening to songs that are freely available from the My Hospital Music or Let’s Sing Together music therapy collection.

Touch

You can help a child relax by stroking their legs, arms or back, or brushing their hair. Try a ‘pizza massage’ with your child. They can give you a ‘pizza massage’ too!

Pizza massage
Knead the dough: Gently knead and press your child’s back for a minute or two.
Roll the dough: Using your fist or fingertips, rub up and down the back in straight lines.
Spread the sauce: Make a flat palm and rub smoothly over the back in circular motions.
Add the toppings: Chop, chop, chop.
Don’t forget the cheese: Use your finger tips to lightly tap or tickle all over the back.
Pop the pizza in the oven: Give a big warm hug.

It’s also relaxing for children to use their sense of touch through sand play, finger-painting or stroking a toy or pet.

Cuddle soft toys or comforters
It can be soothing for children to hold, stroke or cuddle stuffed toys, blankets, clothing or their favourite comforters.

Warm bath or shower

Having a warm bath or shower engages your child’s senses, for example watching bubbles burst, listening to water splash, feeling bath toys and smelling soap. Warm baths can also support relaxation by lowering heart rate and blood pressure, soothing sore muscles and enhancing sleep.

Create safe relaxation spaces
All family members can benefit from having their own relaxation space. For children, this might be their bedroom or another area created especially for them to chill out (e.g. children’s tent or cubby). Place items in the space that encourage quiet activities and pleasant sensory experiences (e.g. children’s books, soft furnishings, squeeze toys, calm down jars). Parents may move into this space with a baby or young child and help them use different objects to relax (e.g. stroke the fur of a soft toy, squeeze a pillow, snuggle under a blanket, play quiet relaxation music, hum a tune). As children become more mobile, you can encourage them to move to this space whenever they want or need some quiet time.

Babies and young children with no or few words yet can also benefit from relaxation. Consider sensory strategies such as calm soothing music, warm baths, soft lighting, soft textures, gentle wrapping, rocking and massage may be relaxing and calming.

Resource ID: BK006. Reviewed: November 2024. Childrens Health Queensland Hospital and Health Service

Disclaimer: This information has been produced by healthcare professionals as a guideline only and is intended to support, not replace, discussion with your child’s doctor or healthcare professionals. Information is updated regularly, so please check you are referring to the most recent version. Seek medical advice, as appropriate, for concerns regarding your child’s health.

“Children’s exposure to high levels of junk food advertising affects the food and drink they like, ask for, buy and consume. Current statistics also tell us almost one in four Australian children is currently overweight or obese. And few eat enough of the right foods or do enough physical activity for healthy development.

We also know that sport sponsorship works. Research by the University of Sydney and the Cancer Council NSW has shown that children aged ten to 14 are influenced by food and beverage sponsorship in sport, with strong brand recall and positive attitudes to sponsors. Almost half participants could recall sponsors of their favourite elite sports team. This research has also revealed objections from parents and children, sports club officials and sport governing bodies and elite athletes themselves around sport sponsorship involving unhealthy food and beverage companies.” Sports Sponsorship and Kids’ Health: who are the real winners? 2012 Rona Macniven and Bridget Kelly

Capers Early Learning was keen to be part of the solution by providing sponsorship from a company that promotes healthy eating, physical activity and strong female leadership models. Since 2024 Capers Early Learning has sponsored all Redcliffe Dolphins Women’s and Juniors teams. Families are regularly provided with free tickets to the games and other community events building a sense of pride in our local community and opportunities for free family friendly social events.

6.2.3 Community Engagement The service builds relationships and engages with its community.

2.1.3 Healthy Lifestyle Healthy eating and physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child.

“In 2022–23, more than one quarter (26.4%) of children aged 2 to 17 years were living with overweight or obesity – 18.3% with overweight and 8.1% with obesity.

Behaviours influencing the likelihood of this imbalance included:

increased consumption of energy-dense, low-nutrient foods and sugar-sweetened beverages, insufficient physical activity, increased sedentary activity, increased time spent in front of screens and insufficient sleep.

Children with obesity have a higher risk of experiencing breathing difficulties, bone fractures, hypertension, insulin resistance and early markers of cardiovascular disease (WHO 2018). Children with overweight and obesity are also more likely to become obese adults, and to develop chronic conditions such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease at younger ages. Childhood obesity is also associated with an increased incidence of diabetes, coronary heart disease and some cancers in adulthood.

