Forward-looking preschools seek practical ways to move toward playful, experiential, child-centered learning—the learning young children truly need. 

But here is the real problem:

Most teachers have never been trained to implement these ideas in practice.

They receive textbooks or activity suggestions but lack the skills to translate them into meaningful classroom experiences.

Teachers ask

This lack of practical training means that curriculum goals often remain on paper rather than materialize in the classroom.

A Practical Solution: Kindiedays Academy

Kindiedays Academy is a 10-workshop professional development program that builds teacher skills step by step—from classroom environment and language development to STEM, art, community learning, parent partnerships, and documentation.

Every workshop includes:

• Live teaching (never pre-recorded)
• Real examples from Finnish classrooms
• Hands-on participation
• Open discussion
• Q&A and problem-solving
• Practical implementation tasks to try with children

Teachers don’t just learn theory. They practice, apply, reflect, and transform the way they teach.

Download the Full Program and SIGN UP HERE

We discussed with Heli Parhiala, Lead Expert, Educluster Finland, and Leena Merikallio, Academic Principal, Um Nasser Finland Preschool, their experiences with Kindiedays and their collaboration with Parents.

Tell a bit about your preschool.

Um Nasser Finland Preschool in Bahrain opened in January 2025 and provides early childhood education for children aged 2 to 5 years. It was established through a partnership between S Eleven Educational and EduCluster Finland, which is part of the University of Jyväskylä Group. The preschool follows the Finnish ECEC model of learning, with a Finnish Principal and Finnish mentor teachers working closely alongside local teachers to ensure high-quality education. Its approach emphasises holistic development, creativity, and the joy of learning, blending Finnish pedagogical expertise with Bahraini cultural values.

Why and how did you start using Kindiedays?

This year at DIDAC India, the Kindiedays team, with Milla, Stella, and Ranjan, had the opportunity to speak with hundreds of preschool owners, academic heads, coordinators, and teachers from all over the country. With the new NEP, it’s clear that preschools must rethink how learning happens. Owners and academic heads understand the direction, but they need support to turn the NEP’s ideas into practical changes in their classrooms. Across conversations, one theme repeatedly surfaced:

There is strong interest in playful learning—especially the way it is practiced in Finland—but many educators feel unsure about how to put it into action.

Below, we share the key insights from these conversations and how Kindiedays supports schools in navigating this exciting transition.

1. NEP has planted the seed, but practical guidance is still missing

Preschool owners told us they understand that NEP encourages more:

• playful learning
• experiential activities
• holistic development
• child-centered classrooms
• formative assessment

However, the gap lies in practical implementation.

Many said:

“We know what NEP wants, but we don’t know how to make it happen in the classroom.”

And this is where the challenge begins:

• Teachers have not been trained in playful, experiential methods.
• Lesson plans alone are not enough—teachers need practical, hands-on training.
• Changing teaching practices overnight is impossible without guidance, support, and time.

2. The Top-Down Structure in Indian Preschools Shapes Implementation

Teachers visiting our booth shared something sincere:

“We want to teach differently, but we don’t have the power to change things.”

In most Indian preschools:

• Owners and academic coordinators make decisions.
• Teachers follow the structure given to them.

This means real change must begin with leadership, not individual teachers.

The good news? Many owners who visited us want to make changes—they need a clear, achievable pathway.

At Kindiedays, we believe that the best professional development starts from teachers’ real experiences. This was precisely the case during our recent training at Peas in Pod preschool, where the educators’ voices shaped the entire session. Kindiedays Education Specialist Stella Giota shares her experiences and feedback from Peas in Pod's teachers.

Starting With What Matters to Teachers

The day began with teachers openly sharing the everyday challenges they face in their classrooms. What stood out immediately was how thoughtful, committed, and reflective the Peas in Pod team is.

They raised issues that many educators around the world relate to:

• How do we support children through conflicts?
• How can we build stronger bonds and trust?
• How do we keep young learners engaged—especially in big groups?
• How can we design activities that work for different children and needs?

These conversations created a strong sense of connection. Teachers realised they were not alone, and they appreciated having a safe, supportive space to reflect on their work.

Preschool owners are shifting from traditional, teacher-led practices toward more child-centered, play-based, and research-driven approaches inspired by global best practices, especially those of Finland.

Yet one major challenge persists: how to show parents that learning is truly happening every day.

Parents no longer choose preschools only on convenience or buildings. Today’s working, aspirational families want proof:

• What did my child learn today?
• How is my child developing socially, emotionally, and academically?
• Is the preschool truly offering quality, or is it just saying it?

This is where high-quality assessment — especially formative assessment — becomes a defining pillar of any preschool aiming to position itself as premium, holistic, and future-ready.

This blog explains:

1️⃣ Why formative assessment matters in playful classrooms

2️⃣ How it strengthens your school’s brand, parent trust, teacher professionalism, and learning outcomes

3️⃣ Practical ways to embed it in daily preschool life

4️⃣ And finally, how Kindiedays supports your entire observation-to-assessment workflow so your team can deliver quality without extra workload.

1. Why Learning Through Play Needs Thoughtful Assessment

Play is the central driver of learning in early childhood. Through play, children express ideas, test theories, collaborate, solve problems, and regulate emotions.

But here’s the challenge: Learning through play doesn’t look like traditional “studying.” There are no worksheets, no memorization, no drills. So parents may not always understand the deep learning happening beneath the surface.

