Featured
Avoiding the hyper-parenting trap
As we enter the home run for 2020 and start to gear up for Christmas - spare a thought for your pre-schooler’s mental health. It is saddening to know that 1 in 7 primary school children in Australia struggle with poor mental health*. It’s a very fast-paced adult world we…
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Christmas Craft Ideas
With only a few weeks left until Christmas, lots of little ones will love doing Christmas themed crafts! If you're feeling particularly festive and looking for some inspiration, check out what some of our playgroups have done below. DIY Christmas Aprons We love this idea - not only is…
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Nature Inspired Activities
With the weather warming up it is a perfect time for some nature play. Involving nature in play settings is a lovely way to get children take more notice of their natural surroundings and also encourages imaginative play. Half the fun of nature inspired activities is heading outdoors to collect…
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More than play
When people first think of playgroup, they probably imagine a group of kids playing and having fun with lots of messy play, toys, books, laughter and general happy noise. But what if they were to take a closer look? What they might not see is the first-time mum who has…
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Celebrating NAIDOC Week 2020
NAIDOC Week celebrations are being held from 8 -15 November this year to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. This year’s theme ‘Always Was, Always Will Be’ recognises that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have occupied and cared for this land for…
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Tips to help find new members
With many playgroups resuming after the COVID shutdown, we've updated our tips to help find new members and ways to welcome past members back. Promoting Your Playgroup Playgroups are a source of enjoyment for many families in the community and are an important community resource. With many parents coming out…
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COVID-19 Resources for playgroups
Please click through for all the latest COVID-19 Resources for playgroups https://playgroupwa.com.au/news-notices/committee-members/covid-19-resources-for-committees/
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Fun ways to develop fine motor skills in little ones
Fine motor skills involve the use of the small muscles that control the hand, fingers and thumb. They require a degree of control and precision and play an important part in a child's development during the early years. Little ones use these skills to do things like holding small items, grasping toys, feeding…
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Parenting Support: what’s available to you
Parenting can be challenging at times and, as they say, it takes a village to raise a child. As we have seen changes to our current community situation, having access to parenting support is more important than ever. Whether you live in the Perth metropolitan area or regional Western Australia,…
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Homemade Toys: Why recycled bottles are great for play!
Toys are fun and a great way to extend the play experience! But did you know that homemade toys, such as recycled bottles, can provide the same level of fun and learning opportunities as most of the branded, marketed toys? A good toy is one that stimulates your child’s imagination, so don’t be…
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Best Activities to Playfully Encourage Pre-Writing Skills
Handwriting is a skill that is developed over time. To master handwriting children need to combine fine motor skills, language, memory and concentration. Pre-writing skills are fundamental in developing the ability to write. Acquiring these skills will contribute to your child’s ability to hold and use a pencil, write, draw…
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Best Activities to Playfully Encourage Oral Language Development
Language and communication skills include the ability to understand others and express oneself using words, gestures or facial expressions. Language development is most prolific during the first years of life as children’s brains are developing rapidly. This is an important time to expose children to learning new words as often…
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Easy Homemade Playdough Recipe
Who doesn't love playdough? Making playdough together is an activity in itself - your child will enjoy mixing and squishing to make the dough! Kids of all ages have fun getting involved to make it and it's a great activity to do at home or at playgroup. We always get…
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Managing your child’s emotions
Managing emotions You've heard it I'm sure, "Oh that's such a first-world problem," when there are bills to pay and big world issues around us, emotional and social wellbeing might sound petty. But as it turns out, emotions shape our health and happiness. Recent research with over 150 thousand individuals from 142 countries showed that emotions impact health and life expectancy all around the globe, rich and poor*. But…
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Encouraging early literacy for little ones
Many parents have high expectations of their children picking up reading and writing skills quickly at school, pre-primary or even kindergarten. They can then be surprised when they discover that being able to recite the alphabet and write their name doesn't necessarily mean a child has grasped the concepts and…
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Our Favourite Toys for Little Ones
Toys are a great way to get your children to engage in play and there are some great toys that give endless play opportunities for your child. The best toys for children spark their imagination by encouraging open ended play as well as providing valuable learning opportunities. Most of all,…
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Community playgroups to receive funding boost from Lotterywest
The WA Government through Lotterywest has approved a grant of $200,000 a year for the next three years to provide financial support to community playgroups. Today, the Hon. Simone McGurk, Minister for Child Protection; Women’s Interests; Prevention of Family and Domestic Violence; Community Services, visited Inglewood Playgroup to officially present…
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Following your child’s lead through play
Children are play experts. They learn so much through play in their early years – and did you know they learn best when they’re focused and engaged in play initiated by themselves? Child led play is about letting children to play freely, without direction or intervention. It is about allowing…
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Getting members to join the playgroup committee
At this time of year playgroup committees or teams are usually busy doing a little organising behind the scenes. How this is done won’t be the same for every playgroup! If you’re looking ahead to 2019 you might be wondering how to attract or recruit new committee or team members…
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Parenthood & Taking Time for Yourself – It’s Really Important
Caring for yourself during a pregnancy and those first few months of parenthood is really important. Sometimes, you need to take time to do things just for you. Use your 'time-out' to do something you enjoy and help to keep things in perspective. Next time you need some 'me' time…
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Ways to share the playgroup workload
From time to time sharing the workload among playgroup families can cause concern and at times result in drama if not dealt with promptly. Your playgroup may have an issue with sharing the workload if any of the following happen: Have you ever complained (or heard someone else in your…
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The benefits of attending playgroup
Playgroups benefit children, families and the wider community. While it is true children can play anywhere, playgroup has an added benefit of providing opportunities for playing with other children and practising important social skills. Importantly, playgroup also provides the opportunity where parents and children can play together, which is critical…
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Get your playgroup running smoothly
Rekindle your passion for running your playgroup with these helpful hints and handy tips to get people involved. If you want to keep your playgroup on track the best place to start is with the committee looking at what jobs or tasks need to get done. These might include: Tasks relating to…
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Intergenerational Playgroups celebrate all ages!
