Early Childhood Resources

Name: Early Childhood Resources
Address: Ballarat, VIC, 3350, AU
Telephone: 0437293556

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Early Childhood Resources

Welcome to my page! Home of my hobbies and love for beautiful handmade children's toys. Hello! I’m Angela, an Early Childhood Educator from Brown Hill, Victoria.

I’m passionate about play-based learning and creating inspiring, resource-rich spaces both in classrooms and at home. Here, I share my love for beautifully handmade children’s toys and resources crafted through my hobbies—woodwork, crochet, sewing, and needle felting. My goal is to inspire families and educators with thoughtful, quality creations that support children’s learning and development th

rough sustained, imaginative play. Join me as I share creative ideas, insights, and inspiration to foster a rich, playful learning environment for children.

23/07/2026

An invitation to explore a world beyond our own.

Not every small world invitation needs to reflect what children see every day.
Sometimes, introducing an unfamiliar environment opens the door to curiosity, wonder, and rich conversations about the world around us.

This Arctic winter felt play mat invites children to imagine icy landscapes, frozen oceans, and the incredible animals that call these environments home. Whether paired with polar animals, loose parts, natural materials, or storytelling props, it provides a beautiful backdrop for open-ended exploration.

In these moments, so much learning unfolds:
-Scientific inquiry as children begin asking questions about habitats, weather, and animal adaptations
-Language development as they create stories, describe landscapes, and share ideas with others
-Geographical awareness as children discover that different environments exist beyond their own experiences
-Imaginative play as children create adventures, solve problems, and invent stories within their own miniature Arctic world
-Collaboration and negotiation as children build shared narratives and play alongside one another

Small world play creates opportunities for children to make sense of both real and imagined experiences. As they construct miniature worlds, they build language, creativity, social understanding, and the confidence to explore ideas through play.

I wonder what questions might this invitation spark in your learning environment?

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site

20/07/2026

Sorting is about so much more than colour. Children are natural organisers.

Given a collection of objects, they'll instinctively begin to group, compare, arrange, and create order in ways that make sense to them. Sometimes they'll sort by colour. Other times by size, pattern, texture, or an idea only they can explain.

This crochet rainbow sorting bowl and coin set offers a beautiful invitation to explore those theories through play.

In these moments, so much learning unfolds:
-Early mathematical thinking as children sort, classify, compare and create patterns
-Fine motor development as little hands grasp, place and manipulate each coin
-Language development as children explain their thinking, describe similarities and justify their choices
-Problem-solving as they test different ways of organising the materials
-Imaginative play as the bowls become treasure baskets, café dishes, fairy homes, cooking pots, or anything else children imagine

What I love most about open-ended resources is that they don't prescribe one way to play. One child may spend twenty minutes carefully sorting by colour, while another transforms the bowls into a pretend bakery or uses the coins as magical treasures in a small world.

Both are deeply engaged in meaningful learning.

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site

18/07/2026

A spider they'll actually want to cuddle. Not every spider has to be scary!

This little Adopt-A-Pet Spider is soft, cuddly, and ready for all the adventures your child's imagination can dream up. Whether it's building a cosy web, going on a garden expedition, or joining a tea party with teddy, this little friend is sure to become part of some wonderful stories.

And while your child is busy playing, they're also:
-Building empathy as they care for their new pet
-Developing language through conversations and storytelling
-Growing confidence through imaginative role play
-Exploring the natural world by becoming curious about spiders and the important role they play in our environment
-Creating their own adventures, one story at a time

Pretend pets encourage children to practise nurturing behaviours and caring for others through play, helping them explore relationships and responsibility in a way that feels meaningful and fun.

The best toys don't tell children how to play. They simply invite them to imagine.

Would your little one give this spider a name?

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site

15/07/2026

One resource... so many possibilities for play.

Some of the most valuable resources in an early learning environment are often the simplest.

At first glance, these cotton reel colour matching boards invite children to recognise, sort and match colours. But spend a little time observing, and you'll see the play begin to evolve.

The reels become loose parts to stack, thread, pattern, count, compare, and organise. They become ingredients in a play kitchen, treasures to collect, or building materials for imaginative creations.

In these moments, so much learning unfolds:
-Visual discrimination as children notice similarities and differences
-Early mathematical thinking through sorting, matching, patterning and classifying
-Fine motor development as little hands grasp, place and manipulate each reel
-Problem-solving as children test ideas and develop their own strategies
-Imaginative play as the reels become anything children need them to be within their own stories and play

Open-ended resources like these invite children to think rather than simply find the "right" answer. They encourage exploration, experimentation, and the confidence to discover new ways of using familiar materials. Matching and sorting experiences like these also help build early mathematical thinking, visual discrimination and fine motor coordination through playful, hands-on exploration.

I love imagining these boards used alongside a basket of loose parts, natural materials, or in a maths invitation where children can explore patterns and relationships at their own pace.

How might children use these in your learning environment?

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site

12/07/2026

New Release: Crochet Potatoes! These sweet little potatoes hold a special place in my heart.

They were inspired by our wonderful kindergarten community and families who work hard as local spud farmers. Living in a region where potatoes are such an important part of our community, it felt only fitting to create a little handmade tribute to the people behind them.

