At Tiny Tots we have in place a curriculum program that is stimulating, engaging and enhances children’s learning and development. We develop programs to cover the following (curriculum) areas for each child to enhance their learning and development, taking into account their strengths, capabilities, culture, interests and experiences.
Curriculum Areas
Creative Expression
Art is a means of self-expression and creativity, giving children opportunities to express how they feel and think. Through art experiences, children are able to explore their emotions, enhancing their self-esteem as they feel proud of their work and creations. Creative expression is a valuable opportunity for children to develop knowledge of shape, colour, space and texture. Creative experiences, including music and movement, are a means of communication for all children.
Independence
Children are recognised as capable individuals, encouraged to develop a keen sense of self. Many opportunities present themselves throughout the day for children to practice self-help skills and self-initiating behaviors. Supporting children to do this increases their feelings of being capable, belonging to a group and becoming independent. Through the everyday practice of self-help skills and decision making, children build confidence to try new things, learn patience and persistence when their first attempts are not successful and feel a sense of achievement and ownership as they master new skills. Feeling responsible for their own emotional wellbeing contributes to being healthy, happy and connected to others in positive ways.
Physical Wellbeing
As children continue to grow it is important that they challenge their motor skills. In a secure and safe environment, children have opportunities to challenge themselves at their own pace. Developing an awareness of themselves as a mind, body and spirit encourages holistic self-identities. Children develop balance and spatial awareness, running, pushing, pulling, digging, throwing, jumping, climbing and dancing. Experimenting with their whole bodies and discovering its capabilities, children can begin to take responsibility for their own physical wellbeing, developing an awareness of their requirements for food, water and rest.
Culture and Community
Trusting and respectful relationships are the foundations of a child’s constructed identity. Exploring their role within relevant communities, children build and broaden their view of the world and their position in it. As their sense of identity increases, they begin to identify the roles of others and relate to them in understanding and respectful ways. Participating in these communities in meaningful ways increases a child’s sense of belonging. Communication and social skills are practiced as children respond to and initiate interactions, share feelings and ideas and learn to live interdependently with others, contributing to decision making.
Literacy and Numeracy
Literacy and numeracy starts long before children learn to recognise letters and numbers. Sequencing and pattern making lay important foundations for children’s future maths and literacy skills, as children use symbols, colours and shapes as representations. They will begin to match and classify these, grouping objects together and noticing amounts and patterns. Both logic and abstract thinking will be practiced to solve problems, make judgments and communicate ideas.
Investigation and Discovery
A child’s natural desire to investigate should be nurtured in every curriculum area. Encouragement to question why and how and to see the magic in small things develops curious, persistent and imaginative dispositions for learning. Using all of their senses, children should delight in making discoveries in natural and structured environments. This sense of wonder will encourage creative problem solving skills, where children use trial and error confidently to get different results and learn to analyse collected data to come up with solutions.
Nature and Sustainability
Exploring nature and our environment promotes the development of individuals who will understand and protect the world in which they live. Natural environments provide many opportunities for children to engage their senses, evoke wonder and curiosity, and enhance cognitive, physical, social and emotional development. Children will develop an increasing respect for their natural and constructed environments. As they begin to gain understandings of concepts like recycling and water conservation, children will be on the path to becoming responsible individuals for a sustainable future, developing an awareness of their impact on living things.
Imaginative Exploration
Imaginative play, or pretend play, is an important part of early childhood. Through pretend play, children develop an understanding of the world around them and connections between people and places. As children explore different identities through role play, they develop confident self-identities. Imaginative play encourages children to interact cooperatively, as they negotiate roles and relationships in group experiences.