Children’s Agency: Supporting Independence, Identity and Belonging in Early Learning

Children's agency is at the heart of early learning. It's about recognising children as capable, curious individuals with the right to make choices and influence their world.

When we truly support agency, we're not just encouraging independence; we're laying the groundwork for identity, belonging, and lifelong skills like critical thinking, collaboration and self-regulation.

This blog, written by Steve Moore from Firefly HR, explores what agency really looks like in early learning settings and how educators can create meaningful opportunities for children to lead, contribute and grow.

Why Children's Agency Matters

Childhood is a time of rapid growth and increasing independence. As children develop, they become more capable of making choices, expressing preferences and shaping their world in meaningful ways. These aren't just developmental milestones, they're signs of agency - a child's growing understanding that they have influence over what happens to and around them.

Agency matters.

It's more than just giving children a say. When children have genuine opportunities to make decisions, solve problems, and express opinions, they build strong identities and a sense of belonging. They feel competent and valued. They learn to think critically, collaborate with others and manage the consequences of their actions. These are skills for life.

Children’s Agency in the EYLF and NQS

The Early Years Learning Framework defines agency as "being able to make choices and decisions, to influence events and to have an impact on one's world" (EYLF, p. 64). It appears throughout the framework and is explicitly embedded in Learning Outcomes 1, 3 and 4.

Similarly, the National Quality Standard expects educators to promote each child's agency (Element 1.2.3). But supporting agency takes more than simply offering a choice between a red or blue crayon.

Children's agency is supported through meaningful interactions, responsive routines and environments designed with children, not just for them. It requires educators to step back at times, to trust children's capabilities and allow space for independent thinking, negotiation and even disagreement. This can feel uncomfortable. But it's in that discomfort that powerful learning and growth happen.

So, what does agency look like in practice?

• Real choices: Open-ended materials and flexible environments empower children to make decisions about where, how and with whom they play. Even small decisions build confidence.

• Responsive routines: Using behaviour rather than the clock as a cue for transitions, or letting children serve their own lunch, gives them real control over their day.

• Shared power: Asking children for input when setting up learning experiences, planning projects, or reflecting on the day models collaboration and respect.

• Respectful communication: Taking children’s ideas seriously, responding thoughtfully and scaffolding their ability to express themselves deepens their capacity for critical thinking and decision-making.

Supporting children's agency doesn't mean giving up all structure or control. It means intentionally creating space for children to take the lead within safe, supportive boundaries. The educator's role is to listen, to notice, and to respond - not just to manage.

Children are not passive recipients of care and education. They are active participants, co-constructors of knowledge and capable members of a learning community.

When we treat them this way, we don't just meet a quality standard. We meet children where they are, and we help them grow into thoughtful, resilient and connected citizens.