Toddler Program Overview

Teacher-Student Ratio 1:4 (max)

Class Size: 12 Students (max)

Curriculum: The Koi Curriculum occurs in a 90% Mandarin immersion environment. The students have core curricular classes and two hours of meal and playtime. The curriculum includes ongoing enrichment with music, Spanish, and art classes. The toddlers participate in our extracurricular program and can participate in more music and dance classes.

Teachers are trained in the Reggio Emilia philosophy, which follows an emergent curriculum based on the needs of the child. For example, if the children are excited about playing with trucks, the teacher might set up wheels and ramps to help them understand more about movement.

The IFS Toddler program has exceptional class sizes + ratios, as we know that our youngest learners need a lot of guidance, observation, and love.

Sample Schedule

Language Ratio Mandarin 90%, English 5%, Spanish 5%

Students in the Koi Classroom are formally assessed 3 times a year on a developmental scale. These robust benchmarks measure everything from expressive speech to gross motor development.

Learn more about Koi Teachers

Lead: Angelina Huang

TA: Helen Tan

TA: Frankie Fung

Weekly Cooking Activities
Observing and Feeding Chickens
Learning through our 5 Senses
Making Music with our Families
We are Growing and Knowing Kois
Discovering New Art Materials
Planting Potatoes in the IFS Garden
Forming new Friendships
Joyfulness at Meal Time
Cozy Sleeptime on Individual Cots
Building School Community
Playing with Loose Parts
Early Math + Measurement
No Such Thing as Bad Weather
Learning How to Take Turns
Exploring Early Patterns
4:1 Ratio Means a Lot of Attention
Classroom Full of Kindness
Art Proudly Displayed
English Music Class
Playing with the Big Kids
Outdoor Play Everyday
Diverse Pathways of Discovery

Toddler Learning at IFS

Discover, Explore, Thrive

Our toddler program at International Friends School, inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach, is designed to nurture curious, capable young learners. We believe children thrive when they have the opportunity to explore, discover, and express themselves in a supportive environment. With small class sizes and ample teacher support, our educators guide and nurture each child's unique interests and abilities.

Multilingual Exposure

We emphasize language acquisition, with Mandarin as the dominant language. Children naturally absorb Mandarin through daily interactions, songs, stories, and play. They are also introduced to two other languages, laying a foundation for future language learning and cognitive flexibility.

Engaging Activities for Holistic Development

Gardening: Learn about nature, responsibility, and the joy of watching plants grow.
Music: Explore rhythm, melody, and self-expression.
Messy Art: Encourage creativity, sensory exploration, and fine motor skills.
Cooking: Discover nutrition, math concepts, and the importance of following directions.
Love: Toddlers learn that they can be loved by other adults. They also learn that in a loving community, they use gentle hands and peaceful voices.

Fostering Lifelong Learning

We provide a nurturing, stimulating environment crucial for brain development in the first five years. Through our Reggio-inspired approach and experiential learning opportunities, we aim to foster a lifelong love of learning and help children develop the skills and confidence they need to thrive.

Core Subjects

Children in the Koi Class listen to Mandarin for 90% of their time. They hear comprehensive vocabulary to help build fluency.
As teachers introduce "emergent" projects - they will familiarize the toddlers with associated vocabulary.

Our Toddler Math is very experiential with a lot of early explorations into concepts. Everything can be scaffolded from a young age.
Counting Games: Using toys, snacks, or natural objects for counting practice.
Shape Hunts: Finding and identifying shapes in the environment.
Pattern Making: Creating patterns with beads, blocks, or drawings.
Measurement Activities: Measuring objects with hands, blocks, or other informal units.
Sorting Games: Sorting objects by color, size, or type.
Puzzle Solving: Completing simple puzzles to enhance spatial reasoning and problem-solving skills.

Teachers use a Reggio Emilia approach to help toddlers explore their own curiosities and interests.
If students are interested in cars and ramps, then the teacher sets up more opportunities for learning how different vehicles work.

