Pre School

"Children learn as they play. Most importantly, in play, children learn how to learn."
- O. Fred Donaldson

At SASE, we believe in the power of play. We believe in this because we know that young children learn best through play. Children love to create, inquire, problem-solve and engage with the natural world through the joy of play. 

For this reason, we have designed our Pre-School Early Years Program (EYP) that adapts philosophies from Montessori, Waldorf, J Krishnamurti, Dewey, Frobel and Reggio. Our Pre-School EYP groups are multi-age, encouraging diverse relationships and robust social and emotional exploration. Our educators model positive relationship-building, kindness and cooperation so that our classrooms become true learning communities. 

Our educators use the Early Years Foundation Stage's (EYFS) criteria for assessment from birth to 5 years, which outlines standards for education and developmental growth. We share this information with parents so they know what learning and development milestones to expect from their children. 

Nature is at the crux of education at SASE. We aim to get our young learners outside the classroom at least 40% of the time. We know that natural environments provide rich learning opportunities, as well as the chance to connect with the most precious aspects of our world. Our young learners will understand physical and biological phenomena by experiencing them first-hand. Exploring the natural world with friends provides a sense of wonder, joy and purpose for learners. 

At SASE, children can experience the natural world during outdoor play, gardening, growing their own food in our greenhouse, nature walks, and outdoor lessons. During nature walks, children are free to balance on logs, explore, climb trees, run, and more. They will encounter the world with all their senses, playing with natural materials and feeling natural phenomena like the sun on their cheeks. Because children construct knowledge from their surroundings and experiences, we feel it is critical to give learners real-world nature-based experiences on which to build their understanding. Through play and discovery resulting in intrinsic curiosity and motivation, they will grow into lifelong learners.  

A multi-sensory play-based learning approach has many cognitive benefits for young children, such as:

• Enhances social and communication skills
• Develops cognitive flexibility
• Develops problem-solving skills
• Assists children in applying their knowledge in practical settings
• Fosters a natural love for learning
• Promotes the use of self assessment techniques

SASE takes a holistic approach to assessment. Children can express their understanding in a variety of ways, as there are a variety of types of learners and learning styles. When children's' learning styles and modes of expression are respected and encouraged, their confidence will grow. We seek to develop learners who seek intrinsic rewards- learners for whom personal development is the best reward. 

SASE keeps abreast with cutting-edge neuroscience research as it's crucial to childhood development. The latest research affirms that children need a wide variety of sensory-motor experiences to develop to their full potential. For this reason, children at our Banaswadi school campus have access to a variety of amenities, including a dedicated greenhouse where they can grow their own fruits and vegetables, a kitchen where they can role-play and practice safe food preparation, a treehouse, and much more. The school offers a sandbox, mud pit, and a range of natural play equipment to encourage children's multi-sensory exploration. Here, the natural world is integral to our youngest learners' educational experience. 

The importance of spatial intelligence is emphasised in a special way in the SASE Pre-School EYP. Scientific research shows that spatial intelligence stimulation during the early years is an important factor in developing mathematical thinking and problem-solving abilities. The evidence supports that spatial training is highly beneficial to young children, as it has been proven to increase expertise and performance in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics later in life.

To help our young learners develop their spatial skills, we've built a Spatial Intelligence Lab where they can explore concepts like spatial scaling, spatial visualisations, form perception, pattern construction, and more. We've designed these activities to be fun and interactive ways for your child to develop their linguistic and mathematical abilities via play.

Early childhood is a special time in your child's life. To ensure that every learner at SASE develops a lifelong passion for learning, we employ play based pedagogies backed by scientific research, provide them with state-of-the-art facilities, and encourage them to build meaningful relationships with the natural world, technology, and their local community.