Playgroup, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten
“The heart of the Waldorf method is that education is an art — it must speak to the child’s experience. To educate the whole child, their heart and will must be reached, as well as the mind.” – Rudolf Steiner
A learning journey begins…
Kindergarten lays the foundations for lifelong learning. To bring this with joy and wonder lies at the heart of Aurora Kindergarten. Our early years programme gently supports each child to grow and flourish, by creating a warm and caring atmosphere, which nourishes and protects the growing child. Our two mixed age Kindergartens, Wattle and Waratah, support each child to develop a strong sense of connection and belonging with their teachers and community. The consistency of the same teacher over this two year period further deepens this process.
At Aurora Kindergarten, we hold the Australian Steiner Curriculum Framework in one hand and the NESA curriculum in the other. Through rhythm, story, nature play, and artistic activity, we nurture the whole child, while also ensuring alignment with NESA outcomes. In this way, imagination and compliance are not opposites, but companions in a balanced and purposeful early childhood journey.
Wattle and Waratah
Our mixed-age Kindergartens offer a warm, homelike environment where each child’s sense of self can gently unfold. Within this family-like atmosphere, confidence is nurtured and a deep feeling of belonging is fostered.
The mixed-age setting creates rich opportunities for social learning. Older and younger children learn alongside one another, developing leadership, empathy, cooperation, and respect. Through shared play, daily rhythms, and meaningful work, children naturally grow in care and responsibility for each other.
Children typically spend two years in Kindergarten. In their first year, they join Little Kindy, and in their second year, they move into Big Kindy, stepping into greater independence and confidence within the familiar rhythm of the class.
Children enter Little Kindy in the year they turn five. The program runs three days per week, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, from 9:00am to 3:00pm.
In their second year, children attend four and a half days: Monday to Thursday from 9:00am to 3:00pm, concluding the week with Bush Kindy on Fridays, our outdoor programme, finishing at 12:30pm.
Through this gentle two-year journey, children are lovingly prepared for the transition into primary school life.
Our daily rhythm ….
Each day, children are immersed in imaginative, creative play, drawing inspiration from open-ended materials crafted from nature’s gifts. Thoughtfully guided experiences create rich opportunities for growth, as children learn alongside one another in a space where every child is valued and able to contribute meaningfully to their Kindergarten community.
Whether baking bread, painting at the easel, listening to a story, delighting in a puppet show, or lifting their voices together in song, the children are gently affirmed in the feeling that the world is good. They are given the gift of time, care, and unhurried space to unfold at their own pace. In these simple, everyday moments, wonder and joy are lovingly nurtured.
Through our daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms, children feel held in security and surrounded by warmth and beauty, within their classrooms and in the embrace of the natural world. Here, the teacher serves as both guide and example, cultivating an environment where children learn through imitation, while also being supported to grow in independence, creativity, and confident problem-solving.
Our Program …
At Aurora Kindergarten, we nurture learning across all areas of development through creativity and imagination. We cherish an atmosphere of joy, kindness, and reverence for one another and for our surroundings.
A harmonious balance of teacher-led experiences, such as storytelling and Morning Ring, alongside child-initiated, self-directed play creates a healthy “breathing” rhythm to each day. Within this steady flow, children are supported to grow and flourish in an environment of consistency, warmth, and care.
Movement, hands-on activity, and learning through making and doing speak deeply to the young child at this stage of development. Foundational numeracy and literacy skills are gently woven into daily life, arising naturally through meaningful experiences. In this way, children are offered a developmentally appropriate and nourishing introduction to academic learning, which will be taken up more formally in Class One.