Life in Our House & Backyard
Our spacious open-plan house and backyard create the perfect environment for an inspiring play-based program that helps all our Small Friends feel confident both playing to learn and learning to play. Our unique setting supports a free-flowing world where children move seamlessly between the house and backyard throughout the day, guided by our team to make their own choices and explore activities that spark their interest.
Our learning spaces inside the house and out in the backyard are always evolving — from week to week, day to day, and even hour to hour — because we believe children’s interests change, and so should the opportunities we offer. If a learning area isn’t engaging, we adapt it to keep curiosity alive and active for everyone.
We encourage our Small Friends to discover through all their senses — touch, sight, sound, taste, and smell. Activities are thoughtfully designed to meet developmental stages and invite creativity. There’s no “right way” to build or create here; children decide for themselves what their finished masterpieces will look like.
Drama and role play are part of every day, both inside the house and out in the backyard, as they provide rich opportunities for language, social skills, and imaginative learning. With music playing throughout the day, we welcome everyone to sing, dance, and express themselves freely!
Our Small Friends’ Adventures
Our world is always buzzing with activity, and as a team, we love creating play and learning spaces that nurture creativity, encourage social connections, and keep our Small Friends happily engaged all day long. Our welcoming house and backyard are designed to feel just like home, with plenty of spaces and activities that keep little hands busy and curious minds inspired.
Our house can become anything we imagine — from a family home at the start of the year, to a Space Station, restaurant, hair salon, fairy garden, or jungle safari!
Learning Zones
Our Learning Zones are always ready for action, whether children want to play with friends or create on their own.
Collage Table: A hub for creativity where glue, paint, and endless materials come together to make masterpieces. Mess is welcome here — it means creativity is flowing!
Book Nook: A quiet retreat where anyone can escape into stories and the land of “once upon a time.”
Chat Room: One of our busiest spaces, the Chat Room hosts three daily sessions where children explore what’s happening in our Small Friends world, enjoy stories and music, sing nursery rhymes and ring games, dance, and have a quiet space to rest and relax after lunch.
Drawing Table: A space for our mini Picassos to bring their ideas to life. With paper and drawing tools always within reach, children are free to create whenever inspiration strikes — because every mark tells a story.
Tinker Table: A hands-on haven where curious minds get busy building, designing, and inventing. With resources like Duplo, magnetic tiles, and Mobilo, this is where little engineers bring big ideas to life through creativity, problem-solving, and play.
Backyard Adventures
Our backyard is our largest learning space, surrounded by nature and designed to support fine and gross motor skills development. Children can choose from quiet spots to lively active areas, with equipment like climbing frames, balance planks, and obstacle courses that move regularly to keep things fresh.
Pepper Tree: This magnificent tree offers wonderful outdoor shelter, whether shielding us from summer heat or gentle rain.
Outdoor Art Table: A space to create - ready for any budding artist.
Painter’s Easels: A favourite spot where children create colourful masterpieces to take home.
Sandpit: A versatile space that transforms from a cooking kitchen to a construction site, complete with trucks, hard hats, and building tools.
Garden Cottage: A place for imaginative role play with props, dress-ups, and toys.
Transport Fleet: Balance trikes roam freely on our backyard roadway, where children learn to work together, and share the “road” safely.
Meet the Hoppin’ Duo – Salt & Pepper
Our resident giant bunnies roam freely in Salt & Pepper’s Garden and love spending time with the children. They’re a much-loved part of daily life at Small Friends, often spotted through the dining room window while we stop for a bite to eat. Each day, a small group of children help feed them, learning how to care for animals with gentle hands and kind hearts. Whether it’s a quick cuddle, a little pat, or just watching their fluffy antics, Salt and Pepper bring joy, calm, and connection to our day.
Early Years Framework
At Small Friends, we wholeheartedly embrace play-based learning — the foundation of the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF).
Our program supports the EYLF’s understanding that early childhood is a crucial time for learning and development. The framework highlights three key ideas: belonging, being, and becoming.
Belonging is all about our Small Friends’ relationships with the people and communities around them.
Being means giving children the space and freedom to simply be children.
Becoming focuses on children’s growth and development during these important early years.
Through play, we support every Small Friend to belong, be, and become their best self.
Capturing the Magic of Learning
At Small Friends, we use Earlyworks to observe, plan, and reflect on each child’s learning journey. It’s also our way of sharing the magic of our week with families — from exciting activities to those quiet, meaningful moments of growth and discovery.
All children at the centre are observed by our Small Friends team for programming purposes. These observations help us tailor our play and learning opportunities to support each child in a way that’s meaningful, engaging, and developmentally appropriate.
Our learning and play programs are guided by the Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), which focuses on five key outcomes:
Outcome 1: Children have a strong sense of identity
Outcome 2: Children are connected with and contribute to their world
Outcome 3: Children have a strong sense of wellbeing
Outcome 4: Children are confident and involved learners
Outcome 5: Children are effective communicators
These outcomes shape everything we do — from the environments we create to the experiences we offer. No matter their age or stage, every Small Friend is supported to explore, grow, and shine in their own unique way.