Lower Elementary (3-6 years)

The Early Years should be the start of a child’s life where no dream is too big and nothing is impossible. This is at the heart of our teaching philosophy in the Lower Elementary School and starts in the Early Years 3-4 mixed setting.

Our multi-age classrooms are what make our Early Years setting so unique and has numerous benefits:

• Allows children to interact and learn how to get along with peers of varying ages.
• Provides opportunities for developing social skills and building confidence.
• Empowers our four year olds to learn compassion, patience, and problem-solving skills as they interact and assist younger children.
• Encourages our three year olds to push themselves and be able to participate in more complex activities with their older peers.
• Enables all children to develop and grow at their own pace in order to blossom and create their own learning journey in their own time, whilst also being challenged and stimulated by their teachers, peers and their learning environment.

In Early Years 3-4, we are guided by the principles of the Te Whāriki Curriculum. The name Te Whāriki comes from the Māori language meaning ‘woven mat’. It is based around a single belief that all children are born with immense potential. Te Whāriki is a natural first step towards the Primary Years Programme of the IB and prepares our young minds with a solid foundation of what is to come in Kindergarten.

Kindergarten is the start of the Primary Years Programme (PYP) journey at UNIS Hanoi and is an exciting, dynamic place to learn, play, and grow. Based on our 35 years of successful experience delivering the IB PYP Programme, students will explore four units of inquiry throughout the year. Through inquiry learning, students develop academically, socially, emotionally, physically, and culturally. Meanwhile, our learners become internationally-minded citizens through a focus on the development of positive attitudes towards self, towards people, and towards the environment.

Grade 1 is the last year of Lower Elementary School and here we continue to build on the inquiry and play students experienced in Early Years 3-4 and Kindergarten. The pace is slightly quicker, and the celebration of learning and exploration is present throughout. In Grade 1 we strive to create opportunities for children to wonder and explore. We partner with parents and community members to provide a year long programme that supports student growth socially, emotionally, physically, and academically. Particularly, one which prepares them for the exciting challenges of the Upper Elementary School. Grade 1 classrooms are set within the Upper Elementary School with Grades 2-5.