A Typical Day
Start of the Day
8:45am – Program starts. Children and families are welcomed upon arrival. Families support children with their morning ‘jobs’ before coming to play outside in the garden. After a little play together, children are supported to say goodbye to their families. Children connect with peers in play.
9:15ish - Morning group time. We meet as a group in the Kippa room. Together, we sing good morning to our teachers and peers. We share an Acknowledgement of Country. Together, we engage in music and movement experiences and add ‘rhythm to our bodies’. We might plan our day collaboratively. We play a group game to move to morning tea.
9:30ish - Morning Tea. Prior to morning tea, children are encouraged to use the bathroom, wash hands and gather their lunchbox and drink bottle. We share a story together whilst eating.
Inside/Outside Play Time
10:00ish - Play time. Children are welcome to play inside or outside. Play areas are intentionally set up to provoke and extend children’s learning by following current interests and curriculum areas. Some of the frequent play spaces include the dramatic play area, the art studio, construction areas, climbing equipment, mud pit/sand pit and swings. Before finishing play time, children are supported to collaboratively pack away both inside and outside to create a respectful culture of looking after the Kindy.
Group Time
12:45ish – Music and Movement/Story time. Pending on the day, and the group’s needs, we will often engage in music time or a story session. This is a lovely way to come together after a morning of play. We may sing, dance and use instruments, or we might engage in storytelling and puppetry. We regularly use puppetry to make storytelling a magical experience. Then, we play transitional games to move to lunch.
1:00pm ish – Lunch. Teachers and children sit together to share lunch at the tables on the verandah. After eating, children tidy up, go to the bathroom and move inside for rest time.
Afternoon
1:30-2:00ish – Relaxation time. This is a quiet time of day. The lights are dimmed with beautiful music playing. Children learn to listen to their bodies and are invited to sleep, rest or relax as needed. Teachers often offer mindfulness techniques during this time (including meditation or children’s yoga). After a period of relaxation, children are invited to select a quiet activity to engage in independent restful play. This may include puzzles, small group work with a teacher or reflective drawing.
2:30ish - Afternoon gathering. When all children are ready, we gather as a class to sing goodbye to friends and teachers. We might reflect on the day’s learning and close our day together.
Children progressively move to the verandah to put their shoes on and then engage in quiet play as they wait for an authorised guardian to collect them.
The program finishes at 2:45pm.