Australian research also suggests that overweight and obesity in childhood is associated with depression, poorer health-related quality of life, and low self-esteem (Sanders et al. 2015). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Australia’s Children Overweight and Obesity Feb 2022

Looking into the Causes of Obesity

Further research into the causes of obesity gave us opportunities to reflect on our response and take strong policy and pedagogical direction.

Physical Activity

Participating in physical activity and limiting sedentary behaviour is central to a child’s health, development and psychosocial wellbeing. Regular activity supports brain development, bone strength, muscle control, balance and coordination, and helps to achieve and maintain a healthy weight. Being active can positively affect sleep patterns, mental health, concentration, self-esteem and confidence (DoH 2009, 2017a).

The Australian Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines

For children aged 2–4 who are not in school, the guidelines recommend:

At least 180 minutes a day of physical activity, including energetic play and no more than 60 minutes a day engaged in screen-based activity.

In 2024 only 50% of children in Queensland were meeting the activity guideline, and they were more likely to be boys than girls. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Australia’s Children Physical Activity Feb 2022 and Queensland Government Physical Activity Report 2024

Nutrition

Australia has national guidelines that aim to support optimal nutrition and health for all Australians including fruit intake, vegetable intake and sweetened drinks intake. The NHMRC 2013 ADG recommend a minimum number of serves of fruit and vegetables each day for children…to ensure good nutrition to support growth and development.

In 2022, only six in ten (63.9%) met the fruit recommendation, a decrease from 73.0% in 2017–18. One in twenty (4.6%) met the vegetable recommendation, a decrease from 6.3% in 2017–18. Only 4.3% met both fruit and vegetable recommendations, a decrease from 6.0% in 2017–18.

More than 1 in 5 (22%) children aged 2–4 consumed sugar sweetened drinks at least once a week, and around 3.3% consumed diet drinks at least once a week (ABS 2019a).

How much sugar should children be consuming?

The WHO recommends adults and children reduce their consumption of free sugars to less than 10% of total energy intake and reducing intake to less than 5% of total energy intake would provide additional health benefits (WHO 2015). Five per cent of a child’s total energy intake translates to 2–6 teaspoons of free sugars a day, depending on the age and energy requirements of the child. Consumption of both sugar-sweetened and diet drinks increases the risk of dental decay (NHMRC 2013). Australian Institute of Health and Welfare – Australia’s Children Breastfeeding and Nutrition Feb 2022 and ABS Dietary Behaviour Dec 2023.

Based on the evidence collected Capers Early Learning committed to:

Making menus across services sugar free

Increasing Physical activity, particularly outdoors through

Beach and Bush Kindy

Positive role modeling through Sports Sponsorship

2.1.3 Healthy lifestyle Healthy eating and physical activity are promoted and appropriate for each child.

Lining up in a straight line, counting to 100, knowing the alphabet, being able to sit on the mat for long periods of time or whether children can read or write.

Ready children

• have the learning and development that contribute to their enthusiasm, motivation and ability to learn.
• are supported by positive relationships from their family, preschool, school and community.
• have dispositions for learning such as problem-solving skills and persistence that help them stay focused on learning

Ready schools

• are flexible, adaptable and responsive to individual children whilst providing additional support or specialist staff where needed (DE, 2023).
• have a stronger focus on play-based learning, and social and emotional development.

Instead of the focus being on the 3 ‘R’s (“reading, [w]riting and [a]rithmatic”). It’s all about the 6‘ C’s; Confidence, Creativity, Curiosity, Cooperation, Commitment, & Communication and the 3 ‘I’s; Improvisation, Investigation, Imagination.

A positive transition to school focuses on children’s social and emotional development and self-regulation.

Why is self-regulation important?

Helping children develop effective self-regulation in the early years sets the underlying foundation for successful Social and Emotional Learning over their whole lives (Shanker, 2019). Self-regulation is using strategies to manage emotions. Promote self-regulation in your child by acknowledging and labelling their feelings. This is different to self-control which is keeping the emotions in. The emotion is not an issue: it is how the child manages the feeling that is important. For example, your child may need support to manage their anger. Set up a quiet place for them to be (a bean bag under a tree) or a place where they can be physically active and let off energy.

The best way to teach dispositions for learning is through play.

