“Each morning, the gates open to the joyful rhythm of footsteps and confident smiles. Students independently stroll in, waving to friends and familiar adults, ready to begin the day. With great enthusiasm, they engage in conversations, unpack their bags, tuck away their belongings, and proudly ‘check in’ before eagerly venturing off to discover what learning awaits them. This sense of confidence, independence, and joy isn’t an accident; it’s the result of a thoughtfully designed environment and an intentional approach to learning that nurtures essential life skills through meaningful play.”

You might think that Leanne Le, the Early Years PYP Coordinator at the International School Ho Chi Minh City (ISHCMC), is describing secondary students, but in fact, she’s talking about Early Years learners on a typical day at school.

“Even our youngest learners, some just two years old, walk in with a sense of purpose. At ISHCMC, the Early Years are more than a beginning; they are the groundwork for lifelong learning,” said Leanne.  

Each Early Years classroom invites curiosity. Thoughtfully arranged learning provocations spark exploration: role-play scenes nurture language and social connection, and sensory tables invite wonder. In this world of play, symbolic expression blooms, mathematical ideas take shape in towers and trains, language flows freely through puppet voices, drawing and storytelling, and scientific reasoning unfolds in puddles, shadows, and investigations of materials. Here, play is powerful and deeply intertwined with learning to provide children with the most authentic and age-appropriate ways to express ideas, solve problems, and dive into inquiry with joyful purpose. 

Learning that Lasts a Lifetime

While it may look like carefree and directionless fun to the untrained eye, when guided by ISHCMC’s experienced teachers, play becomes the foundation for development that shapes a child’s lifelong learning journey. 

Play at ISHCMC isn’t filler, it’s foundational. Guided by expert educators, play becomes the language through which children build not just academic skills, but lifelong capabilities: critical thinking, collaboration, empathy, resilience, and confidence. “In the first five years of life, a child’s brain grows to 90% of its adult size,” Leanne said. “That means what happens in these years lays the neurological and emotional foundation for the rest of their lives.”

ISHCMC views play as a powerful tool to support how young children explore, connect, and thrive. Whether constructing towers, caring for animals in a pretend zoo, or sharing stories at circle time, students are developing symbolic thinking, early numeracy and literacy, motor coordination, and interpersonal skills. Every moment is rich with purpose.

“We are not ‘soft’ — we are very intentional,” Leanne explained. Teachers shape each classroom environment around not only learning objectives but also draw inspiration from the voices, curious questions, and interests of each student. The Reggio-inspired classrooms are designed to promote independence and ignite student agency so the children feel empowered to make their own choices and successfully steer their learning adventures. When learners see their voices being honored, they become more engaged, energized, and invested in their learning, especially when they know their teachers collaborate with them as partners. It’s on that shared path that the real magic happens.

Alongside students’ agency, teachers serve an important role. “Our teachers here at ISHCMC are responsive to our learners,” Leanne noted. “We know when to gently step in, offer guidance, scaffold the learning, or make difficult decisions with our students because learning to make appropriate choices and navigate meaningful learning isn’t always easy; those muscles are still developing in our learners.”

Why the Early Years at ISHCMC Matter More Than Ever

The experiences a child has before the age of six set the tone for how they learn, relate, and engage with the world. That’s why families choose ISHCMC to give their children not just a preschool, but a purposeful, future-focused beginning. In an era where adaptability, collaboration, and creativity matter more than rote memorization, the ISHCMC Early Years program provides children with traits that define success now and in the future.

“Our students leave Early Years not only ‘ready for school,’ but eager for it,” Leanne said. “They are curious thinkers, confident communicators, and compassionate collaborators. They are children who feel safe to try, supported to grow, and inspired to lead.”

Intentional, Inquiry-Driven, Child-Centered

ISHCMC’s Early Years program draws from the Reggio Emilia approach and aligns with the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme (IB PYP). The teachers are experts in designing open-ended provocations, and curiosity-sparking scenarios tailored to children’s interests and developmental needs.

For example, during a Sharing the Planet unit, students transformed their classroom into a zoo to explore living things. When a student suggested the crocodile was hurt, the class embarked on a journey to learn about animal care, empathy, medical symbols, and veterinary roles. With each playful question, literacy, numeracy, and inquiry skills grew organically and meaningfully.

“Teachers here are not just observing—they’re documenting, assessing, and gently guiding,” Leanne explains. “Our goal is to cultivate children who can think, choose, and communicate for themselves. That doesn’t happen by chance. It’s intentional.”

Building Traits That Matter Most

Beyond academic milestones, ISHCMC’s Early Years program builds a child’s sense of self. Every child is seen, heard, and encouraged to take initiative, whether leading a line, helping a friend, or making food choices that support health and wellbeing.

Children learn to express ideas in a “hundred languages,” Leanne said, through art, music, movement, construction, role-play, storytelling, and more. With Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles embedded in daily life, every learner is supported, challenged, and celebrated for their individual growth.

And perhaps most importantly, students learn how to make and grow from mistakes. “We model and celebrate a growth mindset,” Leanne said. “Our students know that making a mistake means they’re learning. That’s the foundation of resilience.”

New, Calm Spaces That Encourage Curiosity and Pride

ISHCMC believes environments are the third teacher, and to encourage students’ curiosity and nurture their capabilities, the school recently renovated its Early Explorers spaces to be calm, natural areas that support the ways they learn best. From light-filled classrooms to soft textures, every detail has been thoughtfully curated to foster discovery and a sense of belonging. Inside the inviting spaces, children feel free and safe to explore, ask questions, and be themselves.

The renovation goes far beyond a new coat of paint. They reflect the school’s belief that children deserve to begin their learning journey in environments that are open and connected to nature. Thus, they are filled with wood, stone, fabric and sunlight, as opposed to distracting plastics, providing calm comfort.

Provocations to incite wonder are placed throughout the spaces. Free from fears of doing anything “wrong,” the items invite creative exploration. Whether it’s a set of blocks, a pile of leaves, or colorful tapestry, everything is an opportunity to discover and make meaning. As a whole, the rooms aim to give children a space that allows them to think and feel deeply in their own ways.

Significantly, the classrooms support connection with one another as the children develop understandings of self in relation to peers. Glass walls, shared spaces and collaborative moments support the critical aim of fostering healthy socializing at a young age. Meanwhile, ISHCMC believes that children’s thinking and learning should be made visible to themselves and others. Doing so allows them to reflect on as well as take pride in who they are becoming, so documents reflecting on-going learning and evolving projects cover the walls.

Early Explorers spaces are places of discovery and connection that lay the foundations of lifelong learning. Whether it’s the quiet confidence of solving a puzzle alone or the joy of working together, each moment is intentional.

“We are intentional in everything we do. We're building our students up so that they don't need us, and I know that's a hard thing for some of us adults to hear, but when they get there, that's when you know you've done a good job,” Leanne noted. Indeed, the resilient, inquisitive, and kind adults all parents want their children to become are influenced by their earliest experiences.