Embracing and embedding the rich cultural knowledge, languages, concepts and skills that Aboriginal families and children bring to playgroup is key to empowering families as their children’s first teachers and strengthening young children’s self-esteem, pride, confidence and identities. In this article, we share our story of how we have explored and upheld the strengths of Yolŋu identity, cultural knowledge and language in the Galiwin’ku Families as First Teachers (FaFT) playgroup early educational program. We highlight the ways we have supported mothers to embed gesture, sign language, Yolngu Matha language conventions, Yolŋu kinship, clan concepts and dance into their daily interactions with their children at FaFT. We reflect on what has empowered mothers to feel agentic in their children’s learning in these playgroups and to build strong Yolŋu identities in young children and argue that playgroup is a vital educational platform through which to deliver culturally meaningful early learning experiences for Aboriginal children prior to preschool.

接受并嵌入原住民家庭和儿童带给游戏小组的丰富文化知识、语言、概念和技能，是让家庭成为孩子的第一任老师并增强幼儿自尊、自豪感、自信和身份认同的关键。在本文中，我们将分享我们如何探索和维护 Yolŋu 身份、文化知识和语言优势的故事，这些优势在 Galiwin'ku Families as First Teachers (FaFT) 游戏小组早期教育计划中。我们强调了我们支持母亲在 FaFT 与孩子的日常互动中嵌入手势、手语、Yolngu Matha 语言惯例、Yolŋu 亲属关系、氏族概念和舞蹈的方式。