Preschool & Kindergarten

Social-Emotional Learning helps students develop the skills they need to thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.

Inspired by the Responsive Classroom Approach, this domain is one of our core educational program’s keystones. The Responsive Classroom Approach promotes success across all areas of the curriculum. For instance, children enhance their relationships with peers and develop self-awareness. They also learn to adapt to classroom rules, practice self-regulation, and collaborate effectively. As a result, they become more autonomous and accountable by taking an active role in the life of the class. 

Read our blog to learn about the social-emotional development skills your child will gain in Preschool and Kindergarten.

In all areas of our international preschool’s curriculum, children acquire a growing receptive and expressive new vocabulary in both languages. For example, they practice oral skills via meaningful communication during targeted language activities and spontaneous conversation. Then, over time, they improve syntax structure and understand and follow spoken directions.

The more they practice, the more our students demonstrate an understanding of the organization of print, syllables, and sounds (phonemes). Moreover, they display reading behaviors. Eventually, children read independently in English at the end of Kindergarten and are ready to begin the first grade’s formal French reading program. 

Additionally, in Kindergarten, students participate in a co-teaching class where they start working on comparative grammar, allowing them to deepen their understanding of both languages and their structures.

The preschool social studies curriculum is designed to foster an early understanding of self, others, and the broader world. At this developmental stage, instruction emphasizes concrete experiences and foundational concepts, promoting cognitive, social, and emotional growth. Core areas typically include:

• Self and Identity: Children explore personal characteristics (name, age, interests), family structures, and individual preferences to develop a sense of self-awareness.

• Community and Roles: An introduction to community helpers (e.g., firefighters, doctors, teachers) helps children understand societal roles and interdependence.

• Rules and Responsibilities: Through guided interactions and classroom routines, students begin to understand the importance of rules, fairness, and collaborative behavior.

• Cultural Awareness: Exposure to diverse traditions, languages, and holidays fosters respect for differences and promotes inclusivity. This is especially emphasized in international settings, where multiculturalism is a core component.

• Geography and Environment: Using age-appropriate tools such as maps and globes, children begin identifying places, landforms, and the concept of location. Environmental responsibility is introduced through discussions of nature, seasons, and sustainability.

This integrated approach equips preschoolers with the foundational social understanding necessary for navigating group settings, appreciating diversity, and developing a global perspective.

Our preschool uses Math in the City, a research-based approach that helps children understand math through real-life experiences and hands-on exploration. Through stories, play, manipulation of objects, and problem-solving activities, students understand and use numbers, discover patterns, compare quantities, recognize shapes, and organize collections of objects according to different criteria. This approach helps them build true number sense and see math as part of their daily lives.

Building Number Sense
It’s crucial to facilitate the understanding of numbers as representations of quantities, allowing children to grasp the relationship between numerical symbols and the actual quantities they denote. Consolidating knowledge of smaller numbers lays a sturdy foundation for further numerical comprehension.

Problem-Solving
Problem-solving scenarios are rooted in real-life situations, drawing from everyday experiences that children can relate to and understand. Initially, children are prompted to engage in hands-on manipulation to explore and discover solutions. Throughout their growth, the problems gradually transition towards more abstract situations, offering opportunities for deeper conceptualization and application of learned strategies.

In Kindergarten, students begin coding classes with a dedicated coding teacher. As an introduction, children start to understand the concept of a code as a message that triggers an action. First, through body positioning, movement, and maps, children experience and write their first codes. Once they are familiar with these concepts, they continue their coding experiments using small robots (Bee-Bots) and applications such as Scratch Junior, either individually or in groups.

Coding with Bee-Bots causes them to move in programmed ways, while Scratch allows students to make coding decisions about the size, color, and placement of objects.

In our preschool science program, French- and English-speaking teachers co-teach, creating an immersive environment where students naturally develop vocabulary and concepts in both languages. This co-teaching approach enhances cognitive flexibility and strengthens connections between linguistic and scientific thinking. [This bilingual co-teaching approach starts in science in PK but will be extended throughout the grades to language (starting in Kindergarten) and mathematics (starting in 3rd Grade)]

Students develop critical thinking and analytical skills through hands-on experimentation, guided questioning, and research-based exploration. They engage with fundamental scientific topics such as the seasons, life cycles of plants and animals, sustainable development, and states of matter while reinforcing essential temporal benchmarks and spatial landmarks.

Participation in challenges and events like the science fair provides opportunities for students to present their discoveries, fostering confidence, communication skills, and a love for scientific inquiry from an early age. 

Students express themselves and represent their knowledge, thoughts, beliefs, and feelings through visual art and creative movement. Additionally, students enhance their dexterity by practicing fine motor skills in activities such as drawing, painting, and crafting while nurturing their artistic expression.

Our preschool music program is led by a dedicated music teacher who guides children through joyful exploration of rhythm, melody, and movement. Students engage in regular music sessions where they sing, play instruments, and listen to music from a variety of cultures. They also rehearse songs for special events such as the Winter Show, where they participate in choir performances that celebrate our international community. These activities help develop listening skills, coordination, confidence, and a lifelong appreciation for music.