HIPPY Ashmont

29/08/2026

🌈💙 Every Family Matters

Families come in many different shapes and sizes. Creating welcoming, respectful, and inclusive environments helps all children and families feel valued, safe, and supported.

Family-centred practice is about:
✅ Respecting each family's unique experiences and strengths
✅ Building positive relationships based on trust and understanding
✅ Listening to families and involving them in decisions
✅ Supporting children to feel a sense of belonging and inclusion

When families feel respected and supported, children are better able to learn, grow, and thrive.

Learn more from Raising Children Network: 🔗 https://raisingchildren.net.au/disability/ndis/ndis-lgbtq-families/lgbtq-families-and-family-centred-practice

💙🌈

Family-centred practice involves building on family strengths and relationships. For LGBTQ+ families, it also means respect for their family identity.

28/08/2026

Is Your Preschooler Being Bullied?

Bullying can happen even in the preschool years, and it can be difficult for children to understand and express what they're experiencing.

As parents and caregivers, we can help by:
💛 Listening and talking with our children about their feelings
💛 Encouraging positive friendships and social skills
💛 Working together with educators and carers
💛 Helping children learn respectful ways to solve conflicts
💛 Providing reassurance and support

Remember, every child deserves to feel safe, included and valued.

For practical tips and advice on recognising and responding to bullying in the preschool years, visit the Raising Children Network:
🔗 https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/behaviour/bullying/preschool-bullying-helping

Worried your preschooler is being bullied? Learn how to talk with your child, work with preschool teachers and know when negative behaviour becomes bullying.

27/08/2026

🌈 Pride in the Paddock 2026 🌈

Join the Riverina's inaugural Pride Festival as we celebrate the LGBTQIA+ community and its allies on beautiful Wiradjuri Country in Wagga Wagga.

💜 Pride in the Paddock is a celebration of visibility, connection and country hospitality, bringing people together in a welcoming and inclusive space for all.

📅 When: 19 September, 2026 11:00am - 4:00pm
📍 Where: Riverside Precinct, beside the banks of the Murrumbidgee River, Wagga Wagga

✨ Enjoy a day of community connection, entertainment, activities and celebration in a vibrant festival atmosphere.

🎉 Free event | Everyone welcome

Interested in being involved?

🎪 Host a stall
🎤 Perform
🤝 Volunteer

For expressions of interest and more information, contact the organisers through the Pride in the Paddock website.

🌈💜

26/08/2026

💜 FASD Awareness Month – September 2026 💜

This September, join NOFASD in raising awareness of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) with the theme:

"Everyone plays a part: It takes a community to raise awareness of FASD."

Creating awareness is a shared responsibility. By learning more about FASD and supporting individuals, families, and communities, we can help build understanding, inclusion, and stronger outcomes for everyone affected.

Let's work together to:
💜 Increase awareness and understanding of FASD
💜 Reduce stigma through education and conversation
💜 Support individuals and families affected by FASD
💜 Build inclusive and informed communities

Together, we can make a difference.

💜

25/08/2026

🚑 FREE CPR & AED Awareness Session - Be Prepared to Save a Life

Would you know what to do if someone experienced a cardiac arrest?

Join the FREE "Shockingly Simple: CPR & AED Awareness Session" and learn the skills and confidence needed to respond in an emergency.

✅ Recognise the signs of cardiac arrest
✅ Know when and how to call Triple Zero (000)
✅ Learn how to perform CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation)
✅ Understand how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator)

No experience is needed, and the skills you learn could make all the difference in a real emergency.

📅 Date: Thursday, 10 September 2026
🕕 Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
📍 Location: Seniors Community Centre, Wagga Wagga NSW

👥 Feel free to bring a friend, family member or neighbour. Everyone is welcome!

🔗 Book now to secure your place.

Heart of the Nation provides free CPR and AED sessions so anyone can feel ready to CALL PUSH SHOCK and help save a life when cardiac arrest occurs.

24/08/2026

📚💻 eBooks and Young Children: Finding the Right Balance

Did you know that eBooks can be a great way to share stories with children? When used together with an adult, eBooks can support language development, early literacy skills, and a love of reading.

