[Text on screen: NSW Department of Education
Age appropriate pedagogy to support transition
Waratah West Public School]

[Text on screen: Waratah West Public School]

[Text on screen: Acknowledgement of Country
We recognise the Ongoing Custodians of the lands and waterways where we work and live. We pay respect to Elders past and present as ongoing teachers of knowledge, songlines and stories.
We strive to ensure every Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander learner in NSW achieves their potential through education.]

Skye Gallagher – Kindergarten Classroom Teacher, Waratah West Public School

[Skye Gallagher speaks to students walking into classroom]

Grab your bag, put on the hook. We've got Barney, thanks for bringing Barney in. We've got a bag here. Go and put your bag on the hook.

We're not talking to the guys on the camera. We're just doing our own thing. Let's go, Mia, let's go, Octavia. Let's go. Come on, Cooper. Beautiful.

Nicola Moroney – Principal, Waratah West Public School

Starting school is a significant milestone for children and their families. The transition between learning environments can be both challenging and exciting.

Skye

[to student] Steady, so if you just leave them in there, that will be awesome.

Nicola

We recognise that our children come from different families, different communities, different cultures, and they have different experiences and interests, and that's why conversation between the school, the family, and the preschool is so important.

[Text on screen: Collaboration between families, preschools and schools supports consistent learning experiences.]

When we’re planning our transition program, our kindergarten teacher visits the local preschools to meet with children in their familiar environment and connect with the preschool staff. We can facilitate children's continuity of learning by knowing and building on and extending on what a child already knows.

[Text on screen: Continuity of learning between preschool and kindergarten eases transition anxiety and boosts wellbeing]

[Screen shows: students playing with various activities on the tables in the classroom]

Student

[to teacher] I do not know how.

Skye

[to student] I do not have enough ice cream in all the land for your tongues!

Nicola

Children experience familiarity in what is taught, but more so familiarity in how content is taught, how new learning is represented.

Play-based learning is familiar to our students when they come into the kindergarten classroom. That reduces anxiety as they transition between the two settings. In play-based learning, the teachers actively engage with children in purposeful learning experiences that enhance learning outcomes.

Skye

[to student] Did you say cheese?

Student

[to teacher] Yeah

Skye

[to student] Tomatoes or you can help me if you'd like to build your own. Look, this is an interactive restaurant.

Skye

It is a smooth transition, intentionally designed to assist learners from a preschool environment to a kindergarten environment. They're coming from a preschool where they play and they're coming into this environment where they are continuing to play.

[Text on screen: Play-based transition programs contribute to increased attendance and positive attitude toward schools.]

[to student] Enjoy!

I was able to particularly look at the syllabus and there was absolutely some fantastic opportunities there for art making and performance as well as all the subjects. Science allowed for some investigations and some experiments.

[to student] Good work, Octavia.

I also looked at the early years learning framework, and that really assisted in the way that I thought about students being at the centre of everything we did, that intentional learning.

[Text on screen: Early Stage 1 curriculum links play activities directly to NSW syllabuses]

[to student] How about, first of all, we'll make the word van.

We’re still getting those really positive outcomes that you would expect from any classroom. Students are learning, students are growing, and students are really thriving, particularly because they've started in a really, really sound environment where play is at the centre of everything that we do.

[to student] Great! Where's the vowel?

Student

[to teacher] On the end.

Skye

[to student] And do you remember what we call these?

Student

[to teacher] Consonants.

Skye

[to student] Yeah. These are consonants, aren't they?

Nicola

Human resources are critical if you have a staff member with a knowledge and a passion for early childhood education, supporting them with professional learning opportunities to network with preschools and partner with schools that share a similar approach can be really helpful to enhance our implementation.

We utilise department resources and personnel. Our department transition support officer has been a great resource to tap into. The educational value of play is reinforced through engaging with research, and we've done that across the whole school. We've investigated the various theories of learning because the theories inform our beliefs about children and how children learn, and this influences our practise in the classroom. Teachers in all stages and in our support classes have participated in professional learning around play-based learning and have adapted aspects of the pedagogy in their classrooms.

