Hats, Chicks and a Magic Show: Easter at Redfern Cottage
Some events are nice. Some events are the kind of thing children talk about for weeks afterward, recreating moments in the home corner and asking when it's happening again. The Easter Party at Redfern Cottage was firmly in the second category.
The day opened with the Easter Hat Parade, children processing proudly in the hats they had made themselves, each one a small declaration of creativity and personality. The confidence on display was something to see: children who had made something with their hands, decided it was worth showing, and walked into a room full of people to show it. That combination of creative ownership and public confidence is exactly what early childhood celebrations are designed to build.
A Day Designed for Joy and Development
The activities that followed the parade covered an impressive range of developmental territory while feeling, to the children, like pure fun. Colouring and card making supported fine motor development and creative expression. Sensory play offered the kind of open-ended, tactile engagement that young children find both soothing and stimulating. Cookie decorating required precision, decision-making and patience. Face painting brought novelty and delight. And the afternoon tea brought everyone together around a shared table, which has its own social and emotional value.
The live singer and magic show elevated the afternoon into something genuinely special. There is real developmental value in live performance for young children: the experience of being absorbed in something happening in front of them, of reacting together with a group, of being surprised and delighted, builds attention, social connection and a relationship with the arts that is worth cultivating early.
Supporting Local Talent and Community Connection
The decision to engage local performers for the Easter event reflects something important about Redfern Cottage's approach to community. Redfern is a neighbourhood with a strong and distinctive community identity, and a childcare centre that is genuinely embedded in that community, that chooses local musicians and performers and celebrates what the local area has to offer, is one that understands its role extends beyond the classroom.
For families, this matters. When a childcare centre feels like a genuine part of your community rather than a service provider operating within it, the relationship between home and the learning environment becomes richer and more supportive for children.
Why Family Events Matter in Early Learning
The presence of families at the Easter Party wasn't incidental. It was integral. When children see their families welcomed into the centre, when they can point across the room to their parent or grandparent and feel pride in the place they spend their days, it deepens their sense of security and belonging. Children who feel securely connected to both home and their early learning environment thrive more consistently than those who experience the two as separate worlds.
At Redfern Cottage, we create these moments deliberately and regularly, because the relationship between families and our centre is one of the things we're most committed to getting right.
Book a tour or enquire about enrolment at Redfern Cottage today.
