From 3 years
At Big Lumsden, we provide a safe and stimulating learning environment with a balance of teacher-led and child-led experiences.
Our kaiako are dedicated to nurturing skills and developing obvious interests in tamariki of this age, as well as fostering new capabilities, teaching the fundamental skills required for school, and encouraging safe risk-taking in secure and friendly surroundings.
Our focus with tamariki this age is to provide:
an ERO-recognised high teacher-to-child ratio with ECE-trained teachers who are loving, caring and in-tune with each child’s needs and development.
tailored teaching to bring out the best in each child.
a safe, calm and ordered environment with opportunities for exploration, age-appropriate physical challenges and varied educational resources.
lots of outdoor experiences and active movement.
a centre that welcomes and encourages the involvement of parents and families.
Teaching intentionally
Our passion for teaching little minds is evident in the carefully curated environment and curriculum we are known and respected for.
Big Lumsden lives out the Lumsden philosophy in everything it does. Its varied, relevant curriculum incorporates our teaching and leaning priorities through planned topic and Countries of the World studies; active movement sessions; shared virtues and values; mindfulness sessions, process cooking; arts; maths and literacy; and more! Kaiako are proactive in the use and pronunciation of Te Reo Māori, and tamariki are encouraged to incorporate Makaton sign into their everyday learning. At the end of each year, our Christmas pantomime consolidates and celebrates the children’s knowledge and creative efforts, sharing with our families the wonderful big things our little people are capable of.
Dedicated spaces for learning and growing
Art Room
Art, dance, music and process cooking are important expressions of children’s creativity and emotions and are strongly cultivated at Lumsden. We have a purpose-built art room, developing hand-eye coordination, imagination and participation amidst paint, glue and textiles.
Outdoor Area
The outdoor environment reflects a Kiwi childhood, a supportive and safe setting in which tamariki are encouraged to take risks, push their physical boundaries and grow braver as they develop fundamental gross motor skills and personal confidence.
Mindfulness Zone
Kaiako support self-regulation and provide positive guidance for tamariki using emotional coaching and strategies that label and describe emotions. In this quiet calm space, children can self-regulate their feelings drawing upon deep belly breathing and other tools they have learned during mindfulness sessions, or simply ‘be’ if their emotions are too overwhelming.
Literacy Suite
The cosy literary suite is a popular spot with the children, with writing, reading and drawing materials at the ready. It is here great progress is made, from learning to hold a pencil and recognise letters to mastering their own full name and then simple sentences.
Preparing for school
Transitioning to school is a huge milestone for all tamariki! Ensuring this process is as seamless as possible is a key focus for us.
As they near five years old, tamariki are gently encouraged to prepare for the transition to school by strengthening their independence and resilience through small group work, mindful social interactions and increased self-management. First-stage literacy and numeracy along with key skills useful for starting school are introduced so that there is familiarity when facing this type of learning in the new school environment.
We celebrate this important milestone for every child and their family with a graduation, reflecting on their time at Lumsden and wishing them well as they move onto the next stage of their education and life.
What People Are Saying
“Our little guy Oscar absolutely loves Lumsden. Every day is an opportunity for fun, adventure and education. Oscar gets into the car every day happily chatting about everything from fossils and dinosaurs to police and paramedics. We love the care the teachers obviously show Oscar whilst at the same time keeping a very open line of communication with us his parents.Our youngest Archie will be attending in January. We could not recommend them highly enough.”
— Pauline Conroy
“Lumsden has been amazing for our two boys. They've become more independent and out-going since starting there and have learned so much. Our boys always talk about their teachers and their friends at Lumsden and I know they thoroughly enjoy it when they ask why they can't go when it's a public holiday. I love the different studies Lumsden provides and am blown away when I see our boys using maori and sign language at home and telling me you can eat frogs at a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower in France!”
— Shane Medland
More on Lumsden Kindergarten