The nursery and pre-school at Colégio Rainha Dona Leonor are based on various assumptions: valuing the child's autonomy, responsibility, initiative and free expression; a personalised, individualised and flexible teaching relationship (teacher-child); encouraging research, mutual support and collaboration in group work; motivation to discover the world around us. To make this possible, various strategies are used, such as supervising the learning process; preparing for entry into the 1st Cycle (5-year-olds); organising space and time to facilitate research and group work; involving families in the research process; developing moments for critical reflection, such as the Class Assembly, and Montessori-inspired activities. Personal development and physical and emotional well-being are also a priority and, for this reason, in 2017 CRDL created and implemented the Mind Yourself (Emotional Education and Mindfulness) project, which seeks to develop in children: a positive self-concept in relation to their physical and psychological characteristics and socio-affective relationships; awareness of thoughts/feelings - differentiating between good and bad thoughts; differentiating between positive and negative feelings, in themselves and in others; the ability to focus and maintain attention; and gratitude towards everyday experiences.
