3 years old – 5 years old
Kindergarten.
(Nursery 1, Nursery 2 and Kindergarten 1)
The Kindergarten classroom is basically a child’s world geared to the size, pace and interest of children of this age group. The environment is carefully prepared with specially designed apparatus that provide varied opportunities for the child to develop and progress individually.The child begins work with simple concrete apparatus that helps develop concentration, coordination, independence and good working habits. More advanced and complex work will be introduced as the child improves and progresses into the Pre-Primary Class.
Kids at Work
This is essentially the exploration with practical life exercises. The activities form the basis of learning in the Josiah learning environment. They help your child in his/her holistic development: physical, cognitive, emotional and social. The syllabus includes transferring, pouring, scooping, buttoning, sorting, classifying etc. Some benefits include the development of concentration and hand-eye coordination, fine and gross motor skills, a sense of order, a sense of independence and self-awareness, as well as a sense of responsibility.
Kids Sensorial
The Sensorial materials lay a solid foundation for Mathematics, Geometry, Geography, Botany, Art and Music. Activities are geared towards building concepts to discriminate size, weight, length, shape, smell, classify and compare. The Sensorial materials stimulate the 5 senses, support child’s psychological and neurological development, increase attention span, improve hand/eye coordination, promote muscular development, develop logical thinking and sense of order.
Montessori Mathematics
Begins by getting our children to explore numbers 1–10, learning about quantities and symbols, and how to associate the two. Through hands-on, incremental learning, the children systematically build on this foundation to learn about the decimal system, numbers to 100, sequencing, odd and even numbers, additions, subtractions, mixed sums, and even solving four-digit addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division equations.
The activities incorporate Dr. Montessori’s carefully designed concrete materials to help children truly grasp and understand abstract mathematical concepts in a gradual and concrete manner. This will ensure your child to be prepared for the pre-primary class!
Montessori Language
Language is the gateway to learning every other subject. Your child is given a head start in language development with our Reading Power Pack system where it sets our children up for success, fostering self-confidence and enthusiasm for reading. Some of the topics and activities included are:
- Presenting Montessori language materials and activities, including the Metal Insets, Sandpaper Letters, Movable Alphabet, and Wooden Language Cards
- Implementing a phonics reading program, including materials that facilitate the identification of phonograms, consonant diagraphs, and high frequency sight words
- Materials and activities that introduce and reinforce creative writing and the parts of speech, including nouns, articles, adjectives, and verbs
- Active listening and spoken language activities that include reading aloud to children, public speaking, reciting poetry, and enriching the classroom with words.
- Enriching language exposure with engaging themes and quality children’s literature
World Explorer
Making up the cultural aspect of a Montessori classroom, World Explorer covers a wide array of subjects such as Geography, Science, Botany, Zoology, History, Art and Music. This cultural studies is another area/aspect of learning that makes the Josiah classroom different from others. In accordance to Maria Montessori’s philosophy, knowledge and understanding of the afore-mentioned subjects will nurture your child to not just be broad minded, but also to be well-informed with respect to general knowledge.
华文青草原
Set in ancient Chinese culture, 华文青草原 was a place where children played and learnt. The aim was to have little children enjoy learning the Chinese language through play. Josiah takes pride in our self-crafted Chinese language syllabus based on this concept. Our Chinese Curriculum Specialist continually improves and updates our curriculum to ensure the major emphasis of a firm foundation in learning Mandarin is crafted with fun elements. Aspects of vocabulary building, sentence construction, expressing of ideas, learning of basic strokes in writing, as well as other conventions of learning Mandarin are all incorporated into our Chinese syllabus. Reinforcement of lessons are done through songs, rhymes, speech and drama, games as well as Art & Craft activities.
Musical Arts Programme (MAP)
Josiah’s MAP is made up of 5 elements of creative expressions.
We have our very own Vocal Training, Dance, Music Appreciation, Art, and Chinese Speech & Drama programmes. Our children are trained to:
- Appreciate and interpret music of different genres.
- Understand the history and rudiments of music
- Recognise music notation
- Dance with rhythm and groove
- Sing with correct vocal techniques using world renowned singing methodology
- Develop freedom of expression through different art techniques, styles and composition.
- Exhibit creativity and confidence as they explore the Chinese language in a fun and interactive way.
The ultimate goal of this programme is for our children to express themselves through the performing arts.
Character Building Blocks
Focuses on different qualities of characters at different ages. The concept of ‘Love’ is introduced to our toddlers. As the children mature, qualities such as kindness, honesty, respect, responsibility, generosity, and more are introduced.
We hope to help our children live a spacious life of good characters before they embark onto their primary years.”
Physical Education
The Josiah Fitness Programme aims to:
- Build children’s core and general muscle strength
- Develop coordination and stamina
- Train speed, balance, endurance
- Improve hand-eye coordination.
- Foster the development of social skills such as teamwork, taking turns, following instructions, and working towards a common goal, in our children.”
They will begin to tunnel crawl, ascend, descend steps on slides, hopping, kicking, throwing, rolling and ball catching. These exercises will shape the children to be fit individuals with good control over their bodies.
Grace & Courtesy
At Josiah, the exercises of Grace and Courtesy embody the child’s need for order in the environment and towards social interaction with the community. The child has a need to understand social structures in order to be more at ease in his/her environment.
Grace and Courtesy lessons provide the child with the vocabulary, actions, and steps required for him to build his awareness and responsiveness of those around him. This in turn, gives the child a better sense of orientation and the ability to integrate ‘wholly’ in his social structure. Some of the activities involve greeting a person, saying ‘Thank you’, ‘Please’, ‘Excuse me’, as well as learning to express kindness and to serve others.