Each Crochet Potato is lovingly handmade from acrylic blend yarn and features its own cute little dimples and personality. Perfect for play kitchens, small world play, market stalls, and learning about where our food comes from.

Sometimes the best ideas come from the communities around us, and these little spuds are a beautiful reminder of the connections between children, families, and the world they live in.

The Crochet Potatoes are now available on the website and ready to be added to your little one's collection! 🥔

Shop here: https://early-childhood-resources.square.site

10/07/2026

I completely forgot to share this gorgeous collection of handmade goodies that headed out in the post a few weeks ago.

I always love seeing Liz's name pop up in my emails. Liz is an Early Childhood Facilitator for Murrindindi Shire and runs beautiful playgroup and Parent Early Education Partnership programs across various locations.

Many years ago, Liz reached out to me after receiving my name from a mutual friend, and since then I have had the absolute privilege of bringing so many of her wonderful ideas to life. It is incredibly special to know that these handmade resources are being used to create authentic, engaging experiences for children and families within her programs.

This latest order was a beautiful assortment of sensory and play-based resources, lovingly handmade and thoughtfully chosen to support little learners. Seeing such a colourful collection come together on my worktable before heading off to its new home was pure joy.

Thank you, Liz, for your continued support over the years and for trusting me to create resources for your programs. It truly means the world to this little handmade business. 💕

09/07/2026

New Handmade Friends Have Arrived!

I'm so excited to introduce three colourful new additions to the Adopt-A-Pet collection:
-Rainbow Crochet Triceratops
-Crochet Elephant
-Crochet Balloon Dog

Each one has been lovingly handmade and is full of personality and charm, making them perfect for imaginative play, gifting, or adding to a special collection.

These are truly one-of-a-kind creations, with only one of each available. Once they're gone, they're gone!

They're now live on the website and ready to find their forever homes.
Shop now: https://early-childhood-resources.square.site

Which one would you choose – the playful Balloon Dog, the charming Elephant, or the colourful Triceratops? Let me know in the comments! 🥰

01/06/2026

Stories we know reimagined through play

There is something deeply meaningful about offering children familiar stories, and then watching them transform those stories into something entirely their own.

Inspired by the well-known tale of Little Red Riding Hood, this crochet cork character set invites children to step beyond listening, and into storytelling.

As children move the characters through space, they begin to explore the story in new ways, retelling, adapting, and sometimes completely rewriting what happens next.

In these moments, so much learning unfolds:
- Language development as children retell and extend the narrative
- Comprehension and sequencing as they explore the structure of the story
- Social understanding as they consider characters, choices, and consequences
- Imaginative play as children create new endings, roles, and possibilities beyond the original tale
- Confidence as children share their ideas and take ownership of the story

Traditional tales like this have been told and retold for generations, evolving across cultures and time, and in the hands of children, they continue to evolve still.

What makes resources like this so powerful is the way they invite children to move from hearing a story, to living it.

I love imagining these characters as part of a story basket, combined with loose parts, or used in small group storytelling where each child contributes their own ideas.

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site/product/crochet-red-riding-hood-set/249

30/05/2026

When children engage with the natural world, they are noticing, questioning, and making sense of change over time.

This wooden frog lifecycle set offers a tangible way for children to explore one of nature’s most remarkable transformations. As they handle each stage, from eggs to tadpole to frog, they are invited to slow down, observe, and wonder.

In these moments, so much learning unfolds:
- Scientific thinking as children explore life cycles and change over time
- Sequencing and understanding as they order each stage of development
- Language development as they describe, question, and share ideas
- Imaginative play as children create pond worlds, stories, and journeys for each stage
- A deeper connection to the natural environment and living things

Hands-on lifecycle resources support children to build understanding through experience, moving beyond abstract ideas into something they can see, touch, and explore. Learning about frog development, for example, helps children understand how animals grow and change through distinct stages

What makes this kind of resource so powerful is the way it invites both scientific inquiry and imaginative exploration, side by side.

What questions might this spark in your learning environment?

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site/product/wooden-frog-lifecycle-set/63

28/05/2026

A little jar of play that goes a long way

If your child loves pretend play, making cups of tea, running a little café, or “baking” just like you, then this biscuit jar set is one of those toys that will get used over and over again.

There’s something about opening a container, taking something out, and serving it up that children just love.

And while it might look like simple play, there’s so much happening behind the scenes:
- Building fine motor skills as little hands open, grasp, and serve
- Developing language through role play (“Would you like a biscuit?”)
- Practising social skills like sharing and turn-taking
- Using their imagination, creating cafés, tea parties, and their own little worlds
- Learning through everyday experiences they see at home

Pretend food like this is loved in early learning and at home because it brings real-life experiences into play, helping children make sense of their world while having fun

And the best part? No crumbs, no mess, just hours of imaginative play.

Perfect for:
✔ Play kitchens and cubby houses
✔ Tea parties with siblings or teddies
✔ Independent play time
✔ A beautiful, handmade gift

Would your little one run a cafe, or host a tea party?

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site/product/one-of-a-kind-crochet-biscuit-jar-set/NV5CDPKBVRREGR2RB6V2NQ47

Address

Ballarat, VIC
3350

Telephone

0437293556

Website

https://early-childhood-resources.square.site/

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