Auslan: a Weekly Highlight at Aspire Cranbourne East

At Aspire Cranbourne East, we’re always looking for ways to support every child’s development in a fun, engaging, and meaningful way. That’s why we’re so proud to offer the Auslan program in partnership with Language Tree Australia, a weekly experience that has quickly become a highlight for many of our little learners.

Our Auslan program is facilitated by Kerry from Language Tree, an experienced educator who specialises in teaching Auslan to young children through playful, interactive sessions. We introduced this program on the 30th of May to support some of our children who experience speech delays. We saw Auslan as a powerful tool to help these children express themselves and interact meaningfully with their peers.

Each week, our children take part in small group sessions where they learn new signs and practise them through songs, stories, and hands-on activities. The sessions are full of energy and expression, helping all children, including those who are bilingual or still developing their spoken language, feel confident to join in. For many of our children who are learning more than one language at home, Auslan provides an additional way to communicate and connect with others.

Learning Auslan also encourages empathy and inclusion by helping children understand that people communicate in many different ways, and that all ways are valid and valued. Through repetition, play, movement, and meaningful interaction, our children are building their confidence, strengthening early communication skills, and developing curiosity about language and culture.

What the children learn

With Kerry’s guidance, the children are introduced to the fundamentals of Auslan, including fingerspelling the alphabet, learning how to fingerspell their names, and understanding core concepts like HOLME (Handshape, Orientation, Location, Movement, and Expression). They also learn basic greetings, everyday signs for colours, food, animals, body parts and actions. All in an age-appropriate, fun and play-based way.

It’s been wonderful to see our children respond so positively to Auslan. For those who are still developing their spoken language, having an extra way to express themselves can be really empowering. We often see them proudly using their new signs during play and group activities, which is a joy to watch.

We love seeing the excitement and connection this program brings each week. It’s a beautiful reminder that early exposure to different ways of communicating can open up a whole new world for our children. It's helping them feel seen, heard and included.

More about Cranbourne East

Do you want to learn more about Aspire Cranbourne East, or take a tour? Click the links below to explore the centre, learn about the curriculum and chat to the Aspire team.

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Vacancies are currently available at Aspire Early Education and Kindergarten Cranbourne East. To learn more about the centre, book a tour or contact the friendly Aspire team, click the links below.