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Movement and Joy
Movement is more than just play – it’s a vital part of how children grow, learn and connect with the world. At the Early Learning Centre (ELC), we champion movement as a cornerstone of early childhood education, weaving it into every aspect of our programs. From the dynamic gymnastics of Jumpstart to the teamwork of Ready Steady Go, our girls develop physical strength, cognitive skills and emotional confidence.
In early childhood settings, movement enables children to explore; they use all their senses, develop spatial awareness, and connect with their bodies. The physical and wellbeing benefits of incorporating movement into early childhood education are well documented, with research highlighting a strong correlation between physical activity and cognitive learning. As Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author specialising in progressive educational programs notes, “We also know from research that children’s brains work better when they move."1
In early childhood settings, movement enables children to explore; they use all their senses, develop spatial awareness, and connect with their bodies. The physical and wellbeing benefits of incorporating movement into early childhood education are well documented, with research highlighting a strong correlation between physical activity and cognitive learning. As Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author specialising in progressive educational programs notes, “We also know from research that children’s brains work better when they move."1
In early childhood settings, movement enables children to explore; they use all their senses, develop spatial awareness, and connect with their bodies. The physical and wellbeing benefits of incorporating movement into early childhood education are well documented, with research highlighting a strong correlation between physical activity and cognitive learning. As Pasi Sahlberg, a Finnish educator and author specialising in progressive educational programs notes, “We also know from research that children’s brains work better when they move."1
Throughout their time at the ELC, our girls engage in a variety of programs that promote physical, emotional and cognitive benefits through movement. Our gymnastics program, Jumpstart, provides exceptional opportunities for our ELC girls to develop their gross motor skills while safely navigating around gym equipment and other girls in the Jumpstart room. Participation in the Jumpstart program allows the girls' nervous systems, muscles and brains to work in concert to acquire new skills. Through engaging physical activities, they build strength, co-ordination and balance, while developing supple and flexible muscles. The program includes a variety of full-body exercises, from swinging on bars and bouncing to spinning, rolling, and walking along the beam. These activities require the use of core strength for stability. Overall, it promotes a holistic approach to physical development. As they progress through the program, the girls experience a remarkable increase in confidence, evident in their enthusiasm to tackle new challenges. Each session presents fresh opportunities to expand their gymnastics skills, ensuring continuous growth and improvement.
A highlight for the 4-year-old girls is the weekly Ready Steady Go sports program. Our girls delight in this highly active, skill-based program facilitated by external coaches who deliver inclusive and age-appropriate sessions that encourage the development of perceptual motor and fundamental movement skills. Opportunities for hand-eye and foot-eye co-ordination, fitness, balance, gross motor co-ordination, locomotion and eye-tracking are experienced. During Ready Steady Go, our girls also learn to work independently and as a team, gaining insights into what sportsmanship means. Over the course of the year, the girls show considerable progression in their confidence, agility, speed and risk-taking, with Ready Steady Go providing an additional vehicle for deriving joy through movement.
Throughout their time at the ELC, our girls engage in a variety of programs that promote physical, emotional and cognitive benefits through movement. Our gymnastics program, Jumpstart, provides exceptional opportunities for our ELC girls to develop their gross motor skills while safely navigating around gym equipment and other girls in the Jumpstart room. Participation in the Jumpstart program allows the girls' nervous systems, muscles and brains to work in concert to acquire new skills. Through engaging physical activities, they build strength, co-ordination and balance, while developing supple and flexible muscles. The program includes a variety of full-body exercises, from swinging on bars and bouncing to spinning, rolling, and walking along the beam. These activities require the use of core strength for stability. Overall, it promotes a holistic approach to physical development. As they progress through the program, the girls experience a remarkable increase in confidence, evident in their enthusiasm to tackle new challenges. Each session presents fresh opportunities to expand their gymnastics skills, ensuring continuous growth and improvement.
A highlight for the 4-year-old girls is the weekly Ready Steady Go sports program. Our girls delight in this highly active, skill-based program facilitated by external coaches who deliver inclusive and age-appropriate sessions that encourage the development of perceptual motor and fundamental movement skills. Opportunities for hand-eye and foot-eye co-ordination, fitness, balance, gross motor co-ordination, locomotion and eye-tracking are experienced. During Ready Steady Go, our girls also learn to work independently and as a team, gaining insights into what sportsmanship means. Over the course of the year, the girls show considerable progression in their confidence, agility, speed and risk-taking, with Ready Steady Go providing an additional vehicle for deriving joy through movement.
