At Sandringham Children's Centre our nature based kindergarten program is designed so your child develops the required cognitive and physical skills to start school. While our wellness focus ensures they have the social and emotional confidence to make their transition as smooth as possible.
Cognitive Skills
At Sandringham Children's Centre we believe young children learn best through play.
In terms of being school ready, play is the basic ingredient to learning. It helps children develop new skills and stimulates intellectual growth. Therefore, our emergent curriculum centres around uninterrupted learning and play time.
“During play children acquire and use language, form and test scientific hypotheses, negotiate, problem-solve and develop key mathematical ideas. These are essential skills for learning and preparing for the school environment” - Dr Kirsty Goodwin.
Here are some great tips from Dr Goodwin on what parents can do to develop their child's cognitive skills:
- Look for opportunities for “teachable moments” in everyday experiences. Like cooking and shopping (counting/measuring/recognising shapes/letters/numbers).
- Read books together and ask questions to ensure the child has understood.
- Sing songs and nursery rhymes, discussing rhyming and unfamiliar words.
- Be positive about learning maths/science/literacy.
- Finally, praise your child’s efforts, even if they have the wrong answer.
Physical Skills
Children need to develop a range of gross and fine motor skills before starting school. Our classrooms are frequently rearranged and new activities introduced to enhance your child's learning and develop fine motor skills. While our beautiful outdoor spaces have lots of activities to choose from. Like climbing frames, bike and hoops to focus on large muscle development. Or gardening, water and sand play to foster your child’s natural curiosity.
You can help your child's develop their physical skills by encouraging them to take calculated risks. You can also play games and activities together where they use their hands and get moving.
Wellbeing
Wellbeing has it's base in the relationships between the children and their teachers. Our priority is to provide a space where each child feels safe, secure and supported. This enables your child to feel confident and develop their emotional and social skills. Also, working in partnership with families we encourage positive communication with your chosen primary school.
We are currently taking enrolments for our kindergarten program. Contact us to organise for a tour of our beautiful centre.
