Parents have said a Queensland Government trial to get three-year-old children into primary school classrooms from next year will pose a challenge for full-time working families.

Key points: The Queensland Government will fund early education teachers to lead the lessons which start in Term 1 next year

The Queensland Government will fund early education teachers to lead the lessons which start in Term 1 next year Several trial schools are in Ipswich and south-west Brisbane

Several trial schools are in Ipswich and south-west Brisbane The Queensland Teachers Union is concerned the trial might put pressure on school staff

The State Government will spend $2.2 million rolling out a free pilot program called 'KindyLinQ' across 40 schools which will see children prepare for kindy by attending lessons for six hours a week, focusing on 'outdoor play experiences, shared storytelling, music and rhymes'.

The children will need to be accompanied by a parent or carer.

Brisbane mother-of-three Vanessa Hunt said she might consider enrolling her three-year-old daughter, but had some reservations.

"I don't mind the idea," she said.

"It's an opportunity for families who might be feeling isolated to socialise and for kids to meet kids their age, but I don't know if the school environment is the best place for that."

"I do have concerns that it would automatically eliminate parents working full time.

"Committing six hours a week [during working hours] with a three-year-old can be tricky.

"There needs to be some flexibility."

Education Minister Grace Grace said 'KindyLinQ' would help young children get ready for school.

"For many, kindy can initially be a daunting step-up and we want all our children to get a great start," she said.

"KindyLinQ will act as a soft entry to kindy, encouraging parents and caregivers to actively participate in these play-based learning sessions with their child."

Union to monitor trial amid concerns over teacher demand

It will be up to principals and teachers to decide when and how the program will run in each school.

The State Government will fund an early education coordinator and teacher to lead the classes which will each have between 16 and 20 children.

Queensland Teacher's Union president Kevin Bates said teachers and principals were already under immense stress.

The Queensland Teachers Union generally says getting children into school earlier is "important". ( ABC News: Anna Hartley )

"We have a general concern about workload pressures on schools," he said.

"While additional resources can be helpful, added programs create an additional pressure.

"This is a matter we will monitor closely and we'll work with the government to overcome any problems that arise from this pilot."

He said the program should be optional, not mandatory, for schools if it were to roll out statewide.

However, Mr Bates said the union supported the push to get kids into school earlier.

"It is an important program, we know the best chance for young people is where they get an early start in their schooling," he said.

"That should be, however, age-appropriate learning … that means not formal curriculum, but play-based learning."

Early start good for kids, expert says

University of Queensland early education researcher Karen Thorpe studied a similar program with Indigenous communities in north-west Queensland and also supported the push.

Professor Karen Thorpe says the KindyLinQ program should remain play-based. ( Supplied: Karen Thorpe )

"We know parent engagement is incredibly important," Professor Thorpe said.

"Dual-generation learning gets families as well as children ready to school and engaged with the community.

"Our evidence is that children who had not been in a group before, their progress in their first year of school was slower because they had to get into the routines and dealing with other children."

Professor Thorpe said those leading the programs needed to ensure learning remained play-based.

"By the time children enter school in Australia, 96 per cent have had some kind of early education and care, so this is already happening," she said.

"It should not be about formal learning, this is not putting [three-year-old] children into school early, it's getting families engaged with school through age-appropriate activities."

There will be 25 state schools starting the trial in Term 1, 2020, with an extra 15 schools to be added to the pilot by the end of the year.