Throughout their time at the ELC, our girls engage in a variety of programs that promote physical, emotional and cognitive benefits through movement. Our gymnastics program, Jumpstart, provides exceptional opportunities for our ELC girls to develop their gross motor skills while safely navigating around gym equipment and other girls in the Jumpstart room. Participation in the Jumpstart program allows the girls' nervous systems, muscles and brains to work in concert to acquire new skills. Through engaging physical activities, they build strength, co-ordination and balance, while developing supple and flexible muscles. The program includes a variety of full-body exercises, from swinging on bars and bouncing to spinning, rolling, and walking along the beam. These activities require the use of core strength for stability. Overall, it promotes a holistic approach to physical development. As they progress through the program, the girls experience a remarkable increase in confidence, evident in their enthusiasm to tackle new challenges. Each session presents fresh opportunities to expand their gymnastics skills, ensuring continuous growth and improvement.
A highlight for the 4-year-old girls is the weekly Ready Steady Go sports program. Our girls delight in this highly active, skill-based program facilitated by external coaches who deliver inclusive and age-appropriate sessions that encourage the development of perceptual motor and fundamental movement skills. Opportunities for hand-eye and foot-eye co-ordination, fitness, balance, gross motor co-ordination, locomotion and eye-tracking are experienced. During Ready Steady Go, our girls also learn to work independently and as a team, gaining insights into what sportsmanship means. Over the course of the year, the girls show considerable progression in their confidence, agility, speed and risk-taking, with Ready Steady Go providing an additional vehicle for deriving joy through movement.
Ross Group children participate in 'Ready Steady Go' in the Artemis Centre
Ross Group children participate in 'Ready Steady Go' in the Artemis Centre
Ross Group children participate in 'Ready Steady Go' in the Artemis Centre
Every day, our girls spend time in the outdoor playground and on the ‘racetrack’. These spaces allow the children to freely express themselves in a flexible environment, exploring the joy of movement in the natural world. The experiences and resources provided are open-ended, encouraging the girls to extend their play and engage in creative exploration. The spaces and resources allow freedom to run, jump, climb, ride bikes and scooters, and interact with their surroundings. Deep relationships are fostered as the children collaborate, communicate and develop important social skills while engaging with their peers. This approach also reflects on the Reggio Emilia philosophy of emphasising community and collaboration as part of early childhood learning.
The girls eagerly anticipate their weekly visits to the Royal Botanic Gardens where they explore seasonal changes through joyful physical activities like running and climbing. Their laughter fills the air as they navigate diverse surfaces, enhancing their gross motor skills, endurance and spatial awareness. Climbing on fallen branches allows the girls to develop upper body strength and balance. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, these outdoor experiences promote collaboration and creative play as the girls negotiate turn-taking and help each other create imaginative scenarios. Such hands-on engagement fosters a deep connection to nature and supports the holistic development of our girls.
Integrating creative movement into the classroom curriculum offers myriad benefits for our young girls. Through imaginative sessions, such as our recent focus on Space/ Tharangalk Biik, children engage in expressive activities that extend their classroom learning. These creative dance sessions not only foster creativity and self-expression but also enhance physical activity in a way that nourishes the soul. Children delight in exploring themes like lunar cycles using hula hoops and movements that mimic moon phases and shooting stars, reinforcing their understanding of complex concepts. Creative movement nurtures physical health and co-ordination while instilling immense joy and delight in children, that fosters a love for movement and self-expression.
Every day, our girls spend time in the outdoor playground and on the ‘racetrack’. These spaces allow the children to freely express themselves in a flexible environment, exploring the joy of movement in the natural world. The experiences and resources provided are open-ended, encouraging the girls to extend their play and engage in creative exploration. The spaces and resources allow freedom to run, jump, climb, ride bikes and scooters, and interact with their surroundings. Deep relationships are fostered as the children collaborate, communicate and develop important social skills while engaging with their peers. This approach also reflects on the Reggio Emilia philosophy of emphasising community and collaboration as part of early childhood learning.
The girls eagerly anticipate their weekly visits to the Royal Botanic Gardens where they explore seasonal changes through joyful physical activities like running and climbing. Their laughter fills the air as they navigate diverse surfaces, enhancing their gross motor skills, endurance and spatial awareness. Climbing on fallen branches allows the girls to develop upper body strength and balance. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, these outdoor experiences promote collaboration and creative play as the girls negotiate turn-taking and help each other create imaginative scenarios. Such hands-on engagement fosters a deep connection to nature and supports the holistic development of our girls.
Integrating creative movement into the classroom curriculum offers myriad benefits for our young girls. Through imaginative sessions, such as our recent focus on Space/ Tharangalk Biik, children engage in expressive activities that extend their classroom learning. These creative dance sessions not only foster creativity and self-expression but also enhance physical activity in a way that nourishes the soul. Children delight in exploring themes like lunar cycles using hula hoops and movements that mimic moon phases and shooting stars, reinforcing their understanding of complex concepts. Creative movement nurtures physical health and co-ordination while instilling immense joy and delight in children, that fosters a love for movement and self-expression.
