1966 - 2021
PLAY SCHOOL
Overview
Play School is an Australian Gold Logie award winning educational television show for children produced by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and then Southern Star Entertainment in 2014. It is the longest-running children's show in Australia, and the second longest running children's show in the world. In 2016, Play School celebrated 50 years on the air. An estimated 80% of pre-school children under six watch the programme at least once a week. It is screened twice every weekday afternoon at 3:05 pm on ABC1 every day 9:30 am and weekday 4:30 pm on ABC2's ABC4 Kids.
Seasons
Television
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Putting on a Show
Join Abi, Teo, Leah, Karen, Andrew and Sofya as they enjoy the fun of putting on a show! See them create costumes and props, and set up a theatre as they act out some favourite nursery rhymes and songs. There are plays with puppets, magic t...
Food
This series is about the many foods that children enjoy eating. Over the week, we prepare and cook a range of dishes using both everyday and not-so-common ingredients. We also look at presentation and decoration, such as making a table clot...
Dinosaurs
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Transport
This week in Play School we look at different kinds of transport, from the everyday – such as cars, trains and bicycles – to more unusual forms of getting from a to b – such as animals carrying their young in pouches and on their backs. On ...
Animals
Young children love watching, playing with and learning about animals – whether they are animals in the wild, animals at a farm or zoo or a family pet. Each day Play School concentrates on a different animal – lions on Monday, elephants on ...
Sea
This week in Play School we explore the sea. We look at all the interesting and fun things that can be found on the beach, such as sand, seaweed, shells and rock pools, as well as what can be found in the water, such as fish and other colou...
Doors and Windows
From an early age, children are fascinated by doors and windows, mainly because their curiosity is aroused. When a door or window is opened, the beginning of a new place or area is created; inside or outside, upstairs or downstairs, and the...
Buses & Trains
Buses and trains are fascinating for the preschool child. Their size, colour and shape are full of interest and excitement. Buying a ticket and sitting up and watching the world go by is a wonderful experience. Join us this week for lots of...
Eggs
This week on Play School we have fun with eggs! We look at some of the creatures that lay eggs, such as chickens and dinosaurs, as well as how eggs can be used in cooking and craft. Each day the Surprise Egg Calendar is shown.
Television
This week we show you how television programs like Play School are made! We go "behind the scenes" and take a look at pretend TV sets, cameras, microphones and lights. During the week we make a box television, put on our own television show...
What’s Next?
Logical sequencing is part of everybody's day. Children like to think about what’s next, whether it is getting up in the morning, dressing, washing, eating breakfast, preparing to go out on an excursion, counting or even watching a baby gro...
Rabbits
Rabbits are quiet animals that capture the curiosity and imagination of young children. Generations of young children have enjoyed the mischievous rabbits portrayed in the famous Beatrix Potter stories, "The Tale of Peter Rabbit" and "The ...
Ducks
Young children love playing with and looking at animals and this week in Play School we feature one of the most popular amongst pre-schoolers - ducks! Ducks and ducklings have featured in children's nursery rhymes, games and stories for ge...
Fingers & Toes
Fingers, toes, hands and feet are the first parts of the body recognised by young children. They are easily seen and enable children to move, explore, create and discover. This week in Play School we explore hands and feet through movement ...
Going Out
Young children love the excitement of "going out"! We look at some of the places and people young children might "go out" to visit in their day-to-day lives, such as to see family or friends, to do the shopping, or to go to play group or ki...
Colours
This week in Play School we learn about the three primary colours - red, blue and yellow - and what happens when they are mixed together. We also explore all the colours in the world around us. Each day we take a look at the Rainbow Calenda...
Hip Hip Hooray
"Hip Hip Hooray" is a phrase used by young children to express their joy, excitement and enthusiasm for celebrations. Celebrations can be big or small and young children enjoy them all. There are traditional holidays and religious celebrat...
Wheels
This week in Play School we explore wheels and the many ways they help us in our daily lives. Children are given the opportunity to explore how wheels help us move, work and play through activities, films, stories and songs.
Hair
Pre-school children are continually growing and changing. They are fascinated with how they look and enjoy looking at themselves in the mirror. Caring for hair is part of a young child's routine. Brushing, cutting, decorating and gelling ha...
