Celebrating Events and Milestones in the Early Childhood Education Setting

At Turtletot we celebrate many different events and holidays. Some of the events we have celebrated over the past four months include :

• New Years Day
• Australia Day
• Chinese New Year
• Brazilian Carnivale
• Harmony Day
• Easter

So why do we celebrate all these different holidays/events in a childcare setting? It’s not just a festive thing to do, it’s a way to stop, cherish and reaffirm the things that we all value in our lives. Celebrations are a great way to teach children about beliefs (theirs and others) and about their culture.

Celebrations don’t need to be kept for major holidays, it can just be as simple as celebrating a milestone that the child has achieved in their life. A collection of thousands of small celebrations builds the habit to celebrate and in turn, promotes forming virtues and values that help our children develop the way they see and experience their unique worlds.

Incorporating these different events/celebrations into the learning program brings people together, creates a feeling of belonging, and develops a sense of community amongst children, families, and educators.

The way in which a person celebrates a birthday is unique to them. What one person may value or believe in may be very different to the next person, even if both are from the same cultural and linguistic background. Bringing these ideas and beliefs into a childcare setting allows for children to be exposed to different perspectives as well as cultures and their own practices.