Like at all Guardian Centres, literacy and numeracy is embedded into the curriculum and the daily programs and practices at Guardian Childcare & Education Marsfield.
Educational Leader, Bitu, and the team support children’s learning using a variety of Reggio Emilia-inspired techniques and experiences, which are often led by their questions and interests.
“We’ve found that the combination of open ended materials and using techniques that extend on the children’s interests is the best way for the children to explore and grasp literacy and numeracy concepts,” says Bitu.
“During one of our recent literacy sessions, one of the children questioned why his name had different sized letters, which led to a discussion and exploration of upper and lower case letters, and how names are written.”
“Once the children had grasped the concept of upper and lower case, they then went on to count how many letters were in their names, and analysed how each of their names look different and are unique to them.”
The learning experience was inspired by the Centre’s recent exploration into identity and sense of belonging, particularly as many children are transitioning and settling into a new environment.
“Learning about their names gave the children a sense of ownership while also offering an opportunity to connect with one another,” shares Bitu.
“They were able to see that they shared the same letters in their names, or had a similar number of letters in their first names. What began as such a simple exercise led to a lengthy discussion and comparison.”
Together with the families of Marsfield, the team came up with a number of developmental goals and milestones for the children to work toward in 2020, one of which is to promote name writing and recognition.
“One of our children isn’t interested in writing with a pencil, but has found enjoyment in rearranging plastic letters and writing in our sandpit,” says Bitu.
“By allowing children to follow their own path and use creative solutions for a task, we find that the children are much more engaged and willing to explore new concepts.”
“As we are starting our ready for school program, we’ve also been counting the days of the week and months of the year, and encouraging the children to write days and dates on blackboards.”
“Throughout the year, we will continue to provide children the opportunity to explore literacy and numeracy in interactive and fun ways, keeping their interests at the forefront of our planning.”
Bitu and the team look forward to the following months, where the children will begin learning how to write their name, learning sight words, and reading books.
