Are you aware of the difference in the curriculum between a Swiss and English Kindergarten? When one thinks of the word «Kindergarten», different images come to mind for people in different parts of the world. For those coming from a Swiss background, Kindergarten is a very social time. Teachers create experiences over the course of two years to develop and strengthen each child’s personal, social, and emotional development. They work hard to ensure that each child in their care is confident and secure in themselves and their abilities both socially and physically. By the end of Kindergarten, the children are aware of the social dynamics within their peer group and their place within it.

11 October 2021 Lee-Anne Weber

First things first: every child is unique and language acquisition proceeds at varying speeds and in different ways for each child - regardless of whether the child acquires one or more languages at the same time. However, regarding multilingual education, there is a persistent prejudice that the brain (and thus the child) would be overburdened with more than one language. Those who defend this theory see proof for it in situations where children seem to switch back and forth between languages randomly. Actually, this phenomenon is quite harmless, since it also happens in monolingual language acquisition, for example between dialect and standard language - only there, it is not noticed. In order to understand how these blends occur during speaking and how to actively support bilingual or multilingual acquisition (we basically refer to two and more languages at Tandem IMS), we take a look at the language centre of the brain and focus on the linguistic characteristics of multilingual children.

22 September 2021 Neal Brown

Our French teacher Amaia Areitio writes about her experiences in language teaching - from the children's first contact with a new foreign language to the first language exam DELF Prim. She explains what such an early exam experience means for the children's personality development, for their school career and above all for their motivation. Would you prefer to read the blog in the original language - French? Then please continue reading here.

23 April 2021 Amaia Conde

Have you heard the term Enquiry-Based Learning (or Inquiry-Based Learning) and wondered what teaching method it is, what its benefits are and what the difference is between this teaching method and the frontal (traditional) one? Let me look back at my 20 years of teaching.

11 March 2021 Lee-Anne Weber

The Swiss school system can appear confusing (and even intimidating at times), especially for parents who have not gone through it themselves. The path your child can take after primary school is more like a network of branches reaching high for success. Success and the routes along the branches come in many forms, all wonderfully interconnected. Although the path to the treetop does not always appear simple and direct, many possibilities can open up along the way. The Swiss school system is more permeable than one might think at first glance. We will show you how flexible your child's path from primary school to graduation can be and answer the most frequently asked questions that many parents ask us.

17 December 2020 Neal Brown

Have you heard of baby sign language? Are you wondering whether it works and if it can really improve communication with your baby? Our teachers at Tandem IMS have been consistently using baby sign language in our early years and pre-school groups for several years and they confirm it makes a big difference. Therefore, we would like to explain how baby sign language works, what benefits it brings, and how you can introduce and use it at home.

16 November 2020 Carla Galley

Over the last 15 years, visiting parents have often queried whether their children should be learning a second or third language from an early age and if it is beneficial to their development into adulthood. Such questions are of course still pertinent as our international society has diversified. Multi-cultured and multi-linguistic couples, expatriate work situations and patch-work families have led to an increase of children becoming multilingual.

07 October 2020 Sonya Maechler-Dent

As we start to emerge from isolation after the corona virus measures, we begin to appreciate the importance of having a strong and robust immune system to help us avoid illness. To boost the immune system we need a healthy foundation combining a nutrient diet and active lifestyle. Whatever your family’s health routine currently looks like there is always room for improvement and we are here to support you.

14 May 2020 Bethany Hill

Since Covid-19 pandemic forced schools to close and children to learn from home, the idea of returning to a ‘normal’ life has been on everyone’s mind. As one of the first steps, children will return to school in the coming days and weeks. While being excited about this prospect, parents and children may also have some concerns. Therefore, preparing your children for this transition will certainly help them to have a great start back at school.

30 April 2020 Neal Brown

Unstructured and unscheduled free time will be something that most children will face during the lockdown phase of the Coronavirus pandemic. It is impossible to keep children occupied at all times and boredom can set in. Many children will find this a stark contrast compared to their previous structured school day where they lived very full and exciting lives. As we get to grips with the new reality, perhaps it is good to also consider how we can embrace boredom.

03 April 2020 Bethany Hill

Being in a lockdown situation is tough, but even more so for your child who is familiar with a routine in their everyday life when at school. Likewise, you most likely have a daily schedule and pattern.  While you have no control of other people’s actions right now, you can make sure that you maintain a structure at home which is essential for both you and your child. Having a routine in place, will help keep you sane. Here are some tips for your daily routine:

27 March 2020 Carla Galley

After 10 years, we have asked ourselves if our school logo still represents who we are. After taking a look at how we have grown and developed, we decided it was time for an update.

06 December 2019 Carla Galley

It is, I must admit, not without a little nostalgia that I sometimes look back on my pre-Tandem IMS days. The freedom to be a mum that no-one knew, instead of the mum everyone knows; the ability to choose my own employment opportunities, instead of choosing who to employ; being a parent who can join the PTA and go out for drinks, not the school head who joins PTA meetings to listen to the summary of discussions that were held over a nice glass of wine; being a staff member who can ask for an honest appraisal from a supervisor and be challenged to improve, and not instead, being the one delivering advice and encouragement.

21 November 2019 Sonya Maechler-Dent