What is the Nido Kindergarten Curriculum?
Nido Early School’s Kindergarten Curriculum has been uniquely developed in conjunction with families, sector experts and our remarkable teachers.
Designed specifically for 3-6-year-olds, our curriculum encompasses every aspect of a child’s learning. It provides the foundation for your child to develop the necessary skills and knowledge to ensure a smooth pathway into primary school. A play-based approach supports your child’s development, helping them to learn through both planned and spontaneous experiences.
The curriculum has 7 learning branches that outline what your child will learn at your local Nido school. These learning branches have been carefully designed with evidence-based research, aligned to the Australian Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and Reggio Emilia philosophy to support your child’s early education journey.
The 7 Learning Branches
1. Community – Building diversity and respect. Working with others collaboratively. Participating in environmental sustainability. Supporting inclusion in their classroom. Learning about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture. Becoming global citizens, sharing their thoughts and ideas.
2. Confident Learners – Being a curious learner. Engaging in the curriculum and with others. Exploring what they know and how they learn. Problem-solving with creative and critical thinking. Transferring learning from one context to another.
3. Literacy – Storytelling. Recognising and using letters. Effectively communicating with others. Drawing to support emergent writing. Understanding the meaning of text and symbols. Using expression to communicate a message.
4. Numeracy – Identifying and exploring shapes to build learning of geometry. Recognising numbers and quantities. Exploring patterns. Classifying and comparing objects. Understanding measurement.
5. Healthy Minds & Bodies – Self regulating their emotions. Exploring physical movement and play. Nutrition and healthy lifestyle. Embracing identity. Building secure and safe relationships. Being resilient to overcome challenges. Caring for personal hygiene. Building fine motor and gross motor skills.
6. Creativity – Exploring the visual arts. Using music to enhance literacy and creativity. Exploring ideas and building confidence through drama and imaginative play. Embracing dance to support creativity and promote physical movement.
7. STEM – Problem-solving. Exploring technology. Using inquiry to learn through questioning and exploring the world around them. Developing persistence and a positive attitude. Predicting what may happen in their learning. Learning by designing.
Creating Foundations
Our whole child approach means that we support all aspects of your child’s development, including physical and mental wellbeing, learning and thinking, values and behaviour, and social and emotional skills. All of which create the perfect foundation for both school and life readiness.
Benefits of the Nido Kindergarten Curriculum
The Nido Kindergarten Curriculum will benefit your child by:
- Offering literacy-promoting experiences.
- Exploring numeracy skills through planned and spontaneous activities.
- Building their problem-solving, creativity and critical thinking skills.
- Expanding their social and emotional wellbeing.
- Helping them to develop friendships and social skills.
- Supporting them in the transition to formal schooling, familiarising them with their learning environments, routines and classroom expectations.
- Learning through play which encourages them to explore, experiment, and make sense of their world.
- Forging connection with community, giving them the chance to learn about their role in society.
School readiness
What is school readiness and why is it important?
School readiness is more than your child’s ability to read and write. Research tells us that children need strong social and emotional wellbeing to succeed academically. In the early years, a playbased approach will support your child to develop social and emotional confidence and provide foundational skills to support their future success in formal schooling. We focus on developing the skills necessary for your child to be confident readers and writers and engage in future academic opportunities.
Enrolling your child in a specialised kindergarten program helps them get ready for the next stage of their educational journey. The Nido Kindergarten Curriculum offers experiences and environments to build their confidence, creativity, problem-solving, harness their voice, and build emergent literacy and numeracy skills to support future reading and writing skills.
Nido Kindergarten Summary of Learning and Development
Twice a year, your classroom teacher will provide you with a Nido Kindergarten Summary of Learning and Development report. This report communicates your child’s progress towards the five learning outcomes of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF) and the Nido Kindergarten Curriculum. The EYLF learning outcomes are:
1. Children have a strong sense of identity
2. Children are connected with and contribute to their world
3. Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
4. Children are confident and involved learners
5. Children are effective communicators
Next Steps
We truly believe that it takes a village to raise a child, and we honour families as a child’s first and most powerful teacher.
Together, as partners, we will create a nurturing path for your child, setting them up for a bright and successful future at Nido and beyond.
- Schedule a tour at your local Nido Early School to learn more about our Kindergarten Curriculum.
- Speak with your Early School’s Curriculum Leader or Early Childhood Teacher for further details.
- Book an orientation for the Kindergarten classroom.