The Kindergarten Experience at Hundred Hills School - Nurturing the Whole Child
Before children engage in formal academics, the foundation for how they will learn, relate, and experience the world must be laid. Our Kindergarten holds a deep respect for the young child’s development at every phase, and we offer a school environment that serves children not only as future students in our grades program but also as whole human beings who are in the process of becoming. Since the most important work of our Kindergarten program is nurturing the healthy development of each child, we focus on strengthening each child’s physical body, nurturing their emotional wellbeing, strengthening the Will, and supporting their social and imaginative capacities so that intellectual learning can later emerge naturally and with confidence.
At Hundred Hills School, we begin the important work of educating our Kindergartners by understanding the developmental needs of young children. Children below the age of 6 1/2 or 7, learn differently than those in the grades. Kindergarteners do not learn through abstract instruction or conceptual explanations. They learn best when their education focuses on movement, nurturing sensory experiences, a predictable daily rhythm, lots of time to play, and adults who are healthy models to imitate.
At this stage in a young child’s life, they are developing the foundation for critical skills not only for the next phase of their education but also for life. These critical skills are the developmental tasks that our Kindergarten program focuses on, and these are;
physical coordination and body awareness
emotional regulation
social skills and empathy
language through experience and imitation
imagination and creativity and
a sense of safety and trust in the world
Our Kindergarten is carefully structured to support these developmental tasks which are founded in the understanding that strong academic learning depends on how well these early foundations are laid.
We believe that educating children as whole beings, Head, Heart, and Hands is central to understanding that children develop best when education nurtures the whole child; thinking (head), feeling (heart), and willing (hands). In our Kindergarten, the children’s hands are engaged in purposeful work and play, their hearts are nurtured through warmth, rhythm, and relationship, and their cognitive development is supported through language, imagination and real embodied experiences. Rather than prioritizing early intellectual achievement, we recognize that cognitive development emerges in a most healthy way when it is built upon a strong physical and emotional foundation. Years of research tells us that the qualities that build a healthy foundation in the early years include rhythm, the cultivation of secure relationships, purposeful work, imaginative play, literacy that also includes oral storytelling, sensory integration through movement, and social development that includes a strong sense of self-awareness.
Rhythm is a defining experience in our Kindergarten and truly one of the greatest developmental gifts. We consistently hold daily, weekly, and seasonal rhythms that provide a predictable structure to help children feel safe and oriented. Rhythm is powerful as it creates a sense of safety and an inner order that grounds everyone. Because young children experience time through repetition, not clocks, they do best when the day unfolds in a familiar pattern and when it does, they let go of anxiety and concerns about what will happen next and they let go of trying to manage the adults. Instead, they begin to let go and simply let the rhythm carry them through the day. As I mentioned earlier, rhythm is powerful and supports each child’s development in these 3 ways: 1. It regulates their nervous system. 2. It strengthens them emotionally, thus creating greater emotional balance. 3. It reduces anxiety and behavior challenges. Over time, the rhythmic structure of our Kindergarten becomes internalized, helping children develop self‑regulation and resilience, skills that are essential for later academic learning.
At Hundred Hills School, our Kindergarten places a lot of emphasis on warmth, both in the classroom environment and in their relationships with their teachers and classmates. Our teachers cultivate a calm, gentle presence, knowing that young children learn primarily through what is presented to them and particularly how the environment that surrounds them feels.
This warmth supports the children in these 3 ways: 1. Their sense of emotional security becomes the foundation for healthy attachments. 2. Their trust in the adults who care for them nurtures them. 3. Their confidence to explore their environment and engage with their peers is strengthened.
It’s not a surprise that when children feel emotionally safe, they feel more free to learn. The warm, respectful environment in our Kindergarten communicates to the children: “you are welcome here and you belong”. This sense of belonging, which is deeply felt by the children, is foundational to a healthy classroom environment where they feel welcomed, and children who feel safe, heard, and welcomed in their classrooms are better able to learn.
Perhaps one of the most defining experiences in our Kindergarten is purposeful work. By this, I mean real, meaningful activities such as gardening, cleaning, baking bread, setting the table, and caring for the classroom environment, to name a few. These are activities that strengthen fine and gross motor skills, develop concentration and perseverance, build coordination and sequencing, as well as foster a sense of responsibility and contribution. Not only do the children gain lifelong skills through purposeful work, they know that they are making a valuable contribution to the life and wellbeing of their classroom.
