Little Child Big Mind - Learn to Read Learn to Succeed

This review beautifully captures what school readiness is really about.

Of course we love seeing children make strong progress in literacy and numeracy, but just as importantly, we love seeing children develop confidence, independence and the ability to participate in a group, ask questions and advocate for themselves.

These are the skills that help children walk into Kindergarten feeling capable, confident and ready to learn.

Thank you to our wonderful families for trusting us with such an important stage of your child’s learning journey. Watching children thrive as they transition to school is the greatest reward.
📚Little Child Big Mind

Learn to Read. Learn to Succeed.

School readiness should not look like tutoring.

When children start Kindergarten, they won’t spend their day sitting one-on-one with an adult completing activities.

They’ll be expected to listen, participate, work independently, collaborate with peers, manage distractions and learn within a busy classroom environment.

That’s why true school readiness is about so much more than academic tasks.

In this photo, you’ll notice children engaged in a range of learning experiences. Some are working independently with hands-on literacy and numeracy activities. Others are reading, exploring resources and applying previously taught skills. Meanwhile, the teacher is working with a small group, providing explicit instruction and targeted support.

This is what quality school readiness looks like.

It reflects the reality of a classroom while still providing the guidance children need to succeed.

Importantly, this doesn’t happen by chance.

It requires educators who understand child development, literacy, learning behaviours and classroom expectations. Teacher expertise is what allows learning experiences to be intentionally designed so that children gradually develop confidence, independence and the ability to learn without constant adult support.

The goal isn’t to create children who can perform when an adult is sitting beside them; it’s to create children who can learn when that adult isn’t there.

Because school readiness isn’t just about what children learn.

It’s about how they learn.

📚Little Child Big Mind





Learn to Read. Learn to Succeed.

Wow, look at all those little people engaged and so intrigued during their vocabulary-building session! 📚

School readiness is so much more than knowing letters, numbers and sounds.

One of the most important skills children need before starting school is the ability to listen, stay engaged and participate in learning—even when there are lots of other children, distractions and exciting things happening around them. Moments like these don’t happen by accident. They are the result of intentional teaching, carefully planned learning experiences and educators who understand how to capture and maintain children’s attention.

In a classroom, children are expected to focus on a teacher, follow instructions, contribute to discussions and maintain attention for increasing periods of time. These skills don’t develop by chance—they are carefully nurtured through explicit teaching and practice.

Equally important is the skill of the educator. Keeping young children engaged isn’t about expecting them to sit still and listen. It’s about understanding child development and knowing how to adapt, modify and deliver learning in ways that capture children’s attention and make them want to listen, learn and participate.

At Little Child Big Mind, we recognise that true school readiness is a combination of both child and teacher expertise. We intentionally build children’s attention, listening and learning behaviours while using proven teaching strategies that keep children motivated, engaged and excited to learn.

Because school readiness isn’t just about what children know—it’s about how they learn.

📘Little Child Big Mind
Learn to Read. Learn to Succeed.

One of the biggest misconceptions about school readiness is that it’s simply about preparing activities for children.

The real difference lies in understanding why those activities matter.

At Little Child Big Mind, every lesson, routine and learning experience is intentionally planned based on how children develop literacy, language and learning skills. We don’t just know what to teach—we understand why it needs to be taught, when children are ready for it and how it connects to future learning.

This is important because not all learning experiences have the same impact. In fact, when skills are introduced at the wrong time, taught in an ineffective way, or practised incorrectly, children can develop habits and misconceptions that may later need to be unlearned. This can make learning more difficult and sometimes lead to frustration or a loss of confidence.

That is why expertise matters.

At LCBM, our teaching is guided by decades of classroom experience, literacy specialisation, current educational research and a deep understanding of child development. Every activity has a purpose, every lesson has an intention and every learning experience is designed to support future success at school.

Because true school readiness is built through expertise, not just activities.

📘Little Child Big Mind

Learn to Read. Learn to Succeed.

🎉 2027 PREKINDY ENROLMENTS ARE NOW OPEN! 🎉

If your child is starting Kindergarten in 2028, now is the perfect time to secure their place in our highly sought-after Prekindy Program.

At Little Child Big Mind, we focus on developing the foundational literacy, numeracy, vocabulary, fine motor and social-emotional skills children need to thrive at school. More importantly, we build confidence, independence and a love of learning.

Led by a Literacy Specialist with over 28 years of educational experience, our program bridges the gap between early childhood and Kindergarten through intentional, evidence-informed teaching.

Places are limited and some days fill quickly.

