«Language development and language cultivation start from ‘birth ’. »
The child understands the language spoken in his environment, the specific sounds, the tone quality and the melodies. He realizes that people accompany their activities in a speech.
In his first attempts at communication, the child recognizes that he can also achieve results with the facial expressions with his gestures, and later with the words. The environment in which each language activity develops gives the child information about the meaning of words. Verbal teaching not associated with social experience and the cultural context proves to be fruitless for young children. That’s why “oti agapo” makes sure they are not sterile but entertaining, interesting and crowded.
Talking with the child about oti agapo, we want to understand and encourage the development of his language and communication skills. A child learns to talk to communicate. The language is learned to be used, and not just to learn. This also applies to children who learn Greek as a second language. They also need these adults and other children who will be interested in what they feel and say, and they will listen carefully. These children are urged to learn when they realize that this unknown language is the key to a wider world. Children motivate when they feel that others are respectful of the linguistic knowledge they have already gained.
At the same time, children deal with how people communicate with each other, how they hear each other and how they understand one another. In this way, children recognize the basic structure of the conversations and understand the relationship between the interlocutors. They feel the importance they give to their own words from the community. They perceive whether and how seriously they get it.
The more children engage in dialogues, the more they motivate them to develop their language.
Oti agapo children’s experiences with points, their letters and numbers are important terms for the next cognitive step: Familiarizing children with the world of their book opens up new horizons. The written culture, the letters, the words, the numbers and the points come in place of the sounds of the language that speaks. Thoughts, stories, fairy tales, songs, everything is smoothly in the program, while the educators of “oti agapo” observe the interest of the children and give them stimuli.
Many children grow up as bilingual or multilingual. A bilingual upbringing usually strengthens the child’s overall development. When children notice that different names can be given in the same subject, they begin to analyze the language and the phenomena of speech. We recognize this reality while encouraging and assisting children in the use of the Greek language, which will help in their everyday life and their better adaptation to the social environment.
Language activity is exercised in everyday life of “oti agapo”. It is something that runs through all the fields of cultivation, like a central thread.
Expression through theater, music and dance
Theater, music and dance are primary forms of expression for people. The theater allows the exploration of issues, senses and worries, in an indirect way, that allows children to automatically process the issues they are dealing with and end up in a solution without having to be exposed directly. It promotes self-diagnosis and resolution of internal conflicts and offers children the opportunity to gradually discover a more complex aspect of our society.
Theatrical activities in “oti agapo” combine exploration and sensation: children find their way to understand something and at the same time feel surprised and feel pleasure in discovering new acts. discovery, combined with the new possibilities of expression and information, are an integral part of our pedagogical work.
We use all the different forms of theater to better achieve our goals and release emotions. Theatrical performances, fairy tales and stories, puppets, musicals etc
During the play, the children undertake to play the same. They can play an idea or a thing or a sense and all this can be an opportunity for discussion that will lead to the expression of their thoughts, whether we are talking about what they think and feel, or by creating their own story.
They will learn to sing songs and to follow the music while dancing or performing predefined steps. Equally important is developing the ability to talk in front of an audience. All children have the opportunity to participate!
Puppet Theater is an activity that consists of many arts together. However, this can be divided into different parts (selecting or modifying the structure of the script, the doll and the landscape, the movement, etc.) In “oti agapo” we work with all the children or groups, always having The puppet theater is very close to early childhood, because the younger children get used to dolls, and we also have activities in which we help children build their own puppets.
In our music-kinetic program, children of “oti agapo” will experience a wealth of skills. These skills are designed to familiarize children with the arts in our warm and friendly environment, to stimulate their self-esteem and self-esteem and to create a fascinating relationship with their teacher and friends. We can all make music and dance !!!
Children use various organisms (wooden, bells, castanets, etc.). The program is shaped according to the goals we want to achieve, its team and its dynamics.
All our goals are accomplished in the game without any pressure and compulsion, children love and participate with joy! We sing (too!), We move, we dance with the rhythm, we read stories and we know musical instruments.
Children also participate in musical-pedagogical activities and games that help in the development of spoken language and experience an introduction to the magic world of music.
They realize the need to work together in a group with rights and obligations. The ability of children to respond to the rhythm of music with musical instruments is developed, to be in contact with poetry and to sing songs as well as to develop the ability to memorize lyrics. enrich their vocabulary and develop their oral expression. They also develop their oral expression and mobility, responding to the rhythm of music with corresponding movement. The development of theatricality and self-confidence is helped. Children outward their feelings, express themselves through music and dance and have fun!
Children, through the theatrical activities, process life events, play different roles, interpret human behavior, analyze characters, broader sense of morality, create through the transformation of their own propositions. They become an artist, producer, writer, critically active spectator.
“Oti agapo” creates the right environment and actively encourages children to participate in these activities, and we organize school shows several times a year. This way, families and friends can enjoy the theater’s achievements of their children!