Holes
This week in Play School we look at holes! Natural holes, man-made holes, holes dug by animals, holes used for play and holes of all different shapes and sizes! We also use holes in our arts & craft activities and games.
Collections
We all like to make collections of things that interest us. Collections can be simple, involving things in our everyday lives – such as collections of books, toys, plants or teapots - or they may be vast and detailed – such as exhibitions i...
Faces
A young baby first learns to recognise the familiar faces of parents, family and friends. As the child develops self awareness, they are very aware of how they look, and how they differ from those around them. They also notice the changes i...
Puppets
Puppets have been found in all cultures throughout history and are still enjoyed by many today. They can be used to tell stories, to entertain, to develop self confidence and expression and to explore theatrical performance. Puppets can exp...
Horses
This week in Play School we explore the appearance of different types of horses, their living environments and how they help us. Young children are always fascinated by the size, sound and movements of horses and enjoy trying to imitate the...
Paper
Paper is an accessible and versatile material with endless possibilities for imaginative play and creativity. Young children enjoy paper art and craft activities such as collage, painting, drawing, folding and cutting. They also enjoy using...
Frogs
Childhood is a period of enormous physical, mental and emotional development. Young children are very aware of the changes they are experiencing and can gain understanding of these changes by watching the physical development of animals and...
Nursery Rhymes
Nursery rhymes are traditional short poems and songs that have been passed down through the generations, such as "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep", "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star", "Mary, Mary Quite Contrary" and "Jack and Jill". They are familiar to ...
Here to There
Children love to move about from here to there, so this week in Play School we explore the different ways people and animals move through stories, play, music and games. We look at different modes of transport, including cars, trucks, buses...
Changes
Early childhood is characterised by change as enormous growth and development occurs within a short period of time - limbs lengthen, body shape changes, baby teeth disappear and new teeth come through. These physical and developmental chang...
Our Home
The home plays a vital role in the life of every child. Families live in a diverse range of environments; however integral to each home is a sense of belonging, a sense of being loved and a sense of self. Home is where we feel safe and secu...
Beginnings
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Nonsense
Children enjoy the absurdity and fun in nonsense rhymes and songs, so this week in Play School we explore the fun in being silly and crazy with mixed-up songs, animals and activities. To start the week we begin with an exciting concert! Ka...
Big and Little
This series of Play School explores the concept of opposites using one clear example - big and little. Throughout the week we look at lots of big and little things through craft, games, stories and music. We explore growth, size, space, din...
What to Wear
Choosing "what to wear" is a dilemma faced by children (and their parents) every day! Children often have very strong opinions about what they want to wear and like to choose clothes that reflect their feelings and personalities. Learning ...
Water
Water is essential to life on earth and this week in Play School we explore its importance through stories, songs, imaginative play and learning activities. We look at different bodies of water - such as the sea, rivers, ponds and lakes - a...
Building
Building is one way that young children begin to make sense of the world around them. It helps them understand the qualities of different materials and how these materials can be joined together to create something new. Children enjoy maki...
Communication
This week in Play School we explore and explain the many different ways we communicate with each other! We look at body language, speech, sound, music, letters, books and signs as well as modern forms of communication, such as computers, di...
Under
Young children are generally eager explorers, keen to investigate the world around them. They use their senses and their bodies as they encounter and play with new objects and explore familiar and unfamiliar places. Young children also like...
Tails
Waggy tails, swishy tails, curly tails! Tails of all different shapes, colours and sizes appear in Play School this week. We take a look at how different animals use their tails to fly, climb, balance and communicate. Looking at and talking...
Fruit and Vegetables
Current research suggests that a growing number of children are overweight and spending less time in active play and exercise. As a result, there is increasing community awareness of the need to establish healthy eating and exercise habits...
Five Senses
A young child's world is filled with new and exciting things to see, hear, smell, taste and touch! The five senses allow children to experience and explore the world around them and help them to develop an understanding of safe and unsafe s...
Adventure
Early childhood is a period of new discoveries as children explore the world around them and the opportunities it brings. An adventure can be as simple as finding new possibilities, from playing with a cardboard box to taking a trip somewhe...
Seasons
This week in Play School we explore the seasons! Summer, autumn, winter and spring each have a dedicated day. The essence and characteristics of each season are explored through songs, games, stories and craft activities. Each day the Play...
