The mission of preschool years (2 to 5 years old) is to help children grow, gain autonomy and acquire values and skills that will allow them to learn in the future when they go to school. Thanks to children's curiosity, capacity for imitation and enjoyment of movement and play, there are many opportunities to stimulate them and offer them experiences that will enrich their understanding.
All children - at their own pace - should be stimulated to expand their knowledge. For this reason, Big Ben Kids takes great care in developing a curriculum that stimulates all areas of their development. Through a close and caring relationship with the children, the teachers at Big Ben Kids encourage each child in a unique way, so that they develop their full potential.
Encourage your child to reach their full potential at Big Ben Kids!
It is true that reading and writing are at the school’s foundation, but let's take it one step at a time. There is nothing more exciting than hearing a child's first word, and then first sentences. There should be no rush to start reading and writing. Children must first understand space and time, physically and through language, to develop manual dexterity.
It is not easy to handle verbal tenses, spatial references or evoke past actions. It is also a long task to coordinate arm movements, acquire hand strength and develop fine motor skills. Teachers at Big Ben Kids create situations where children discover the pleasure of counting and listening, and eventually the benefits of written language.
At this young age, children learn through the world around them; their ears are ready to perceive other sounds. Early childhood is an ideal time to become familiar with a second language. Songs, stories and dancing will put them in contact with new experiences and the musicality of another language. This will open their spirit to cultural diversity.
By going to preschool, children discover collective life and its complexities. They learn to find their place, they are confronted with rules that must be respected, they learn to share and they realise that it is possible to work as a team to achieve a common goal. These situations allow them to grow and build their personality.
During the early years, it is necessary to discover and experiment with the body too. Teachers at Big Ben Kids encourage the essential motor actions: moving, achieving balance and manipulating objects. With games and activities, the teachers help the children to gain more control over their bodies. Encouraged by the adult, they explore unfamiliar or less accessible environments that will help them learn to measure dangers and seek solutions. Children imitate, invent, explain or draw what they do. In doing so, they discover their body in action.
At Big Ben Kids, children discover collective life and its complexities
Books, photographs, music and field trips open the doors of a wider universe. Learning to count, solve problems, reason with numbers and understand science is absolutely essential, but children also need the resources to express themselves through art, music, dance and theatre. This will allow them to develop sensitivity and learn to contemplate. Preschool helps to enrich their sensitive experience and its creative power by giving plenty of opportunities to explore different materials and techniques so that children can better express what they perceive and feel.
Understanding, expressing, living, moving, discovering, experimenting, feeling, creating and playing are all essential for learning and finding a balance between body, mind and spirit. A child who develops all these skills will feel better with themselves and with others. This is the great value of early learning at Big Ben Kids.
Do you want to find out more about the Big Ben Kids preschool programme? Do you want to know what the possibilities are for your child? Please contact one of their locations in Amsterdam, Amstelveen, The Hague or Wassenaar and book a tour now.