Draft: Local Queensland early childhood educator review pending.
Rights: © NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026. CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (original work; note changes if adapted).
About 10–15 minutes. Planning link: QKLG 2024 Identity; EYLF V2.0 Outcome 1. The child chooses and explains, but can also keep a choice private. Framework sources.
Gather: A tea towel or sheet of paper and three safe, large everyday objects such as a spoon, toy block and sock. No precious items are needed.
Invite: “Let's make a tiny museum. What should be in it?” Lay out the objects and let the child add, remove, rearrange or replace them. The child can be the curator, a visitor, a guide or an observer. Change the museum's name if they want.
Say: “Which one will go first?” “What would you like visitors to notice?” “Do we need a sign, or can you show me another way?” If the child says “I don't know,” offer two objects and wait. They can change their mind.
Notice, without scoring: What caught their interest? How did they show a preference, make a decision or revisit it? A gesture, pause or moving an item counts as communication; there is no right collection.
Change the route: Try a museum of textures, shapes, things that roll or things from a favourite pretend world. A child may choose with eye gaze, pointing, AAC or an adult moving objects at their direction. Invite names in home languages; accept a made-up label. Offer a quieter one-object display if the table feels busy. For a tactile route, let the child handle each object before deciding where it goes.
Screen: None needed. Optional: photograph the arrangement to compare with a later version on the same device, with family permission and no upload.