'Play your voice out'

17/04/2026

The Centre has piloted the Voice of the Child toolkit with children aged 3–12 across three community health services and two early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings in Victoria.

In partnership with Polyglot Theatre, we have supported services to meaningfully involve children in matters affecting them through playful, child led approaches. One child described the project as giving kids a space to ‘play your voice out’ (age 5). What has emerged is a powerful demonstration of how genuinely listening to children can transform experiences for children, families and practitioners.

Across all sites, children responded with enthusiasm, often asking for more opportunities to participate in the creative activities. They enjoyed having space to express themselves in ways that felt natural, playful and entirely their own. In health settings, families reported calmer, more regulated children and noticed shifts in mood and communication.

In one regional paediatric clinic, a clinician observed that after participating in the project, a child was the calmest and ‘most settled they had ever seen during an appointment’. Moments like this highlight the value of bringing creativity into health settings and offering children agency in environments where they often have little.

In early learning centres, educators reflected on the professional value of this work. Educators experimented with creative activities aligned to the research questions, prompting new ways for them to support children’s ideas and lead their own learning.

The Voice of the Child pilot has also sparked ongoing activities at participating sites. Some are now extending story based explorations to ease transitions between home and ECEC, while others are trialling non verbal morning check ins that use creative materials to help children share their emotions.

‘The Voice of the Child project reminded me how important it is to slow down and really listen to what children are interested in and trying to express. It encouraged me to involve children more in decision-making.’ 

- Early years educator

Services have responded with enthusiasm. One service has invited the Voice of the Child team to present site‑level findings to their broader organisational network. This is an important platform to elevate children’s ideas and advocate for meaningful implementation. Another has already implemented changes by expanding how they capture children’s feedback, dedicating newsletter space to children’s voices, and involving children directly in creating their learning portfolios. This service has even taken their site level report to local council, where children’s insights are now informing discussions about play space design.

Through this work, we are humbly reminded that, ‘grown-ups don’t actually know everything’ (child, age 4). These early outcomes signal a growing shift toward systems that genuinely listen to and act on children’s voices. 

Voice Lab: What is the best thing adults can learn from children? 

'That kids have an opinion too. That kids should have their say.'

- Child, age 12

Alice Ghazarian, Voice of the Child Implementation Lead

Access the Voice of the Child Toolkit

CCCH would like to acknowledge Minderoo Foundation, for their support to test and refine the Voice of the Child toolkit in early childhood education and care settings across Australia.

Polyglot Theatre’s project, Creative Kids Thrive! is supported by VicHealth through the Growing Healthy Communities grant. This includes Polyglot’s participation in research at community healthcare settings, conducted in partnership with CCCH.