Skye

We started with Nicola's vision, discussed that we would like to do play-based learning. I went off and did some professional learning, then came back into the classroom and started gathering ideas and started collecting resources. Play-based learning started about two years ago and we've been gradually building our skills ever since.

Ruth Bridgeman – Parent

I don't really know what I expected, but I was surprised that the whole morning, the entire class played. I just thought, ‘Sol's gonna love this so much.’ Yeah.

One thing we knew would be a challenge for Sol when he started school was finding his voice in social situations, and particularly speaking to adults. We weren't sure how that was going to go, and I remember the first week, he found his happy place in the box craft zone, which he was right into, still is right into, I think, considering what he brings home.

[Text on screen: Play promotes children’s identity, agency and helps them find their voice in social contexts.]

He didn't say much for a while, but at one point, he needed something that wasn't there, and I watched him go and say to you, ‘I need some sticky tape’. I could see that because he was really absorbed in that task, he found his voice and just asked for what he needed. He forgot that he was shy to talk to adults.

Virginia Murdoch – School Learning Support Officer, Waratah West Public School

So, I think the play-based transition program works beautifully because the children are used to that free play in a preschool setting, and so when they come to school, it's just not sitting down and having to listen and concentrate for long periods.

Skye

[Screen shows: Skye Gallagher putting on a hat]

[talking to students] You pretty much need to wear one of these. I mean, it's the rules. Every single person I've ever seen made, make a taco in their life has one of these.

Virginia

The play-based program is easier to get them used to the school setting and slowly introduce the learning throughout the play-based activities.

[Text on screen: Flexible learning spaces promote exploration, curiosity and child-led inquiry]

Skye

[to students] Oh, that was delicious. Thank you. All right, how are these funny monsters going? Great.

Petrina Bhatti – Parent

He comes home with these different ways of solving problems, these different ways of doing things, using toys and things like that, imagination even, I guess you could say. You know, we'll have a conversation at home. We've got birds outside and you're like, ‘Oh, they're playing and that's a verb, and they're walking and that's a verb.’ And yeah, it's just, it's really good to see.

Play has helped his curiosity a lot because he asks a lot more questions. If he doesn't understand something, he will ask you things so that he can get the answer that you know, makes him understand what it's all about.

Nicola

The pedagogical approaches of explicit teaching and play-based learning are complimentary and enhance learning and engagement for all of our students.

Teachers can use the approaches flexibly to suit the context that the learning is occurring in.

[Text on screen: Intentional play helps children develop key skills in communication, social interaction and problem-solving.]

Explicit teaching and play-based experiences in the kindergarten classroom both involve teachers clearly explaining and demonstrating and modelling to students why they are learning something, what their learning goals are, how it connects to what they already know.

Teaching in the early years needs to provide a range and balance of appropriate pedagogies that respond to how children learn and that support understanding in a way that is appropriate to how the children's brain works.

[Text on screen: Intentional teaching in play helps children practice new skills with timely feedback]

Skye

If we use play-based learning as an effective strategy, students are engaged, they're intrigued, they're interested, they want to learn, and we can set them up in that first key year of school so that their enjoyment and their passion and love of learning could continue right through for their whole entire life.

[Text on screen: Continuity and Transition

‘The Child who left the early childhood program is the same child who enters the school classroom 6 weeks later and who needs to learn in the same way as they did during their early childhood years.’ Kathy Walker 2007]

[text on screen: NSW Government
Copyright State of New South Wales (Department of Education) 2026]

[End of transcript]

In the early childhood education sector, educators design learning programs aligned to the approved learning framework, the EYLF.

These outcomes relate to identity, connection with community, wellbeing, confidence as a learner and effectiveness as a communicator.

Standards of excellence defined in key documents express common requirements in relation to continuity and transitions, including:

• ongoing collaborative relationships
• the sharing of information about children
• planning informed by data.

