The Research Behind Why We Don’t Push Kids to Finish Their Plate
Most of us grew up hearing “finish your plate.” It’s one of the most common instructions given at family dinner tables, and one of the most consistently contradicted by nutrition and child development research.
The Future Starts With Us: Recognising the Expertise Behind Every Day
On Wednesday 2 September, Australia observes Early Childhood Educators’ Day, recognising the professionals who guide our youngest learners through some of the most formative years of their lives. This year’s theme, The Future Starts With Us, speaks to the responsibility, and the privilege, that comes with that role. It’s been a demanding year for the early education sector in Australia, and today is a chance to recognise the professionals who’ve continued to show up for children and families throughout it.
Book Week 2026: The Evidence Behind Why Stories Matter for School Readiness
Book Week 2026 runs from Saturday 22 August to Friday 28 August, with this year’s CBCA theme, “Symphony of Stories,” celebrating the many voices a single book can hold. At Papilio, we mark Book Week the way we approach everything in our Lifelong Learning Curriculum, by looking closely at what the research tells us about why an activity matters, not just how to celebrate it.
National Science Week 2026: The Evidence Behind Every Child’s First Experiments
Last week, at one Papilio centre, the water table became the site of a genuine scientific dispute. Two children were convinced their leaf-boats would float. A third wasn’t so sure. What followed was several minutes of testing, retesting, and a fairly serious debate about whose boat was “winning.”
NAIDOC Week 2026: Embedding First Nations Perspectives in the Papilio Curriculum
Meaningful cultural education for young children is intentional, evidence-informed, and consistent, not confined to a single week of the year. NAIDOC Week 2026 (6-13 July) offers Papilio families a window into how First Nations perspectives are embedded within our Lifelong Learning Curriculum, and why this approach matters for children’s early development.
The Science of Warm: Our Dietitian-Designed Winter Menu Is Here
Every meal we serve at Papilio Early Learning is intentional. As our 2026 Winter Menu launches across our centres, we want to share not just what’s on the menu, but why every ingredient, every dish, and every bite has been chosen with care. This is nutrition grounded in evidence, prepared fresh each day, and designed to support the whole child through the cooler months ahead.
Fussy Eaters in Early Childhood: What the Research Says, and How We Support Children at the Table
If your child is refusing foods they happily ate last week, surviving on a rotating shortlist of safe options, or treating new foods like a genuine threat, you’re witnessing one of the most well-documented phases of early childhood development. Fussy eating isn’t a reflection of your parenting, and it isn’t permanent. At Papilio, we take an evidence-informed approach to mealtimes – one that supports children to expand their palates gradually, without pressure, and with the developmental science firmly in mind.
The Developmental Science of Risky Play – Why Challenge, Risk and Outdoor Exploration Matter in the Early Years
The word “risk” tends to make parents uneasy, and understandably so. But in the context of early childhood development, risk is not the opposite of safety. It is, in fact, a necessary ingredient in children’s physical, cognitive, social, and emotional growth. A substantial body of research now supports what experienced early childhood educators have long understood: children who are given the opportunity to engage with managed risk in play develop more robustly across a range of developmental domains than those whose play is consistently risk-free. Here’s what the science says, and how Papilio approaches it in practice.
From Story to Learning: Papilio Celebrates National Simultaneous Storytime 2026
At Papilio, we know that the most powerful learning experiences don’t happen by accident. They’re crafted, intentionally, thoughtfully, by educators who understand what children need. National Simultaneous Storytime is one of those moments: a national event with deep educational purpose, and an opportunity for early childhood educators to do what they do best.
National Reconciliation Week 2026 – First Nations Learning, Country, and the Early Years
National Reconciliation Week, held each year from 27 May to 3 June, is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to reflect on what reconciliation requires of each of us. The 2026 theme, All In, is a call to move beyond good intentions and commit to meaningful action, every day. In early childhood education, that action begins with what we choose to teach, how we choose to teach it, and whose knowledge we recognise as worthy of a child’s earliest learning.