Queensland migrant Maria Loyola starts playgroup to keep Philippines connection strong

When Maria Loyola moved to Australia five years ago, adjusting to life in a new country was a challenge, and she found herself longing for the social interactions she used to enjoy back in the Philippines. 

 

This feeling only intensified, and she found herself feeling isolated. 

 

“I’m an extrovert, so it was difficult for me. I love going out and meeting people,” she shared with SBS. When her son was six months old, she learnt about playgroups, and soon sought out a playgroup which would connect her up with fellow Filipino families. 

 

“I was browsing through the website of Play Matters, a not-for-profit organisation that listed playgroups. I saw they had Japanese, Mandarin playgroups. I looked for Filipino playgroups. There was none.”

 

She conducted a survey to establish how much interest there would be in such a group, and decided to start her own with the help of Play Matters. 

 

The  Little Filos Filipino Playgroup began last February, and is currently run by Ms Loyola along with three other volunteers, one of whom is an early childhood educator.

 

“Playgroups are great because they help kids socialise, hone their gross motor and fine motor skills, and in our group, to learn the Filipino language and culture,” she said.

 

Rather than a formal learning approach which explicitly teaches children language, the playgroup helps children to learn about Filipino culture and language through play, songs, arts and crafts. 

 

The group has taken inspiration from local library sessions which involve books and songs. 

 

“One of our children who is half-Dutch really looks forward to our Filipino songs, like Sampung Mga Daliri, and Nagniningning Munting Bituin,” Ms Loyola shared. 

 

Each session has a theme, and six play-based learning stations. In a recent session the theme was animals, and children sang the Filipino version of Old Macdonald Had a Farm.

 

For Ms Loyola, the playgroup is more than about connecting with other Filipino parents and children, it’s about connecting with her own identity and passing that on to her child.

 

“I love the Philippines and I love being Filipino. I want my son to grow up knowing our culture and speaking our language,” she said. 

 

Access the original coverage of this story here.