Songs and Nursery Rhymes: Singing and reciting rhymes to build phonemic awareness.
Storytelling and Puppet Shows: Weekly English class gives our toddlers exposure to fun + sweet English language music and story telling. Our native English teacher engages children with interactive stories and puppets.
Letter and Sound Games: Playing games that focus on letter recognition and sounds.
Creative Play: Encouraging role play and imaginative activities that promote language use

All learning at the toddler level includes some aspect of social-emotional learning. Teachers work everyday with children to help them understand what it means to be an individual, in a community of kind and loving students + adults.

Specialty Subjects

Our weekly Spanish class allows the children timely exposure to the 3rd most spoken language in the world.
Songs and Nursery Rhymes: Singing and reciting Spanish rhymes to build phonetic awareness.
Storytelling and Puppet Shows: Engaging children with interactive stories and puppets in Spanish.
Language Games: Playing games that focus on vocabulary, numbers, colors, and simple sentence structures.
Creative Play: Encouraging role play and imaginative activities that promote Spanish language use.
Art and Craft Projects: Integrating Spanish vocabulary into art and craft activities.

At IFS, we foster creativity, sensory development, and self-expression, aligning with the Reggio Emilia philosophy that views children as competent, curious, and capable of constructing their own learning experiences.
We don't believe in giving children coloring pages, but offer daily opportunities for messy and wonderful encounters with different techniques and mediums.
Exploratory Painting: Using various tools and techniques to explore color and texture.
Nature Collages: Creating collages with natural materials collected during outdoor explorations.
Light and Shadow Play: Using light tables, projectors, and translucent materials to explore light and shadows.
Group Mural Projects: Collaborating on large-scale murals that reflect the children's collective ideas and experiences.
Story-Based Art: Creating visual representations of stories and narratives that children are interested in.

Music Teacher Andy brings an assortment of instruments for the toddlers to try out; including his electric guitar!
Singing Songs: Simple and repetitive songs that are easy for toddlers to learn.
Instrument Play: Hands-on experience with age-appropriate instruments.
Music and Movement: Dancing, jumping, and other movements that correspond with music.
Story Time with Music: Integrating music with storytelling.
Musical Games: Interactive games that incorporate musical elements.

Exploring Powerful Interactions:

SEL Based Learning in Toddler Class

Becoming Part of a School Community

Children are immersed in a 90% Mandarin environment, and the brain quickly adapts to the school language.
In the first Trimester students learn how to become part of their School Community:
- How to join a circle during circle time and to participate in music and calendar activities.
- How to pick up and put away toys,
- How to become familiar with where your things belong in a cubby, and how to put them away.
- Who the people are in your community; main teachers and support teachers.
- To trust and feel secure with teachers who are not your parents/guardians.
Social Studies Learning in Trimeser 1 focuses on growing responsibility for our resources, our bodies and for each other.
Toddlers also study a target country for the first two weeks of December, understanding that people live in other countries and have their own language and customs.
Our students learn how to play, care for, and be sensitive to the needs of others. Trimester 1 learning is all about feeling a sense of belonging: safe, secure and loved.

Demonstrating Kindness in Play with Friends

Toddlers begin to use the language associated with different feelings. Teacher uses a Feelings Poster to begin to label, name and discuss the myriad of feelings that toddlers feel throughout the day.
Social Studies Learning in Trimester 3 focuses on a child's sense of self in the community. Children attend assemblies every week, and they have play with their older buddies in Trimester 3.
Students also study a target Global Village country for the last 4 weeks of school.
Our students learn how to play, care for, and be sensitive to the needs of others. Trimester 1 learning is all about feeling a sense of belonging: safe, secure and loved.

Naming our Emotions/Feelings

Children begin to see posters in Mandarin about Sharing, Gentle Hands, Feet and Voices.
At circle time and throughout the day, children are hearing common language that supports the target classroom behaviors.
Teacher begin to place a lot of attention and value to acts of kindness in the community.
Social Studies Learning in Trimeser 1 focuses on growing responsibility for our resources, our bodies and for each other.
Students begin to understand how their actions impact other children and how their own actions make them feel.
The teacher helps them to acknowledge their own feelings by using visual guides to show that they are "seen" and supported.