This makes assessment even more essential. When teachers observe children in action — during free play, group activities, outdoor exploration, music, dance, storytelling, or STEM stations — they make learning visible.

Formative assessment captures the learning journey.

It documents:

• Early attempts
• Small emerging skills
• Social interactions
• Problem-solving moments
• Emotional milestones
• Language growth
• Creativity in action

This day-to-day documentation shows how children think, not just what they know.

Term-end assessments and exams only capture results. Formative assessment captures growth, which matters most in the early years.

2. Why Formative Assessment Is Essential for Premium Preschools

A premium preschool is defined not only by its infrastructure but also by the quality of its learning experiences and its transparency with families.

Here’s how thoughtful assessment elevates your school.

Simply put: Assessment is not an administrative task — it’s a strategic brand advantage.

3. How to Embed Assessment into Daily Preschool Life

Many school owners believe assessment requires extra time or paperwork.
But when done naturally and systematically, it becomes part of the daily flow.

1️⃣ Define clear learning goals

Connect your curriculum to domains like:

• Social-emotional development
• Physical development
• Thinking and problem-solving
• Language and communication
• Creative expression
• Early literacy & numeracy foundations

This helps teachers know what to observe.

2️⃣ Observe naturally during routine activities

A child helping a friend, asking questions, stacking blocks, singing loudly, joining a group — these everyday actions reveal development.

3️⃣ Document moments in simple ways

Short notes, photos, quick videos, audio recordings, learning stories

None of these requires lengthy writing.

4️⃣ Build child portfolios over time

Individual portfolios show each child’s journey from the first day to graduation. Parents love them, teachers rely on them, and school leaders can use them for progress tracking.

5️⃣ Conduct weekly or monthly reflection

Teachers review patterns: Who needs more support? Who is ready for new challenges? How do we adapt next week’s plan?

This is the heart of a responsive, child-centered preschool.

6️⃣ Communicate regularly with parents

Parents feel reassured when they see tangible evidence. Updates should be frequent, meaningful, and connected to learning, not just activities.

4. Assessment Is the Heart of a Premium Preschool — Kindiedays Makes It Possible 

Kindiedays was explicitly designed to address the challenges modern preschools face.

Instead of juggling paper files, WhatsApp groups, and scattered documents, Kindiedays brings everything into a single digital workflow — aligned with research-based Finnish pedagogy and adapted to Indian preschool needs.

Here’s how Kindiedays supports your entire assessment lifecycle.

📲 Smart Digital Tools for Daily Classroom Observations

Kindiedays includes dedicated apps for teachers, parents, and school heads. Teachers can make observations instantly — without disrupting class time.

They can capture:

• Notes
• Photos
• Videos
• Child achievements
• Social interactions
• Learning activities
• Daily routines

Each observation can be linked to learning objectives for more profound insight.

This ensures documentation happens in the moment, not later from memory.

🗓️ Automatic Child Portfolios That Build Themselves

Every documented moment is automatically organized into a child’s digital learning portfolio.

These portfolios become a rich reflection of a child’s growth, including:

• Cognitive skills
• Social-emotional milestones
• Creative exploration
• Early STEM learning
• Physical development
• Communication & language progress

Parents value portfolios among the most meaningful items they receive from a preschool.

📊 Insightful Progress Tracking for Teachers and Center Heads

Kindiedays generates clear, easy-to-understand learning statistics for each child and group.

School leaders gain visibility into:

• Which learning objectives are well-covered
• Which areas need more focus
• How each child or group is progressing
• How consistently do teachers document learning
• Quality across batches or branches

This helps with curriculum planning, audits, teacher training, and long-term school development.

🫶 Strong Parent Engagement Through Transparent Communication

Parents receive timely updates through the app, including:

• Photos and videos
• Daily routines (meals, sleep, hygiene)
• Learning stories
• Highlights from group activities
• Progress summaries

This keeps parents connected to their child’s day and strengthens trust in your preschool.

When parents see real learning every day, satisfaction rises — and so does word-of-mouth enrollment.

⏳ Reduced Teacher Workload — More Teaching, Less Paperwork

Teacher burnout is a real challenge in preschools.
Kindiedays significantly lightens administrative work by:

• Automating reports
• Storing all documentation digitally
• Making observations fast and straightforward
• Eliminating manual portfolios
• Supporting consistent routines

When teachers feel supported, they deliver better experiences for children.

🚀 A Scalable System for Growing Preschool Chains

For owners managing multiple centers — or planning to expand — Kindiedays provides a strong backbone.

You can centrally manage:

• Curriculum settings
• Learning objectives
• Reporting formats
• Teacher accounts
• Parent communication
• Quality benchmarks

This ensures every branch offers the same high standard of education.

Click to watch the video!

Ready to Elevate Your Preschool?

If your vision is to build a school where learning is joyful, transparent, and truly world-class, then formative assessment supported by Kindiedays is your most powerful tool.

You can create:

✅ A school parents trust
✅ A team teachers love working in
✅ A curriculum rooted in play
✅ Evidence of real learning
✅ A brand that stands out in a competitive market
✅ A scalable system for expansion

What next?

👉 Learn more about how Kindiedays can support your preschool with a complete Curriculum Partnership — combining Finnish early education principles, digital tools, lesson plans, and teacher workshops tailored for challenger preschools. 

I look forward to meeting you.

Milla van der Burgh

👉 Click here to schedule a consultative call on Zoom or contact me on WhatsApp!

PS Join our official WhatsApp group 👉 click here to join the group!

Kindiedays home page