Depending on the preschool you choose and the early childhood education philosophy it follows, your child may explore a wide variety of academic, social, physical, and emotional lessons. The entire span of lessons and content that your child will be taught during the course of a preschool education is what’s known as the preschool curriculum. T
There are different curriculum philosophies – Montessori, Play way, Waldorf, Reggio Emilia.
Montessori Method
This method developed by Educator Maria Montessori believes in child-lead learning while teachers play the role of gently guiding the students. It aims towards building child’s practical life skills, senses & character. Montessori believes in treating each child as an individual & letting each child grow & learn at their own pace. It believes that progress of a child should not be measured by comparing it to other kid’s progress but with past learning of the student himself. Montessori method focuses on structured learning environment. It has a very carefully setup shelf system which is generally based on a theme. Even skills like reading, writing & subjects like maths, geography etc are taught using these themes.
Play Way / Play Based Method
As the name suggests this method is more play based & believes that children learn best through play. Children are given a mix of structured as well as unstructured play time & are encouraged to choose what, when & with whom to play on heir own. They have a wide variety of age appropriate options to choose from. Even subjects like mathematics, reading etc are introduced through play. Play Way is not a method or philosophy in itself, but is inspired from & a mix of different philosophies such as Montessori, Waldorf or Reggio Methods and follows theme based learning. These themes can be set by teachers or sometimes even initiated by children.
Reggio Emilia Method
Developed in Italy in the town of Reggio Emilia, this method focuses on project based learning. It aims at building a learning environment that builds curiosity, creativity & interest for group interaction in the child. The curriculum, topics & discussions are based on what child is interested in. Thus the students suggest the topic & the teacher builds the lesson plan around it enabling more hands-on & in-depth learning. This method helps children in developing problem solving, team work & many other important life skills. Although not a very widely used method for schools, a lot of Homeschooling parents prefer adopting Reggio Emilia method as it allows them to let their child learn basis his / her individual interest & preference.
Waldorf Method
Waldorf philosophy is also a play based method that provides a homely atmosphere to the students to learn. The environment is warm & friendly & learning takes place through mediums like wooden toys & natural material, thus avoiding technological aids such as screens, audio visual aids, computers etc. This system doesn’t believe in homework, grading system & comparison between students, tests or even desk sitting arrangement. This method focuses on stimulating the body, soul, spirit & imagination of the children. It believes in creating harmony with the nature & that the children learn from nature.
Academic Method
The focus of pre schools following academic method is to prepare children to get into primary schools. Traditionally most Indian pre schools till almost a decade back used to follow Academic approach. In a lot of smaller towns still most pre schools are more focused on academics. The approach is traditional using paper pen technique. Maths & alphabets are taught using worksheets & in most cases kids are made to rote learn these things.
Most popular curriculum in India is Montessori. But bigger preschools have developed their own curriculum with the help of experts taking the best from all the different preschool curriculum philosophies. Ipsaa’s curriculum is planned keeping the age wise requirement. The main guideline include skills or competencies in five major areas:- Language Development / Cognitive Development / Physical Development / Social and Emotional Development / Aesthetic and Cultural Development. Maple Bear follows Learning through experience and exploration. Their curriculum systematically develops competence in language, reading, mathematics, science and technology. Safari Kid believes that play is the best way to learn – even if you’re learning advanced concepts in languages or math. That’s why their play-based nursery approach ensures that each child is at least one (if not two) grade levels ahead of their peers when they leave us for primary school. Amelio Early Educations’s well researched and international World of Discovery curriculum combines the best practices of internationally renowned curriculum methods and ensures attention to all aspects of a child’s early development – Physical, Cognitive, Social, Emotional, Sensorial and Language.
Which method works best for you totally depends on what you want for your child when it comes to education, but being informed is really important.
The First Five Years of Education are important to build early skills. If you are confused in selecting the right preschool for your child, register here for preschool counseling with experts.