It’s Time to Celebrate!

It’s that time of year where we all come together to celebrate the major milestones in learning and development that your children have achieved.

At Day One we celebrate both the Kindergarten Graduation and End of Year parties for all children and their families.

…and Get Ready for “Big School”

We are especially excited to see our Kindergarten class make their final preparations for a major transition to school.  Everything we do at Day One aims to support our children make this move with confidence. However, we sometimes find that it is mom and dad who are more anxious about the move!

School Readiness

Preparing your child for school is a big step! One of the most common questions we hear at our centres from parents is, “how do I know if my child is ready for school?”

Every parent wants their child to have the best possible start in life. Various neuroscience studies tell us that the most important learning occurs during the early years of a child’s life. Rest assured, the moment your child walked into Day One, we started preparing them for this transition. To help you understand the skills required of a child prior to attending Primary School, our Kindergarten Curriculum has been designed to develop the five critical areas of child development:

1. Physical Development
2. Social Development
3. Emotional Development
4. Cognitive Development
5. Language Development

Our kindergarten program has provided your child with a solid foundation for a successful educational journey.

So, what does school readiness actually look like? The first thing to note is that as we all know, all children learn at their own pace and in their own unique way. However, here are some questions to ask yourself before sending your little one off to ‘big school’:

• Is my child able to engage in activities independently without support?
• Does my child have any learning difficulties I need to consider for school?
• Is my child confident and able to engage socially with others?
• Can my child look after their health; use the toilet, wash hands, put on/take off clothing, blow their own nose, etc.?

Everyday, our educators are observing and documenting your child’s learning, development and skills. Of course, if you have any hesitations in answering the above questions, come have a chat with your child’s Kindergarten Teacher to identify how we can further support your child’s learning and preparation for school.  There are still a few months to go!

Building Your Child’s Confidence

To assist with a seamless transition to school, here are 5 tips to help build and extend your child’s learning and confidence.

1. Physical Development: encourage your child to practice putting their clothes on and off themselves.
2. Social Development: play a board game which encourages turn taking and sharing.
3. Emotional Development: talk about your emotions when you or your child are upset.
4. Cognitive Development: read a book with your child and after reading, ask your child what happened in the beginning, middle and end of the story.
5. Language Development: ask your child simple questions allowing them to answer

 

While we are always sad to say goodbye to our Kindy children, we are delighted at the role we have been able to play in supporting you and your child to make their next big move.