The framework
This page follows national frameworks such as Finland's core curriculum for early childhood and pre-primary education, France's programme for the école maternelle, and the Bildungspläne of the German federal states. It is a plain-language guide for parents, not an official document; schools and regions differ in the detail.
| Class | Age |
|---|---|
| Kindergarten / maternelle petite section | 3–4 |
| Moyenne section | 4–5 |
| Pre-primary / grande section / Vorschule | 5–6 |
| Primary school begins | 6–7 |
The areas of learning, with games that fit
Language in all its forms (France: mobiliser le langage)
Rich spoken language first; awareness of sounds and print; no pressure to read early.
Movement and physical activity
Daily outdoor play in all weathers, balance, climbing and co-ordination.
Artistic activities
Drawing, making, singing, listening and performing.
First tools for structuring thought
Numbers and their uses, shapes, sizes and patterns — through handling real things.
Exploring the world
Time and space, living things, materials and objects; nature above all.
Living together
Rules, co-operation, independence and participation — treated in Finland and Germany as the heart of the matter.
A typical day, and what helps at home
In a German or Nordic kindergarten a day may include hours outdoors whatever the weather, a shared meal that the children help to lay and clear, free play in mixed-age groups, a circle time with songs, and a project that follows the children's own questions. Forest kindergartens spend the whole day outside. A French maternelle day is more structured, with short teacher-led workshops, but language and play still lead. At home, the European advice is strikingly consistent: fresh air daily, real jobs around the house, plenty of talk and books, and no rush towards letters.
By the end of the preschool years
Broadly, the framework hopes a child leaving the last preschool class:
- Speaks clearly in sentences, tells a story and enjoys books — reading itself is not expected before primary school
- Hears rhymes, syllables and the first sounds in words
- Counts small collections, compares quantities and recognises numbers to about ten
- Dresses, eats and looks after belongings independently
- Plays co-operatively, follows group rules and resolves small conflicts with words
- Spends long stretches playing outdoors and handles tools such as scissors, brushes and glue
These are expectations for a whole year group, not a test for one child. Children reach them over a wide range of ages, and a child who is younger in the class, or learning in a second language, should be given more time, not more pressure.
Good questions to ask a preschool
How much of the day do children choose what they do? How long are they outdoors? How do you handle a child who is upset or who hits? How will you tell me how my child is doing — and is it a conversation or a report card? May I see the room in use? In every country on this list, a setting that answers these well is a better sign than one that promises early reading.
What is different here
Finnish children start school at seven and are among the world's strongest readers by ten, which is the best evidence there is that an early start is not an advantage. If you have moved to Europe from India, the US or the UK, your five-year-old has not fallen behind because nobody is teaching them to read; the system is doing what it intends to do.
Using this site alongside school
Fifteen minutes of Golu's Day covers every area above in rotation: a story, two games, something to move or sing, something to make and a thinking game, chosen for your child's age. For reading and number, the reading ladder and maths ladder put the games in teaching order, so you can find the first stage that is not yet easy and start there. Everything speaks thirty-four languages, which matters if your child's school language and home language are not the same.
If you are moving between countries
The class names change more than the children do. Compare ages, not labels, and expect a settling-in term before judging anything. See all seven systems side by side on the curriculum by country page, and what is typical at each age on the milestones pages.
Now do it for real
When the screen goes off, do something with your hands. Try ⛓️ Paper chain — an easy craft for ages 3-6, with every step read aloud in your language. You will need coloured paper strips, glue or tape; nothing that needs a trip to a shop.
There are 56 more on the things to do at home page, and free printable worksheets if you would rather have something on paper. Ten minutes on a screen and twenty minutes off it is a good shape for a day at this age.
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