Our Approach

At the heart of everything we do at Natural Steps is the child. We aim to develop a positive attitude and disposition towards learning in each and every child. Learning is most effective when a child is able to interact freely, feels comfortably challenged and most importantly is happy and having fun. At Natural Steps, every encounter is an opportunity to learn; a holistic approach in which children learn through everything they do as active, investigative learners.

"Working together step by step."

We encourage children to become lifelong learners by devloping intellectual curiosity and a thirst for discovery and achievement.  We strive to create a diverse community that fosters mutual respect and social responsibility.

Recognising that this is not done in isolation. Children are part of our community. This diagram defines the relationships between Natural Steps, parents and family and the wider community with the child being the centre of that relationship. Each is intrinsically reliant on each other and the child's development depends on these groups working well together.

We bring these three areas together within our unique curriculum supported by our philosophy, vision, our guiding values and based on the NZ Early Childhood Curriculum. Our five guiding values to our curriculum:

RESPECT - through which we build self-esteem,
BELONGING - creating the confidence to welcome differences,
EMPOWERMENT - celebrating every child's achievements,
RESILIENCE - encouraging and developing the confidence to keep trying,
ENJOYMENT - ensuring life is fun.