When exploring early childhood education options in Victoria, parents frequently encounter the acronym VEYLDF—the Victorian Early Years Learning and Development Framework. While the framework is central to early childhood education, its theoretical terminology can sometimes feel disconnected from a child’s actual day-to-day experience in the classroom.
Far from being a rigid academic syllabus, the VEYLDF is an evidence-based guideline that ensures early childhood play is highly strategic, intentional and directly tied to crucial developmental milestones.
Translating the Core Tenets into Everyday Actions
The framework is anchored by three foundational concepts that guide how educators structure the learning environment:
- Belonging: Knowing where and with whom you belong. In practice, this is a child confidently hanging their bag on their designated hook on a rainy morning and feeling secure within their classroom community.
- Being: Engaging with the present moment. This is the unhurried time given to a toddler to fully explore the physical sensation of finger paint or watch water droplets slide down a window pane.
- Becoming: The rapid change and learning that occurs as children grow and learn how to participate fully in society.
The Strategy Behind the Play: VEYLDF Outcomes in Action
When parents look into a classroom and see children building a fort or role-playing a grocery store, they are observing structured learning in action. These self-directed activities are purposefully facilitated by educators to meet the five core VEYLDF learning outcomes:
1. Identity and Well-Being
- The Play Scenario: A child works with peers to construct a fort out of large foam blocks and drapes, negotiating who gets to place the final roof piece.
- The VEYLDF Alignment: This activity directly develops Outcome 1 (Identity) and Outcome 3 (Well-being). By participating in a group build, children learn to express their ideas, manage interpersonal frustrations, assert their boundaries and develop emotional resilience and self-reliance.
2. Community Connection and Contribution
- The Play Scenario: A group of children sets up a dramatic play grocery store, assigning roles such as the cashier, the shopper and the delivery driver, using loose parts as currency and items.
- The VEYLDF Alignment: This play drives Outcome 2 (Community). Children are actively making sense of their social world, practicing democratic decision-making, understanding social structures and learning what it means to contribute to a collaborative group effort.
3. Communication and Intellectual Exploration
- The Play Scenario: While operating their grocery store or building their fort, children label items, write down makeshift receipts, argue over spatial boundaries and count out blocks.
- The VEYLDF Alignment: This fulfills Outcome 4 (Learning) and Outcome 5 (Communication). Educators intentionally step into these play spaces to introduce advanced vocabulary, model mathematical concepts like weight and balance and scaffold foundational literacy skills within a context that matters to the child.
Play is the Work of the Child
Understanding that play-based learning is a deliberate pedagogical approach helps demystify early childhood education. At Oakleigh Early Learning Journey, the daily schedule is designed around the VEYLDF to ensure that child-led exploration is paired with intentional teaching. By transforming spontaneous interests into strategic learning opportunities, the framework ensures that your child is building the essential cognitive, social and emotional foundations required for school readiness and lifelong learning.