📍 Secure your child’s place today.
🔗 Link in bio.

✏️ When children are ready to write, how they form their letters matters.

One of the most important things we teach at Little Child Big Mind is correct letter formation from the very beginning.

Research shows that when children learn to form letters incorrectly, those movement patterns quickly become automatic. While it may seem like a small issue at first, breaking an established habit later can be difficult and frustrating for children. Instead of focusing on spelling, writing ideas and sentence construction, they must also think about how to physically form each letter.

That’s why we place such a strong emphasis on teaching letters correctly from the start.

For example, when writing the letter p, we:
⬇️ Start at the top
⬇️ Go straight down
⬇️ Then go back to the top
⬇️ Around and back to the stick

Simple, consistent teaching helps children develop efficient writing habits that support fluency and confidence as they move into school.

At Little Child Big Mind, we don’t just teach children to recognise letters—we teach them the correct foundations for writing success.

🌟 Strong foundations today create confident writers tomorrow.

💗 I’m Walking 100km for People Impacted by Breast Cancer 💗

This year, I’m taking part in The Big Bold Walk, walking 100km to raise funds for breast cancer research and support.

For me, this cause is deeply personal.

Having walked this journey myself, I know firsthand the challenges that come with a breast cancer diagnosis—the uncertainty, the appointments, the treatment, and the impact it has not only on the person diagnosed but on their entire family.

I also know the incredible importance of research, support services, and the dedicated people working every day to improve outcomes for those affected by breast cancer.

Every kilometre I walk is for those currently facing treatment, those navigating life after cancer, those we have lost, and the families standing beside them.

As a mum, educator, business owner, and survivor, this is something that means so much to me. 💕

Over the coming weeks I’ll be sharing my progress as I work towards my 100km goal. Thank you to everyone who supports, encourages, and walks alongside me in spirit.

Together, we can help make a difference. 💗 Every donation, big or small, helps support vital breast cancer research and those impacted by this disease. If you’d like to contribute, you’ll find the donation link in my bio.

Every child starts somewhere. Great teaching is knowing where to begin. 💙

At Little Child Big Mind, school readiness isn’t about expecting every child to be at the same level.

It’s about having the expertise to identify exactly where a child is in their learning journey and knowing how to take them to the next step.

While some children are learning to recognise numbers, others are ready to be extended further.

In this moment, this young learner is exploring skip counting by 2s — an important early numeracy skill that helps build number patterns, multiplication understanding and mathematical confidence.

The learning looks different for every child because the child in front of us is different.

That’s the power of teacher expertise.

Not a one-size-fits-all program.
Not worksheets for the sake of worksheets.

Just intentional teaching, targeted support, and meaningful extension.

✨ Meet the child where they are.
✨ Build confidence.
✨ Extend their thinking.
✨ Prepare them for school and beyond.

Sometimes the best learning begins with simple play. ✨

What started as a construction activity quickly turned into an exploration of informal measurement, as children used their bodies and creations to compare height, length and size.

Through hands-on play, the children were:
• comparing longer and shorter
• estimating and checking
• measuring using informal units
• problem solving collaboratively
• developing mathematical language in meaningful ways

This type of learning directly links to the NSW Kindergarten Mathematics curriculum, where children begin comparing and measuring objects using informal units before moving towards formal measurement concepts in later years.

At Little Child Big Mind, we love creating opportunities where curiosity naturally leads to deep learning — because when children are engaged, meaningful learning happens. ✨.

By the middle of Kindergarten, many children have already been introduced to all 26 letters and sounds — and for some families, that can come as a surprise.

The early years of school move quickly, especially in Literacy.
Children are not only learning letters and sounds, but also learning how to:
• listen in a whole group
• follow routines
• work independently
• hear and manipulate sounds in words
• begin blending and reading
• hold a pencil correctly
• stay engaged for longer learning blocks

At Little Child Big Mind, our Prekindy program is designed to gently prepare children for exactly this.

Not through pressure.
Not through worksheets all day.
But through intentional, play-based and teacher-guided learning experiences that build the essential foundations before school begins. 🤍

We focus on:
✨ early literacy and phonological awareness
✨ vocabulary and oral language
✨ fine motor development
✨ confidence and independence
✨ positive learning habits and classroom routines

Because when children walk into Kindergarten already familiar with these foundations, they often feel more confident, capable, and ready to learn.

School readiness is not about rushing childhood.
It’s about giving children the tools to thrive when the curriculum begins to move quickly. 📚

PhonologicalAwareness SydneyMums LearningThroughPlay KindergartenPrep EarlyChildhoodEducation