"What did you do today?" "Nothing." Most parents of preschoolers know this conversation well. Children are often too tired at pick-up to remember the morning, and a busy day can shrink to a single word by the time they reach the car.

So here is the longer answer. This article walks through a typical day at Shaws, using the weekly timetable we publish on our curriculum page. The programme varies slightly by campus and age group, so treat it as a guide and ask your campus for the detailed timetable for your child's level.

The shape of the day

Shaws campuses are open from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Friday, all year round apart from public holidays and a few staff training days. The core programme runs from 8:30am to 5:30pm. Families can choose a Full Day or Half Day programme, or an Extended Day, depending on what fits around work and home.

There are three meals a day at Shaws. A morning snack and a hot lunch are followed by an afternoon snack, and breakfast is served for early arrivals before 8am.

Straight outside at 7am

Doors open at 7am, and the garden fills up before the first bell. At Lorong Chuan, for example, children choose where to start, whether that is the sandpit or the mud kitchen. At Braddell Heights they head out to the field.

Our first-day guide notes that outdoor play on arrival is easier for a child than walking straight into a room. It also means the morning starts with the kind of play children choose for themselves.

Children who arrive before 8am can have breakfast, and outdoor play runs every morning until 8:30.

Circle time at 8:30

Everyone comes together for morning circle. The focus changes through the week on our published timetable. Monday is show and tell. Tuesday is the news board. Midweek brings topical discussions on Wednesday and Thursday before sensory activities on Friday.

Circle time is also where a lot of self-control gets practised. Waiting for a turn to speak and listening to a friend are hard for young children, and our executive function page describes a well-run circle time as twenty small children practising self-control at once.

Morning snack at 9:00

A short break to refuel before the main learning block. At Lorong Chuan, the morning snack is seasonal fruit.

English and maths from 9:20

This is the core English learning block of the morning. Mondays start with Letterland and literacy on our timetable. Tuesdays bring readers and spelling practice in English, and Wednesday is maths. Thursday and Friday are given to the inquiry-based curriculum in English.

In a play-based classroom, this does not look like rows of children at desks. Children move between stations set up with prepared materials. A teacher watches for the moment to ask the next question.

Little League or outdoor play at 10:30

On two mornings a week, Shaws Little League coaches are on site to run sport sessions at no extra cost. Children are coached in sports such as football and rugby, and athletics too. On the other mornings this slot is outdoor play, with water play on Thursdays in the published timetable.

Music or drama at 11:00

A short, lively session. Music has three slots in the week. Drama fills the other two days.

Mandarin from 11:20

Mandarin is woven through the whole day at Shaws, and late morning is when it takes centre stage. On Mondays and Tuesdays the inquiry-based curriculum continues in Chinese. Wednesday to Friday focus on Chinese language and literacy. At Braddell Heights, the Chinese curriculum is taught in small groups.

Music and movement at 12:30

Ten minutes of music and movement every day before lunch.

Lunch from 12:40

Everything is cooked in our own kitchen. Our Head Cook, Aunty Yan, has supervised the Shaws kitchen for more than twenty years. Meals rotate between Asian and Western dishes, such as chicken rice one day and whole-grain pasta the next, and lunch is often eaten outdoors.

There is no pork or beef on the menu. Processed food and sugary drinks are off the menu too. Rice and pasta are 100% whole grain. Vegetarian and no-salt options are available on request, and we check allergies with every family before a child starts.

Lunch is also a life skills lesson. Children serve their own food and clear their own plates, which is slower than an adult doing it and entirely the point. Half-day children finish at 1pm.

Back outdoors before nap time or Play Club

After lunch and a rest period, children head back outside at 1:30pm. Full-day children then either nap or join ShawsPlay Club, our afternoon programme for children who don't nap. Play Club offers a different specialism every day, from Little Chefs to Code Play, and it is included in the school fees. Our curriculum page lists every Play Club specialism.

Afternoon snack at 3:00

At Lorong Chuan, afternoon snacks might be cereal and milk or oatmeal. At Braddell Heights, the afternoon break includes fruit and milk.

Afternoon learning from 3:30

A further hour of learning, with a different focus each day. On our timetable, Monday is S.T.E.A.M. and Wednesday is literacy and practical life. Tuesday and Thursday are Fun with Chinese, and Friday finishes the week with maths.

Outside again at 4:30

The last hour of the core programme is outdoor play. If you collect your child around this time, expect them to be a little grubby. Our first-day guide recommends packing two or three complete changes of clothes. Water play and mud are a normal part of the day.

Indoor play until 7pm

For children who stay later, the day winds down with indoor play until the campus closes at 7pm.

How to use this at home

Knowing the shape of the day gives you much better questions than "What did you do today?" Try asking about the specific parts:

  • "Who did you sit next to at circle?"
  • "Did you have Little League today? What did you play?"
  • "What did Aunty Yan cook for lunch?"
  • "What song did you sing in Mandarin?"

Specific questions tend to bring out far more than general ones, especially at bedtime when the day has had time to settle.

Come and see a real day

Our tours are not a showcase. You visit on a weekday while classes are running, so you can meet the teachers and watch what children are doing. You can ask about fees and vacancies on the spot. Morning tours run from 9:30 to 11:00am and afternoon tours from 3:00 to 5:30pm. Book a tour at the campus nearest you, or send us an enquiry if you would like the current fees first.