Early Years Program
About Our Program
At Pinewood, we’re proud to be regional leaders in Early Years education. Our institution created the first English-speaking Early Years program in Thessaloniki and continues to set the standard for high-quality learning for young children. Our Early Years Program (EYP), which includes Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten, offers a warm, engaging, and developmentally appropriate full-day program for children ages 4 to 6.
As part of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (PYP), our Early Years experience is rooted in inquiry, exploration, and joyful learning. Children learn in self-contained, child-centered classrooms where they feel safe, supported, and inspired to grow.
We teach our program entirely in English, providing a full immersion environment. This allows children—whether native speakers or brand new to the language—to develop English fluency naturally, confidently, and at their own pace.
The EYP curriculum is thoughtfully designed around key areas of child development, including:
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Play-based learning
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Communication and self-expression
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Mathematics
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Science and social studies
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Creative arts
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Gross and fine motor development
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Social-emotional skills
Our Kindergarten program also provides the strong academic and social foundation children need for a successful transition into Grade 1.
At Pinewood, our Early Years Program nurtures curious, creative, caring thinkers—right from the start.
Interested in joining our Early Years Program? Schedule a meeting with our admissions team to learn more!
Curriculum
EYP Curriculum
- Language Arts
- Mathematics
- Science & Social Studies
- Music
- Physical Education
- Library
- STEAM/Messy Play
- Greek (Kindergarten)
Language Arts
All areas of Language are taught through mini lessons, play and workshops. Our school uses the phonics curriculum of UFLI (University of Florida Literacy Institute) which is taught intensively on a daily basis, and is deeply rooted to the science of reading, so as to support students as they build foundational reading and writing skills.
Mathematics
The Kindergarten Mathematics program follows the AERO Standards, which are being taught through an inquiry based program that allows the students to investigate problem solving through real life examples, encouraging them to practice individually, in pairs and in groups with a variety of manipulatives.
Science & Social Studies
Pre-Kindergarten
Children demonstrate an awareness of school surroundings and class rules, understand holidays, basic geography, understand planet earth and its features, understand our place in the food chain, and much more. Student who finish the program learn how to attach emotions with situations or circumstances and use these skills to talk about themselves and their family, where they come from, etc.
Kindergarten
The Kindergarten Science program is inquiry based in the main, covering the Next Generation Standards (NGSS) through six themes: Forces and Motion, Magnetism, The Earth and its Place in the Universe, Energy, Living Things and Habitats. Students learn through being exposed to a variety of literature on specific topics and explore via many practical ‘hands on’ activities and investigations.
Music
The EYP Music program is designed for children to join together in musical activities, using their voices and simple instruments to develop concepts about sound and musical awareness. They participate both individually and in groups in games, songs, and creative movement activities in order to develop an appreciation of music from different cultures. Children learn to sing rhymes and lullabies, perform simple rhythm patterns, experiment with various instruments, dramatize song lyrics and follow directional cues.
Physical Education
The Early Years Physical Education program is designed to increase physical fitness, motor skills, self-awareness, improved judgment, self-confidence and self-esteem. In physical education classes, Early Years children learn and continue to refine skills and concepts centered around body awareness, spatial awareness, effort, locomotor movements, and non-locomotor movements.
Library
Each week, students visit the Pinewood library in order to interact with books and literature in an inviting setting specifically designed for this purpose. Students are invited to discover new books to take home, enjoy with the family, and return them the next week. Overall, the goal of the Library program is to develop in the hearts of our young students a love of reading, stories, learning and books.
STEAM/Messy Play
Each week, students alternate between STEAM and Messy Play lessons in order to engage with science and their senses at a developmentally appropriate level. They learn foundational cognitive principles as they exercise motor, language and social skills. STEAM and Messy Play offer one of the best integrated learning experiences for our students. This program nurtures a scientific approach: children learn to investigate, observe, test, predict, evaluate and gather evidence.
Greek (Kindergarten)
The goal of the Greek classes is to enable the students to communicate and interact with the community around them. Attention is given to all language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing. Our Kindergarten students learn Greek through collaborative storytelling, reading short everyday phrases, learning songs and writing simple sentences. In addition to language development, the Greek program introduces students to the culture of Greece, paying special attention to important cultural events and celebrations.
