Understanding the world involves guiding children to make sense of their physical world and their community. The frequency and range of children’s personal experiences increases their knowledge and sense of the world around them – from visiting parks, libraries and museums to meeting important members of society such as police officers, nurses and firefighters. In addition, listening to a broad selection of stories, non-fiction, rhymes and poems will foster their understanding of our culturally, socially, technologically and ecologically diverse world. As well as building important knowledge, this extends their familiarity with words that support understanding across domains. Enriching and widening children’s vocabulary will support later reading comprehension.  

Activities at Home

• Talk to your child about your family, culture, religion, where you live

• Talk about what you see, hear, smell, taste and touch

• Ask your child to tell you what buttons they think you should press and why when using electrical equipment 

• Look at similarities and differences when walking or in the car