Again and Again
Repetition is the key to learning and mastering new skills. This week in Play School we endeavour to provide young children with the opportunity to enjoy and learn through the repetition of activities, songs, movement and stories. We also e...
Music
Young children are naturally musical. From first vocalisations to singing songs in tune and time with others, from tapping on household objects to producing carefully controlled instrumental accompaniments, the young child explores, listen...
Once Upon A Time
This week in Play School we have fun retelling traditional fairy tales. A fairy tale is a story told to children concerning the adventures of mythical characters such as fairies, unicorns, mermaids, giants and elves. These stories often inv...
Up
The opposites "up" and "down" are first learnt by babies as they are picked up and cuddled by care givers and put down to sleep. As they grow older, many things in young children's world are "up", simply because they are small and have to l...
Farms
This week Play School is filled with barns, windmills and tractors as we visit the farm and give children a sense of the farming lifestyle! We look at the different kinds of work that needs to be done on a farm, as well as food crops, conse...
Go
This week we explore things that 'go'! This includes human, animal and mechanical movement. Each day a 'go' obstacle course has been developed with a different theme to encourage creativity as well as gross motor coordination. Young child...
Whats Inside?
The early years are a period of rapid growth and intense learning as children discover aspects of themselves and the world around them. Young children are naturally curious. They are explorers and investigators eager to see, touch, smell an...
Shapes
Join the Play School presenters and your favourite toys in creative play with squares, circles, triangles and rectangles. Explore the shapes we find all around us in our homes and gardens, our own shapes and animal shapes, with songs, stor...
Pets
Pets play an important role in the lives of many young children. Learning to care for pets, whether they are small animals such as goldfish, or larger animals such as cats or dogs, helps children develop a sense of responsibility. For those...
How Does Your Garden Grow?
Most young children enjoy digging in the dirt whether it be in a garden or in a pot of soil. Being involved in gardening can help young children develop many new skills. These include understanding, co-operation and self-confidence. Childre...
Arts and Crafts
Paint and paste, pour, squish and squeeze with Justine, Andrew, Jonny, Teo, Leah and Emma as they have fun exploring all sorts of ways to create pictures and sculptures. In this series Play School visits some well-known artists and watches ...
Let's Find Out
Children are naturally inquisitive and want to know about the world around them. Experiences that encourage children to question how or why things happen are a science experience. This week in Play School we adopt a "finding out" attitude ...
Putting on a Show
Many young children like to put on a show for an audience. This can be simply singing a song to a parent, or putting on a puppet show with friends. Audiences can be family, friends or even toys. This week's activities, songs, stories and f...
Fun and Games
Young children love to play and have fun as they explore the world around them. Playing games is a great way to learn new skills, build physical strength and coordination, practice new words and phrases and solve problems creatively. Playin...
How Many?
Leaning to count is the first mathematical concept taught to young children. By seeing, hearing and writing numbers over and over, young children learn number recognition, number order and one-to-one correspondence. This week in Play Schoo...
In the Bush
In this series, Play School is filled with native flora and fauna as we explore the unique Australian bush! Each day this week we take our "gumnut people", Barney Banksia and Gabriella Gumnut, for a walk through the bush where they find na...
Put On Your Hat
This week in Play School we explore the theme of "Put on Your Hat" through music, stories, craft and play. Every day this week, we visit the Play School hat shop where a hat for every occasion can be found. On Wednesday, we take a special r...
My Favourite Things
Young children are curious about the world and enjoy exploring new objects and places. They also find security and pleasure through revisiting and reconnecting with familiar people, places and things. In this series of Play School we focus ...
Day and Night
In this series Play School explores the routines and patterns that children may participate in at different times of the day and night. On Monday we explore what happens at dawn. Take a journey and investigate the changes associated with da...
Messy
This week in Play School, we explore sensory play and the theme of "messy". Sensory play utilises all five senses, but the sense of touch is the most frequent focus of "messy play". Sensory play encourages creativity, exploration of materi...
Sand and Sea
In this series of Play School we explore an environment enjoyed by many young Australians - the beach! For those children familiar with the sand and sea, this series of programs provides many opportunities to revisit experiences of playful ...
Stomping with Dinosaurs
Young children enjoy learning about dinosaurs and using their imaginations to think about what their world might have been like in pre-historic times. Children also enjoy stomping about and roaring like dinosaurs and looking at pictures of ...
