Starting kindergarten is an important step in a child’s development, marking the first time they will have spent a significant part of the day away from their family. To ease this transition, the kindergarten offers a welcoming environment that echoes the warmth and familiarity of home.
The day’s activities reflect those that may take in the home such as gardening, baking, painting and singing. Learning is ‘caught rather than taught’ as children learn from life and the world around them: coordination and creativity are developed from artistic activities, sewing, baking and gardening; language and communication form out of stories, songs and rhymes; numeracy is learnt from counting, sorting and arranging; and physical development is encouraged through running, playing and climbing.
The mixed age group engenders a sense of family and from an early age children are given the opportunity to engage with and relate to children of different ages. From empathising and cooperating with others emerge the first sense of community and membership in society.
Kindergarten teachers are there to provide the children with a role model and to encourage and support the child's own discoveries and increasing sense of wonder about the world. In an environment free from pressure where they can grow at their own pace, children naturally develop an inquisitive nature and a love of learning. These qualities prepare them to engage in more formal learning in the next stage of their education.