EARLY YEARS
The Early Years program is for children between the ages of 3 to 6. It aims to nurture and develop young students as caring, active and lifelong learners.
The program is designed on the PYP framework which is inquiry-led and transdisciplinary. Students are guided by four transdisciplinary themes of global significance that deepen their learning. They develop conceptual understanding and strengthen their knowledge and skills.
Teachers collaborate with the whole school community and parents who are viewed as partners in education and actively contribute to the holistic learning experience. Students increase their confidence and self-motivation as a result of the consistent positive teaching-learning strategies adopted by the school.
Our Nursery provides the foundation for a child’s education journey. Nursery classes focus on developing the skills necessary to excel as enthusiastic, life-long learners. Academic instruction is grouped into four Units of Inquiry (UOI), with the skills of child development embedded in each unit.
EISB Nursery students develop:
Emotional skills
Children are provided guidance to develop tolerance, empathy, respect and appreciation of others and themselves.
Social skills
Children are given opportunities to develop the ability to cooperate with other students through working together and sharing.
Cognitive skills
Children’s natural curiosity is actively encouraged with opportunities to investigate topics they are interested in. Children are also encouraged to come up with their own ideas and thoughts through asking and answering ‘why’ and ‘how’ questions.
Physical skills
Great focus is placed on both fine motor and gross motor skill development. Fine motor skills are encouraged through play activities to develop the muscles necessary for writing. Gross motor skills are developed during outdoor play and specialist classes.
Self-Help skills
Students are encouraged to be independent in their actions and given the time and space to complete activities by themselves. This in turn develops the children’s confidence in their abilities.
Together these skills learnt in Nursery will assist their education as the students progress throughout the different stages of the PYP program.
Prep 1 classes consist of students between 4 & 5 years old. At this age a child’s brain is still in the early stages of development. For some, this is their first year at school and it is quite a daunting experience. Many are shy, scared, not familiar to others outside their family group and have difficulties forming social connections. This is the time they are introduced to rules and routines we have in school and society.
Language is also important in Prep-1, children learn new languages, and are introduced to our Jolly Phonics programme. This programme is designed to teach students the letter sounds, phonics, and phonemes. We improve our Fine Motor skills as we practice letter writing and writing simple sentences. In Mathematics, we learn how important it is in everyday life, learning the concept of numbers, patterns and even simple additions and subtractions.
Throughout the Early Years, every team member understands what an important and responsible role they have in the students’ learning journey and how an unhappy experience can have a lasting effect on each child. Early year teachers are chosen for their caring, friendly attitude and their patience, understanding that there is a delicate balance in pushing students beyond their limits and making learning challenges enjoyable. They are able to assess a student’s strengths and weaknesses and create diverse ways to help the student reach their true potential and ability. In the Early Years Program, we do not only educate our students academically, we teach them how to become valuable members of society. We offer a safe, happy environment for them to learn, encouraging them to have confidence and knowledge to make the right choices in the future.
At Prep 2, five and six year old students are becoming thinkers and showing independence. Students enjoy investigations and discover infinite possibilities as they inquire more. These young learners gather at Circle time for sharing conversations, daily calendars, and their roles for the day. They devote their time to reading readiness, mathematics, and the unit of inquiry. They are involved in painting, working on their iPads, listening to and reading books, building with blocks, and doing projects related to their lines of inquiry.
Students love to read, solve problems, and display more enthusiasm in their surroundings. Their curiosity doesn’t just end in the class but continues at home, bringing authentic action along the way.
At the end of the year, these young learners are well equipped for the step of their next learning journey.
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