In The Wild
The In the Wild series recognises that young children are curious investigators, who learn about the world around them as they play, discover and explore. In the Wild encourages a spirit of adventure as young children and their families are...
Babies
The arrival of a baby is a new beginning for every family, bringing lots of joy and change to all. This week in Play School we learn about babies and their growing stages through songs, stories, films and creative play. We also look at wa...
All Aboard
This week in our All Aboard! series we create many opportunities for children to extend their knowledge about trains as a form of transport. We achieve this through role play, painting, singing and cooking activities. Each episode feature...
Shake, Rattle and Roll
Young children are very responsive to sound and movement, particularly in the form of rhythm and music. They love to move their hands and feet and whole bodies in response to variations in pitch, tempo and rhythm. In this series of Play S...
Mini Beasts
We see insects and other small creatures almost every day of our lives. These "mini beasts" are one of the first introductions young children have to the natural world. They come in countless varieties, shapes, colours, patterns and sizes a...
Machines
Young children are wide eyed and curious about the world around them. They are eager to understand how things work. Like scientists they observe, touch and manipulate objects. They formulate ideas and hypotheses and test their theories in p...
Yum!
In the series Yum! we enjoy the process of growing and eating nutritious, healthy foods. In each episode, our presenters pick an ingredient from the Play School garden and use it in a cooking activity. The range of cooking activities displ...
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes is about getting children up and active. It is a series which celebrates this special time in the life span when young children are finding out about what their bodies can do. Through play, dance and drama th...
Let's Pretend
Let's Pretend aims to nurture the imagination, creativity and a sense of wonder. Imaginative play not only provides enjoyment to young children, but it also helps them understand the real world and their place in it. It can also help them ...
Patterns
This Play School series aims to develop a child's awareness of patterns in everyday life; visual patterns, patterns in sound and music and patterns in daily routines. Across the series, we find and create a wide variety of patterns - from ...
Opposites
Up and down, happy and sad, big and small, hot and cold - this week in Play School we look at opposites! Opposites are one of the simplest and most important concepts for pre-schoolers to understand. It helps them to improve their communic...
Going Out
Young children are curious about new experiences and opportunities. During the first years of life even the simplest places offer new adventures for sensing, investigating, moving and playing. In this series we explore some of the many poss...
I Can Do This
During the first five years of life young children develop from total dependency on others to active and independent human beings. This is a time of wide-eyed looking, careful listening, lots of touching, smelling and tasting and lots of mo...
Colours
From a very early age, children are interested in colour in their world. Discovering, mixing and matching colours are exciting experiences that encourage imagination. We explore colour in nature, painting, culture, food and experiments. We...
Hip Hip Hooray
In this Play School series we celebrate with a big "Hip Hip Hooray" as we have fun at Maurice's birthday, make party hats, play pass the parcel and welcome young kittens. "Hip Hip Hooray" expresses joy, excitement and enthusiasm at celebra...
Nursery Rhymes
Come and join us as we play with Nursery Rhymes, with fun characters, lots of music and movement, and new surprises every day on The Nursery Rhyme Peek-a-Boo board. The catchy rhythm and rhyming patterns of Nursery Rhymes are easy to recal...
Knock, Knock!
Who will be knocking at the Play School door when some surprise guests come to visit? Will it be an artist, or a dragon, a magician or a new pet? Having visitors at home, visiting new places or visiting family and friends is an exciting ex...
Me & My Place
This week we explore life in all sorts of different places. Find out what it's like living on a farm, living in an apartment, living in a house, living on an island and even living in an underground dug out in Cooper Pedy! Join us as we vi...
Make & Mould
In this series of Play School we make and mould with a range of different materials found in the home and outdoors. We discover how objects and materials can be used in creative and interesting ways and use them in play and storytelling. J...
Changes Everywhere
Childhood is a time of change. It's a time of enormous growth and development - limbs lengthen, body shape changes, baby teeth disappear and new teeth come through. This week in Play School, we explore changes in the weather, seasons, plan...
Putting It All Together
Like puzzles, many aspects of a child's life involves different pieces that are put together to make the whole. In this series of Play School we explore the idea of parts and whole and different ways of putting it all together. There are m...
Tip Tap Toe
In a very short time young children go from babies just learning to roll over, to toddlers walking and climbing, to children able to run and jump, start and stop and change direction. Young children are eager to move and practice their new...
