Sonas centres embraced the opportunity to celebrate and nurture our children during Children’s Week 2022 with a series of fun, upbeat and educational activities.
The annual national celebration of children’s rights, talents and citizenship, organised by the National Association for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (NAPCAN), was held from October 22 to 30.
This year, the theme was based on United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, Article 27: “You have the right to food, clothing, a safe place to live and to have your basic needs met. You should not be disadvantaged so that you can’t do many of the things other kids can do”.
Whether as a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, or as a relative or friend, our children continue to surprise, amaze and bring immense joy to our lives.
David Hurley, Governor-General and National Patron of the Children’s Week Council of Australia
Using resources from NAPCAN, Sonas Wattle Grove worked on a series of activities, including mind maps that focussed on children’s voiced being heard. They asked questions about what they liked about day care, school, sporting clubs and time with friends.
Children at Wattle Grove also drew pictures of activities that they like to participate with their friends, families and teachers.
At Sonas Gosnells, the team shared a children’s podcast a day in the Zen room. The celebration was supported by the exploration of events to support wellbeing, including bubble breath activities to ‘blow our feelings up’, creating music from singing bowls for mindful art; and a Zen diary to encourage children to draw ‘feelings monsters maps’.
The team at Sonas Atwell also created mind maps to educate children about their rights and cooked meals with the children to provide to women’s and children’s centres.
Sonas Owner/General Manager Shelley Prendergast said giving children the best opportunities to thrive was central to the Sonas ethos, and centres had worked hard to integrate wellbeing and rights-based activities in day-to-day teachings during the week.
“Children are the cornerstone of all we do at Sonas and the happiness, joy and wellbeing of young people is paramount,” Shelley said.
“We all have a responsibility to advocate for and educate children about their right to enjoy a positive, loving, happy and carefree childhood.”
National Patron of the Children’s Week Council of Australia and Governor-General David Hurley said this year’s them was apt because the issue of wellbeing had featured prominently in national conversations over the past 12 months.
“The theme reminds us that children are not immune to the compounding impacts of the pandemic and natural disasters. It is incumbent on all carers of children to closely monitor not only their child’s wellbeing but also their own,” he said.
“Notwithstanding the pressures that many Australians are under at the present time, it is important that we make time to celebrate Children’s Week.
“Whether as a parent, grandparent or great-grandparent, or as a relative or friend, our children continue to surprise, amaze and bring immense joy to our lives.”
