Throughout the year, teachers will plan and implement programs for the kindergarten children, which meet the Department of Human Services – Funding and Service Agreement. Under this system, the objective is to “ensure that the early childhood teacher provides a planned program that is gender inclusive, developmentally and culturally appropriate and which meets the individual needs of all children attending the preschool location”.
We recognise that PLAY IS THE WORK OF CHILDHOOD and it is through this medium that young children attempt to make sense of the world around them.
We encourage children to engage in ‘hands-on’ experiences and explore a wide range of challenging and stimulating activities and materials. By doing so they are not only able to take an active role in directing and shaping their own learning, children are also able to challenge and enhance their existing understandings and skills. The staff at Renown Kindergarten provide children with play experiences and activities that will enhance each child’s development in all areas to enable them to obtain maximum enjoyment and benefit from their kindergarten year(s).
In designing the kindergarten program and assessing the development of the children, we focus on the main areas of:-
Social/Emotional Development
At Renown we place an emphasis on giving children a strong sense of trust and belonging so they feel secure and are confident to explore not only the activities and materials they are exposed to, but also their roles and relationships with their peers and adults, as well as the world at large.
Within the secure environment of the kindergarten the child learns to manage his/her feelings in socially acceptable ways. Each child is encouraged to take responsibility for their decisions and for the outcomes of their actions and choices. They are encouraged to develop self-control. We value what each child has to say and the skills they have to contribute and it is expected that they display a similar respect for the ideas and skills of others. Role modelling and the setting age-appropriate expectations learn appropriate behaviour.
Physical Development
Emphasising the development of physical skills forms a significant component of the programs and learning experiences developed for the children while they are at kindergarten. The area of physical development can be further broken down into two areas. Large or gross motor development looks at the child’s running and climbing skills; their ability to hop, jump over obstacles, throw and catch balls; and their ability to move and clap in rhythm to a beat. Small or fine motor development focuses on the development of hand preference; developing a refined grasp of drawing tools and using these and scissors with control; picking up and inserting objects with control; and fastening and unfastening zippers, buttons and Velcro tabs. The refinement of these later skills plays an important role in preparing children for future learning tasks such as reading and writing.
Intellectual Development
Young children learn best through actively exploring their environment, making sense of the world around them. Children develop new concepts and understandings and apply these to their pre-existing knowledge base formulate more complex ideas. What they know at any given point depends on the first-hand experiences they have had. By interacting with the kindergarten environment, the materials and people within it, children are able to continually broaden their intellectual abilities. Encouraging and inviting children to observe, make choices, actively engage and experiment, stimulates their creativity and intellectual growth.
The program is on display in the foyer of each room. Feel free to look at our program and see the experiences your child will be exposed to. Please note, due to the continually evolving needs and interests of the children, our programs remain flexible. This enables us to take advantage of any spontaneous experiences, which may occur throughout the day/weeks and ensures the program remains meaningful to all those involved.
