{"id":6909,"date":"2026-02-25T17:24:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-25T16:24:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/?aur_infobereich=understanding-educational-concepts"},"modified":"2026-07-06T11:55:40","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T09:55:40","slug":"understanding-educational-concepts","status":"publish","type":"aur_infobereich","link":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/?aur_infobereich=understanding-educational-concepts","title":{"rendered":"Understanding Educational Concepts"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Work Based on the Situational Approach<\/h2>\n\n<p>The <strong>situational approach aims <\/strong>to foster children&#8217;s <strong>independence, social skills, and sense of responsibility<\/strong>. The program is based on everyday experiences and topics from the children\u2019s lives, which are explored and addressed together. Learning takes <strong>place in real-life situations, such as when participants plan, make decisions, or design<\/strong> processes <strong>together<\/strong>. Specifically, this could mean, for example, that every day one group of children goes shopping for the ingredients for breakfast or lunch together with a teacher, and another group of children then prepares the meal, also together with a teacher. The central guiding principles are children&#8217;s participation, <strong>equality, openness to different life experiences<\/strong>, and the <strong>integration and inclusion<\/strong> of all children.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Reggio Approach<\/h2>\n\n<p>The <strong>Reggio approach<\/strong> is understood less as a fixed model and more as an educational philosophy. The focus is on the children&#8217;s <strong>curiosity, creativity, and initiative<\/strong>. Adults guide the learning process without dictating it. Children work <strong>on projects<\/strong>, explore their own questions, and <strong>investigate their environment<\/strong> in their own unique ways. Observing and documenting these learning processes plays a central role and helps children reflect on their experiences.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Montessori Education<\/h2>\n\n<p>The guiding principle of <strong>Montessori education<\/strong> is: \u201cHelp me to do it myself.\u201d The goal is <strong>to help<\/strong> children <strong>become<\/strong> more <strong>independent<\/strong> and give them the space to <strong>learn on their own<\/strong>. The central element is independent work: The children choose for themselves what they want to do, how long they want to work on it, and whether they want to learn on their own or together. Specially developed materials support this process and promote <strong>concentration, self-motivation, and self-discipline<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Waldorf Education<\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>Waldorf education places <\/strong>great emphasis on <strong>artistic, craft-based, and rhythmic elements<\/strong> in children&#8217;s daily lives. <strong>Natural materials<\/strong> and <strong>free play<\/strong> foster imagination and creativity. A clearly structured daily\u2014and often weekly\u2014routine provides the children with a sense of direction and security. Regular activities include <strong>free play, storytelling<\/strong>, and <strong>artistic creation<\/strong>, among others. In many institutions, eurythmy\u2014a movement-based form of expression\u2014is also part of the educational program.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Fr\u00f6bel&#8217;s educational philosophy<\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>Fr\u00f6bel&#8217;s educational philosophy places <\/strong>free play at the center of early childhood education. Children should be allowed to <strong>explore<\/strong> their <strong>environment on their own<\/strong> and <strong>develop based on their own inner drive<\/strong>. The role of early childhood educators is to create an appropriate environment for this. Typical examples are the so-called Fr\u00f6bel toys\u2014simple materials such as balls, cubes, or cylinders that encourage experimentation. The goal is to build <strong>self-confidence, curiosity, and a love of independent learning<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Multilingual Child Care Centers<\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>Multilingual daycare centers<\/strong> provide children with early and intensive exposure to a <strong>second language<\/strong>. This is particularly effective when the language is used consistently for several hours a day in everyday situations. It is important that the educators have a strong command of the respective language; ideally, they should be native speakers. As early as around age two, children can distinguish between different languages and acquire them simultaneously.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Inclusive Child Care Centers \u2013 Inclusion<\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>Inclusive facilities<\/strong> provide care for <strong>children with and without disabilities<\/strong> together. This can take place in special inclusive preschools or through individual integration into regular daycare centers. The groups are usually smaller, and additional staff members provide individualized support to the children. <strong>Inclusive programs promote <\/strong>social skills and mutual understanding among all children.<br\/>Today&#8217;s approach to inclusion goes even further: The goal is to enable all children, regardless of disabilities, to receive care close to home and <strong>to participate on an equal footing<\/strong>. It is not the child who adapts to existing structures; rather, the environment is designed to accommodate diversity.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Forest Education \/ Nature &amp; Forest Preschools<\/h2>\n\n<p><strong>Nature and forest kindergartens<\/strong> focus on <strong>experiencing nature<\/strong>. The children spend most of the day outdoors, <strong>exploring the forest<\/strong> with all their senses and engaging in <strong>creative<\/strong> activities <strong>using natural materials<\/strong>. A construction trailer or a permanent shelter usually serves as a meeting place and a place of refuge. Despite their focus on nature-based education, these institutions meet all the requirements for a well-rounded education and prepare children for their future educational paths. Children are often admitted starting at about two to three years of age, once they can walk steadily.<\/p>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group aur-service-kifa has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-primary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-primary-background-color has-background aur-service-kifa\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"aur-service-kifa\">Would you like to receive free advice from our experts on educational concepts in childcare facilities?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons aur-service-kifa is-horizontal is-content-justification-center is-layout-flex wp-container-core-buttons-is-layout-03627597 wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aur-service-kifa\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/kontakt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Schedule a consultation<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-button aur-service-kifa\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"tel:08002961133\">Call directly for free<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-primary-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-primary-background-color has-background\"\/>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-primary-color has-text-color has-link-color has-medium-font-size wp-elements-00d6afec42ac7e3f5a8b580cc90bb5e2 is-content-justification-center is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-3c8805c5 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group alignwide has-global-padding is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--60)\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading alignwide\">Read more on this topic<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query alignwide is-layout-flow wp-block-query-is-layout-flow\">\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-query-no-results\">\n\n<p>There are currently no related posts.<\/p>\n\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Child care facilities operate based on an educational philosophy that is documented in writing and shapes both daily routines and educational activities with the children. It describes the goals we are pursuing and how learning, play, and community life are organized. Below is a selection of common educational approaches.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":[],"tags":[412],"class_list":["post-6909","aur_infobereich","type-aur_infobereich","status-publish","hentry","tag-support-services"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/aur_infobereich\/6909","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/aur_infobereich"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/aur_infobereich"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/awo-lifebalance.de\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}