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Pre-Primary Learning Areas
At ISG, we value and cherish the importance of a child’s first school experience. Our qualified Pre-Primary teachers create a happy, safe, and stimulating environment where each child can learn and grow at their own pace. Through a rich and varied curriculum, we integrate key learning areas in a natural and playful way, sparking curiosity and a love for learning from the very start.
Early Years programme
In Pre-Primary, learning is all about exploration and discovery! Through the Early Years programme of the International Primary Curriculum (IPC), children engage with exciting, integrated topics that spark curiosity and deepen their understanding of the world.
Each unit unfolds over at least five weeks, allowing plenty of time for hands-on learning, creative thinking, and meaningful connections. Our approach ensures that every child is inspired, engaged, and eager to learn—creating a joyful foundation where their natural interests and abilities can thrive.
Learning through play
In Pre-Primary, we believe that play is at the heart of learning! It is a vital part of childhood development, helping children make sense of new experiences, spark their imagination, and develop essential social skills like cooperation and communication.
We provide dedicated time and space for both self-initiated play—where children explore their own ideas—and structured activities guided by our teachers. This balance allows them to enjoy the freedom of discovery while engaging in meaningful learning experiences that build key skills.
Through play, children not only have fun but also develop problem-solving abilities, resilience, and emotional well-being.
Literacy
Developing strong English language skills is at the heart of learning in Pre-Primary. Oral language activities, such as storytelling, singing, class discussions and role-playing are fully integrated into our daily programme in a fun and engaging way. These activities help children build confidence in speaking and listening, forming the foundation for literacy development.
For children who are new to English, we use plenty of visual cues and modelling to support comprehension. In Pre-Primary, children are introduced to letter sounds and letter formation through the Jolly Phonics Programme.
As they begin their reading journey, we follow the Oxford Reading Tree Programme to support their progress. Writing skills are nurtured through a variety of activities, including IPC-related tasks, diary writing, and Jolly Phonics workbooks.
Early numeracy skills
In Pre-Primary, children develop early numeracy skills through hands-on, concrete activities. They learn to count, recognize numbers, and explore mathematical concepts tailored to their age and ability.
Numeracy in Pre-Primary is fun and engaging! We weave it into everyday activities and connect it to our International Primary Curriculum (IPC) units. For example, children weigh ingredients while baking, measure kite tails during the Up and Away unit, count mushroom prints in the Food unit, and explore shapes while building houses in the Houses and Homes unit.
These real-life experiences deepen their understanding of numeracy while nurturing their natural curiosity. In addition to playful exploration, our older Pre-Primary children also take part in more structured numeracy lessons, building a strong foundation for future learning.
Sports, Music, and Dutch
Specialized, trained teachers lead these classes bringing their expertise and enthusiasm to each lesson.
Pre-Primary children have sports lessons twice a week, and the oldest pupils in Upper Pre-Primary also attend swimming lessons twice a month. Through sports, children develop coordination, motor skills, agility, and confidence while learning teamwork and sportsmanship in a fun, supportive environment. In swimming, they focus on both water safety and essential skills such as floating, submerging, and moving through the water.
All Pre-Primary children enjoy a weekly music lesson. They sing, move to music, explore rhythm, and engage in musical games that encourage creativity and expression. Through conducting, playing instruments, composing, and improvising, children develop a deep understanding of musical patterns. Singing is an integral part of our curriculum, often linked to IPC topics, enriching both vocabulary and learning.
Children in Upper Pre-Primary also enjoy a weekly Dutch class led by a native Dutch-speaking teacher. These interactive lessons make language learning fun through songs, stories, and plenty of visual cues to support understanding and engagement.
“ISG has been key to a tremendous positive development in our daughter even after only one year. She has progressed remarkably in English language, mathematics, science and in social and communication skills. Where as before she resented going to school, she now eagerly looks forward to learning more.”
– Feedback from an anonymous parent survey
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