A Bright Start
Laying the Foundations for Lifelong Success
Just like building a home, brain development and education begin with a strong foundation. Through love, play, and purposeful learning, we are shaping confident, curious, and capable young minds. Our curriculum is built around four core principles designed to nurture children’s development holistically and lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning.
Our curriculum is built around four core principles designed to nurture children`s development holistically and lay a strong foundation for lifelong learning
- Building a brain ready to learn
- Language development
- Learning though play
- Nurturing the whole child
1. Building a Brain Ready to Learn
Every child is born with incredible potential, but their brains need the right environment to thrive.
Key Elements for Building a Brain Ready to Learn:
- Loving, attentive caregivers play a pivotal role in brain development.
- One-on-one responsive care nurture emotional intelligence, communication, and social skills.
- Real human interaction far surpasses screen time in promoting cognitive and emotional growth.
2. Language Development
Language is the gateway to learning. Research shows that children exposed to more face-to-face conversations develop significantly larger vocabularies by age two.
At Sharp Kids we emphasize rich language experiences through songs, stories and daily conversations. Through music and play children develop a love for language and communication.
3. Learning Through Play
Play is more that an activity; it`s how children make sense of the world. At Sharp Kids we use play as a powerful tool for teaching language, math and science in ways that make learning feel natural, exciting and fun.
- Play fosters creativity, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills.
- It helps children develop empathy, cooperation, and conflict resolution abilities.
- Our beautiful outdoor garden and playground provide ample space for free play, allowing children to co-create experiences and form meaningful social bonds.
4. Nurturing the Whole Child
Nutrition, Activity, and Rest
- Proper nutrition, physical activity, and rest are essential for cognitive and emotional growth.
- We provide wholesome, home-cooked meals to fuel healthy growth. Parents are encouraged to pack nutritious snacks, reinforcing healthy eating habits.
- Daily physical activities develop gross motor skills, laying the foundation for fine motor skills essential for tasks like writing, drawing, eating, and dressing.
Our
subjects
Literacy:
Sharp Kids is a multicultural school that warmly welcomes children from South Africa and beyond. While most of our students speak English, we embrace those with minimal English proficiency.
- We follow the South African curriculum for language development and complement it with the Jolly Readers program (aligned with the British curriculum), ensuring a strong foundation in literacy.
Mathematics:
Children develop skills in:
- Counting, number recognition, and understanding shapes, sizes, and weight.
- Comparing amounts, creating patterns, completing puzzles, and following rhythms.
The Arts:
Art strengthens essential skills needed for school readiness. At Sharp Kids, children enjoy:
- Arts and crafts, dress-up, and fantasy play, exploring their creativity with materials like paint, clay, and natural elements (e.g., branches, leaves, and mud).
Gross motor:
Early learning begins with the body. Movement primes the brain for learning.
- Children participate daily in outdoor activities, exercises, and obstacle courses to stimulate gross motor development.
Science:
Children are natural scientists, full of curiosity about the world around them.
- Our science curriculum nurtures this curiosity through hands-on exploration, encouraging discovery and a thirst for knowledge
Daily schedule
Our daily schedule offers time for children to participate in both group activities and independent child choice activities.
Morning Breakfast
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Porridge is served between 7:30 and 8:15.
Morning circle
8:15 a.m.
Morning Circle is a special time to greet each other and start our day together. Activities include a quick emotional check-in with each child to gauge their emotional well-being, discussions about the weather, the day of the week, and an introduction to the day’s activities. Most importantly, this is an opportunity for children to share information, practice their listening and turn-taking skills, and participate in a large group setting.
Start of Classes
9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.
During this time, children engage in a variety of developmentally appropriate activities designed to encourage learning across all areas of development. These classes are interspersed with bathroom visits and brain breaks. (See our Curriculum for more information about our program.)
Snack Time and Free play
10:30 a.m. – 11:45 a.m.
Snack time begins with handwashing, followed by children collecting their lunchboxes. Water is provided with snacks. After wards the children play on our well equipped play ground.
Nap / Rest Time
11:45 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
This is a short rest time for older children or a nap time for younger ones. The Grade R group uses this time to work on additional activities, strengthen specific skills, or listen to storytelling.
Lunch Time
1:15 p.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Lunch is served in our outdoor patio, offering a relaxed and social mealtime experience.
Aftercare
2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m.
After lunch, children enjoy free play followed by more structured activities led by Michelle and Eulenda. Afternoons are centered around fun, joyful, and playful interactions.
Parents are welcome to join and offer activities such as gardening, storytelling, or any other engaging experiences.
An afternoon snack is served at 3:15 p.m.
Goodbye Time
5:00 p.m.
Children can be collected anytime during the afternoon.
School closes promptly at 5:00 p.m
Daily Programme : Fridays
On Friday our program differs from the rest of the week.
All extra-mural activities are scheduled for Friday except singing. Most of the therapies also take place during Friday mornings. While not all children take part in these activities we also offer activities on Friday like rugby, which is a free activity and open to all. During the rest of the day children gets time for free play, fantasy play, climbing and Lego building – to name but a few.
Activities are alternated on a regular basis to make sure there is variation.
CHOOSE FROM OUR PROGRAMMES
HALF DAY: FROM 7:15 TILL 13:15
Children must bring their own snacks for our morning break. We encourage parents to pack healthy snacks. All materials needed for the day’s activities are provided by the school.
Fees: R4000 p/m
FULL DAY: FROM 7:15 TILL 17:00
Children bring their morning snack to school to enjoy with everyone else during snack time. For lunch children sit down for a cooked lunch and juice. Afternoon snack is provided at 15:15 and should it be needed sandwiches are made around 16:15. School closes at 17:00.
Fees: R5200 p/m
2025 School Calendar
The Department of Basic Education published the school calendar for 2025 on 31 January 2023.
Term 1
Duration: (13) 15 January – 28 March
- Number of weeks: 11
- Number of days: 53 (55)
- Number of public holidays: 1
- Human Rights Day: 21 Mar
- Actual number of school days: 52 (54)
Term 2
Duration: 8 April – 27 June
- Number of weeks: 12
- Number of days: 59
- Number of public holidays: 5+3
- Easter: 18 Apr (Good
- Friday) and 21 Apr (Family Day)
- Freedom Day: 27 Apr (observed on 28 Apr)
- Special school holiday: 29 to 30 Apr
- Workers’ Day: 1 May
- Special school holiday: 2 May
- Youth Day: 16 Jun
- Actual number of school days: 51
Term 3
Duration: 22 July – 03 October
- Number of weeks: 11
- Number of days: 54
- Number of public holidays: 1
- Heritage Day: 24 Sept
- Actual number of school days: 53
Term 4
Duration: 13 October – (10) 12 December
- Number of weeks: 9
- Number of days: 43 (45)
- Number of public holidays: 0
- Actual number of school days: 43 (45)