Banksia Group

Welcome to Banksia group. The children are settling in and getting to know the routines / transitions, each other, and us. These transitions include, packing up, washing hands, putting on sunscreen, morning mat time, looking after their belongings, managing their lunch box, finding their name, packing their bags. Each day we do an Acknowledgment to country and have been discussing what and why we do it, who are first Australians and why it is important. This is a combination of asking the children their understandings and knowledge, reading stories, looking at artwork and discussions. Each day one of the children is the ‘Helping hand’ and helps to put out the lunch cards, chooses a language to say hello in at the morning meeting, chooses a game to send children off to wash their hands, rings the bell and 5 min chime, and how we sing our goodbye song at the end of the session.

Some of the things we have been doing at kinder include -Similarities and differences – discussing how we are the same and how was are also different. We might have different families or be from different places, have different homes, skin, eyes, hair, and things we are good at, but we all have feelings and are the same on the inside. We all need to be kind to each other and look after each other.  Families and homes – who is in a family, different types of families, same families, homes, neighbours, friendships, and moving house to a new place.  Buddy time – we have been doing this every session in the afternoon. This helps the children to make new connections with new and different children. While its lovely to have a favourite friend, we also encourage children to have lots of friends, as then there is always lots of different people to play. This builds resilience, confidence, flexibility, learning from each other and new interests. We have done many activities together – Lego, puzzles, drawing, scavenger hunts.  Bingo – most days we play bingo together, varying the bingo games between, shapes, number, letter, and bush bingo. This promotes, collaboration as the children help each other, recognition of letter, number and shapes, following instructions, joining in group activities and language. We have been enjoying some cooking with the children. Cooking provides an opportunity to take turns, wait, count, measure, use fine motor skills – to stir, chop, scoop, and there is a lovely sense of community with cooking together. So far, we have made, muffins, bread and biscuits, and we have more on our list including sandwiches, and zucchini slice.  Fine motor skills are being able to hold and use a pencil, and use scissors, getdressed, use buttons and zips, and use their lunch box and bag. The activities weuse at kinder to promote these skills is playdough, water play, tearing paper,threading, art construction table, small construction such as lego.

To support children’s fine motor skills, it’s important to build their gross motor skills and coordination, which includes core strength and crossing the midline and (the line down the middle of your body if you chopped it in half). Crossing the midline supports, reading and writing as children need to move their eyes and hand across the page, and core strength is important for sitting and focusing on activities / writing etc. Painting or drawing at the easel (standing) and drawing– using clipboards on thefloor, so children lie on their stomach as it can help develop strength in the neck,arms, back, etc – which is all part of core strength and crossing the midline. Gross motor activities include - climbing, jumping balancing, movement, dancing, crawling, animal walks, robot arms, running, using the mud pit / sandpit for digging.

We like to create a family book for the children to use at kinder, which can help foster connections between home and kinder and promotes children’s sense of belonging and offers a point of reference for their family and identity. If you haven’t sent in a photo, please do. Playdates are a great way to build new friendships and make new connections, which often transfer across to kinder play and connections. In Term 1 we tend to focus a lot supporting children socially and emotionally, which includes making connections between home and kinder, supporting and encouraging new friendships, and discussing emotions, kindness, feelings families, differences, and similarities. Social and emotional development sets the foundation for all other learning.

Thanks Kirsty, Amy and Marilyn