Our areas of learning:
The Riverside Nursery Schools bespoke curriculum includes 7 key areas that support your child’s development in the following ways…
1. Character and Resilience
In the first years of life, a child creates the fundamental elements of their personality and character, the mind-set and attitudes that will accompany them into adult life.They learn to make decisions, to persevere, gain self-discipline, experience success, and consider the needs of others. In a well-balanced, nurturing community of children and the adults who guide them, these qualities emerge effortlessly. Through both play and structured learning, your child is set up for success.
2. Communication and Confidence
Riverside Nursery Schools foster a language-rich environment guaranteeing the enjoyment of both the spoken and written word. Educators take every opportunity to encourage dialogue with even the youngest children and the exploration of thoughts and ideas through verbal discourse. Children learn that their ideas matter, whatever their age, and enjoy eye-to-
eye conversations with adults, dialogue with those around them, and countless opportunities to listen and learn.
3. Healthy Body, Healthy Mind
A wide range of beautifully crafted equipment and carefully curated activities refine motor skills and physical development. Riverside’s physical development syllabus helps children discover and develop a healthy lifestyle through cooking activities, outings, sports classes, and outdoor nature lessons.
4. Imagination and Empathy
One of the most important dispositions we foster and develop in our children is their ability to use imagination and empathise with others.We do this through imaginative play, exploration of characters in stories, and, of course, ensuring strong reading abilities.
Throughout Riverside Nursery Schools, the Montessori method is utilised to teach children to read.When each child is ready, we begin exploring sounds of the alphabet and finding objects in the environment that relate to those sounds. Once a child has discerned that words have beginning, middle and end sounds, they are shown the value of ‘sounding out’ words (c-a-t), and in the process effortlessly begin both to read and write.
5. Number Theory and Logic
Simple number songs and rhymes introduce our learners to Mathematics. Activities in the classroom, including Montessori maths materials, ensure children are familiar with sorting, matching, ordering, sequencing, and counting, forming a solid foundation upon which to build a lifelong understanding of Mathematical mechanisms.
Our unique Maths curriculum is the only programme based upon a child’s natural instinct to move and explore. By making Maths an integral part of a child’s day, a love of number theory and logic evolves with ease.
6. Observing and Exploring
Young children are full of curiosity and have an innate, insatiable interest in the world around them.They are hard-wired to explore, using every opportunity to expand their knowledge.This natural interest and sense of adventure is stimulated with an introduction to topics from the realms of Science, Geography, Botany, and Zoology.
7. Self-Expression and the Arts
At Riverside Nursery Schools, children have access to an extensive range of art materials and equipment.They learn about different artists and their styles and are free to recreate these styles or develop a flair of their own. They explore crayons, chalks, paints, and glue with a range of modelling items always available for harnessing creativity.
A daily music activity gives the children the opportunity to express themselves through dance and song.
