Infants education

In Brains, we strongly believe in the benefits of introducing the International Curriculum (100% in English) from the age of 5 months. Our main objective at this stage is to encourage appropriate and gradual progress in our pupils with regard to the various developmental aspects of their psychomotor skills, their relationship with their social and physical environment, and their language acquisition. In order to achieve this, we have a specific psychomotor skills programme, musical stimuli, activities for sensorial development in children, games, songs, storytelling, and many other similar activities, in a comfortable and safe environment where the children begin to discover new situations through experimentation and shared play with their classmates.

This is a key stage in language development and the pupils take a great interest in vocabulary and attributes related to the people and objects around them. At this very crucial stage, they enjoy interactive group storytelling, as well as songs, rhymes, etc., which we do with them in English on a daily basis. Their physical development and capacity for movement gives them a feeling of security which enables them to move about, explore and engage with their surroundings, satisfy their curiosity and enhance their social skills. They are also introduced to the world of mathematics, by handling numbers, and experimenting with shapes, sizes and patterns, as well as through everyday tasks such as knowing how old they are, counting how many people are sitting at the table, playing with building blocks, comparing the size of their toys or parts of their body, etc. During this year, they will become young scientists and discover the world through observation and experience, developing a sense for curiosity and a research spirit for the rest of their lives.

Once we reach upper Infants, we face new challenges. Language development in our 3-year-olds takes a leap forward, which is why they have so much to say. And this is the moment when they begin to be curious about letters, words, etc. Consequently, as part of our education project, we attempt a gradual introduction of the first phonemes in English. This introduction is done in a fun way, accompanied by rhymes which help them to recognise these phonemes, and we begin with the simplest ones in order to identify them. At this significant moment in their language development, the pupils acquire a lot of vocabulary, and for this reason they enjoy the stories, rhymes, and pre-reading-and-writing activities.

The classroom is organised by corners, with activities that combine work on fine motor skills, mathematical concepts, guided or free play, role play, etc.
From the age of 3, we introduce the learning of a second language, French or German, through games, stories and songs, with two periods a week for the chosen language.

This year in Reception, we have gone one step further with our reading programme in English. The pupils learn many more phonemes, and with the teachers’ help, they are able to read simple words which they are familiar with, and which feature in their daily routine. This reading process goes hand in hand with learning to write, and for this reason we continue to work on fine motor skills on a daily basis, using a variety of manipulative activities. This process is so important in our pupils’ cognitive development that we prioritise the pace and personalisation of each child’s learning.

This year we have also introduced chess on a weekly basis, as a complementary activity in our curriculum, to help develop mathematical concepts, and skills such as concentration, visual memory and creativity, etc.

In Preparatory, proficiency in English as the language of communication in the classroom is evident, and we also continue to make progress in literacy. As its name indicates, Preparatory is a year of preparation for the transition to Primary, and that is why the pupils will have classroom sessions in order to learn how to read and write in Spanish.

Without forgetting that we are still in Infants, we work in a fun way and the pupils quite naturally acquire the skills they need to read and write, and to successfully cope with Primary. During this year, our pupils also learn Coding & Robotics, using a selection of age-appropriate games and robots. The classes are taught in English, in a fun and intuitive way. Sport is a main pillar in Brains International Schools, so our students have three weekly P.E. lessons which we combine with cooking balanced meals with the best ingredients. This allows us to fulfil our ‘sport+nutrition’ goals and instil in our students the importance of maintaining a healthy lifestyle.