“Strong, capable and resilient, rich with wonder and knowledge. Every child brings with them a deep curiosity and potential and this innate curiosity drives their interest to understand their world and their place within it.” – Loris Malaguzzi, Reggio Emilia’s Educational Philosophy, 2002

As the year begins, there is always a sense of excitement and nervousness, mixed with a few tears. Change can often be a little unsettling for some children, but we know that they will soon feel part of TIGS Prep family.

It is not long before each child establishes trust in their educators, feel secure in their environment and start enjoying all the wonderful experiences and activities that are planned for them each day. We recognise that parents also find separating from their children for the first time difficult, so please do not hesitate to speak to us if we can support you through this process.

Many children have settled into their classroom environments, establishing new friendships and rekindling existing relationships. The energy in the Centre is already so evident.

During the week, the educators focused on settling the children and building relationships. There were lots of cuddles offered as some children had never been away from their parents before. We aspire for the children to feel a sense of belonging in their purposeful and inviting educational learning environments.

The learning environment in each classroom plays a key role in the Reggio Emilia approach. Children thrive in environments that are suited to their interests and developmental stages.  In the Reggio Emilia approach, the environment is viewed as a place that is welcoming, authentic, aesthetically pleasing, culturally representative of the community, embraces nature and filled with purposeful materials. The layout of the environment promotes relationships, communication, collaboration, and exploration through play. Materials are thoughtfully added to the environment to promote creativity, thinking and problem-solving skills, questions, experimentation and open-ended play.

We may think that the children in TIGS Prep are young, but their minds are alive with creativity, inspired by their innate curiosity. We love to see their thoughts come alive each day.

We look forward to a wonderful year ahead of learning and growing together!