The recognition of children 's current abilities, knowledges and agency is critical if children are to feel like valued members of their communities and society. Children 's contributions to a changing world rely upon practitioners and professionals creating spaces for a culture of childhood to thrive. This might include recognition of the ways in which children can learn through play, construct their own learning contexts, and participate in learning with and from others-although we must be careful not to uncritically assume and impose Western cultural norms in what is an increasingly multi-cultural world.
The acknowledgement of a culture of childhood also enables alternative ways of assessing learning. Accepting the significance of children 's abilities, knowledges and agencies allows a broader view of what children can do, and also allows us to take a broader view of their overall development than that prescribed by a curriculum predicated on school readiness. Then the culture of childhood as a significant part of life can more easily be recognised and celebrated.