Ready for School, Prepared for Life: Part 3 - Foundation Skill, Literacy & Numeracy

At Magic Garden, literacy and numeracy grow through everyday experiences, meaningful play, and rich conversations.

Foundation skills are not about pushing children ahead early. They are about building strong learning structures underneath reading, writing, and maths.

These include:

• vocabulary and memory

• listening and communication

• pattern, number and prediction

• fine motor and gross motor control

• body-space awareness and coordination

• storytelling and symbolic representation

Why Foundation Skills Matter

These skills support children to:

• focus and listen in group settings

• communicate ideas clearly

• manage school routines and learning tasks

• build confidence with early reading and maths

• develop a strong relationship with learning

What This Looks Like by Age

6 months – 2 years

Children build early language and maths, science, engineering & technology (STEM) understanding through movement and repetition.

• singing, rhymes, and story experiences

• exploring books through touch, sound, and recognition

• building memory through repeated routines and familiar experiences

• exploring early maths through stacking, sorting, filling, and emptying

• strengthening fine motor through grasping, posting, scribbling, and sensory play

• strengthening gross motor through crawling, climbing, balancing, and movement play

2 – 3 years

Children grow rapidly in vocabulary, confidence, and early number sense.

• naming objects and experiences with increasing detail

• exploring early counting through play

• noticing patterns and sequences in songs, stories, and materials

• developing body awareness through climbing, jumping, and coordinated play

• strengthening fine motor through playdough, puzzles, drawing, threading, and tool use

• developing symbolic play and early storytelling through role play

3 – 5 years

Children build strong school-ready skills through meaningful learning.

• exploring number, pattern, size, and measurement through real projects

• developing early literacy through storytelling, books, and representation

• strengthening fine motor through drawing detail, cutting, and complex construction

• building coordination and spatial awareness through outdoor challenge and movement

• using symbols and representation such as maps, signs, plans, and early writing attempts

• developing memory, attention, and reasoning through sustained play

The Reggio Influence

In Reggio-inspired practice, children learn through many different forms of expression. This strengthens thinking and communication, and supports children to feel capable as learners.

A Strong Start for School

When foundation skills are developed through meaningful experiences, children arrive at school with:

• confidence and independence

• strong communication skills

• early maths, science, technology and engineering thinking

• fine motor readiness for classroom tasks

• enjoyment and motivation to learn

Shared Foundation for Learning is Strong and Respectful Relationships Within our Community of Learners

At Magic Garden, everything is underpinned by relationships, belonging, and partnership.

We value:

• funds of knowledge and prior experience from children, parents, whānau, and teachers

• cultural values and whakapapa, supporting identity and belonging

• a strong philosophical base and organisational culture grounded in collaboration and participation

• thoughtful environments that are natural, safe, challenging, predictable, and show visual traces of learning

• connection to the wider community and local context