Our Curriculum
At NewLi International Kindergartens, our curriculum turns our shared values and educational philosophy into meaningful experiences for the children in our care. We bring together the UK Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and the Baden-Württemberg Orientierungsplan to create a holistic approach to early childhood learning.
Both frameworks recognise that young children learn through relationships, play, exploration, communication, and active participation in their environment. Our curriculum is designed to give children the time, space, and support they need to develop as Creative, Independent, Kind, and Resilient learners.
Our Four Pillars of Pedagogy
Our Four Pillars of Pedagogy provide the foundation for how we put this approach into practice. They guide the environments we create, the relationships we build, and the way we understand and respond to children's individual learning and development.
The Unique Child | Independent
Every child is different. We recognise individual interests, strengths, needs, and developmental stages, supporting each child to build confidence, make choices, and develop independence.
Positive Relationships | Kind
Learning grows from strong relationships. We build warm, respectful, and trusting relationships with children, families, and each other, helping children develop empathy, cooperation, respect, and a strong sense of belonging.
The Environment | Creative
We create welcoming, stimulating environments that invite children to explore, experiment, imagine, and make choices. Our spaces and resources encourage curiosity, creativity, and active engagement.
Learning & Development | Resilient
We see learning as an active and ongoing process. Through play, exploration, conversation, and meaningful experiences, children are encouraged to try, question, problem-solve, and learn from both successes and mistakes. We support each child at their own pace while helping them develop the confidence to persevere when things become challenging.
Learning Through Play
Through play, children test ideas, solve problems, develop language, negotiate with others, express themselves, and make sense of the world around them. Teachers carefully observe children's interests and interactions and use these observations to provide experiences, resources, and challenges that extend their learning.
Our days include a balance of child-led play, guided experiences, small-group learning, routines, outdoor exploration, and opportunities for children to follow their own interests.
Learning is not limited to planned activities. A conversation at snack time, building a tower with friends, investigating something found outdoors, or deciding how to solve a problem can all become valuable learning experiences.
Learning & Development
We understand children's development as interconnected. Rather than teaching individual skills in isolation, we create experiences that support the whole child.
The EYFS provides seven areas of learning that help us understand and support children's development:
Prime Areas
Communication & Language
Children develop their ability to listen, understand, communicate, and express their thoughts and ideas.
Personal, Social & Emotional Development
Children develop confidence, self-awareness, emotional understanding, relationships, and the ability to participate positively within a group.
Physical Development
Children develop coordination, movement, physical confidence, and an understanding of how to care for their bodies.
Specific Areas
Literacy
Children develop a love of stories, books, sounds, symbols, and early writing.
Mathematics
Children explore numbers, quantities, patterns, shapes, space, and mathematical thinking through everyday experiences and play.
Understanding the World
Children investigate people, communities, nature, technology, and the world around them, developing curiosity and an understanding of their place within it.
Expressive Arts & Design
Children explore creativity and self-expression through art, music, movement, role play, design, and imaginative play.
These areas overlap constantly. Building a pretend shop, for example, might involve language, mathematics, social development, creativity, and problem-solving all at once.
Children as Active Learners
Children are not passive recipients of knowledge. They actively construct understanding by exploring, questioning, experimenting, and making connections.
Our teachers create opportunities for children to make choices, express their ideas, take appropriate risks, and find solutions for themselves. Adults provide guidance and support without taking over the learning process.
This connects closely with our NewLi approach: Creative children are encouraged to imagine and explore, Independent children are supported to make choices, Kind children learn through relationships and community, and Resilient children are given the confidence and space to keep trying.
Our Teachers as Reflective Practitioners
Teachers play an active role in the curriculum.
We observe children closely, listen to what they are communicating, and reflect on what their play and interactions tell us about their development and interests. These observations inform how we plan our environments, interactions, and learning opportunities.
Rather than following a fixed sequence for every child, we respond to children's individual starting points and developmental needs. This allows learning to be purposeful while remaining responsive to the children in front of us.
An International Learning Environment
As an English-language immersion environment, children encounter English through meaningful everyday experiences: conversations, stories, songs, play, routines, and relationships. Children are encouraged to communicate and participate regardless of their individual language background.
Our international community also gives children daily opportunities to encounter different languages, cultures, traditions, perspectives, and ways of life. We want children to develop curiosity about the world and a strong sense of belonging within their own community.
Learning Beyond the Classroom
Children learn through movement, outdoor play, nature, creative experiences, practical activities, and everyday routines. Our spaces and resources are designed to encourage children to explore, make choices, collaborate, and develop their own ideas.
We see opportunities for learning everywhere, from the garden and playground to mealtimes, group discussions, creative projects, and spontaneous discoveries.
Participation & Personal Safety
Children's voices are an important part of their learning experience.
Children are encouraged to make choices, contribute ideas, express their feelings, and participate in decisions that affect their everyday lives. This might happen through everyday conversations and group discussions as well as more formal opportunities such as Kids' Parliament.
Alongside this, children develop an age-appropriate understanding of their bodies, relationships, boundaries, and personal safety. They learn to recognise and communicate their feelings, understand that their bodies belong to them, respect the boundaries of others, and identify trusted adults they can turn to for help.
These experiences support children's growing independence, confidence, and sense of agency while contributing to their overall wellbeing and protection.
Two Frameworks, One Holistic Approach
EYFS provides a clear framework for understanding children's learning and development across the early years. The Baden-Württemberg Orientierungsplan provides the educational foundation for early childhood education in our region.
We use both frameworks as tools to support thoughtful observation, planning, and reflection while maintaining a curriculum that is responsive to each child and to our international NewLi community.
Together, they help us create an environment where children can explore with curiosity, develop confidence, build meaningful relationships, and grow into capable lifelong learners.