Early Learning Curriculum

Spontaneous play

At Evolve Education, we are firm believers that a child’s work is play. Throughout each day our tamariki are presented with invaluable opportunities to direct and lead their own learning, based around their current interests.

Intentionally planned activities

Our centres offer the ideal balance of child-led and teacher-led activities. Each day our expert teachers will set up an exciting and challenging array of activities to engage your little one and build their skills in a fun and supportive environment.

Bicultural Focus

All Evolve Education centres uphold a bicultural curriculum Te Whāriki, and embrace both Māori and Pākehā language, identity and culture. We formally acknowledge the Treaty of Waitangi - TeTiri o Waitangi and encourage the use of te reo. Our tamariki are taught Māori words and phrases, and we help bring the Māori language to life through waiata, karakia, and cultural stories. Kaiako and tamariki alike love celebrating special cultural events such as Matariki and Māori Language Week.

Physical activity (Korikori)

Physical activity is crucial for a child’s development and lays the foundation for a healthy and active life. Evolve Education’s purpose-built early learning centres feature fantastic outdoor spaces where children can swing, climb, run, jump, and build their physical skills. From dancing and yoga, to playball and bike riding, our indoor and outdoor physical activities are designed so your child can have fun while developing confidence, building gross motor and fine motor skills, and improving coordination, balance and strength.

Water play

Ask any child under 5 what their favourite activity is, and the chances are, they’ll shout out “water play”! At Evolve Education, our teachers enjoy this almost as much as our children, and during the summer months many happy times are spent sprinkling, sloshing, squirting and splashing.

Messy play (Korihori pōrehe)

Young kids love messy play activities and our curriculums offer them plenty of opportunities to explore, get mucky and learn through messy play. From playing with slime and gloop to tapping into their artistic side with paint, your child will build sensory skills, learn new concepts and have fun with our messy play programmes.

Sand play (Kirikiri)

What child doesn’t enjoy a trip to the beach or having fun in the sandpit? Sand play is fantastic in aiding  development by improving the coordinative, interactional and creative aspects of your child’s brain. From writing in the sand with sticks, to filling buckets and making sand castles, playing with sand provides a plethora of learning opportunities (e.g. letters, numbers, measuring and counting) and developmental opportunities (e.g. improved hand-eye coordination, bilateral coordination, muscle growth and motor skills).

Literacy and numeracy

Literacy and numeracy skills are woven throughout all aspects of our curriculum to ensure that by the time your child leaves our centre, they have gained the literacy and numeracy skills they need to succeed in the next stage of their learning journey, primary school. Our rich array of learning activities create the foundation for developing reading and writing skills – from enjoying picture books and singing nursery rhymes at mat time, to enthralling visits from amazing story tellers.

 

Music (Waiata)

Introducing tamariki to music at an early age can kick start their learning and offer lifelong benefits. Listening to music and participating in musical activities forges neural connections which will help your child in almost every area of their learning, including  rhythms and rhymes, language development, maths and reading. An integral part of our programmes, music also provides an opportunity to dance, sing and learn about different cultures.

Our environment

It has never been more important than now to take care of our environment, and here at Evolve we take great pride in teaching our children to love, respect and care for the world around us. Our natural environments connect children with nature and inspire their sense of wonder. We encourage recycling, teach them about sustainability, and many of our centres have composts, worm farms and even their own vegetable gardens which our children plant and tend.

Family and dramatic play (Ngā whakaari ā-whānau)

Family and dramatic play provides invaluable opportunities for children to express their feelings, ignite their imagination, and build empathy and understanding. By acting out different roles, children learn valuable real life skills such as communication, sharing, and caring for others.

Blocks (Poro rākau)

Tamariki of all ages and stages love working with blocks. From simply carrying blocks from A to B, to building towers, bridges and entire villages, playing with blocks offers numerous opportunities for growth and development. Tamariki learn about cause and effect, spatial awareness and balance while also building crucial skills like problem solving, persistence and team work.

Building and construction

Many Evolve Education centres have their own construction area – a dedicated space where tamariki can develop their problem solving skills and learn concepts like balance, force and measurement as they learn to use tools and materials to build amazing creations. Building gives children an opportunity to test their ideas, collaborate and gain the immense satisfaction of seeing their design idea become a reality.

Technology

More and more, digital technologies are being recognised as an important aspect of early childhood education. At Evolve, we embrace technology, using it as a tool to help tamariki interpret the world around them.

Transition to school programmes

Our highly regarded transition to school programmes are offered to our older tamariki to help them build the skills they need to transition smoothly into primary school. From social skills and numeracy and literacy skills, to being comfortable eating from a lunchbox and knowing where to hang your bag in the morning. Our regular classroom visits to local primary schools also ease the way for a stress-free transition.