Every day, our girls spend time in the outdoor playground and on the ‘racetrack’. These spaces allow the children to freely express themselves in a flexible environment, exploring the joy of movement in the natural world. The experiences and resources provided are open-ended, encouraging the girls to extend their play and engage in creative exploration. The spaces and resources allow freedom to run, jump, climb, ride bikes and scooters, and interact with their surroundings. Deep relationships are fostered as the children collaborate, communicate and develop important social skills while engaging with their peers. This approach also reflects on the Reggio Emilia philosophy of emphasising community and collaboration as part of early childhood learning.
The girls eagerly anticipate their weekly visits to the Royal Botanic Gardens where they explore seasonal changes through joyful physical activities like running and climbing. Their laughter fills the air as they navigate diverse surfaces, enhancing their gross motor skills, endurance and spatial awareness. Climbing on fallen branches allows the girls to develop upper body strength and balance. Inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, these outdoor experiences promote collaboration and creative play as the girls negotiate turn-taking and help each other create imaginative scenarios. Such hands-on engagement fosters a deep connection to nature and supports the holistic development of our girls.
Integrating creative movement into the classroom curriculum offers myriad benefits for our young girls. Through imaginative sessions, such as our recent focus on Space/ Tharangalk Biik, children engage in expressive activities that extend their classroom learning. These creative dance sessions not only foster creativity and self-expression but also enhance physical activity in a way that nourishes the soul. Children delight in exploring themes like lunar cycles using hula hoops and movements that mimic moon phases and shooting stars, reinforcing their understanding of complex concepts. Creative movement nurtures physical health and co-ordination while instilling immense joy and delight in children, that fosters a love for movement and self-expression.
Astrid at Jumpstart
Astrid at Jumpstart
Ella at Ready Steady Go
Astrid at Jumpstart
Ella at Ready Steady Go
In the learning studios, daily routines enhance left and right brain development while improving posture, preparing the girls for extended thinking and the physical act of writing in the years to come. Activities like fingerplay songs (such as Itsy Bitsy Spider) build fine motor skills, while yoga promotes mindfulness and body awareness. Whole-body movement and games stimulate gross motor skills and energise the girls. By integrating movement into daily routines, teachers facilitate social and emotional development, promote curriculum enrichment and enhance the mind-body connection in our students. With each passing month, our educators observe the girls’ strength, co-ordination, spatial awareness and independence flourishing as they participate in various movement programs at the ELC. The development of confidence in their own abilities beautifully reflects their readiness to embrace new experiences and challenges, fostering a lifelong love for movement and physical activity. As Maria Montessori points out, “Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of [their] mind comes through [their] movement.”
In the learning studios, daily routines enhance left and right brain development while improving posture, preparing the girls for extended thinking and the physical act of writing in the years to come. Activities like fingerplay songs (such as Itsy Bitsy Spider) build fine motor skills, while yoga promotes mindfulness and body awareness. Whole-body movement and games stimulate gross motor skills and energise the girls. By integrating movement into daily routines, teachers facilitate social and emotional development, promote curriculum enrichment and enhance the mind-body connection in our students. With each passing month, our educators observe the girls’ strength, co-ordination, spatial awareness and independence flourishing as they participate in various movement programs at the ELC. The development of confidence in their own abilities beautifully reflects their readiness to embrace new experiences and challenges, fostering a lifelong love for movement and physical activity. As Maria Montessori points out, “Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of [their] mind comes through [their] movement.”
In the learning studios, daily routines enhance left and right brain development while improving posture, preparing the girls for extended thinking and the physical act of writing in the years to come. Activities like fingerplay songs (such as Itsy Bitsy Spider) build fine motor skills, while yoga promotes mindfulness and body awareness. Whole-body movement and games stimulate gross motor skills and energise the girls. By integrating movement into daily routines, teachers facilitate social and emotional development, promote curriculum enrichment and enhance the mind-body connection in our students. With each passing month, our educators observe the girls’ strength, co-ordination, spatial awareness and independence flourishing as they participate in various movement programs at the ELC. The development of confidence in their own abilities beautifully reflects their readiness to embrace new experiences and challenges, fostering a lifelong love for movement and physical activity. As Maria Montessori points out, “Watching a child makes it obvious that the development of [their] mind comes through [their] movement.”
Students participate in Yoga exercises with Early Learning Assistant Melissa Robson
Students participate in Yoga exercises with Early Learning Assistant Melissa Robson