REDDAM EARLY LEARNING SCHOOL LINDFIELD NEWSLETTER Principal’s Message
By Christine Irwin
Dear Parents, Well, what a week. Thanks to the glorious sunshine the children and educators have been enjoying the outdoors as the photos on the following pages highlight. We have been adding to our outdoor resources and will be continuing to do so over the coming weeks to increase children’s physical development and motor skills. Children’s fine and gross motor skills develop rapidly throughout their early years, so an imperative part of our program is our time outdoors in our beautiful playgrounds. Children naturally enjoy active play and the opportunity to socialise with others during this time. In turn, this provides opportunities for the educators to provide experiences to develop and enhance children’s gross motor development. Having a combination of planned experiences outdoors and free play helps children develop strong bodies and develop their love of exercise and active play.
Here at Reddam Lindfield, we are fortunate to have our playgrounds connected to the indoor spaces including wide covered verandas that can be incorporated into our intentional learning times. It’s been wonderful to see our educators extending learning spaces to incorporate these areas and utilise key concepts to enhance all developmental domains. Children enjoy and are intrinsically motivated by experiences that are enjoyable and allow them to succeed however, providing challenges and opportunities to take calculated risks where there are nearby adults to assist when needed refines not only their gross motor skills but increases their self- awareness and self-confidence. The National Quality standard promotes that services have environments that are inclusive, promote competence, independent exploration, and learning through play (standard 3.2)