Our Classes
​Each class at Little Red Hen is tailored to meet the developmental needs of its age group—from the Crawly Caterpillars, where sensory exploration and early motor skills are the focus, to the Ladybirds, Busy Bees and Dragonflies, where children develop greater independence, fine motor coordination, and foundational academic skills. Our Grade R, Butterflies' learning culminates in the integration of these skills through structured literacy, numeracy, social collaboration, and self-regulation activities—preparing children confidently for formal schooling.
The Caterpillars- 10 Months to 2 Years
In the Caterpillars Class, toddlers are encouraged to explore their growing independence through active movement, hands-on learning, and social interaction. This stage of development is marked by rapid growth in mobility, language, and emotional awareness.
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Key Areas of Focus:
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Gross Motor Development: Children strengthen large muscle groups through activities such as walking, running, climbing, and navigating outdoor spaces, promoting balance, coordination, and confidence.
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Fine Motor Skills: Sensory play and hands-on activities—such as stacking, pouring, and manipulating objects—help toddlers refine their hand-eye coordination and control of small muscle movements.
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Language Development: Daily exposure to songs, rhymes, storytelling, and conversation builds vocabulary and communication skills. Children are encouraged to express themselves through words and gestures.
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Understanding the World: Stimulating play experiences—both indoors and outdoors—encourage curiosity and cognitive development, helping toddlers begin to make sense of their environment.
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Imaginative and Social Play: Pretend play and parallel play with peers foster creativity and social learning. Toddlers begin to build relationships, learn turn-taking, and explore their sense of self and independence.
The Busy Bees Class (Up to 3 Years Old)
In the Busy Bees Class, children experience a rich and stimulating environment that encourages creativity, communication, and problem-solving. At this stage, their physical, cognitive, and emotional abilities are expanding rapidly, laying a strong foundation for school readiness and lifelong learning.
Key Areas of Focus:
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Motor Skill Development: Through active play, children continue to refine both large motor skills (running, jumping, climbing) and fine motor control (drawing, cutting, building), strengthening coordination and independence.
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Creative Expression: Art, music, and hands-on activities provide opportunities for children to express their understanding of the world around them in imaginative and meaningful ways.
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Hand-Eye Coordination: Physical games and guided activities promote the development of hand-eye coordination, essential for tasks like writing, threading, and puzzle-solving.
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Imaginative Play: Role play and free play are encouraged, allowing children to explore ideas, express emotions, and build narrative thinking through pretend scenarios.
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Language and Literacy Skills: Vocabulary expands rapidly at this age. Children are supported in using language to communicate ideas, ask questions, and engage in storytelling, fostering early literacy skills.
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Numeracy and Mathematical Thinking: Children begin to develop an understanding of numbers, patterns, shapes, and spatial awareness through playful exploration of basic math concepts.
The Ladybirds Class (Up to 4 Years Old)
In the Ladybirds Class, children are guided through their early years journey with a focus on growing their independence and building their gross and fine motor skills. Learning becomes more structured while still grounded in play, creativity, and discovery. At this stage, children show an increase in critical thinking and curiosity about the world.
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Key Areas of Focus:
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Fine Motor Development: Activities such as drawing, cutting, threading, and writing help strengthen the small muscles in the hands and fingers, preparing children for more complex tasks like pencil control and early writing.
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Observation and Classification: Children are supported in recognizing and distinguishing common characteristics in objects and environments—an early scientific skill that promotes critical thinking.
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Mathematical Thinking: Concepts of colour, shape, size, texture, distance, and position are explored through hands-on learning, laying the groundwork for early numeracy and spatial awareness.
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Understanding the World: Children build a broader awareness of their environment, community, and natural world, encouraging curiosity and respectful engagement with people and places.
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Imaginative Play: Dramatic and role play are essential outlets for creativity and emotional expression. Children create stories, take on different roles, and make sense of experiences through imaginative scenarios.
The Dragonflies Class (Up to 5 Years Old)
The Dragonflies Class focuses on consolidating and extending key skills to prepare children for a smooth transition into formal schooling. At this stage, children demonstrate increased confidence, control, and understanding across all developmental domains, with a strong emphasis on literacy, numeracy, and physical coordination.
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Key Areas of Focus:
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Balance and Coordination: Children exhibit a well-developed sense of balance and coordination, engaging in activities that involve hopping, skipping, and controlled movements.
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Fine Motor Skills: Hand-eye coordination is enhanced through activities like drawing, colouring within lines, and early writing, helping to refine pencil grip and control.
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Spatial Awareness: Children begin to understand directionality, including distinguishing left from right, which is vital for reading, writing, and everyday navigation.
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Comparative Thinking: Exploration of size, shape, weight, texture, and colour supports early scientific thinking and cognitive categorization.
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Numeracy Development: Children deepen their understanding of numbers, patterns, measurement, and other mathematical concepts through play-based learning and guided activities.
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Literacy and Language: There is a strong focus on phonics, letter recognition, and sound awareness. Children build vocabulary, sentence structure, and early reading skills through storytelling, conversation, and guided literacy tasks.
The Butterfly Class (Grade R)
As the first year of the junior primary phase, the Butterfly Class marks the beginning of a child's journey into primary school. At Little Red Hen Pre-Primary, Grade R serves as the culmination of all foundational learning, equipping children with the essential skills for a confident transition into formal schooling. Emphasis is placed on integrated development—cognitive, emotional, social, and physical—through a play-based, child-centered approach following the CAPS curriculum (Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statements) as set out by the Department of Education.
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Key Areas of Focus:
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Fine Motor Development: Children demonstrate improved hand-eye coordination, greater pencil control, and the ability to use tools and utensils with accuracy—key for handwriting and independent tasks.
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Gross Motor Skills: Enhanced balance and coordination enable children to move with confidence and participate in physical activities with ease.
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Numeracy: Children recognize numbers, understand basic mathematical concepts, and begin exploring quantity, measurement, and patterns in practical contexts.
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Cognitive Growth: Concepts such as time, cause-and-effect, classification, and sequencing are developed through hands-on learning and exploration.
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Problem-Solving and Critical Thinking: Through guided tasks and open-ended play, children learn to analyse, sort, and solve problems using logical reasoning.
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Literacy Development: Letter recognition, phonics, and early reading skills are nurtured. Children begin blending sounds into words and explore different writing styles, encouraging early literacy fluency.
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Language and Communication: Children express themselves clearly in conversation, follow multi-step instructions, and recall details from stories, supporting strong comprehension and oral language skills.
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Social Interaction: A focus on sharing, turn-taking, and effective communication helps children develop the cooperation skills needed in group settings.
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Emotional and Social Maturity: Children learn to manage their emotions, show empathy, collaborate with peers, and build self-confidence and resilience—laying the groundwork for healthy interpersonal relationships and personal growth.
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Coding and Robotics: Coding and robotics development for children is beneficial for cognitive, creative, and social development, teaching skills like problem-solving, computational thinking, and resilience. It prepares them for a future with increasing technology by fostering creativity and teamwork while making abstract concepts tangible. It integrates various components of STEAM (Science (including Computer Science), Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics).
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Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy Support
At Little Red Hen, we offer access to speech therapy and occupational therapy for children who may benefit from additional support.
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Therapy is provided by qualified professionals and is tailored to each child’s individual needs, helping them thrive both in the classroom and in daily life.
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Referrals are made in consultation with parents and teachers. If we identify a possible need, we’ll discuss it with you and arrange for a professional assessment to determine the best way forward.