Our curriculum aims to offer the best of the German kindergarten practice, while taking into account the needs of international expatriate families. We put our emphasis on building a solid foundation for personal, social and academic success. We support children in developing abilities such as self-care and self-organization, problem solving, persistence and independence.
Great emphasis is placed on the social and emotional development. The children learn to recognize, to express and to deal with their own feelings and to develop a healthy self-esteem. They acquire the skills to resolve disputes in a socially acceptable manner and are encouraged to develop empathy & compassion. We want our students to show respect for humans and other living things as well as for their environments.
Cognitive and physical development are proven to be closely interlinked. Therefore, lots of movement (including outdoor play, exercise, dancing and gardening) is incorporated into the day. The children are encouraged to develop healthy eating habits and are offered a freshly cooked, wholesome lunch as well as various fruits and vegetables on a daily basis. Most of the learning happens while the children play or are engaged in self-directed, open-ended activities. We constantly prepare and rearrange the learning environments, to suit the developmental needs of each individual child. Teachers are facilitators and role models, encouraging the learners to be curious, persistent and creative.
The learning in multi- age groups allows to capitalize on the differences in the experience, knowledge, and abilities of the children. Our oldest students, the six-year-olds spend only a part of their day with their younger friends. They attend ‘Grade Zero’, where they are slowly introduced to teacher-led learning and direct instruction. This helps to ensure that our students are well prepared to thrive not only within the German educational system, but also to be successful in schools following the British-, American- or the IB- curricula.
