Contact us: +372 742 4241 | info@istartu.ee

Pedagogical approaches

Individual approach

We have a small kindergarten where every child’s needs, interests and characteristics are noticed, valued and respected. The low teacher-to-child ratio allows the teachers to fully support the development of each child. 

International setting

Our kindergarten welcomes children from all over the globe. The language of instruction is English, which is taught through play, everyday activities, singing, sports and planned activities. We guide our children to value diversity and cherish different cultures and backgrounds around us. 

Homelike environment

Being away from home can be stressful for a child at first. Our aim is to create a homelike environment where children feel comfortable and safe. We have cosy rooms, and warm and kind professional staff. Our kindergarten is small, and this helps children to get used to the new environment and new people. 

Learning together

Many of the activities, like afternoon and outdoor playtime, include all the children in the kindergarten. This type of age-mixed play gives younger children an opportunity to learn from their older playmates, see older children as role models and receive emotional support from them. Older children, on the other hand, get to practise nurturance and leadership. In addition, some activities take place together with the school children who study in the same building. Including everyone in an age-mixed environment gives the children a sense of togetherness and being acquainted with all the teachers and children makes moving to an older group smoother for a child.

Outdoor learning

Spending time outdoors is good for children’s mental and physical health. This gives them an opportunity to move around, jump, walk, discover nature around them and develop an appreciation for the environment. We aim to promote outdoor learning so that children can carry out different study activities outside in the fresh air. We have designed the kindergarten playground so that the environment would inspire outdoor discoveries and enable different study activities to be taken outside the classroom. We count with pebbles, have outdoor music lessons and a picnic-type snack time, read stories in the kindergarten pavilion, have outdoor sports lessons and grow our own little vegetable garden in the springtime.

Home–kindergarten cooperation

We value our families and their needs. Trust and communication between the kindergarten and family are very important to us. We have the same goal – to support and encourage the children – and we reach the best outcome by working together. 

Seamless educational journey

Tartu International School bridges preschool and basic school education. The children who graduate from Tartu International Kindergarten have an opportunity to continue their education in Tartu International School, which shares the same values and provides international education in English until the end of basic school.