The state government is giving tens of thousands of children starting kinder across Victoria next year, including those in Maribyrnong and Hobsons Bay, a free Kinder Kit full of fun and educational toys, helping them grow and learn through creativity and play.
The kits are designed to encourage continued learning at home ─ helping parents support their children to thrive in their first year of kinder with activities to develop language and social skills, and express emotions and creativity.
All children starting Three-Year-Old Kindergarten in 2024 will receive a free Kinder Kit, including children enrolled in Early Start Kindergarten and Access to Early Learning programs.
The illustrated Kinder Kit activity box is made from recycled materials – designed and built for flexible, long-term use. The box folds into an easel, includes a chalkboard, and can be laid out flat as a space for imaginative play.
The Kit includes Tinta crayons, chalk, Ultimatum felt puppets, Tiger Tribe shape shakers, Seed Collection alfalfa seeds, a Hardie Grant jigsaw puzzle map of Australia featuring First Nations place names and state flora and fauna emblems, Cherub Baby balancing gems, and Flip Make Play family playing cards.
Children also receive two books by Australian authors from the following list: Birds In The Bush by Aunty Fay Stewart-Muir and Jeannette Rowe, which can be read in Boon wurrung and English; I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon; Heads and Tails by John Canty; and Where is Galah? by Sally Morgan.
Children Minister Lizzie Blandthorn said the kinder kits will help children and their families explore and learn together at home.
“Children learn about themselves and the world through play – and parents, carers and families are a huge part of that learning journey,” she said.
The 2024 Kinder Kit comes with an illustrated family guide featuring simple and creative ways to engage children in activities that help them to play, learn and develop. Additional tips and ideas, plus online resources, including how-to videos and Auslan readings of the Kit’s books, are available via a handy QR code.
Each item in the kit is age-appropriate, child-safe and inclusive, and has been recommended by education experts to help families make play-based learning part of their child’s everyday life.
All Kinder Kit suppliers are Australian – with many Victorian businesses, creative talent and makers proudly represented in the Kit’s design and items.
