The Importance of Rhythm - Guest Piece By Melissa

Rhythm….rhythm is one of the major key elements within a Steiner environment! The importance of rhythm is recognised through a recurring schedule of daily, weekly and yearly activities. Its also considered as a way of consistency or structure which occurs in the child's daily life within the Kindy which can be very beneficial.

The fundamentals of Fossil Bay Kindy’s daily rhythm starts first thing in the morning when the children arrive at Kindy, they have the opportunity to sit and have a cup of tea.  This is also a great way for the parents to have that time to sit and converse with their child before departing for the day. It helps to bring any anxieties that the child might have to a level that relaxes them.

After free play we like to start the day by having circle time. This is all about coming together around the mat to enjoy the lighting of the candle and blessings.  Daily each child has the opportunity to light the candle, This person then becomes the ‘waiter’ (someone who gets to do a few individual transitional jobs to help the kaiako) for the day.  Once our circle time is over, we then move into morning tea and karakia. The waiter sings the children to go wash their hands – “Melissa, Melissa you may go and wash your hands and sit at the table”. The waiter also gets to tickle the children on the back when they are called up for their lunch and after the Kaiako sings “Tahi, rua, toru, wha turn the children into mice”.

The rest of the morning consists of free outside play and then lunch. Once lunch is completed, we provide a wonderful opportunity for the children to rest and listen to a chapter book. We have just concluded the ‘Far Away Tree’ which was thoroughly enjoyed and provided great conversations after each chapter. The anticipation for the next chapter is extremely magnificent. After our afternoon free play the children are allocated jobs to get the yard tidy with the expectation that the puppet story is just around the corner!  It is a great way to finish the day. Of course, afterwards, there comes a song to encourage the children outside to pack their bags and wait on the bus for their parents. “Melissa you may go and pack your bag and sit on the bus!

We have a wonderful weekly rhythm which varies also but remains consistent throughout the term for the children, so they know what day of the week relates to what activity.  Monday’s it’s our walking day or sometimes a bus trip. Tuesday is bun day – children get to shape the dough into buns and then once cooked get to enjoy eating them at lunchtime! Wednesday is painting day. Thursday is soup day where the children get to bring in a vegetable from home and then sit with a Kaiako and peel and chop them into a pot. 

Once the soup is cooked the children get to eat some for lunch. Friday is woodwork and Kindy cleaning day. 

There may be artistic displays of offerings from nature to demonstrate the rhythms of the seasons and seasonal and cultural festivals may be celebrated.  When you enter the Kindy, you will see our wonderful season table all set up for the current season.  Now it’s spring. Sometimes during the transition of seasonal change, you might see half/half. The season plays an important part within the room. Not only do we have the table, but we celebrate seasonal festivals, and all the songs and puppet story will relate to the season. 

Whenever there is a change in the day and a shift into another part there is always a song. Whether it’s tidy up time, morning tea, circle time, outside free play, calling the children up from outside, even going inside to eat or when rest time has finished. It’s great for the children.. They know the songs so well they join in with us. 

Rhythm is believed to support the holistic development of young children. Children are seen as active agents of their own development, driven by natural, self-guiding forces that show them the way towards learning and growth. Fossil Bay emphasizes a balanced and harmonious approach to early childhood education, and rhythms are seen to create a nurturing and predictable environment for children.