Kindergarten › Deutsche Schule Seoul International

Welcome to the Kindergarten

Supporting, encouraging, and observing your child as they discover the world and forge their own path is of utmost importance to us.

Based on our educational concept rooted in Germany, we emphasize the importance of free play and self-efficacy, and particularly promotes children’s social-emotional development in particular. Close cooperation with parents is very important to us, because together we create a trusting and supportive environment that offers children the best possible support in their development. We support our kindergarten children until they start school in a holistic and child-friendly way, ensuring that children receive careful guidance all the way through to elementary school.

Irina Köhler

Kindergartenleitung
kindergartenleitung@dsseoul.org

Opening Hours

Daily from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Preschool

Smooth transition to primary school

Holiday Care

Holiday camp during the Easter and fall holidays

Regular Nature Outings

Weekly trips to parks and forests

Structure and Concept

In the Kindergarten of the German School Seoul International, we combine different educational perspectives under one roof:

Holistic Education

Holistic education connects various areas of learning and development. Our goal is to provide an education that not only promotes cognitive and physical-motor skills, but also places a strong emphasis on social-emotional development. The individual strengths and needs of each child are best developed in a comprehensive learning environment. Through a combination of structured learning activities and free play, we enable children to think creatively and independently while developing important social skills.

Semi-open Concept

Our semi-open concept allows children to find structure and security in a fixed core group. At the same time, it also offers the opportunity to change group rooms at different times of the day and thus explore new learning environments. This balance of consistency and flexibility enriches the daily learning experience and promotes the children’s independence. We follow a situational approach, which overcomes rigid learning structures and aligns learning with the children’s everyday practical questions and ideas, thus directly connecting learning to their lives.

Different Educational Areas

Our Kindergarten is based on the Thuringian Educational Plan, which comprises of ten comprehensive educational areas. These areas are linguistic and literacy education, physical and mental health, scientific education, mathematical education, musical education, artistic-aesthetic education, philosophical-ideological education, religious education, media education, and civic education. Our educational concept goes beyond the mere transmission of knowledge. The children are given the opportunity to participate and have a say, thus promoting critical thinking and self-efficacy. Furthermore, the children learn English in a playful way.

Free Play

Free play occupies a central place in our educational concept at the kindergarten of the German School Seoul International. It is deeply rooted in European educational traditions and plays a key role in fostering independence and self-efficacy in children. Through unstructured play, children have the freedom to choose their own activities and explore their environment independently. Such phases are essential for developing creative and critical thinking. Our educational practice is aimed not only at supporting children in their social-emotional development but also at shaping them into independent individuals who actively and reflectively participate in their environment.

This educational method enables children to develop important social, emotional, and cognitive skills in a natural context. Free play experiences foster confidence in their own abilities and strengthen a sense of self-efficacy as children learn to master challenges independently and find their own solutions.

Preschool

At the preschool of the German School Seoul International, we place great emphasis on a seamless transition from Kindergarten to primary school. Our approach is focused on working closely with teachers at both preschool and primary school to address each child’s individual needs. When necessary, we integrate targeted language support measures to ensure that all children are optimally prepared.

Our focus is not on academic content such as reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, we strengthen the precursor skills that enable children to enter elementary school as confident and curious students. These skills include social skills, problem-solving, and the development of an independent learning attitude. Through playful and interactive methods, we foster a joy of learning and prepare children to enter the new phase of life that primary school represents with enthusiasm and confidence.

By laying a strong foundation for lifelong learning, we aim to ensure that our preschool children are individually well-equipped. We view early education as a crucial step in raising curious and competent elementary school children who can look forward to their academic and individual future.

A Day at Kindergarten

A day in the Kindergarten of the German School Seoul typically begins at 8:00 a.m. In the first hour, the children eat breakfast together. Afterwards, we gather in the morning circle, where the day is planned and seasonal topics are discussed.

From 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., there is a free play period, where the children can explore their interests both independently and with guidance. The morning concludes with activities in the schoolyard, where the children have access to a sandbox and various vehicles.

Lunch is served between 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. in the group rooms, prepared in the school cafeteria with special consideration for the children’s needs. After lunch, there is a rest period, which, depending on the children’s age, may consist of a nap or a quiet work period to gather energy for the afternoon.

After lunch, another free play period begins, which lasts until 4:00 p.m.

On certain days, we offer additional activities, such as gymnastics, walks and exploration in the nearby forest, taekwondo, or early musical education. Furthermore, there is playtime with an English-speaking teacher every week to promote access to the English language.