These basic areas that provide important foundation for future learning are:
– Personal/Social – covers skills such as dressing/ undressing without help, working alone or in groups and being confident in new situations
– Language/Literacy – covers speaking and listening as well as basic writing symbols
– Numeracy – covers counting, number recognition, mathematical language and expressions, shapes and positional language (front, behind etc)
– Knowledge and understanding of the world – covers science, geography, history, design/technology and ICT at their level.
– Creative Development – covers music, art and craft.
– Physical development – covers games and gymnastics.
Ladybird learn–to–read scheme is used for reading. This scheme has a strong emphasis on developing a love for reading and also builds reading skills with the use of phonics. The goal of the mathematics program is to enable children to use mathematics through exploration, discovery, thinking and solving problems.
Through observing our children we realize when they are ready to move on to further stages of learning. Regular observation ensures that we recognize achievement, assess our own work and identify individual needs.
The curriculum for this class is designed to develop the essential reading skills, mathematical skills, problem solving, deductive reasoning and analytical thinking skills in readiness for the Elementary section.
While the essence of preparing the children for the Elementary section is important, we do not forget that the children learn more from play at this age. The staffs encourage this and make sure that the children feel safe, happy and secure in their environment, which makes for good all round development.