Kelburn

Kelburn Playcentre has been supporting tamariki from birth to 6 years to learn in a warm, encouraging, family-based environment since 1941. We are a parent-led cooperative committed to the Playcentre philosophy that parents are the first and best educators of their children, and that children learn best through play. We believe in empowering adults and children to play, learn, and grow together; in providing ongoing educational opportunities for our parent volunteers; and in the educational benefits of messy, noisy and child-directed play.

Our large, purpose-designed space adjacent to Kelburn Normal School offers a wide range of indoor and outdoor play equipment – everything from books to read, painting and art supplies, dolls, duplo and musical instruments to a sandpit, swings and slide, bubble wands, trampolines and big muscle climbing equipment. There is no such thing as a “typical” session at Kelburn Playcentre. Our wealth of resources and the diverse experiences, skills and interests that our parents bring means that new ideas are constantly being brought forward and no two days are the same.

A Kelburn Playcentre parent needs to be prepared to get stuck in and get their hands dirty – or if that’s not your thing you might prefer building… or reading stories… or making an obstacle course… In return we offer a strong adult education programme, a supportive and friendly environment, and plenty of tea and coffee.

If you’d like to come along and find out if our whanau is right for yours, we’d love to welcome you for three no-obligation visits. We run mixed-age sessions for tamariki aged birth to six years on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays, and on Wednesday our Pikopiko session is for tamariki aged birth to 2.5 years, and their families. All sessions run from 9am to 12pm.