There is a lot more to kinder than what happens in the classroom. The extra curricular activities at Broadmeadows Early Learning Centre give children hands-on experiences that go beyond the everyday curriculum, things that genuinely stay with them. Yoga, sports, cooking, sustainability; each program chosen because it gives children something worth having. Most of it comes at no extra cost to families too, which is something parents really appreciate when they find out.
Broadmeadows ELC is proud to offer the Breathe and Flow Yoga Program to children in the 3 and 4 year old Kinder classes, completely free of charge. It is one of those programs that parents do not always expect to love until they see what it does for their child.
Sessions are play-based, so children are not sitting still trying to hold perfect poses. Each class brings together creative movement, games, yoga poses, breathing exercises, mindfulness, imagination, dance, and music. The whole thing feels natural and fun for kids, which is exactly the point. But there is a lot happening underneath all of that.
Children learn not to stress over the things they cannot control. They learn to focus on what they can control, and through mindfulness breathing and relaxation, they get better at managing their emotions and responding to challenges in a calm and positive way. Yoga builds coordination, self-control, discipline, and resilience over time, and those skills feed directly into children's health and wellbeing in ways that stick around well beyond kinder. The program is also linked to the Early Years Learning Framework, so every session is meaningful, not just enjoyable.
At Broadmeadows ELC, sustainability is not something that gets mentioned once and moved on from. It is part of how children live and learn at the centre every single day. The thinking behind it is pretty straightforward: thinking about sustainability means thinking about the future, and working toward healthy, just, and vibrant futures for everyone, not just the kids in the room right now.
Children are encouraged to develop a genuine appreciation of the natural world, to understand the impact people have on it, and to see the connections between people, animals, plants, lands, and waters. A big part of that comes from recognising that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have cared for Country for over 60,000 years. That history is not a footnote here. It is woven into how sustainability is taught and talked about across the whole program.
Something else worth knowing is that sustainability at this centre goes well beyond picking up rubbish or turning off taps. Children engage with social and economic sustainability too, things like fairness, sharing, democracy, and what it actually means to be a responsible member of a community. Those are big ideas, but educators here know how to make them real and relevant for young children.
Here is how it all comes to life at the centre day to day:
Kelly Sports is part of the Kindergarten program at Broadmeadows ELC, and it is provided free of charge to all enrolled Kinder children. The program is built around structured, age-appropriate physical activity that gives children real opportunities to develop their fundamental motor skills in a way that is fun and supportive.
Children build coordination, balance, strength, confidence, and teamwork through the program. Beyond the physical side of things, participation promotes active lifestyles, strengthens social interaction, and contributes to children's overall health, wellbeing, and readiness for learning. Term activities are rotated throughout the year to keep things fresh and give children new challenges to work through.
Sporty Shorties is a program that has been run in over 300 preschools and childcare centres around Australia, instilling a love of physical activity in young children.
Each weekly session runs for 20-30 minutes and uses equipment suitable for 2.5 to 5-year-old children. All our coaches are rigorously screened and fully trained to run fun, engaging programs in a safe and encouraging environment. Sporty Shorties includes all mainstream sports and helps preschool children improve their fine and gross motor skills, hand-eye coordination and foot-eye coordination. It also teaches social interaction, sharing and taking turns, concentration and listening, and empathy.
Ask any parent whose child has done the cooking program and they will tell you the same thing: kids come home talking about it. A lot. And once you understand what is actually going on in those sessions, that reaction makes complete sense.
Culinary experiences at Broadmeadows ELC are far more than just making something to eat. They are hands-on, sensory-rich, and packed with learning across so many areas of a child's development that it is honestly hard to keep track of. Cognitive, social, emotional, physical, cultural; cooking touches all of it, and children have no idea it is happening because they are just having a really good time.
Here is what children are actually building every time they cook:
To find out more about how the cooking program fits into the weekly routine, get in touch through the Contact Us page or come in for a visit.
If you have any questions or need further clarification on anything, please feel free to ask!
The best way to learn about our centre is to see it for yourself. We welcome visits anytime between 10:00AM and 11:00AM or 2:30PM and 4:00PM.
