BY HEJIRA CONVERY, KINDICARE

JANUARY 29, 2025

Chinese New Year (aka Lunar New Year) begins today, and this 15-day festival is a huge event on many people’s cultural calendar.  

If you’re not familiar with Chinese New Year, then we can tell you that it marks the beginning of the lunar calendar and is a time for families to come together, reflect and welcome new beginnings.  

Each year is represented by a Chinese zodiac animal, with 2025 being the Year of the Snake, and there’s a lot for young children to love about this festival.  

Chinese New Year is known for its vibrant colours, amazing decorations, yummy food and captivating cultural performances, and at Inspire Early Learning Journey Springvale the children have all this to look forward to! 

In coming days, there are will loads of opportunities for under-fives to learn, connect and celebrate in exciting, hands-on ways. 

And although the Springvale campus has many families and educators with Chinese backgrounds, they see this event as an opportunity to strengthen the bonds within their diverse community.  

The Springvale campus has families from Vietnam, China, Cambodia, Thailand, India, Sri Lanka, Ireland and beyond, and Educational Leader, Stella Wang, explains that, “By teaching and celebrating Chinese language and culture, we aim to create an inclusive environment where every child feels valued, and cultural heritage is celebrated as a vital part of learning and connection.” 

This means that although Chinese New Year is a special annual event, their Early Childhood Chinese Language Program makes every week extra special.  

This English/Chinese bilingual program is offered at several Inspire Early Learning Journey campuses, and at the Springvale campus, there are two preschool rooms (for ages three to six) and one toddler room (for ages 18 months to three years) with Chinese-speaking educators.  

Stella explains that her campus delivers a structured Chinese language program three times a week and, “This program is thoughtfully integrated into our curriculum to promote language development and cultural understanding.” 

The curriculum covers a wide range of topics, including colours, shapes, numbers, seasons, festivals and family members; and as with all great early childhood curriculums, there’s a focus on learning through play.  

To encourage teamwork, curiosity and problem-solving skills. the educators share fun resources with the children, like bilingual puzzles, bilingual bingo games, and a ‘mystery box’ with Chinese words. 

There are also special group activities during gathering times where under-fives can learn from one another and build social connections; and there’s a lot of bilingualism woven into the daily routine.  

Stella explains that, “During morning group gatherings, children are given the choice to greet their peers in either English or Chinese, and over time they develop practical language skills that they can apply in everyday life, such as understanding simple phrases like ‘xi shou’ (washing hands) and ‘chi fan’ (eating meals).” 

She says, “Through consistent exposure and playful interactions, the children gain confidence in using the Chinese language, while also developing cultural awareness and a love for learning.” 

Chinese-speaking families can ask the educators to engage their child in more intensive home language learning; and whether English is their first or third language, families help to shape the curriculum by providing feedback. 

The bilingual program has proven to be popular with all the children and their families, and there’s definitely no feeling of anyone being left out!  

As with the Chinese New Year celebrations, the Early Childhood Chinese Language Program helps to enrich children’s understanding of their own culture, and also helps to create a diverse and inclusive community where all cultures are celebrated.  

Stella explains that, “Through our language and cultural program, children learn important skills, like showing respect for other cultures and collaborating with peers from diverse backgrounds.” 

And although children from a Chinese background feel pride in speaking their family’s language and celebrating their Lunar New Year, everyone feels involved in the fun, and there are plenty of opportunities for other languages and cultures to be celebrated.  

Stella explains that, “Some children invite their parents to share their traditions, such as celebrating Diwali or reading Māori stories, which further enriches our collective learning environment, and our educators are always happy to share their diverse perspectives too.”    

All in all, Inspire Early Learning Journey Springvale is a great example of multiculturalism in practice.  

They have succeeded in building a harmonious childcare community where cultural diversity is the cornerstone of everyday life, and although the coming days will be focused on Chinese New Year, this Melbourne campus has a packed cultural calendar, and a rich view of the world. 

If you’d like to enrol your early learner somewhere special, the Springvale campus (or another Inspire Early Learning Journey campus) is great to explore. 

You can easily book a tour by clicking the ‘Make Enquiry’ button in their KindiCare listing, and for now, we wish you xīn nián kuài lè / Happy Chinese New Year!