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Bee Curious - Kia Pākiki
We believe every child is a capable, curious, and confident learner. Each tamaiti arrives with their own strengths, stories, language, and culture and are active participants in their own holistic learning journeys. Each child brings with them their own identity, language, and culture, which we deeply value and celebrate.
As kaiako, we have the privilege of walking alongside them, noticing their wonder, nurturing their confidence, and scaffolding pathways for discovery.
Bee Curious - our Busy Bees Curriculum Framework - has been created to guide and inspire kaiako in supporting tamariki through rich, interconnected learning experiences. Built on the strong foundation of Te Whāriki, it reflects the principles of Aotearoa New Zealand’s early childhood curriculum and the aspirations we hold for our children as they grow.
The framework is guided by five strands: Bee Connected, Bee Inspired, Bee Expressive, Bee Active, and Bee Creative. These strands weave seamlessly into the seven key areas of learning: Expressive Arts & Design, Physical Development, Communication & Languages, Personal, Social & Emotional Development, Mathematics, Literacy, and Understanding the World. Together, they create a rich tapestry of learning that is interconnected, meaningful, and full of possibility.
Growing Curiosity and Confidence
Pathways to Kura and Beyond
Bee Curious is an invitation. An invitation to embrace children’s natural curiosity, to celebrate their uniqueness, and to create learning experiences that spark joy, wonder, and confidence. It is about preparing pathways not just to kura, but to a lifetime of learning, belonging, and thriving.
7 Areas of Learning
Preparing Your Child for Kura and Beyond
Starting school is a big step. The Bee Curious Curriculum Framework has been carefully designed to ensure every child grows in confidence, curiosity, and capability as they prepare for this important transition. Grounded in Te Whāriki, the national early childhood curriculum, Bee Curious blends rich cultural values with best practice, ensuring your child is ready not only for school, but for life. Watch as our children learn to become school ready within our early learning environment.
The Busy Bees Framework
Angamahi o Bee Curious (Kia pākiki)
Your child’s holistic learning journey is supported through five key areas of Bee-ing:
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Building friendships, teamwork, and a strong sense of belonging so tamariki feel safe and confident. |
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Strengthening bodies and minds through intentional movement, coordination, and resilience. |
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Developing language, communication, and creativity so children can confidently share their ideas and emotions. |
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Encouraging curiosity, wonder, and a love of learning that continues well beyond the classroom. |
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Inspiring imagination, problem-solving, and innovation, helping tamariki approach challenges with confidence. |
Immersed in a literacy-rich environment children encounter stories, rhymes, poems, and storytelling that reflect diverse cultures, developing their growing understanding and use of symbols and texts. This video helps explain what literacy in action looks like in our centres.
Early numeracy concepts are introduced within naturally occurring activities. Children are scaffolded through increasingly challenging play that will promote engagement in mathematical strategies. This video explains what maths in action looks like in our early learning environment.
The Bee Curious
Lunchbox Ritual
We love creating special rituals that celebrate important steps in your child’s learning journey.
One of these is gifting every child their very own lunchbox!
Why a lunchbox?
Because it symbolises a child’s growing independence and their preparation for school (kura). Just like wearing a school bag, learning to use a lunchbox is a big step towards managing daily routines with confidence.
Through this ritual, tamariki begin practising the small but important skills that will help them thrive at school:
This simple ritual is a meaningful way to prepare children for the next stage of their journey — school and beyond.
Frequently Asked Questions About Our School Readiness Programme
What early childhood curriculum do you follow?
At Busy Bees, we’re proud to follow Te Whāriki, Aotearoa New Zealand’s national ECE sector curriculum, through our very own school readiness programme, Bee Curious. Our informed teaching reflects Te Whāriki’s principles of empowerment, holistic learning, family and community, and relationships, while also providing structure and progression that support the transition into a new environment.
All of our centres follow the Bee Curious framework and are tailored to suit each individual location to support tamariki in learning, growing, and developing confidence, social skills, and a lifelong love of learning.
Bee Curious’s school readiness checklist:
- Literacy
- Mathematics
- Expressive Arts & Design
- Understanding the World
- Communication & Languages
- Physical Education & Development
- Personal, Social & Emotional Development
What does “school readiness” look like in early childhood learning?
As well as teaching children numeracy and literacy, school readiness means making sure your child feels confident learning both solo and with peers, and is independent of caretakers/parents during the school day.
Children starting school need to have a solid understanding of communication, self-regulation, problem-solving, and social interaction. Bee Curious supports these foundational skills through school-readiness activities for preschoolers, such as everyday exploration, meaningful routines, and fun, educational experiences, including play-based learning and provocations.
Bee Curious helps your child prepare for school by nurturing confidence, curiosity and capability in each individual learner at a pace that makes sense for them. Through interconnected learning experiences, tamariki develop key academic, social, and emotional skills, enabling a smooth transition into school.
How does Bee Curious build learning skills for primary school?
Central to Bee Curious is a sequenced progression of experiences that scaffold learning over time. This includes back-and-forth interactions, hands-on everyday activities, and opportunities for self-expression, which help your child build early literacy, numeracy, critical thinking, and social competencies in ways that feel natural and play-based, ensuring they’re ready for school.
How does Bee Curious support literacy in early childhood?
Bee Curious helps tamariki build literacy through playful learning experiences that develop language, communication, and early reading skills at their own pace. Our early childhood literacy programme explores stories, songs, letters, and writing activities. Our approach to literacy and learning is designed to build vocabulary, comprehension, and a love of reading, which are all essential foundations for school and life beyond the classroom.
How does Bee Curious support education in numeracy?
Numeracy in early childhood education is introduced through activities such as counting, sorting, measuring, and exploring patterns and basic shapes. Bee Curious encourages tamariki to problem-solve, make connections, and understand numbers in everyday contexts, giving them confidence and curiosity with maths before they start school.
How do your early childhood care and education teachers support my child’s transition to school?
Our kaiako (educators) use Bee Curious to develop and celebrate each child’s learning at their own pace, acknowledging milestones and encouraging the progression of their education journey. They intentionally plan experiences that build genuine interest, resilience, and independence, setting tamariki up to thrive in their next phases of life.
Our centres also have great relationships with their local schools, planning regular school visits so tamariki enter their new school confidently, with a strong sense of identity and excited for the rest of their academic journey.
