Social and Emotional Wellbeing
As children begin to demonstrate trust and confidence in a safe environment, they are encouraged to make choices, accept challenges, take considered risks and manage change as they learn to cope with the unexpected. This area focuses on providing the children with strategies to make informed choices, to motivate and encourage each child to succeed when they are faced with a challenge.
Our Five Sense
Drawing a child’s attention to their Five Senses increases understanding of and communication about the world around us. Different encounters and experiences, which include using their Five Senses will assist their development.
- Hearing: Children use their ears to take in information about things around them. Like other skills that children learn, listening takes practice. Developing good listening habits benefits children to acquire important information from peers, family members and Educators.
- Sight: When children play games that involve sight, they are practicing early literacy skills. Sight games help children recognise words, patterns, object and assist them to develop their memory.
- Smell: Over time, children will recognise certain smells as comforting, yummy, exciting, etc. Through a variety of experiments the children will learn to identify different scents which can also develop their verbal skills as they attempt to describe the scent to their peers and Educators.
- Taste: Helping children think about which tastes they do and do not prefer, will encourage them to try new foods and/or new combinations of foods. Abacus Kindergarten & Learning Centre has developed a four week rotating menu which will provide a healthy balance and a variety of multicultural influenced cuisine.
- Touch: The sense of touch helps us identify objects by feel. Children will begin to explore different textures as they learn to verbalise these feelings using describing words.
Healthy Eating and Physical Wellbeing
Abacus has adopted the ‘Munch & Move’ program as a part of our curriculum. Munch & Move is a NSW Health initiative that supports the healthy development of children birth to 5 years by promoting physical activity, healthy eating and reduced small screen time.
The program is a fun, play based approach which supports children to develop and practice healthy eating and physical activity habits; this includes learning a range of fundamental movement skills that will help children take part in and enjoy physical activity throughout their lives.
During mealtimes the Educators and children will engage in fun discussions about nutrition and learn how healthy food can make us grow strong and healthy. The children will also explore and discuss elements about the human body as we learn why it is important to look after ourselves from the inside to the outside as we discuss topics such as germs, handwashing, dental hygiene and lots more.
www.healthykids.nsw.gov.au
Music and Movement
Music and Movement is a time where children can investigate with sounds whilst crafting their own music. The children are able to share their music and ideas as they learn to express themselves and extend on their vocabulary. Dancing to music from different countries and cultures is encouraged as they are having fun whilst being physically active.
Music and Movement Helps Children to Develop
- Gross motor coordination as children create sounds and music with their bodies.
- Physical and emotional release through dancing, playing and making instruments.
- Developing social skills by listening to music from different countries and cultures.
- Builds self-esteem and confidence.
- Children can play on their own or in a group.
- Fun and engaging as children learn to play instruments.
- Increase of vocabulary and development of language skills.