A child’s first classroom is the home—not the kindergarten or preschool, but your home. Especially for little ones from ages 6 to 36 months—those with vast potential just waiting to be unlocked—the home should be a structure of support and love and a space for learning and growth.
We at Playscape Manila aim to transform every home into a vibrant place of learning for every child. We want to transport the joy of playground fun and the dynamism of classroom learning to a child’s most comfortable space. Through a team of early childhood educators in partnership with you as parents (as well as your child’s caregivers) it is our mission to give your child an innovative, play-based curriculum that allows them the space to learn through experimentation, risky play, and exploration. But we don’t impose play on children; we only invite and encourage them, as play should always be child-led. As much as we want children to learn, we also want to nurture that joyous sense of wonder found only in childhood.
We believe that the best way to teach children from ages 6 to 36 months is not through worksheets and drills, but through authentic, guided play. This kind of play is authentic because it nurtures curious childhood wonder and allows them to discover the world around them; it is guided because every exploration is purposeful—all activities try to tap into important dimensions of a child’s development: cognitive, social, emotional, or physical. It also needs to reflect an Emergent Curriculum that looks out for children’s needs and interests as individuals. It’s play that is personalized and purposeful. We also add elements of schematic play; by encouraging the repetition of some activities and the continued use of familiar materials, we help students master particular skills.
Play is a fun and effective way for your kids to acquire foundational life skills and values, have a lifelong appreciation for learning, and ultimately flourish in any landscape. This play + landscape is at the heart of our practice at Playscape.
A Different Kind of Homeschooling
We collaborate with host parents to invite their friends and their young children, either infants from 0 to 12 months or tiny tots from 12 to 36 months, for ten classes (two to three times a week) in their home. We visit the host home, set up our in-house playschool and teach either a one-hour class for infants or 1.5-hour class for tiny tots. Especially for parents of infants, it’s an excellent opportunity for them to learn how to connect with their fledgling children. For parents of tiny tots, it’s playdates with a purpose. For the kids themselves, it’s meaningful fun, an opportunity for them to play, learn, and engage with others.
Fun and Holistic Learning
Our premium learning materials are sourced both locally and abroad and our activities engage all your children’s senses, allowing them to create real-world contexts for their learning. We have art classes that put greater value on the process of creation rather than the product—never mind the mess! In addition to that, we conduct shared group reading that helps children develop their language and literacy skills, as well as music and movement classes that tap into your child’s imagination, giving them more venues for creative expression.
Using developmentally-appropriate outdoor equipment, we also offer Active Play to support children’s motor skills and provide them with safe spaces to take healthy risks. Children climb Pikler triangles, practice their balance on wooden beams, and run around; they are taught to take turns and pick themselves up when they fall—with their parents or caregivers watching from a safe distance. When children are able to move freely and assert their independence, it improves their self-confidence and imbibes in them healthy risk-assessment. It is also an opportunity for parents to trust their children as they learn through trial and error. In all of our classes, kids are given the opportunity to either climb, feel, draw, run, laugh, sing, jump, or build—all within the comfort of the home environment.
The home environment also makes it easier to facilitate social interaction. Since all our classes require a small group of kids, an important part of our lesson is teaching children to adapt to and build relationships with each other. Parents have found it easier for their kids to welcome others when they’re already in a setting that makes them feel the most welcome—again, the home.
Playscape Early Learning Center
This reimagined vision of ours, a home-based playschool, continues to reach more and more children and their parents. Since our launch in June 2018, we have shared this vision with over 200 families in 8 different locations.
This 2020 is special as we finally take root in Legazpi Village in the heart of Makati.
Be our partner parent-our mobile classes are still on-going. Check out our available schedule and sign up for one of our classes. We hope to collaborate with you soon so that you and your kids can discover the power of play—all in the comfort of the world’s best classroom, your home.