Round and Round
This week in Play School we discover things that go round and round! Join us as we spin the Spinners are Grinners Wheel and learn about things that twist, turn and twirl in the home, on the farm, in the city and outdoors. We also explore ...
Faces and Feelings
In this series of Play School we use a diverse range of stories, songs, craft and play to explore faces and feelings. The human face is a first and most significant focus for the new born infant. Faces are full of life and variation and ca...
Dig
Young children are both physical and sensory explorers and so love to dig. Digging in sand and soil, gravel and even sticky mud provides lots of opportunities for energetic action. It also offers encounters with all the different materials...
Let's Experiment
In this series of Play School, children and their carers are invited to marvel at the amazing results of mixing ingredients as they experience the joy of discovering the wonders of science and the natural world. Young children are extremel...
Splash
Water is everywhere in a preschooler's world. They drink it, wash in it, cook with it, paint with it and play in it during their day. Exploring properties of water provides children the opportunity to scoop, pour, blow, create and feel. Th...
Imagine
Come along with us in this series of Play School, on our adventure into the wonderful world of possibilities as we imagine through making, story-telling, singing and dancing. As play moves beyond exploration and discovery young children be...
Carnival of the Animals
Come along now, come and see the finest animals on land, air and sea! In this series of Play School we introduce young children to the wonderful music of Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens. It is a playful work full of musical variety...
Collections
This series of Play School is all about collections. Encouraging young children to have their own collections enables them to develop many important skills. Children sharpen their literacy and numeracy as they label, classify, sort and ord...
My Family, Your Family
A family is those who love and care for you. Young children need love and care for their health, well-being, for play and for learning. Families are different and may include mums, dads, cousins, grandparents, aunties and uncles, brothers ...
Moving Pictures
On Play School this week, we explore the creative use of technology through our exploration of moving pictures. In this series, we encourage children to create their own moving pictures by making up their own stories, having a go at directi...
Let's Explore
Early childhood is a time when children are curious about the world around them. Children are very keen to discover and invent new ideas as they play with familiar objects and toys at home. Let's Explore focuses on the joy of discovering. ...
Come to the Party!
In this series, every day is a celebration. Each episode will focus on an event that is important and familiar in the pre-schoolers' world, with a strong focus on birthdays. Celebrations often involve gatherings of family and friends. Along...
Communication
Join the Play School presenters as they look at the many ways we communicate with each other. Sometimes we might speak to each other. Other times we might use our bodies by nodding our head 'yes', shaking our head 'no' or pointing in diffe...
Helping Hands
This series of Play School is all about helping hands. The concept of helping is central to how children develop; both through the help that others give them and through the opportunities young children have to help others. Children learn s...
What To Wear
Learn more about your favourite items of clothing with all new episodes of Play School.
Cubbies
This week on Play School we explore wonderful world of cubbies. Cubbies are special places at any age but for young children they have particular significance as places of belonging, security and imagination. Young children like to find and...
Trees
This series of Play School is all about trees. Trees play a fundamental role in our lives - providing beauty, shelter, materials, and resources. They are also home to many animals and other plants. Humans coexist with trees and children le...
Here To There
In this series of Play School, we explore the many ways of moving and modes of transport to get from here to there. We look at different types of transport including tricycles, road trains and rocket ships. Through a series of playful exper...
Tools
Tools are devices that help us to get jobs done. Young children are introduced to tools and what they are used for as they watch adults use tools in everyday experiences. They copy and pretend and enjoy learning to use simple tools for them...
Five Senses
A young child's world is filled with new and exciting things to see, hear, smell, taste and touch! The five senses allow children to experience and explore the world around them and help them to develop an understanding of safe and unsafe s...
Up, Up and Away
This series of Play School is all about how things move and travel through air. We focus on a range of objects and movement to explore how things go up, up and away. This series introduces up, up and away science with a mix of fun experimen...
Create, Code, Go!
Rachael and Nicholas program a cleaning robot to help with housework, paint an underwater mural, experiment with oil and water and make fruity ice cubes. Through the windows we meet a marine biologist who looks after dugongs!
Where I Belong
In the heart-warming series 'Where I Belong', we learn about the value of intergenerational friendship and the importance of strengthening community connection. We meet a Banksia family and are introduced to their world – a banksia communit...
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