Preschool at dreieins
At dreieins daycare centers, the holistic development of children begins before their final year. From the beginning, the Berlin Education Program is combined with the Creativity Concept, so that diverse, playful learning opportunities are holistically linked with detailed educational goals. In the final months leading up to the transition to primary school, we also place a stronger emphasis on the children’s preparation for their upcoming school lessons.
Insights into our preschool work
For an optimal start to school
The final year of kindergarten is a important phase in which we not only equip children with the necessary skills for a successful start to school, but also provide them with individual and holistic support. The focus is on cognitive, social, emotional, and motor skills and developmental areas. Children learn in a playful learning environment that awakens their natural curiosity, strengthens their self-confidence, and, with the dreieins Creativity Concept, offers ample opportunity for their own ideas and participation.
Preparing for school
Starting school is a big step – for children as well as for families. Every child has their own talents, needs, and pace. School readiness therefore means not only knowing letters or being able to count to ten, but above all, being curious, independent, and emotionally ready for this new phase of life.
At the beginning of the kindergarten year, we invite the families of preschool children to an information session. A representative from the dreieins elementary school presents the school’s concept and answers initial questions. In addition, families receive a brochure that provides guidance and clearly shows how preschool activities are structured at dreieins. We also take time for regular development meetings to exchange ideas. These offer insights into daily life at the kindergarten, the child’s individual developmental progress, and we discuss how they can be specifically and strengths-based supported for the school, for example, with skills like…
Motor Skills:
• Fine motor skills: pencil grip (three-point grip), cutting, building with blocks
• Gross motor skills: dressing independently, catching/throwing a ball, moving/riding different vehicles
Cognitive Skills:
• understanding and completing tasks
• recognizing connections and thinking logically
• Concentration (staying on a task for approximately 15 minutes)
• Perception (colors, shapes, sounds, quantities)
Social & Emotional Skills:
• interpersonal skills, cooperation, consideration for others
• Frustration tolerance and coping with disappointment
• Curiosity and interest in new things/learning opportunities
Linguistic skills:
• age-appropriate vocabulary and sentence structure
• singing simple melodies
• Interest in books, letters, and numbers
Every child is unique – and their path to school should reflect that. Trust your child, yourself, and in the small steps that often have the greatest impact in everyday life. With understanding, patience, encouragement and spending time together, you create a strong foundation for a successful start to school.
Preschool in the annual planning
The final year of kindergarten begins with an orientation phase, during which all children return from summer break and come back into kindergarten. This period primarily involves open learning and developmental activities. From mid-September onwards, daily educational activities and project work begin. Visits to various learning locations outside the kindergarten are also very important. We regularly take the children on excursions and visit important educational and cultural institutions such as theaters, libraries, museums, or places in nature.
We work closely with the dreieins elementary school, so the preschool children attend a creativity session during the first semester to gain initial insights into the implementation of the elementary school’s Creativity Concept. There, they get to know the school’s educational team, the elementary school children, and the classrooms. In the second semester, they then attend a lesson, such as Math, German, or Science. The educational team, together with the families and children, decide how the time at the kindergarten will be celebrated – whether with a special party, an excursion, or an overnight stay at the kindergarten.
Preschool in the daily routine
For children in the preschool phase, we offer a wide range of activities with different learning objectives, such as guided activities that take place with the whole group, in smaller groups, or in learning stations. Based on the children’s interests, questions, and ideas, our educational team develop projects that combine various areas of creativity and impart diverse knowledge. Learning in context is particularly helpful in enabling children to apply what they have learned flexibly.
The day begins with a morning circle. This is not only an important routine for the entire group, but also provides an opportunity to practice various skills with the children. Following this, there are age-appropriate, playful educational activities offered in the morning and multiple times a week in the afternoon, specifically designed to support the children for school. The scope of individual activities increases throughout the preschool year, and towards the end, shortly before starting school, some activities last up to 45 minutes, which is equivalent to a regular elementary school lesson.