Playgroup WA has been supporting intergenerational play opportunities across the state for more than 10 years and we want more people to join in the fun! “Bringing people from different generations together fosters understanding and builds respect between generations,” said Playgroup WA Development Officer Alicia Harlow – a proud supporter…
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Making everyone feel welcome at playgroup
Playgroups, by their very nature bring all kinds of people together: mothers, fathers, family day care workers, grandparents, nannies, young parents, older parents, parents who work outside the home, parents who are full time at home with their children, same sex parents, single parents. Anyone caring for children 0-5 years…
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Painting ideas to stretch your imagination
If you’re looking for fun ways to entertain children at playgroup (or home) look no further - painting is a great activity with so many physical and emotional benefits. But most of us shy away from it because of the great potential for MESS! If you have the heart to…
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St John WA: Why Parents Need First Aid Skills
Medical emergencies can strike at any time, especially for parents with young children. In these instances, a cool head and preparedness are necessary to prevail. Children are naturally inquisitive. It’s not uncommon for them to experience burns, scalds, cuts, bruises and choking in a household setting. Burns and scalds Hot…
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Top 5 Tips for Nursing a Sick Child at Home
This week I was stuck on the couch with a sick child. Nothing worse than nursing a little one who feels miserable but between cuddles and tummy rubs I had some time to come up with a top 5 list to help families soldier on with an unwell child. Stick…
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Top 5 Tips for Getting Kids Involved With Housework
Kids and housework don’t always go together. BUT here are my top 5 tips for getting little ones involved in keeping things neat and tidy at home! Start Young Toddlers and small children are itching to help out with housework and are really happy when they are invited to ‘to…
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Road and Pedestrian Safety Tips for Families
It is never too early to teach pedestrian and road safety to young children. Here are some ideas: Infants and Babies Ensure you put them into their car seat restraint each and every time. Have it properly checked by a qualified Child Restraint Fitters. You can locate your nearest Child…
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How I found my ‘village’ at playgroup
A recent article was published on MamaMia detailing one mum's first visit to playgroup (read the full article here) and we thought it was timely to re-publish the following piece from one of our playgroup member's who recently moved to a new regional community and the importance of finding your…
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Autism Awareness & Support Grows
It’s Autism Awareness Month and there are many wonderful events and activities planned across Australia. Thanks to these promotional campaigns awareness surrounding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is growing and conversations surrounding ASD are much easier. Did you know? Playgroup WA operates PlayConnect Playgroups in four WA locations to support families…
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Welcoming a family with an adult or child with a disability to playgroup
My cousin has a disability. My friend’s daughter has Rett Syndrome. My neighbour’s son has been recently diagnosed with a debilitating degenerative condition. You would have to look pretty hard to find someone who isn’t related to, or know of, someone affected by a disability or diagnosis. So it’s a…
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Top Tips For Dad – Easy Ways To Be More Involved @ Home and Playgroup
Lately I've been thinking about all of the wonderful things my husband - or 'dad - does with, and for, the kids. Top Tips For Dad And at the top of my list is his playfulness – his ability to ‘show and do’ rather than ‘teach’. Dad knows how to…
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Check Out our Online Playgroup Manual
Those new to the playgroup committee should check out our online Playgroup Manual. A One Stop Resource The fantastic resource can be downloaded and printed as necessary. Some groups may find it useful to have a printed copy of the manual available at playgroup while others may just want to…
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Moving On From Playgroup to Big School
While there are only 8 Saturdays left until Christmas, thousands of parents across WA are pre-occupied by another ticking time bomb … the count down to kindy 2017. Whether it’s your first born, middle child or baby enjoying their last few weeks at playgroup before they head off to big…
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