The most important foundation for children’s healthy development is play, and the benefits carry over into adult life (Milne, 2000).

Why is play important?

Allows expression of their own personality. Transports children to another place to become someone or something else. Contributes to healthy brain development. Essential for cognitive, physical, social and emotional wellbeing.

When children play, they create, improvise, discover, investigate, hypothesise, imagine, collaborate, negotiate, persist, share, resolve conflict, form attachments, learn about empathy for others and learn to self-regulate.

Louise Dorrat 2023 based on the Research of Dockett and Perry 2014.

Educators working with children aged from birth to five years recognise this age group’s unique stage of development. The way young children take in information, make sense of things, understand and learn is not the same as for children of older ages. Promoting opportunities for children to explore, be exposed to and participate in numeracy is an important part of the early childhood years.

‘Numeracy is the capacity, confidence and disposition to use mathematics in daily life. Children bring new mathematical understandings through engaging with problem solving. It is essential that the mathematical ideas with which young children interact are relevant and meaningful in the context of their current lives. Educators require a rich mathematical vocabulary to accurately describe and explain children’s mathematical ideas and to support numeracy development. Spatial sense, structure and pattern, number, measurement, sorting data, connections and exploring the world mathematically are the powerful mathematical ideas children need to become numerate.’ (EYLF, 2009, p. 38)

Numeracy for young children is not:

Counting practice at group times

Formal recognition of shapes and colours

Pasting pre drawn letters or numbers

Numeracy, in a play-based Approach

A play-based curriculum emphasises that children in the early years take in information through open ended play-based experiences with a hands-on approach. Children both indoors and outdoors are surrounded by opportunities for play which promote numeracy.

Play experiences can promote numeracy skills, including Reasoning, Classifying, Grouping, Sorting, Recognising, Distinguishing, Symbolising, Representing.

In our environment we play with numeracy by:

Using numeracy in our pretend play, measuring, sharing out materials, taking turns, playing number games, noticing patterns and shapes, cooking, classifying, building with unit blocks, constructing with collage materials, drawing plans, creating songs and dances…and many more.

Numeracy is meant to be a meaningful and relevant part of everyday life for young children. We want them to build positive messages and attitudes about numeracy. We want them to participate in rich play learning experiences that support and promote and numeracy and all other aspects of their learning.

ACECQA – Early Literacy and Numeracy: Self-Guided Learning Package 2011.

Literacy in Early Childhood

During the early childhood years, particularly from birth to aged five, young children need exposure to literacy in their everyday life experiences. Brain research highlights the need for early stimulation and exposure to key concepts related to literacy and numeracy. Therefore, it is important to clarify what literacy and numeracy is not so that inappropriate practices are not used with young children.

Literacy for young children is not:

Stencilled letters

Writing practice

Reciting the alphabet

Pasting pre drawn letters or numbers

Literacy begins with exposure to oral language. Children need exposure to a wide range of oral language such as: Speaking, Conversation, Listening to others, Having fun with language, Making up stories, Being told stories, Nonsense rhymes and jokes, Songs, poetry and finger plays. The environment needs to promote opportunities for oral language in a range of ways and for a good deal of time during the program. Educators, who sit, listen and chat with children are vitally important.

Literate behaviours involve a variety of symbolic thinking activities. Children’s early literacy experiences include drawing, modelling, building, digging, painting, scribbling, listening, talking, pretending, oral language recognition and use, block and toy play, dramatic play, dressing up, and various print mediums as well as all kinds of reading and looking at books.

Written language is about providing children with opportunities to recognise symbols, to have stories written about their work or experiences, to be surrounded by print and language in the learning environment. For example, providing menus in a pretend restaurant, following recipes in a cooking experience or putting magazines in a waiting room as part of dramatic play.

Literacy, in a play-based Approach

A play-based curriculum emphasises that children in the early years take in information through open ended play-based experiences with a hands-on approach. The play-based curriculum reflects a hands-on approach to learning where children both indoors and outdoors are surrounded by opportunities for play which promote literacy.

In our environment we play with literacy by:

Using writing in our pretend play, making lists, drawing maps, creating recipes, telling stories, using puppets, role playing,

making up songs and rhymes, creating agreements,

writing each other messages, cards invitations,

yarning, learning words from other languages….and more.

ACECQA – Early Literacy and Numeracy: Self-Guided Learning Package 2011.

