From daycare child to school hopper

The gentle transition to school life with fun and enjoyment in a holistic way.

Strong children on the way to school: our concept for school preparation

The transition from kindergarten to school is a big step for children and their parents. The better we prepare our "school hoppers" for their leap into school and the more they look forward to starting school, the easier the transition will be for them. That's why, in the last year of kindergarten, we concentrate particularly on encouraging our little ones' readiness for school and making them look forward to it. At the same time, the educational partnership with parents is becoming increasingly important.

School preparation begins on the first day of crèche

Of course, preparation for school does not just begin in the last year of nursery. In fact, it lasts from the first day of crèche to the last day of kindergarten: throughout their time at nursery, children learn important emotional, social, motor and cognitive skills that will help them to meet the demands of elementary school later on.

Which skills are important?

It is not necessary for a child to be able to read, write and do math before they start school. Rather, they should have a positive self-concept and the ability to concentrate, want to acquire knowledge, get involved in the school process and look forward to the school experience. This is the aim of our school preparation concept.

Erzieherin erklärt Kindergartenkind die Farben

Educational support throughout the entire daycare period

Our educational staff see themselves as educational guides: They build a personal relationship with each individual child and encourage them in their individual abilities. We accompany each child in their development from a crèche child to a strong, self-confident and resilient schoolchild.

How can learning experiences be gained?

Our educators create the framework conditions so that children feel comfortable and secure and can have positive learning experiences with all their senses. They negotiate rules of conduct with the children and thus create a space in which community skills can be practiced. They provide new, stimulating experiences and encourage the children to broaden their educational horizons through close observation and questioning. The children's developmental steps are observed and documented by our educators and discussed with parents on a regular basis.

Strengthen basic skills

Learning at school builds on the so-called basic skills: These basic skills enable the child to interact with other children and adults and actively engage with their environment. Our task in kindergarten is to develop and strengthen the children's basic skills through play so that they can cope well at school right from the start. Our educational staff not only observe WHAT children want to learn, but above all HOW they acquire their knowledge and which learning paths they choose to do so.

Enable positive learning experiences

In order to learn actively and develop positively, young children need an environment in which they feel safe and secure. At the same time, they must have the opportunity to get enough exercise every day. In our daycare centers, we create the appropriate framework so that children can learn through play with all their senses, emotions, mental and physical abilities. We attach great importance to children perceiving their learning activities as positive. Children learn best when they have fun and enjoy what they are doing - and early positive learning experiences have a decisive influence on learning behavior at school and in later life.

How we get school hoppers ready for school

Our main topics in the last year of kindergarten

To make the transition to elementary school easier for our school hoppers, we focus on four subject areas in the last year of kindergarten. We aim to achieve the following goals:

Who am I? Value-oriented and responsible children

The child can identify with their new role.
They are confident in dealing with their basic needs and develop empathy for others.
They know their individual strengths and develop an appreciation of their own learning processes.
By knowing their strengths, the child develops confidence in dealing with others and can make a positive contribution to group activities.

Literacy: language and media literate children

The child develops the joy of speaking, even in front of larger groups and less familiar people.
They develop and strengthen their language skills and phonological awareness.
The child understands the function of writing and learns about different media.
They develop an interest in and appreciation of written culture.

MINT projects: Questioning and researching children

The child deals with spatial and positional positions as well as one- and multi-dimensional geometry.
They develop an understanding of numbers and digits as a definition of quantities, distances or sizes, weight, time, monetary value or as an individual identifier.
The child develops an interest in everyday scientific phenomena and begins to formulate their first questions and solutions on their own initiative.

Transition: Coping with the transition to school

The child moves in traffic without fear and recognizes sources of danger.
They can come to terms with their feelings, fears and expectations regarding the transition to school.
They develop pride and joy in soon being a schoolchild.
The child is able to reflect on their kindergarten years and actively shape their own transition process.

Strengthen motor skills and coordination

Good motor and coordination skills are an important prerequisite for a child's transition to school. Our educational staff therefore take the methodology of strengthening motor and coordination skills (Strong Children) into account when implementing our main topics.

How are motor skills and coordination trained?

This includes, for example, children training the mobility of their fingers, hand and arm joints during play and performing exercises to cross the center of the body in order to stimulate the coordination of both hemispheres of the brain. Pressure and force dosing as well as eye-hand coordination are also practiced in particular. For this purpose, the children are allowed to bring a pencil case with them in the last year of kindergarten. This allows them to learn how to handle their future work materials safely before they start school. The design and sequence of the motor and coordination strengthening activities are always tailored to the individual needs of the children.

Vorschulkinder spielen im Garten miteinander

Cooperation with elementary school

In order to prepare pre-school children for school, our daycare centers cooperate with elementary school in the respective city area. The children gain their first experience of elementary school by visiting the school and taking part in a lesson with appropriate preparation and follow-up work. The farewell party for the "Schulhüpfer" is also one of the highlights of the kindergarten year.

Observation and documentation in the last year of kindergarten

In the last year of kindergarten, the educational partnership between parents and our educational staff becomes even more important. Even before the start of the kindergarten year, our educational staff meet with parents at a special parents' evening to discuss the topic. During the year, our educators observe and document the children's developmental steps and discuss these with the parents in regular development meetings:

Erzieherin beobachtet Kindergartenkinder

Communicative support

In the first development meeting of the last year of kindergarten, our educational staff discuss with the parents how their child has settled into the role of "school hopper". The focus here is on the child's emotions. During the meeting, individual support goals are set for the child.
The second development meeting takes place in the spring of the last year of kindergarten. Here, the child's current level of development is evaluated on the basis of the school requirements.
The final interview takes place together with the pre-school child. The child is allowed to prepare the premises and, with the help of a resource sun, works out topics for their own parent-teacher conference. Together with the parents, the kindergarten time is reflected upon.

All set for optimal development

We focus on the individual care of the children every day. Our nutritional concept also ensures that children receive the ideal nutrition.

Everything about the nutrition concept

Is the first day of school approaching?

For all those who like to get creative and prefer an absolutely unique school cone for the start of school, we have a great crafting guide.

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