Early Years Learning Framework
INTRODUCTIONAt Little Athletes Academy, we want to come alongside and partner with centres as well as families to contribute to each child’s journey to belonging, being and becoming.
Our approach, methods and teachings tie directly to the Early Years Learning Framework, as we strive to create programs that reflect each outcome and value.
OUTCOME 1Children have a strong sense of identity
Children feel safe, secure and supported
Children develop their emerging autonomy, inter-dependence, resilience and agency
Children develop knowledgeable, confident self-identites and a positive sense of self-worth
Children learn to interact in relation to others with care, empathy and respect
At Little Athletes Academy, the environment we create helps children to feel safe, secure and supported.
With 2 staff members assigned to each class, we ensure suitable ratios and prioritise safety. The children are encouraged, supported and equipped with skills that will help them to grow as people, giving a sense of security and value in our sessions. As we progress throughout the program, the children will be encouraged as individuals to gain skills and understanding to assist in their emerging autonomy while growing their resilience and agency. Sport and exercise are able to boost an individual’s sense of self-worth as they gain confidence and momentum. The children will acquire knowledge about sports, exercise and movements, which can greatly contribute to each child’s learning and understanding of themselves. Our program prioritises the growth and development of each child, with a particular focus on fostering teamwork and collective improvement. At Little Athletes Academy, one of our key objectives is to encourage mutual respect, empathy, and care among our staff, children, and partnering centres.
OUTCOME 2Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Children develop a sense of connectedness to groups and communities and an understanding of their reciprocal rights and responsibilities as active and informed citizens
Children respond to diversity with respect
Children become aware of fairness
Children become socially responsible and show respect for the environment
At Little Athletes Academy, all of our programs are designed for and done in groups. We do this to emphasise togetherness while also prioritising connection to their groups. We highlight fairness and participation which promotes reciprocal rights and responsibilities as they are involved in our programs. We are an inclusive program which champions respect for all with open arms to any and every child. Working closely with others in a social environment, the children are learning to be responsible and to respect the environment they are in. This includes the physical environment they are in, the resources that are provided for them and the social environment that they are a part of.
OUTCOME 3Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Children become strong in their social, emotional and mental wellbeing
Children become strong in their physical learning and wellbeing
Children are aware of and develop strategies to support their own mental and physical health and personal safety
At Little Athletes Academy, we use sport and exercise as a tool to help equip children to grow and strengthen their social, emotional, and mental wellbeing. The mental benefits of sport and exercise have been studied and promoted for a long time. Doing them alongside others and with the support and guidance of our staff provides them with an outstanding platform. Our programs are designed and focussed on strengthening each child in their physical learning and wellbeing. Our programs help children to develop strategies to look after themselves and others physically and mentally as we learn and grow together through exercise and sport.
OUTCOME 4Children are confident and involved learners
Children develop a growth mindset and learning dispositions such as curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, enthusiasm, persistence, imagination and reflexivity
Children develop a range of learning and thinking skills and processes such as problem solving, inquiry, experimentation, hypothesising, researching and investigating
Children transfer and adapt what they have learned from one context to another
Children resource their own learning through connecting with people, place, technologies and natural and processed materials
At Little Athletes Academy we foster and embrace children’s curiosity, cooperation, confidence, creativity, commitment, and enthusiasm as we engage them in sports and exercise, facilitating the learning of new concepts and movements. We inspire children to explore new experiences and find effective approaches as we support them in developing solid techniques and skills. While we incorporate various sports and exercises, the underlying concepts are interconnected and can often be applied across different sports or settings. Moreover, we encourage children to apply these skills and concepts beyond our programs. By collaborating with peers and our staff, children learn by interacting with others and exploring a variety of skills, concepts, and equipment, thus embarking on a journey toward becoming confident and engaged learners.
OUTCOME 5Children are effective communicators
Children use digital technologies and media to access information, investigate ideas and represent their thinking
Children interact verbally and non-verbally with others for a range of purposes
Children engage with a range of texts and gain meaning from these texts
Children express ideas and make meaning using a range of media
Children begin to understand how symbols and pattern systems work
Through our program, the children will be encouraged and at times be required to communicate with each other. This can be done verbally or non-verbally, but communication will be taught, modelled and promoted. Our staff will use a variety of ways to communicate with the children, and we will be actively connecting with the children and encouraging them to do the same with us and their peers. At Little Athletes Academy, we value flexibility and embrace children’s ideas and suggestions. We can customise our classes to accommodate the unique requirements of individual centres, specific groups, and individual children. Our aim is for children to engage with the program, gradually understand concepts and skills, and recognise the connections between different sports and movements. We aim to foster a desire for learning and growth in the activities we offer, encouraging children to explore and investigate them beyond our classes. With an abundance of videos and digital media available on sports, exercise, and movement, there are endless opportunities for further exploration.