Tips for using eBooks with young children:
✅ Read together and talk about the story
✅ Ask questions about the pictures and characters
✅ Choose age-appropriate, high-quality books
✅ Balance screen-based reading with traditional books and active play
✅ Make reading a fun and shared experience

Whether it's a printed book or an eBook, the most important thing is spending time together and enjoying stories.

Learn more from Raising Children Network: 🔗 https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/play-learning/literacy-reading-stories/ebooks-and-children-2-8-years

📚💙💻✨

Learn how good-quality ebooks can benefit kids and improve reading experiences, plus a checklist of features to look for when choosing ebooks for your child.

23/08/2026

📚✨ Fun Reading Activities for Children Aged 2–4 Years ✨📚

Reading with your child is one of the best ways to support language development, imagination, and a love of learning.

Try these simple reading activities at home:
📖 Read favourite books again and again
🎭 Act out stories together
🗣️ Talk about the pictures and ask questions
🎶 Sing nursery rhymes and songs
🔤 Point out letters and words in everyday places

Remember, reading doesn't have to be perfect. The most important thing is spending time together, having fun, and enjoying stories.

Looking for more ideas? Check out this great resource from Raising Children Network: 🔗 https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/activity-guides/letters-words-and-stories/reading-activities-children-2-4-years

📚💙✨

Reading helps child development in many ways. Start with picture books that have rhyme and rhythm. Try to share at least one book with your child each day.

22/08/2026

📚✨ Book Week 2026 ✨📚

It's Book Week, a wonderful time to celebrate the joy of reading and sharing stories with children.

Reading together helps children build language, imagination, confidence, and a lifelong love of learning. Whether it's a favourite bedtime story, a trip to the library, or exploring a new book together, every shared reading experience helps support a child's development.

Here are some simple ways families can celebrate Book Week:
📖 Read together every day
🎭 Act out a favourite story
🎨 Draw pictures inspired by a book
📚 Visit your local library
🗣️ Talk about your favourite characters and what might happen next

At HIPPY, we know that some of the most meaningful learning happens through stories shared at home. Every book opens the door to adventure, imagination, and connection.

What's your child's favourite book? We'd love to hear! 💙

📚✨

21/08/2026

🏎️🎨 Create a Chalk Racetrack at Home! 🎨🏎️

Looking for a simple, fun outdoor activity? Grab some chalk and create your own racetrack!

Drawing a racetrack on the driveway or footpath encourages children to use their imagination while developing creativity, problem-solving skills, and active play. Add roads, parking spaces, bridges, tunnels, or even a petrol station to make it extra exciting!

Benefits of chalk play:
✅ Encourages creativity and imaginative play
✅ Supports fine motor skill development
✅ Promotes outdoor activity and movement
✅ Provides opportunities for learning through play

Give it a try with toy cars, trucks, or even bikes and scooters!

Find out how to make your own chalk racetrack here: 🔗 https://raisingchildren.net.au/guides/activity-guides/movement/How-to-make-a-chalk-racetrack-for-kids

🏎️🌟🎨

To make a chalk racetrack, you need chalk and a paved area. Draw the track and get kids to run, skip or wheel around it. Great for skills and learning!

20/08/2026

📱💙 Healthy Screen Time for Preschoolers

Screens are a part of everyday life, but finding a healthy balance is important for young children's learning and development.

For children aged 2-5 years, it's helpful to focus on:
✅ Quality content that's fun and educational
✅ Watching or playing together when possible
✅ Balancing screen time with active play, outdoor time, reading, and family interaction
✅ Creating screen-free times, such as during meals and before bed

Remember, children learn best through talking, playing, exploring, and spending time with the people who care for them.

For practical tips on healthy screen use for preschoolers, visit: 🔗 https://raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/media-technology/screen-time-healthy-screen-use/healthy-screen-time-2-5-years

📱✨💙

Screen time can be part of a healthy lifestyle for preschoolers when balanced with physical play, creative play, reading, socialising and other activities.