Give your child a head-start on their academic journey with the YPI nursery school program. Our courses are tailored to children four years and younger, and are aimed at preparing them for their primary school education. There is so much that we offer in our nursery school that you do not want to miss out on.
Four years and younger is the age when children absorb the most about the world around them. This is the best time to introduce environments and routines to them. We like to teach children at this age what school is like and what they are expected to do in class. By showing what school is like early on, they will already know how to focus and listen in a classroom by the time primary school begins. What we instruct in nursery school includes the following:
Familiarity with Mathematics
Math is one of the most important skills a child can learn, and we want students to at least be familiar with numbers and how they work before entering primary education. This will make it much easier for students to grasp early math concepts and put them at an early lead in their education.
Scientific Thinking
Science is the future. We want to prepare our students for the future, and that is why science and technology are at the core of what we teach. We want to take this time to build habits that strengthen scientific thought, like thinking curiously, asking questions, and figuring out ways to find answers. This might be one of the most important mindsets we can teach to kids, and it helps when we can encourage this type of thinking early on.
Language
Reading and writing are not only valuable skills that will assist children through life, they are going to be important tools that we will use in school to communicate between teachers and students. Similar with math, having students be a little familiar with reading and writing will help tremendously with putting them ahead when they get to their primary education.
Self Sufficiency
Our teachers are here to help and guide students whenever needed. Although there is a boundary we need to be sure students understand. We do not want students to be under the impression that teachers will be doing the work for them. A misunderstanding like this can easily put students behind in their academic careers, and we want to be sure it is a pitfall that we avoid before it becomes more of a challenge later on.
Creative Skills
Children are at their most creative when they are young, and we want to encourage that creativity and facilitate it. Any school can provide lesson plans and put together a curriculum, but a great school knows that creativity is always in high demand. Employers are always on the lookout for people who can find creative solutions to solve difficult problems, and we want to be sure creativity is encouraged at every stage of the education process.
Understanding the World
On average, children will ask at least a couple hundred questions in a day. When a young mind is spending 8 hours a day at school, it is vital for that school to teach students about the world and how it works. We want to be there to answer as many questions as we can and provide insight into how the world around them works. We will answer everything from why the grass is green to why the sky is blue.
Communication
Listening and paying attention are important skills to master in a school environment, but to have a true learning environment, communication needs to be open both ways. We make sure our students understand that they can come to their teachers for help on what to do, questions they would like to ask, or to offer suggestions. Students should feel like they are a part of the learning conversation. Not only does this teach them important communication skills, it also helps keep them engaged in their learning.
Play
While it is important to know how to work, play can be just as important for educating young minds. The language part of the brain has not fully developed at this stage of life, so children need other ways to learn and express their curiosity. This is where the importance of play comes in. Playing is a way for students to develop their own objectives, and find ways to accomplish the goals that they have set. By letting students paly, we are encouraging them to develop the same attitude it takes to stay focused on a problem, and work to find a solution.
Health
In addition to fostering children’s curiosity and teaching them good learning habits, we also want to be sure children learn about healthy habits to take care of their bodies. This way, they have some ideas about how to take care of their physical and mental health. We teach about habits like eating healthy food, drinking water, and getting plenty of exercise.
Teamwork
One of our core principles is teamwork, and for good reason. Our schools are founded by people who have worked in large companies and know what’s expected to succeed in a career. By far, one of the most important is socializing with people. We encourage our students to have time to interact with others, and teach them how to be respectful and solve problems they may have with their friends.
Responsibility
Responsibility is our second core value for success. We want our students at this age to start getting an idea that there are things that they will need to do. This will make it easier for students to understand the responsibilities of doing schoolwork by the time they get into their primary education.
Commitment
Commitment is being able to do something over and over until it is completed. Commitment is such a valuable thing to teach young children because there may be things that they do not want to continue because they are difficult or not fun. Even if a student is talented and bright, without commitment, those abilities won’t get the chance to shine. We want our students to understand that with hard work and dedication, anything is possible.
Honesty
Honesty is the fourth of our school’s core principles, and probably the most important to have academically. There needs to be trust between the student and teacher to learn in a school environment. Without honesty, learning is virtually impossible, as there is no way to trust if a student is putting in the work to learn on their own. This is why we teach our nursery class the importance of being honest in everything that they do.
Enjoy Learning
Overall, we want students to have a great impression of learning. This will be students’ first time in a classroom environment, and how they feel about this experience can shape the rest of their time in school. Enjoying learning and being genuinely curious can be what improves a young learner’s engagement in school, making it easier to learn and setting the child up for long-term success. All of which starts from those first few years of school.