• The Australian Professional Standards for Teachers require that proficient teachers ‘know students and how they learn’ (Standard 1) in both early childhood and school settings. This refers to using teaching strategies that are differentiated and responsive, based on knowledge of how students learn best, their learning strengths and needs.

• The National Quality Standard element 6.2.1 requires that, ‘continuity of learning and transitions for each child be supported by sharing information and clarifying responsibilities’ in early childhood education settings.
• The Belonging, Being & Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) describes educators ‘commitment to sharing information about each child’s knowledge and skills so learning can build on foundations of earlier learning’ (page 19). It also notes that educators promote learning by providing for continuity in experiences and enabling children to transition to school successfully (p.16).
• The NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) K–6 syllabuses each note that transition from an early childhood education setting into school should be seen as a continuum of learning and planned for appropriately. Examples include the English K–10 Syllabus (2022)
• The School Excellence Framework includes the theme of ‘Transitions and continuity of learning’, noting that ‘Every child brings a different set of experiences, knowledge and skills with them to school’.

Teaching in the early years needs to provide a range and balance of age-appropriate pedagogies that:

• respond to how students learn
• support understanding in a way that is appropriate for how a students’ brain works
• offer students opportunities to explore concepts and ideas through meaningful hands-on, concrete learning experiences
• are learner-focused with activities, materials and the environment informed by both curriculum content and students’ backgrounds, interests and capabilities
• include a balance of student and teacher directed learning experiences.

(Taylor and Boyer 2020).

Research has shown the effectiveness of play-based learning as an age-appropriate pedagogy to achieve learning outcomes, appropriate for use in early childhood education settings and the early years of school.

Other examples of age-appropriate pedagogies are inquiry learning, project-based learning and explicit instruction.

'Schools  are able to decide how best to deliver the curriculum, drawing on integrated approaches where appropriate and using pedagogical approaches that account for students’ needs, interests and the school and community context'

(ACARA 2010:11)

Play-based learning occurs through an intentionally planned play experience or ‘playful’ activity. Play-based learning:

• is an age-appropriate pedagogy for children from birth to 8 years
• engages children in active, ‘hands-on’ learning
• promotes learning in all developmental domains (emotional, social, cognitive, language and physical), as well as academic achievement
• provides children with self-directed opportunities to engage with content in an integrated way
• is supportive, inclusive and familiar to children.

This evidence base tells us that play-based learning is an effective pedagogy that is developmentally appropriate in both early childhood education and school settings. Play-based learning is informed by multiple theories of learning, including developmental, constructivist and socio-cultural.

Curriculum links

The curriculum links documents highlight how Kindergarten outcomes and content build on the foundational skills and knowledge developed in early childhood education settings.

• Curriculum links – Resource for early childhood services (PDF 652 KB) – For early childhood teachers and educators, organised according to the EYLF learning outcomes.
• Curriculum links – Resource for schools (PDF 524 KB) – For Kindergarten teachers, organised according to the key learning areas.

Fact sheets

• Why are we using a play-based learning approach? (DOCX 3.9MB)
• Creating opportunities for sustained shared thinking (DOCX 93.6 KB)
• Play-based learning environments: process summary (DOCX 92 KB)

Conversations on transition

Jacqui Ward, Early Learning Coordinator speaks with renowned academics Sue Dockett and Bob Perry about the transition to school research and in 'Conversation 3' they cover continuity of learning.

Conversations on transition with Sue Dockett and Bob Perry

Continuity of learning

• Continuity of learning in the transition to school: What does it look like in practice? (PDF 4.2 MB)
• Continuity of Learning: a resource to support effective transition to school and school age care
• Investigative learning – our journey at Balmain Public School (PDF 2.5 MB)

Examples in practice

These examples show how common early childhood learning experiences link to Kindergarten learning outcomes:

• Arranging sticks and stones (DOCX 69.8 KB)
• Book sharing (DOCX 69.5 KB)