In our kindergarten class, our goal is to raise children who are academically and socially ready for primary school and for life, and, through an education that is coherent from kindergarten to Grade 8 and attentive to individual differences, to raise internationally minded students.
Our daily routines at school support children’s academic development while giving them opportunities to be happy and confident and to build positive relationships. We build our programme around mutually supporting themes in line with children’s needs.
Our pre-school mathematics programme focuses on concept skills, number skills and problem solving. In the pre-school years, when science activities, nature study and fun science sessions spark interest and curiosity, children discover the world of science through their own experiences.
In our pre-reading and pre-writing work, attention and line exercises and activities for sensing, recognising and distinguishing sounds build phonological awareness, and all academic work is planned and carefully carried out according to age and developmental level. Our creative arts and project activities aim to raise awareness of basic art concepts and develop the ability to look at artworks with an aesthetic eye, while free play in the garden, where muscle and movement skills develop, supports their growth.
In TED Üsküdar College’s kindergarten class, process-focused assessment is carried out with suitable tools — rubrics, checklists, rating scales and observation forms — so that projects, portfolios and weekly learning-outcome assessments run smoothly and are reported. Learning outcomes with gaps are identified, individual or group work is done, varied homework is set, and full learning is ensured.
We hold family interaction workshops with children and parents. They aim to strengthen communication within the family, show children their potential, widen the limits of their attention, and teach and develop different dimensions of thinking.
School trips are designed to reinforce what children have learned and to support learning by doing and experiencing. On field trips, children observe what they have learned in its natural setting and develop important behaviours such as critical thinking, a sense of responsibility and cooperation.
Physical Education and Play
These lessons are designed to support students' movement education, fitness and personal development. They aim to improve children's body coordination, flexibility and stamina. Activities enriched with a variety of sports games, basic gymnastics and balance exercises develop students' psychomotor skills and physical awareness. Skills gained at an early age help children stay physically healthy and lead more active lives in later years. Movement education helps children manage their energy levels and adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Physical education activities support not only children's physical but also their social development. This broad approach builds students' social skills, ability to cooperate and self-confidence, so that children continue their individual and social development by taking an active part in different settings. Folk dance, ballet, drama and chess lessons are also taught for one hour a week at all levels.
Visual Arts
The main aim of our visual arts activities in the preschool years is to develop children's creativity and ability to express themselves. Projects and activities let children use their imagination to express themselves in different ways. In activities that use not only the workshop but, where suitable, other spaces around the school, students explore their aesthetic perception and their own unique artistic skills by studying the art and artists of our own and other cultures, working with colours, forms and textures, and learning basic painting techniques.
Our art activities, through which we aim for children to learn to understand different points of view and to empathise, also support their problem-solving and critical thinking. Group work and shared projects help children learn to cooperate, share and communicate, while rich content using different materials strengthens fine motor skills and coordination.
Music
Music activities play an important role in children's development in the preschool years. Music is a powerful tool for developing children's emotional expression, language skills and motor skills. Rhythm and melody strengthen children's memory, boost their self-confidence and provide emotional balance. Engaging with music develops children's social skills and ability to cooperate.
Activities using different musical approaches built on music, dance, drama, speech and movement also include practices that pass on the musical richness of our time. Songs and rhythmic games support language development, and working with instruments strengthens motor skills. Children who meet music early in the preschool years become more open to the arts and cultural activities later in life and also develop original thinking and problem-solving skills. Music lessons therefore make an important contribution to children's holistic development in the preschool years.
Dance (Ballet and Gymnastics & Folk Dance)
The ballet, gymnastics and folk dance lessons at TED Üsküdar aim to support students' physical, cognitive, social and cultural development in many ways. As well as increasing body awareness, these lessons develop a sense of rhythm, balance, flexibility, coordination and motor skills. Group activities also strengthen values such as social harmony, empathy and cooperation. Folk dance introduces and passes on cultural heritage, while dance and gymnastics support personal development such as aesthetic perception, self-discipline and self-confidence. The lessons also have rich content that supports cognitive development: rhythm work helps develop cognitive skills such as timing and spatial awareness, and learning choreography and movement sequences strengthens attention, memory and planning.