Being ready and being steady before we GO is important. Especially when it comes to starting school. It‘s important for our child, but also for our own peace of mind.
We want to know that our child is confident enough to cope with the
BIG SCHOOL environment
We want to know our child can express themselves and make friends.
We want to know our child can look after their belongings and navigate the lunchbox.
School preparation is a focus of the Eduplay preschool. Everything points in this direction because confident competent learners enjoy school.
Children that enjoy school enjoy education
The Preschool experience should offer your child the chance to:
Express themselves safely
Try new things
Be curious and confident
Ask lots of questions
Navigate conflict in a safe way
Problem solve
Experience boundaries
Be challenged
Being able to express how we feel is a tool everyone needs. Especially if someone is making us feel sad or mad. At preschool we model ways to do this so each child knows they can express themselves.
Negotiating with friends
Learning to share
Making our voice heard
Following routine
Learning to wait our turn
Extrovert, introvert and everything in between. A preschool should offer space for all. Quiet nurturing spaces and wide open noisy ones. Options are important.
Did you know that watching is also a form of participation. Some children need time to watch before they join in. Not joining in is okay too. This is one of the ways that teachers work out what each child’s interests are.
We are continually offering new challenges -
as this extends physical, social and intellectual competence.
Having high expectations of our young learners is also important. Our teachers role model everything that is expected of the children - respect, kindness, caring and taking responsibility. In a more practical sense, the children are responsible for their belongings, their creations, and the spaces they play in. When a child chooses a learning resource, they are responsible for resetting or putting it away. If a child is hurt or upset by another child, they are part of the healing process. Expectations must be fair and equitable. Kaiako have the same expectation of all children, but we understand that the journey to get there isn’t always the same.
Routine is also an important aspect of preparing a child for school. Eduplay has a mixture of structured routine and the opportunity for tamariki to make their own choices. Morning and afternoon tea is rolling, this means the children choose when they are ready to stop for a snack, but our lunch meal is shared together in the dining room. Free play is balanced with small teacher supported group activities that hone in on the individual child's interests.
The children in the preschool are supported by a team of teachers who share the goal of supporting social competence and providing boundaries and routines that allow children to feel safe to express themselves, take risks and make choices.
Self help skills matter! Allowing the time and patience for a child to try and fail matters. This is how we learn to put on our shoes, pack our bag and use the toilet. Self help skills mean as Whānau - we won’t worry whether or not our child is ready for school because we can clearly see that they are.
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