Guest post from Kindiedays partner MoovKids                                     

"Over the past few years, I have noticed a remarkable decline in the physical capabilities of the children who start classes with me. I am talking about their general body awareness, core strength, overall muscle tone, flexibility, and even the ability to follow verbal instructions about physical movement", says Darlene Koskinen the founder and CEO of MoovKids.

The challenge

The demanding workload and responsibility that teachers have to reach curriculum goals means that movement is not always considered a priority in early-years environments. It is not uncommon to find that children who have learning difficulties may also have poor body coordination. This is incredibly worrying, as it is through play and movement exploration that children become normal self-regulated people who are a joy to be with. Physical literacy should come first through regular movement and academic learning will naturally follow.

There is also increasing pressure on our children to learn to read and write before their brains and bodies are ready. Premature academic learning also affects their social and emotional well being, too. Sitting still for long periods is not natural for young children. Indeed, children learn best when they are having fun.

A new approach is needed

Happy Valentine's Day! In Finland, we celebrate friendships on Valentine's Day and in Finnish the day is called Ystävänpäivä = Friend's Day.

What is Friendship?

To establish and maintain friendships, children need various skills. Emotional and interaction skills are needed when meeting new people and maintaining friendships. Later in life, these skills do not go out of date - on the contrary.

However, children are not born with these important friendship skills, and so they need to be practised. Children must get possibilities to practise friendship skills already in early childhood. According to the Finnish Red Cross, practising friendship skills may even prevent various behavioural challenges and loneliness.

Friendship Skills with the Moomins programme

The Finnish Red Cross has developed a programme in which children can practice their Friendship Skills with the Moomins! Friendship skills with the Moomins learning materials can be used to practise friendship skills together with children.

Play is state of mind that one has when absorbed in an activity that provides enjoyment and a suspension of sense of time. And play is self-motivated so you want to do it again and again.

Dr. Stuart Brown

According to the National Institute for Play, play is crucial for early childhood development. Researchers have shown that play is a deep-rooted biological process that is crucial to early childhood development. The biology of play has evolved because play promotes learning and adaptability, and therefore also survival in the world.

Children learn most effectively through play:

We're excited to share the big news. Kindiedays has partnered with eduTinker to offer new Admission and Fee management solutions, making preschool operations smoother than ever. 

Complementing Pedagogy with Management

Recognizing the evolving needs of private preschools, we understand that successful education goes beyond pedagogy. It encompasses efficient administrative processes, ensuring a user-friendly experience for both preschools and parents. Hence, our partnership with eduTinker marks a significant milestone, allowing us to offer complementary solutions for Admission and Fee management.

What's New

Check out our Admissions and Fees page for a quick overview.

Here’s what you can expect:

New year and new ideas! The year 2024 is still in the beginning, so it is nice to think that all the windows are open and the possibilities of creating awesome learning experiences for children are almost limitless!

How to plan fun, engaging and crazy good events for children throughout the year? → Take your calendar and set the dates early enough.

• Brainstorm with the team

When thinking of activities and events for the coming year, it would be nice if every member of staff had something to look forward to. A good system is to brainstorm together with your team and think of what everyone would like to include for the coming term.

It would be great if everyone said their ideas out loud, this way every staff member gets a chance to participate equally and bring out their interests and strengths.

Maybe one teacher loves spa days and would like to organize a relaxation moment for children with face masks and peaceful music. Another teacher's passion might be puppet theatre and she wants to organize a puppet show for children on Valentine's Day! Whatever the teacher's passion, it can surely be adjusted and added to your preschool's yearly calendar!

The main point in planning should always be the children; their needs, wishes and strengths - but sometimes also teachers can get creative in the area they are most familiar with.

Kindiedays Lesson Plans support all learning areas!

• Ask from families

It is also nice to ask for ideas from the families! Ask what would they like to see you working on during 2024. Perhaps they would be eager to join a theme week of professions? Some parents could prepare a short presentation and tell about their work for the children. Some important learning themes or places to visit might come up too.

• Find out children's wishes

And of course, also children's wishes need to be included! Organize for example a "children's meeting" where you go through the agenda for 2024 and write down ideas that come from children.

Or have a crafting session so that every group makes their "dream board" full of activities and things they would love to have in their preschool/kindergarten.

Perhaps children would love to have a pyjama day? Or go to see a concert? Disco party? Toy day? Children surely are full of ideas once they get to share them.

• Curriculum

Assess past term and point out which learning areas need more effort this term. For example; if the past term was more about art, imagination and creative processes, now emphasize science, logical thinking and natural phenomenons. The main thing is that children get diverse learning experiences from multiple angles, from all the learning areas and that they have an interest in the topics you go through.

Also, take a look at every child's individual learning plan and make a list of what there is to explore, learn and practise next!

Literacy & Numeracy program

• Mark down yearly celebrations

Every season brings also yearly celebrations along, which can be included in your preschool's calendar. Depending on traditions, seasons, and cultures, the traditions may vary between schools a lot. It is a smart idea to combine celebrations from different cultures into your preschool's calendar so that children learn about diversity.

There are also all sorts of funny celebrations that you can include in your preschool activities, depending on the children's interests.

Here are some examples of celebrations in 2024:

January

• International Day of Education (24.1.)
• National Lego Day (28.1.)
• National Puzzle Day (29.1.)

February

• World Radio Day (13th)
• St. Valentine's Day (14th)
• Shrove Tuesday / Mardi Gras (21st)
• International Mother Language Day (21st)

March

• World Wildlife Day (3rd)
• Women's Day (8th)
• World Poetry Day (21st)
• Earth Hour (23rd)
• Easter (31st)

April

• April Fool's Day (1st)
• Eid al-Fitr (10th)
• International Earth Day (22nd)
• International Dance Day (29th)

May

• Labour Day / May Day (1st)
• Mother's Day (14.5.)
• International Day of Families (15th)

June

• Global Running Day (5th)
• International Yoga Day (21st)