Aistear is the new early childhood curriculum framework for children from birth to six years in Ireland. Because early childhood marks the beginning of children’s lifelong learning journeys, this framework is called Aistear, the Irish word for journey.

Active learning involves children learning by doing things. They use their senses to explore and work with the objects and materials around them and they interact enthusiastically with the adults and other children that they meet. Through these experiences, children develop the dispositions, skills, knowledge, and understanding, attitudes, and values that will help them to grow as confident and competent learners:

• dispositions such as curiosity, independence, perseverance and playfulness
• skills such as walking, climbing, cutting, and mark-making
• attitudes and values such as respect for others, care for the environment and positive attitudes to learning and to life
• knowledge and understanding such as developing a sense of colour, shape and number, learning how things work and that words have meaning.

More information on Aistear can be found here:

Aistear Link