Goodstart Early Learning Sunbury - Ligar Street

Ever had one of those "What should I be doing with my child?" moments? You might already have the answer at home.

Earlier this year, every Goodstart family received a What & When for Families guide for each child. If it's been tucked away in a drawer since then, now might be the perfect time to pull it back out.

The guide is packed with simple, play-based activities that support your child's learning and development at home. Best of all, it's written in your child's voice, with ideas tailored to their age and developmental stage.

From singing songs with babies and playing peek-a-boo, to "I Spy" games, storytelling and treasure hunts with older children, the activities are designed to fit naturally into everyday moments you already share together.

We know learning doesn't only happen in the classroom. Those small moments at home can help build big communication, language and literacy skills.

Take another look through your What & When for Families guide to explore age-appropriate activities and learning ideas you can try together.

💛 Sometimes the best learning resource is the one you already have at home.

The research is clear 📚 reading aloud is one of the most powerful things we can do for our children.

When we read with a child, we’re doing far more than sharing a story. We’re building the foundations for language, confidence, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.

Decades of research shows that children who are read to regularly:

💛 Build stronger language skills
Hearing rich varied language in books exposes children to far more words than everyday conversation alone. This growing vocabulary helps them understand, communicate and make sense of the world.

💛 Develop early literacy skills long before they learn to read
Through stories, children learn how books work – that print carries meaning, that pages turn left to right, and that stories have a beginning, middle and end. These early understandings make learning to read feel familiar and exciting.

💛 Strengthen phonological awareness
Rhymes, rhythms and playful sounds help children hear the building blocks of language.

💛 Grow their comprehension and thinking skills
Talking together about a story, predicting what might happen, wondering how a character feels, and connecting events to real life helps children develop memory, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking.

💛 Experience connection, comfort and joy
Shared reading fosters calmness, closeness, and moments of joint attention. These warm interactions support a child's sense of security and belonging.

Most importantly, children who experience positive, engaging reading moments from a young age are more likely to develop a genuine love of books - something that matters even more than early literacy skills alone.

Reading is simple, joyful, and sets children up for success in school and life.

Here is a list of some of our favourites below 👇

We had a wonderful visit from the CFA Sunbury firefighters this week. The children showed great enthusiasm and curiosity as they explored the fire truck, took turns climbing aboard, and enjoyed having a go at squirting water with the firefighters. It was a fantastic hands-on learning experience, helping children understand the important role firefighters play in keeping our community safe and how fires can be extinguished in an emergency. 🚒👩‍🚒

This week, we had the pleasure of welcoming our wonderful mums into the centre to celebrate Mother’s Day 💐

The children absolutely loved spending quality time with their mums and special person whilst enjoying a range of special activities together, including nail painting, decorating biscuits, creating beautiful flower bouquets, paint and sip experiences, and many other fun-filled activities.

It was such a lovely day filled with laughter, creativity and precious moments shared with our beautiful families. Thank you to all the mums and special people who joined us and made the celebration so memorable. 💖