Our focus the month of January is to welcome back returning and new children to the kindy. Our primary objective is to help them settle into their new indoor and outdoor environments as they become acquainted with their peers.
It is important to create a free flowing friendly and welcoming environment that is relaxed to assist the children settle in as they form and build relationships with their educators and peers. This open and relaxed environment provides the ideal setting for the educators the educators they get to know the children in their class and learn of their strengths, interests and developmental needs to enable effective curriculum planning.
Children are given numerous opportunities to express their creative dispositions. The portable chalk boards were a hit keeping the children engaged for lengthy periods at a time. The children were able to use this time to exercise their expressive and receptive communication skills as they listened to their peers and engaged in conversation building and extending on their two way conversation skills and abilities.
Children always enjoy dramatic play, through role playing via the use of dolls and doll the house as they recall and mimic their family members roles in their homes.
The younger children are provided valuable time with their older preschool heroes, who were leaving SK at the end of January to commence primary school. The older children also enjoy the opportunity to engage with the younger preschoolers, toddlers and infants, nurturing and supporting their needs through play.
Our home like environment setup in the cubby was an enticing environment children enjoyed as they are able to show cased their cooking prowess. They were able to extend on their developing skills of collaboration by sharing utensils and cooking resources taking pride in their final production which usually involved educators eating more and more as we encouraged to sample all their creative delights.
The sandpit also provided the perfect environment for the children to relax and socialise as they continue to develop their prosocial skills as they develop an understanding of the complicated nuances of social engagement.
Children also enjoyed emulating their teachers and peers as they conducted their own group time. Important skills are being developed as the children collaboratively identify, define and assign roles to one another with willing and participating children playing the role of students and educator.
Large inclusive group activities are always a treat and part of our daily routine. Large group times provides the preschool children with an opportunity to showcase their skills and knowledge assisting by demonstrating appropriate behaviour, actions and language for our toddlers and infants to emulate. The use of Music and Movement makes large group activities fun, encouraging children to listen, follow cues developing and extend on their ability to regulate their behaviour as they remain focused for longer and longer periods on an activity which is not of their choosing.
Future Activities to further and develop and extend on the current learning.
Continue to provide and environment setting which is relaxed and free flowing between indoor and outdoor environment to assist the children settle in. This is important as we want children with a natural disposition for indoor based activities to spend as much time as they need indoors to feel comfortable and the same applies to children with a natural outdoor disposition.
Encourage children to be involved in the setting up of the environment to assist them feel respected, valued and belonging by being connected to a space they created.
e/vknfkln f