Gilgandra Preschool follows a play curriculum which focuses on children learning and developing through opportunities which challenge children through planned play situations.  We implement the Australian Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) to extend and enrich children’s learning through opportunities in play which maximises children's potential and develop the foundations for future success in learning.

We promote messy play as a component of learning, and this is encouraged to those children who wish to be involved.  This form of play offers a variety of benefits for all children across a range of development domains.  Therefore, it is important for children to be dressed in clothes which can become dirty and that a spare set of clothes is available for changing in your child’s bag.

We aim to facilitate growth in the use of expressive language to empower the child to make meaningful connections with his or her peers, and to facilitate social competence to effectively function as a capable and contributing member of the group. Further, we aim to promote skills of emotional understanding in each child, so they are more adapt with dealing with challenges head on and in a healthy manner. Our goal is that every child becomes a successful learner, confident and creative individual and an active and informed member of the community.

We view children as unique individuals who deserve to be seen in such a way and their individuality celebrated.  Hence, we allow children to play and have a voice in the learning they pursue which educators use to extend understanding of the world around us.  This means that no child is forced to participate in an experience but rather encouraged using their interests and their own ideas in a co-learning environment where educator and child discover side by side.  This involves play in its many forms.  Additionally, no child is made to be a part of performances the preschool may put on as we recognise that this can be an extremely hard act for some and wish to avoid anxious feelings for the children.

We provide children with ongoing opportunities for active learning through play – to explore, to learn at their own pace, to become social beings, to experience success, and develop initiative, curiosity, resourcefulness, and self-confidence to foster qualities which will serve them well throughout their lives. 

Why Play?

Play is complex and although often seen as fun, it is fundamental and through research has been found to be the most beneficial way for children to learn and retain information. The process of play is more beneficial than a forced product that is often known as academic learning.

Play is self-directed and self-chosen.  It has structure that is directed by child led interests, allowing children to make sense of their world. It helps develop relationships, social skills and problem solving. Play uses children’s natural sense of discovery.

What are the benefits of play?

• Ideal opportunity for you to engage and make memories with your child
• Promotes self-regulation
• Encourages self-esteem
• Promotes positive mental health- decreases stress and anxiety
• Encourages pre-writing, social and math skills
• Is healthy and helps combat obesity
• Strengthens the immune system- outdoor play helps fight germs by minimising the spread of infection

Types of play.

• Risky play- rough and tumble
• Object play
• Symbolic play
• Dramatic play
• Imaginative play
• Social play
• Physical play
• Media play
• Unstructured play
• Structured play

Developmental Small Groups

The aim of our developmental small groups program is to work closely with our children to foster the progress of key skills towards school. The concepts and tasks set within small groups progressively become more challenging to support the establishment of new skills. Where required, these are modified and adapted for each child to best support needs.

Some experiences within our developmental small groups include, but are not limited to:

• Table-Top 
• Occupational Therapy related 
• Movement and Learning
• Brain Gym
• Language

By participating in this program, the children are achieving outcomes in social and emotional development, fine motor strength and control, concentration, strengthened neural networks of the brain, balance, core strength and control, awareness of self-regulation, improved receptive and expressive language and memory recall.

Project-Based Learning

Our project based learning aims to capture the teachable moments in the everyday life of the children who attend our service.  The children are given a voice and sense of agency as they are involved in every step of their learning from the decision making around which experiences they will pursue to the documentation and presentation of their learning. The overall aim for this area of our program is to instill a sense of wonder and love of learning within the children at our preschool.

The main benefit of project-based learning for our children is the sense of pride and ownership they gain in terms of their individual contributions to their learning.  This makes our learning documentation meaningful not only to educators to assess where children are sitting but also to children and families. By using floor books, children can contribute to the documentation of their learning by taking photos, drawing pictures, recording conversations, and being involved in forward planning and reflection. Our children are often seen sitting with the floor books, revisiting their prior learning, and sharing memories of their contributions with their educators and peers.

Assessment of Children's Learning