When looking at an international school for your early years children, it is important to consider what kind of curriculum program they have and what kind of learning environment they provide. You want to be sure that your child will receive quality education and also that the education is ideally matched to the way early years students learn and develop skills.
Space to Develop Individual Interests
Many schools strive to teach all children the same facts and information, which can be an appropriate approach for older children, but during early childhood students first begin to understand themselves as individuals. Because of this, it is important that they are given tools to understand their individuality at this age, so they can build on their own interests as they get older.
Early years international school programs should offer choices of activities to students and allow them to start thinking for themselves at the beginning of their education. Developing these skills early on will make it easier for them to continue building essential critical thinking skills later on. Students need to understand not only the world around them, but also who they are and how they fit into that world.
Lots of Hands-on Learning
Another key part of any program at an early years international school is providing many hands-on learning opportunities for students. In part because language skills are still developing and are not yet the main communication form for young children, they learn best through experience and their other senses.
Small children are having so many experiences for the first time on a daily basis that this is how their brains are wired. Therefore, providing hands-on learning activities where students can touch, smell, see, and hear what they are learning about in addition to discussing, is the best way to give them lasting knowledge about many important topics.
Relationship Building
One of the most important parts of early childhood development is practicing making connections with other humans. This includes making friends and connecting with other children in their own age range, but also developing strong relationships with parents and other close family members, as well as with teachers and other important caregivers.
Any good early years international school program should emphasize and support learning to build and maintain relationships. For young learners this can often include education about appropriate behaviors, activities about making friends, or teaching about conflict resolution skills.
The Best Early Years International School Program For You
It is most important when searching for the right early years international school for your child that you consider the points listed above, but also that you take into account how well the program will match with your own family and cultural values. Each family is unique and each child’s educational needs are different, so you may choose schools based on your individual child’s interests or educational needs as well.
