Newsfeed
At Pathways Early Years, we believe that in the preschool years, children learn through their whole body—not just through what they see and hear. Our friendship carnival on 8 August 2026 brought this idea to life with a morning centred around curiosity, movement, discovery and togetherness.
This year’s theme was The Seven senses, taking children beyond the familiar five senses of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch to also discover their proprioceptive and vestibular senses.
The Carnival transformed our preschool into a series of sensory learning spaces, each offering children a different way to investigate and engage. Through carefully designed experiences, children observed colours and details, listened to sounds, explored textures, identified different scents and experienced a variety of tastes. Each space encouraged them to slow down, notice, make choices and respond in their own way.
Movement was an equally important part of the morning. Activities involving balancing, spinning and changes in body position introduced children to their vestibular sense, which helps us understand movement, balance and our relationship with gravity. Through pushing, pulling, carrying and other physical challenges, they also engaged their proprioceptive sense—the body’s ability to understand where it is and how it is moving in space.
Rather than learning these concepts through explanation, children encountered them naturally through play. They were encouraged to notice how their bodies responded, make choices, try things in different ways and discover what felt interesting to them.
And, of course, the carnival was also a celebration of friendship. Children enjoyed the morning alongside their friends, sharing discoveries, helping one another and finding joy in simple moments of play. Parents and families joined in too, creating a relaxed space where adults could see the children’s curiosity and enthusiasm unfold.
There was laughter, movement, messy hands, moments of concentration and plenty of excited conversations. Some children approached new activities cautiously, while others were eager to jump right in. Each child found their own way of participating, making the morning as individual as the children themselves.
The experience reflected an important part of our approach at Pathways Early Years: learning does not always need to look like learning. Sometimes it looks like balancing, listening closely, getting messy, moving freely, sharing with a friend or simply being curious about something new.
The friendship carnival gave children the opportunity to understand their senses through real experiences while strengthening their connections with friends and family. It was a morning filled with movement, discovery and joyful moments—and a lovely reminder of how much young children can learn when they are given the freedom to experience the world around them.
Most importantly, it was a celebration of childhood: curious minds, active bodies, happy friendships and the joy of discovering something new together.
