Froebelian Preschool

What does ‘Froebelian’ mean?

Friedrich Froebel created the first Kindergarten – a garden or nursery where young children could grow and develop at their own pace, nurtured by knowledgeable and supportive adults.

A Froebelian approach is not a method with strict rules, but rather a whole way of thinking about children and childhood, based on a set of values and principles.

Froebelian Principles

Respect
Community & Connectedness
Play, Talk & First-hand experiences
Creativity
Freedom with guidance
Outdoor play
Positive & Supportive relationships
Well informed & qualified education practitioners

We closely follow these principles at Little Delwood, and as such they are reflected in ‘Our World of Learning’; our ‘O.W.L. Values’.

School Readiness

Many parents are interested in the concept of ‘school readiness’; ensuring that their children are prepared for the new challenges and opportunities provided once they move up to school. But ‘school readiness’ means different things to different people!

At Little Delwood Kindergarten, we encourage school readiness by working towards and promoting the following ‘I Can..,’ skills.

I Can…

Use the toilet independently
Dress myself
Understand what behaviour is expected of me
Take turns and share
Sit still and quietly while listening, for a short period of time
Separate from my parents/carers
Communicate and use language skills
Express my own needs, wants and preferences

We promote these ‘I can…’ skills through the use of our Golden Rules, positive role modelling, encouraging independence and self-reflection, as well as resilience and the desire to ‘have a go’. We use mistakes to help us learn, rather than dwelling on them, and by helping children to resolve their own problems and conflicts as they arise.

Parents as Partners

To help us learn about your child, we need you!

Sharing your child’s likes, dislikes, worries and patterns of development is paramount to us making Little Delwood an extension of home.

Together with your child’s Key Person, we can support your child’s needs and next steps on their learning journey.

Most days we will share a daily diary with you via Tapestry; our Early Years software. Please take the time to look through this (preferably with your child!) to understand more about your child’s day with us, and feel free to upload images/videos from home to build up a picture of your child as a whole – after all, every child is unique!