Life at the Kindergarten

Life at the Kindergarten – Ah, the kids. They grow up so fast, don’t they? All parents say that at some point and guess what? It’s true. We all lead such very busy lives as parents of young children that the time just flies by. There is simply so much to do when you have small children. And then if you can, you return to work and life gets even busier still! Childcare, while you go back to work, makes up a significant part of any child’s day. Parents love to choose wisely because that gives them peace of mind so that they can concentrate on work matters. We all know that, but what we might not know is what the children do all day at a kindergarten. How do the staff keep them occupied and how do these activities stimulate the young minds? That is why we created this article and Q+A to find out all about it. the kind teams at Big Ben Kids International in Amstelveen tell us how it all works. So read on!

It is often said that primary school is perhaps the most important stage of a child’s educational development. But, before primary school, many children go to kindergarten. So what kind of role does that play in their development? It is certainly a lot more than just looking after the kids while the parents go to work. Let’s find out exactly how much more. This will be very interesting for the parents of young children.

Thank you Shereen Kollmann, the location manager at Big Ben Kids Amstelveen Stadshart for these insights into life at the kindergarten at your childcare centres.

q1. Hi Shereen, please tell us more about you and your childcare centre.

I am Shereen Kollmann, location manager at Big Ben Kids Amstelveen Stadshart. From my background as a child and developmental psychologist, I run our location with a passion for the young child and their development. Our beautiful location in Amstelveen Stadshart is one of our newest locations and was recently completely renovated inside & outside. It has a beautiful Scandinavian look and feel. Apart from our look, we run the location providing the children with a safe and inspiring environment in which they can grow and develop their basic skills, but also develop their talents and creativity. With our curriculum based on the early years framework, we provide our children with a steady foundation on which they can smoothly transition to primary school. Big Ben Kids is a community for parents & children in which we connect among different cultures.

q2. At Big Ben Kids, what would a typical day look like for the kids?

In the morning the children come in and start their day by welcoming each other and singing songs. After that, we have a fruit meal at the dinner table. The next activity is circle time in which we work on the basics like shapes, numbers and forms. The weather, the days and the seasons are also discussed. At 11:30 we have lunch and enjoy a warm healthy meal together. Then we work toward the sleeping/resting moment. After waking up we have a nice soup with bread. After eating we do another activity, free play or we play outside. Between 17:00-19:30, the parents pick up the children.

q3. What skills are you particularly trying to develop in the children?

We provide activities to stimulate the 7 developmental areas of the Early Years Framework. In these activities, we try to stimulate the development of the child in any way. Within our curriculum, we spend time on social-emotional development and expressive arts. It is a discovery of the talents and strengths of the child.

q4. How big a role does creativity play? Art, music, etc?

Arts, music and other creative activities play a big role in our day. We try to balance all kinds of activities and stimulate all the developmental areas in 1 week. Arts & Music is a daily recurring part.

q5. What about the languages? How do you work with all the different mother tongues?

In Amstelveen our main laguage is Dutch. Circle time and the activities are provided in English.

q6. How big a role do the parents have at Big Ben Kids?

Parents play a big role at Big Ben Kids. We work together with the parents regarding the development and wellbeing of their children. But we also work together with parents during celebrations and other special events. And in future, we will organise some community meetings at Big Ben Kids together with the parents.