So, the questions that pop up often for a parent when their little ones are in their last year of kindergarten is; is my child ready for school, or what do I need to do to make sure my child is equipped for their transition to school? These are all totally normal thoughts to have as a parent, but we can happily reassure you that at Little Scholars, we offer an extensive Transition to School Program that will give your child the life skills they need and confidence to have a successful transition to big school!
What we believe makes a successful transition to school is our Little Scholars School of Early Learning service and educators working in collaboration with local schools and our community to make sure we are assisting children and families with this transition. Our Transition to School Program is based on the National Early Years Learning Framework and Queensland Kindergarten Learning Guidelines, as well as we have wonderful early childhood teachers (also known as ECTs) who teach the children and support their learning and development hugely.
School readiness is about the development of the whole child – their social and emotional skills, physical skills, communication skills, and cognitive skills. For children to thrive at school, they need to learn important skills like following instructions, communicating their needs, and getting along with other children. At Little Scholars, we are truly committed to ensuring that our little scholars are supported and motivated in all aspects of their learning and development so that our children in their last year of Kindy are ready for that next stage of their lives.
Some key points involved in getting your child ready for their school transition and that make up our Transition School Program are the following:
These are all fundamental steps we teach our children in kindergarten so that they can learn a comfortable school routine and most importantly, so they can adapt to this new transition period. At Little Scholars, we want their routine to feel as normal and as exciting as possible, rather than something daunting. It is important to support the children in every way imaginable during their Transition to School program, and the most rewarding part for us is watching our little scholars go confidently into their next chapter, blossoming and becoming a positive contribution to our futures.
Our Little Scholars’ Kindergarten studios integrate some small but very useful routines for the children which assist in getting them ready for school. We bring in programs for the children that start at 8:30 am, so we encourage you and your child to arrive before this time so they can become used to big school starts!
We focus on teaching age-appropriate independent skills in the kindergarten studio – such as packing their bag, carrying their own bag, opening lunch boxes and food containers, dressing as well as emotional regulation skills.
At Little Scholars, we offer a range of stimulating extra-curricular activities that give the children a firsthand experience into the diverse range of subjects they would learn at school. These extracurriculars include our Intergenerational program, swimming, sports and fitness program, languages program, yoga, and dance programs weekly, Lab Kids’ STEM, Bush and Beach Kinder programs, and excursions and incursions.
Wondering what else you can do with your child at home to assist in preparing them for big school? We can help with this! You can help your child develop a basic awareness of numbers by helping around the house – they could set a table and count the plates, match socks from the clothing line, or measure ingredients for baking.
It is beneficial to read with your child as often as possible, and try talking to them about the story, point out new words and ask questions – this will help with their comprehension, vocabulary, and language skills.
Let’s say you have some free time in the afternoons, or even on the weekends, you can play games with your child like Snakes and Ladders or Go Fish! These simple games are great for practicing developing basic numeracy, turn-taking, sharing, waiting, and learning to cope with not winning.
Finally, encourage your child to have conversations with you – ask them questions, listen to their answers, and encourage them to talk about what they think and feel so they can express themselves with new friends and teachers.
We are extremely happy to have you with us, if at any time you feel there is more we can do, please let us know as we are here to encourage and support your child to learn and grow in a fun, exciting, and stimulating environment.
You pile the children into the car, late as per usual, and do the panicked drive to your local Little Scholars campus.
Upon entering your Little Scholars campus, you’re suddenly enveloped into an atmosphere of calm. There’s coffee and croissants waiting for you next to a sign-up list for take-home dinners that evening. (Do you write your name down? You bet you do!) Friendly, caring educators help lighten your load and immediately engage your children with interesting, exciting activities. Your morning stressors lighten, you stand up a little straighter and you charge confidently back out into the carpark, ready to face your busy day.
But what happens once you leave? Here’s what!
