Children’s Literature and the Early Years Learning Framework

This paper looks at the value of using children’s literature to achieve the outcomes of the re-cently released Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF). The author makes a case for curriculum developers and higher education trainers of early childhood carers and educators to understand the value of using children’s literature as a resource to achieve the outcomes of the EYLF. The author firstly looks at the background and key aims of the EYLF. The author examines research evidence of the uses of children’s literature in values education and in the social, emotional and the psy-chological development of the child. The author also examines research that relates to challenges of poor and biased text selection as well as the impact of teacher attitudes on text selection and use. The paper concludes with a challenge to curriculum designers and higher education providers to consider these challenges in order to ensure that early childhood educators receive appropriate training and curriculum guidance to best achieve the outcomes of the EYLF