Nursery

Language is developed through symbolic play and social interaction. Children explore the  language of expression - negotiating, problem-solving, and constructing meaning together. Listening to stories, questioning, observing and commenting allow children to formulate their own stories using words, gestures and objects. These activities develop the child’s oral language development as well as their awareness of the printed word. During the morning circle time, various themes are introduced and serve as the basis for a range of activities designed to help children inquire, discover, explore and express their feelings. Beginning to recognise that sounds and letter shapes are connected through storytelling, songs and conversation.

Purposeful teacher guided activities, in which concepts such as sorting and organising or building and designing are featured, encourage children to discover and construct mathematical meanings through play. The approach is concrete, using experiences or objects from the child’s world to help them master difficult abstract concepts. Based on the children’s readiness, experiences with numbers are built into their daily learning experiences. Through a purposeful, play-based approach to numeracy in the Nursery, children learn mathematical concepts such as number sense from counting, number identification, addition and subtraction, recognising patterns through comparing and sorting, identifying shapes, comparing sizes through lengths and weights and making simple estimations to form graphs.

We support Personal, Social, and Physical Education (PSPE) by fostering an appreciation of diversity. Children explore their own identities while developing an awareness of the perspectives and experiences of others. We provide opportunities for children to co-construct meaning with their peers, fostering the social skills necessary for meaningful collaboration and a sense of belonging. Children develop agency and self-efficacy through the mastery of self-care routines. We support self-regulation by empowering children to identify, name, and express their emotions in a safe environment. Through purposeful play, children develop the Approaches to Learning (ATL) skills—such as negotiation and problem-solving—required to work both independently and collaboratively.

Scientific activities are designed to engage the children in playful learning. Hands-on exploration activities tied to the Nursery theme of the month are readily available. The activities arouse the child’s natural curiosity and interest in nature and invite them to explore and discover. Regular outdoor excursions to the ICS research garden, mud kitchen play, and visits to places of interest in the neighbourhood encourage further investigations.

A wide range of materials and resources are offered for self-expression in the Nursery programme. The aim is for children to build confidence and gain the ability to express their feelings in meaningful ways with others. Sharing, taking turns, listening and responding are all part of the Art, Music, Drama and Dance Programme in the Nursery curriculum. Experimenting with voice and instruments, field trips, and working with natural materials are some of the activities included in this section of the curriculum. The child’s enjoyment of such activities is used to further discover how to cooperate and learn with others as well as develop, practise and improve coordination and motor skills. Ample time for spontaneous, self-directed play is also given, so that the child can experiment and interact creatively with others.

German: Our experienced teaching assistants support the children’s German language acquisition appropriately throughout the school day based on the children’s individual needs. Opportunities to use the language for purpose are carefully constructed and implemented as part of the learning activities. Children respond with great enthusiasm to the approach to language learning and are quick to adapt to using a second language to respond to prompts or to conduct their learning inquiry.

Home Languages: ICS considers itself a multilingual environment. We help and encourage students to maintain and develop their home language, as this is important for their cultural identity and cognitive development. We recognise that having home language skills also helps students in learning additional languages. The Primary library contains a wide range of books and resources in many languages that ICS families can borrow.