Little Scholars campuses have extracurricular activities like Japanese, art, cooking and sport that are perfectly positioned to help develop your little learner. They’re cognitively engaged as they learn new skills, emotionally intelligent as they negotiate relationships with peers and teachers and they’re socially satisfied by engaging, exciting and interesting lessons. There is no ‘plonking them down in front of an iPad’ to be had here – if technology is used, it’s used well. This is the campus that’s backed by pedagogical understanding of what makes children tick and how they can be challenged to be the best they can be.
Every single Little Scholars is built on the tenements of imaginative and sustainable play. There is an ethos here that encourages children to become active learners, rather than passive children who wait to be told exactly what to do. There is a culture of calculated risk here as little scholars become citizens in the world of knowledge.
A sustainable lifestyle is encouraged wherein all children learn about recycling, reusing and repurposing materials to lessen our carbon footprints and respect the beautiful world that’s around us. The buildings and landscapes themselves often inspire the children to be more and to do more in terms of sustaining an environmentally sound future.
That hard day at the office is a little less awful knowing that your children are happy, safe and engaged in learning.
When you work in Brisbane City, it’s often the case of having to drop your child at a suburban childcare centre early in the morning to get to work on time. Days are long, and the distance can be a tad inconvenient. Imagine being able to say goodbye to the hindrances of suburban childcare? Brisbane City offers quality early learning options and here are some great reasons why you should consider it.
Instead of spending your commute time sitting on your own in traffic, on a bus or train, think about how much more time you’d have to really connect with your children if they shared the trip with you each day. There’s nothing so chatty as a toddler in the car – Brisbane’s famous for its long commute times, use that time to talk to your little person!
There’s nothing worse than having to commute an hour or more to a sick child who needs you. With Little Scholars city campus in George Street, a mere ten minutes away from your office building, you can be with your child in no time. With very easy drop off and pick up, and a parent’s breakfast station (with coffee, we understand the importance of morning coffee!) you can pop them into their city childcare centre and even visit at lunch if you want to be sure they’re having a wonderful day!
When you work in the city, the commute time and horrible traffic means it can often be around 6 pm or later when you get to your children in the suburbs. Childcare in Brisbane City, on the other hand, will have you finishing at 5 pm and picking up your children at 5.10 pm; this means more family time and shorter days. Make it even easier on yourself and order from the Little Scholars Take Home Dinner Menu so you don’t have to worry about the children’s dinner when you get home.
When you’re so close to your children’s childcare in the city, it’s so much easier to attend special family days, for example, Little Scholars Father’s Day. You can even drop in for a lunch date to celebrate a birthday. Your children will be so pleased to see you, and you’ll no longer have to live through the parent’s guilt of not being able to attend. Using childcare in Brisbane City that’s close to your office means taking one hour of your time instead of two, three or more.
There are so many exciting things to do with children in the city; you don’t have to wait for the weekend to do them! Our Little Scholars Childcare Brisbane Campus, means you can finish work early, collect your children and take them to explore city favourites like QAGOMA Children’s Art Centre or the Queensland Museum. Work and childcare in the city opens the doors to so many fun opportunities and quality family time. Learn more about the best parks in Brisbane for toddlers and little ones.
Working in the city doesn’t have to be such a strain on family life; make it work for you and your family and consider the benefits of childcare in Brisbane City.
Find out more about Little Scholars’ city childcare in Brisbane or contact us to book a tour of our campus.
We have teamed up with Monique from Kool Kindy Cuts to offer hair cuts for your Little Scholars.
We are always looking at ways we can increase the services we provide to our families and what better way to allow more quality family time on the weekends without this unnecessary hassle.
Monique has over 20 years experience with cutting children’s hair. To book in or more information please see Tayla.
Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!
Let us hold your hand and help looking for a child care centre. Leave your details with us and we’ll be in contact to arrange a time for a ‘Campus Tour’ and we will answer any questions you might have!
Fill in the form to join your local Pram Pals mums and bubs walk
