The warmth and joy that fills every day at King’s PreK is immediately obvious when you enter the classroom, but there are a bunch of interesting details about life in that class that only reveal themselves upon closer inspection. From the specialised outdoor areas to the English-immersive environment, from the magical adventures of the role-playing area to the gentle awakening from an afternoon nap, let us shine a light on the 10 happy “secrets” of our PreK class, and see how its children and teachers spend their days.

Even though it’s sometimes hard to say, I understand everything!

There is an interesting phenomenon that you will often encounter in PreK: a teacher asks a question in English, and a child answers in Chinese. Then the child asks a question in Chinese, and the teacher answers in English. Every PreK class has an expat Homeroom teacher, so our pupils spend every day in an English-immersive environment. While some children are still in the early stages of learning to speak English, they can already understand most or all of what their teacher says to them. For example, when the teacher asks: “what is this alien doing?”, some children answer in Chinese: “flying in a spaceship!”

Of course, during daily learning and activities, teachers will pay attention to their students’ English output. For instance, when asking “how many children are there in our class?”, the teacher leads the class in counting together: “one, two, three, … ten!” Immediately followed by “how many teachers are there in our class?”, to which the children reply: “one, two, three, four!”

No matter their emotional state, our little learners are always met with gentle kindness

For a two-year-old, experiencing all kinds of emotions that are difficult to express is a very normal thing. At King’s Pre-Prep, children’s emotions are always acknowledged and treated as important, so that our little learners are always met with gentle kindness. No matter whether they are happy or sad, their teacher will listen to them carefully, and gently console them and provide them with appropriate guidance.

Anxiety is one of the most common negative emotions that PreK children experience, so our teachers make strategies for dealing with it a part of every aspect of the day. For example, during morning circle time, the teacher will clearly explain the rules for children’s behaviour, review the contents of the previous day’s lessons, and inform the children of the activity arrangements for the day. By gaining a basic understanding of what they will be doing that day, children feel an increased sense of control, giving them more confidence in their teachers and their school, and helping them to love life at KSS Pre-Prep.

The smallest children, the smallest class sizes

Since it is the youngest year group at KSS Pre-Prep, PreK has the highest ratio of teachers to students. PreK-1 has 15 children and 5 teachers, while PreK-2 has 10 children and 4 teachers. Both in the classroom and during the various other activities that make up a child’s day, these teachers are meticulous in taking care of all of their pupils’ needs. 

A playground for small children to have big fun

The outside spaces at KSS Pre-Prep are our pride and joy! In addition to the big playground, a big and a small sandpit, a tricycle track, and a forest area, we have two outdoor playgrounds specially designed and reserved for PreK children. No matter through which door they leave their classroom, in every direction they can find a paradise of play. Little slides, little climbing frames, little building-block walls… every item has been carefully selected to suit the interests and safety of children of that age. 

Playing dress-up on the stage of dreams

The role-playing area is truly a paradise for children to express their imagination. In it, they can transform into a brave princess, or a busy little bee, or a mysterious alien, or a bold astronaut, or whatever they can think of. With complete freedom to play whichever part they wish, they can give free reign to their imagination, whimsically interpreting the stories in their hearts.

No more waking up grumpy!

After lunch, the children go for a walk outside among the rustling grass and chirping birds in our forest area, and say hello to their class’s lunch buddy, Psyduck. After their afternoon nap, they are gently woken up by their teacher, with the children that wake up first joining in to rouse the others, so that those who are still asleep are gradually brought back from their sweet dreams to the classroom. In this way, the children start their afternoon activities in a relaxed and happy state of mind.

Say bye to nappies, and hello to the toilet

Though they are only two years old or so, our PreK pupils are already being encouraged to be independent and resilient. Our separate boys’ and girls’ toilets help them become aware of each gender’s bathroom areas. While they do still wear nappies, they are already practising using the toilets. Not only does this accelerate the process of toilet training, it also makes them that little bit more independent and grown-up each day.

The way of water in King’s PreK

In PreK, the teachers will regularly play the part of “water spirits” to remind their pupils to drink enough water. Throughout the day, during exploration time, after waking up from their afternoon nap, and while playing in the playground, the “water spirits” will remind them: “time to drink some water, let’s stay healthy and hydrated” and check that every child is drinking enough. It is this level of care that allows our children to be active and happy in school every day!

Turning “stubbornness” into a good habit

From age 2 onwards, children have to gradually adapt to a more structured daily routine. While some of the rules may seem strange to adults, they are very important for young children. We need to respect little children’s “stubbornness” and use it to help them build good habits during this period of adapting to a structured routine. In doing things like clearing away their plates after eating and putting toys back in their proper place, their teachers guide and encourage them to complete the tasks by themselves, so that they grow up content in their routines and aware of the rules.

At the same time, through consistent guidance and reinforcement, our PreK teachers encourage pupils to gradually begin using complete sentences to express their thoughts, picking up various good habits over time as they understand more and more of the world around them. For example, during their afternoon snack, if they want to have some more milk, the teacher teaches them to say “I want to have more milk, please.” and after getting the milk, to say “Thank you.”

Children’s love is the purest

Children can always sense another person’s love and care for them, and will express their own love and trust in clear terms. If you want to know whether a teacher is good or not, all you have to do is look at how their pupils interact with them. In PreK, you will often see children share their food with teachers on their own initiative, or rush to give them a hug, or ask to sit in their teacher’s lap during story time. They will even try to climb up their teacher as if they were a tree! The two-way friendship between our teachers and their pupils is truly heart-warming.

At KSS Pre-Prep, every day is a treasured chapter in a child’s journey of growth. Not only is it a place full of laughter and joy, it is also a cradle for nurturing children’s confidence, independence, and creativity. Our unique pedagogy and meticulous care for our students allow us to create a safe, warm, and stimulating environment for our children to grow up in. At King’s, every child is encouraged to explore, to learn, and to express themselves, so that they flourish through a combination of love and freedom!