Deakin University research has for the first time observed the science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) learning benefits of ‘blue space’ education settings for pre-school aged children.

Beach kindergartens are similar to bush education programs but are hosted in coastal settings.

Dr Chris Speldewinde of Deakin’s Centre for Research for Educational Impact said the STEM teaching and learning benefits of bush kindergartens were known.

His previous research found Australian pre-school aged children who participated in bush kinder programs could have better STEM learning outcomes than those who remained indoors.

But the learning potential of coastal or beach-based environments was less understood, and Dr Speldewinde said Australia offered a unique setting to explore these given its warmer climate.

‘Swimming and going to the beach in summer are firmly embedded in Australian culture as a popular pastime. We are lucky to be blessed with some of the most beautiful beaches in the world,’ Dr Speldewinde said.

‘Bush kindergartens have been growing in popularity in Australia and we noticed some educators moving their programs to the beach. We wanted to find out the value that play in the sun, sand and surf had for children in exposing them to STEM concepts.’

Beach kindergarten sessions reviewed in the study involved preschoolers aged four to five years being allowed to explore and play creatively with unstructured nature-based materials in coastal settings.

Balls and buckets were left at home, with children instead encouraged to interact with seaweed, shells, sand, rocks, wildlife and water.

Dr Speldewinde said youngsters experienced seasonal changes, learned about nature and the environment, food supplies sourced from the sea and the impact of the tides on erosion.

Exploring rock pools proved a great way to start early conversations around physics and biology.

And educators helped children grasp engineering fundamentals by experimenting with natural materials to build sandcastles and bridges, while kids also learned about gravity, evaporation and how to categorise shells.

‘Our research proves coastal environments can be rich learning contexts for youngsters and I would encourage early childhood educators and parents to dip their toe in the water this summer by turning their next trip to the beach into a learning experience,’ Dr Speldewinde said.

‘Going to the beach is a great low-cost way for families to spend quality time together. We also found blue spaces can act as a calming and enriching place to learn about the environment for children with behavioural, mental, emotional and social issues.’

Despite the proven learning benefits of bush and beach kindergarten, Dr Speldewinde said there were still only limited agreed sets of curricula in Australian states for early years educators running beach and bush programs.

More guidance in this space was needed so educators could roll out their programs effectively, he said.

The study findings have been published in the Journal of Outdoor and Environmental Education.

Cognitive Development

Interacting with older generations exposes children to different perspectives, knowledge, and problem-solving strategies. Adults scaffold and impart new skills or concepts. Through these rich and meaningful conversations, children are introduced to new vocabulary and syntax.

Understanding of Empathy

Through meaningful connections with older adults, children develop empathy, resilience, and social skills such as politeness and kindness. Through intergenerational connections, children slow down, engage in conversations, or observe how their choices impact those around them, fostering empathy and understanding.

Cultural Preservation

Through intergenerational connections, children gain a deeper appreciation for cultural heritage, traditions, and history, helping them develop a strong sense of identity and culture. When adults participating in these programs pass down memories and wisdom from their own lives, children gain insight into Australia’s diverse history and society from those who have experienced it. Children ask questions and interact with a source of knowledge, enhancing their appreciation of and shaping their identity regarding what it means to be Australian.

There are also significant benefits for older adults who participate.

Mental Stimulation

Communicating and connecting with children stimulates cognitive engagement, encouraging participating adults to think of new ideas, concepts, or ways of explaining information. Older adults strengthen their cognitive flexibility through these interactions, reducing the risk of cognitive decline and providing opportunities for lifelong learning.

A Sense of Purpose

Interacting with younger generations in intergenerational programs brings immense joy and fulfilment to participating adults. As they share wisdom, skills, and life experiences, adults feel a deep sense of value and appreciation in their roles as mentors and guides. Children connect with older adults without judgement, fostering a profound sense of purpose and contentment.

Feelings of Belonging and Community

Aging often leads to unintentional isolation. Intergenerational learning combats these feelings by providing older adults with meaningful social connections and companionship, enhancing emotional well-being and overall quality of life. It creates a sense of belonging and safety within a larger community, where participating adults find comfort and connection.

Better Together: Amplifying Intergenerational Success By Emma Johnsen 2025

Griffith University. (2023). Intergenerational Practice in Early Childhood Education Trial.