Goodstart Early Learning Thorneside

Strong relationships are the foundation for confident, curious learners 💛

Goodstart’s key educator approach ensures every child is known, supported and feels safe - through consistent, nurturing connections with educators and meaningful partnerships with families. These bonds help build wellbeing, resilience and a true sense of belonging from day one.

Discover how this approach supports your child’s learning journey: https://brnw.ch/2

📢 Centre Closed – Ekka Show Day

Please note our centre will be closed on Monday, 10 August for the Ekka Show Day public holiday.

We'll reopen as usual on Tuesday, 11 August.
Have a great Show Day! 🎡

🚚🪨✨ Our Pre-Kindy children were mesmerised by a sensory truck tray filled with rocks, orange chickpeas 🧡, and a variety of small trucks. They eagerly returned to the experience throughout the morning, creating new adventures and extending their play. 🌿

Sensory play encourages imagination 💭, problem-solving 🧩, hand-eye coordination 🤲, language development 💬, and collaboration 🤝 as children explore, discover, and learn together. 🌟

Did you know we invested $65.5M into our social purpose last year, a 14% increase on the year before? 👏 At Goodstart, we're proud of the impact we have on children, families and communities. As a not‑for‑profit, every dollar we earn is reinvested to improve outcomes – from high‑quality learning and educator development to extra support for children who need it most.
Because when we put children first, the impact goes further 💛

🌟 Meet Our Assistant Director – Miss Arti! 🌟

We’re so excited to introduce Miss Arti as our Assistant Director!

As she steps into this new role, we’re also celebrating 5 wonderful years of Miss Arti being part of our Goodstart Thorneside family. Her kindness, dedication, and passion for early learning have made such a positive impact on our children, families, and team. Congratulations, Miss Arti! We know you’ll do an amazing job. 💛🎉

💙 PJ Day Fun! 💙
Our little learners had a wonderful time celebrating PJ Day in their favourite pyjamas! From stories and play to lots of smiles and laughter, it was a cozy day full of fun.
Thanks to our amazing families for joining in! 🧸✨

Our Nursery 2 children have been busy caring for our garden! 🌱💧
Using spray bottles to water the plants, the children have been developing their fine motor skills while learning the importance of caring for and respecting our environment. Through this experience, the children are developing confidence, independence and an appreciation for the natural world around them. 💚🌿

Last week, we had a special visit from the team at Dental2You! 🦷✨
Our children enjoyed learning all about looking after their teeth, the importance of brushing, and keeping their smiles healthy. It was a fun and engaging experience that helped build positive attitudes towards dental care from an early age.
Thank you, Dental2You, for visiting Goodstart Thorneside and making dental health fun! 😁💛

Our Nursery 1 children had so much fun exploring a sensory play experience! 🌿✨
Sensory play encourages curiosity, supports fine motor development and gives our little learners the opportunity to explore, discover and learn through play in a fun and engaging way. We love watching their confidence grow as they make new discoveries every day. 💛

The research is clear 📚 reading aloud is one of the most powerful things we can do for our children.

When we read with a child, we’re doing far more than sharing a story. We’re building the foundations for language, confidence, curiosity and a lifelong love of learning.

Decades of research shows that children who are read to regularly:

💛 Build stronger language skills
Hearing rich varied language in books exposes children to far more words than everyday conversation alone. This growing vocabulary helps them understand, communicate and make sense of the world.

💛 Develop early literacy skills long before they learn to read
Through stories, children learn how books work – that print carries meaning, that pages turn left to right, and that stories have a beginning, middle and end. These early understandings make learning to read feel familiar and exciting.

💛 Strengthen phonological awareness
Rhymes, rhythms and playful sounds help children hear the building blocks of language.

💛 Grow their comprehension and thinking skills
Talking together about a story, predicting what might happen, wondering how a character feels, and connecting events to real life helps children develop memory, problem-solving, and higher-order thinking.

💛 Experience connection, comfort and joy
Shared reading fosters calmness, closeness, and moments of joint attention. These warm interactions support a child's sense of security and belonging.

Most importantly, children who experience positive, engaging reading moments from a young age are more likely to develop a genuine love of books - something that matters even more than early literacy skills alone.

Reading is simple, joyful, and sets children up for success in school and life.

Here is a list of some of our favourites below 👇