Little Blue Penguin centres aim to foster a comfortable, homelike environment where children are encouraged to freely imitate and engage in creative play. The programme also encourages reciprocal relationships among children of different ages, where older children help younger ones master new skills. This not only supports social, communicative, and language skills, but also instills values such as kindness, humility, gratitude, and generosity.

Little Blue Penguin's early childhood curriculum draws inspiration from global best practices and evidence-based approaches, blending elements from educational philosophies like RIE, Montessori, Rudolf Steiner, and Gardner, with a core focus on aligning with New Zealand's early childhood curriculum document, Te Whāriki, ensuring that Te Whāriki remains at the heart of all teaching and learning practices.


- The RIE philosophy is incorporated into a our programmes by emphasising respect for infants and toddlers, providing them with a calm and unhurried environment, and encouraging secure, trusting relationships between the children and caregivers.

- The Montessori philosophy is integrated into our programmes by fostering a prepared environment with carefully selected materials that promote independence, self-directed learning, and individualised pace of development for each child.

- Rudolf Steiner's philosophy, known as Waldorf education, influences our programmes by emphasising holistic learning, integrating arts and practical skills into daily activities, and promoting a rhythmical and predictable daily routine.

- Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences is integrated into our programmes by recognising and nurturing diverse forms of intelligence, providing a variety of learning experiences that cater to different strengths and interests of each child.

The curriculum emphasises inquiry-based learning, nurturing the natural curiosity of young children as they actively explore their environment, make inquiries, and make discoveries. Teachers skilfully guide this process to support the children's ideas and extend their learning.

In addition to this, Little Blue Penguin centres create their own programme based on the needs of their teaching and learning community, as well as current best practices. The teachers are dedicated to progressive growth and learning and develop relationships with children and their whānau, tailoring a needs-based program through the use of individual and group learning plans.