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Kindergarten: the school program in small section
In kindergarten, the children seem to be having a lot of fun! But, in fact, they are in the middle of a learning phase! During the first year, 5 main areas are in fact on the program:
- Mobilize language in all its dimensions;
- Act, express yourself, understand through physical activity;
- Act, express, understand through artistic activities;
- Build the first tools to structure your thinking;
- Explore the world.
So many learning experiences to awaken the senses of young schoolchildren.
Language improvement
In kindergarten, oral language is preferred. Communication is put in the foreground to allow children to progress in French. They will learn to make themselves understood. Their ear will also be educated by memorizing songs, nursery rhymes and short texts. Without forgetting a first initiation to new sounds, such as those of foreign or regional languages. With also listening and attention activities … Thanks to all these workshops, the little students will gradually be able to tell stories, to understand them and reformulate them, to participate in discussions, while knowing how to listen to the stories. others and to precisely name objects.
While the emphasis is on oral language, written language is not for all that set aside. Little by little, children learn the letters of the alphabet, just like how they work. They realize that writing is made up of words and gradually become able to write their name, copy sentences, reproduce graphic patterns, etc. Children also learn about different writing media, such as books, newspapers, computers.
Body awareness, essential in kindergarten
During the activities, everything is done to promote the children’s motor actions and “bodily experiences”. And they give it to their heart’s content! Walking, jumping, climbing, balancing, coordinating movements, manipulating objects… so many actions that develop their physical capacities and teach them to know their body better. A body which also becomes for them a means of expression (to describe characters, states…) and with which they can locate themselves in space.
In the same way, they begin to understand the notion of performance, with the desire to break records! Finally, physical activity contributes to the relational and emotional development of children.
The place of visual arts
In the small section, creative activities and manual workshops are also part of the learning. They are considered as a mode of expression and a fun way to appropriate knowledge.. Through drawing, making objects, manipulating materials, images… children develop their creativity and their know-how. All while having fun! These activities awaken in them beneficial emotions for their development, which at the same time help them to acquire a certain dexterity which will facilitate their learning to write! Sometimes children work too in small groups, which promotes a collaborative spirit from an early age.
Learning the first benchmarks to structure their thinking
When entering kindergarten, children can distinguish small quantities and a few shapes. Kindergarten allows them to deepen this knowledge. Gradually, the young pupils will understand that the numbers make it possible at the same time to express quantities, a rank, a position in a list. This learning can be done through pre-digital and digital activities. In kindergarten, the emphasis is also on learning certain shapes and sizes. All this through exercises in handling objects and oral activities. In short, a first approach to geometry and units of measurement.
Workshops to discover the world around them
The layout of classrooms offers children multiple opportunities for discovery, a universe specially created to stimulate their curiosity. They will learn to use their body as a means of exploration to become aware of forms, materials, objects… and better understand the world around them. Their five senses are awakened through tactile, gustatory, olfactory, auditory and visual perceptions. The children will thus build temporal spatial benchmarks and acquire a beginning of autonomy. They also discover numbers and begin to learn to count.