Rather than separating children from real life, we invite them into it through purposeful work and the children experience themselves as capable and needed. This supports the development of the Will which is the inner capacity to take action with intention and a strong Will foundation is essential for later academic tasks as it supports sustained attention and effort that is needed for academic success.
Play is central to our Kindergarten program, and as research has confirmed for decades, children learn and integrate life experiences through play. Free, imaginative play allows children to process emotions, explore social relationships, and perhaps even more importantly, make sense of the world around them. In our Kindergarten classroom, we intentionally provide open‑ended, natural materials and simple toys that invite imagination. We allow ample time for uninterrupted play because it is through play that children develop creativity and flexible thinking, problem-solving abilities, social negotiation and empathy, and emotional resilience. Rather than directing play, the teachers observe, guide, and facilitate communication among the children as their social skills develop and they learn to trust each other. We deeply respect play because we know that play supports healthy cognitive and emotional development and prepares children for creative and independent thinking later in life.
Our Kindergarten program does not aim to teach reading by teaching phonics early or through formal instruction. Instead, we focus on laying the foundation for literacy through rich oral language experiences. We immerse the children in authentic experiences where stories are told orally and from memory. We sing songs, recite poems and verses that include rhythmic language and repetition. These experiences support the children’s listening skills, vocabulary development, memory and sequencing, phonological awareness and at the same time, we are cultivating a love of language.
We believe that when formal reading instruction is introduced at the appropriate developmental stage, children are well prepared, often with greater confidence and enthusiasm. By developing the children’s inner imagery through stories that nourish their imagination while building inner imagery, we know that we are doing the necessary work needed for later reading comprehension.
Because young children learn through their bodies, our Kindergarten emphasizes movement, outdoor play, and sensory‑rich experiences that support healthy physical development. We encourage climbing, balancing, digging, carrying, and running to strengthen coordination, spatial awareness, balance, and physical strength and endurance. These bodily capacities are directly connected to later academic skills such as writing, reading, and sustained focus. It’s important to know that when your child is well grounded in their body, they will be better able to engage intellectually.
Our mixed‑age Kindergarten, welcoming children ages 4 to 6, offers opportunities for social learning, which meets the children’s need for a rich social life. Whereas preschool-aged children learn by observing, our Kindergartners not only learn by observing, they are also ready to develop skills in empathy, leadership, and responsibility, and they are given opportunities for these skills to develop. Under the guidance of the teacher, children practice cooperation and conflict resolution, empathy and perspective‑taking, taking turns, and learning to be patient. These social skills are not taught through lectures but are lived daily. They foster emotional intelligence and prepare the children for healthy relationships throughout life.
Perhaps one of the greatest values of our Kindergarten program is its respect for developmental timing. Rather than rushing children toward academic benchmarks, our teachers trust the natural unfolding of each child. They do this by allowing the children to fully live into their childhood years with less stress and pressure. By preserving their intrinsic motivation, and by keeping learning joyful!
The long‑term benefits that research and observation consistently show us is that children who experience a developmentally appropriate early education often demonstrate strong self‑regulation, creativity and adaptability, confidence in learning, social competence, and resilience in the face of challenge.
As mentioned earlier, our Kindergarten program does not aim to produce early academic achievement, but rather healthy, capable, and confident human beings who will carry these long-term benefits far into their adult years.
Our Kindergarten offers more than an early education; it offers a childhood that is protected, meaningful, and deeply nourishing, through rhythm that steadies, warmth that reassures the children, work that has purpose, play that nurtures self-learning, and the teacher’s respect for each child’s natural development. By honoring the whole child, our Kindergarten lays a foundation not only for academic success, but for a lifetime of learning, wellbeing, and cultivating authentic relationships. In essence, a foundation for a meaningful life!
Below is a link to an article that gives greater insight into the value of engaging children in purposeful work. Want to Raise More Successful (and Happier) Kids? Harvard Research Says Give Them More Chores. Click here to read the article.
To learn more about what your child’s educational experience looks like at Hundred Hills School, register here to attend our Open House on February 28th!
By Chinyelu Kunz
Joint Head of School