On Wednesday, 22 January 2025, the Queensland Children and Young People Team facilitated an engaging group program at the Brisbane office. The session was filled with exciting activities designed to build essential skills for children in a fun, interactive environment and get them ready for their first day of school.
Here’s a snapshot of the day:
Breaking the ice with chime ball fun
The day kicked off with a “get-to-know-you” activity. Participants tossed a chime ball to one another, learning names and starting the session with laughter and connection.
Mastering everyday skills: scooping and pouring
Children practiced valuable fine motor skills through scooping tasks using rice, mugs, spoons and bowls. Later, they applied these skills to make their own Milo drinks, learning to scoop and pour milk with care.
Imaginative play in café role-play
In a game of cafés, participants stepped into roles such as chef, waiter, greeter and cashier. This dynamic activity encouraged turn-taking, sharing, teamwork and communication skills while sparking creativity. The activity also explored aspects of career possibilities, aligning with key areas of the Expanded Core Curriculum (ECC) which underpins our Life Ready approach.
Playground classics: building social confidence
Participants joined in popular playground games, like "What’s the Time, Mr. Wolf?" These familiar games helped foster social confidence, turn-taking and active listening.
Discovering the joy of reading
The group visited a make-shift VA Children’s Library, where they learned how to borrow books and navigate library systems. This activity introduced concepts of book selection and early literacy skills, sparking curiosity and a love for reading.
Conquering the obstacle course
In an obstacle course, participants practiced balance, coordination and turn-taking. The supportive blindness and low vision safe atmosphere encouraged children to cheer one another on, reinforcing giving things a try, kindness and teamwork.
Board games for cooperation and patience
Board games rounded out the day, giving participants the opportunity to practice turn-taking, cooperation and strategy while winding down.
Celebrating strengths
The day ended with a reflection session where participants shared their favourite moments. Facilitators highlighted the strengths they observed in each child, to lock in a growth mindset to set the scene for these little early schoolers in 2025.
Why these activities matter
The carefully curated activities were designed to target multiple areas of development, including fine motor skills, communication, social interaction and teamwork. Each activity aligned with the ECC, which focuses on essential life skills for children with vision impairments to access and participate in their school life and the broader community confidently.
