Description:
Early Childhood Webinar Series
We’re excited to announce that the Early Childhood Webinar Series will continue in 2026. With a focus on mathematics in early childhood education, these sessions are designed to support your professional learning and explore how maths can be thoughtfully embedded in play-based and emergent curricula. Bringing together current research and practitioner expertise, each webinar will spotlight a key aspect of early childhood mathematics, offering practical strategies, fresh insights, and inspiring examples to help you notice, nurture, and extend mathematical thinking through everyday play.
Webinar Three:Patterning and Symmetry in play
Patterning ability and understanding of patterns and symmetry in the early years are foundational to the ongoing development of mathematical concepts. Patterning and symmetry are strong predictors of later mathematical success, and yet educators are unaware of the importance of these concepts for children’s learning and development. Rich opportunities for exploration of patterns and symmetry exist through play, and as co-investigators, educators can enrich this learning with intentional practice.
This webinar explores the importance of patterning and symmetry in the early years, and how educators can:
- strengthen their capacity to notice opportunities for learning in children’s play;
- plan provisions and use loose parts for exploration in patterning and symmetry; and
- bring patterning and symmetry to life in the early childhood environment with rich intentional pedagogy and practice.
Dr Jo Grimmond is a Senior Lecturer in Early Childhood Education at Charles Sturt University. Jo’s career spans over 30 years in early childhood education, where her roles comprised of teacher and director within preschools, long day care services and primary schools, community engagement coordinator supporting early childhood services in regional and remote areas of NSW, and professional learning manager, facilitator, and content creator for peak early childhood not-for-profit national organisations. Jo has been lecturing in early childhood education for 10 years and completed her PhD in 2024 which involved the development of a play-based numeracy assessment tool using blocks for educators to assess children’s mathematical capabilities
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