Language teaching concept
Kindergarten with German, Italian and Slovenian languages

1. Mission statement
We see language as the key to the world. Multilingualism not only gives children access to different cultures, but also strengthens their personal identity, cognitive development and social skills. Our kindergarten is a place where German, Italian and Slovenian are equally valued and spoken.
Our vision: Children grow up in a linguistically rich environment where they develop a joy of speaking, understanding and listening and experience the diversity of languages as an enrichment.

2. Basic principles of language teaching
2.1. One Person – One Language (OPOL):
Each teaching professional consistently speaks only one language with the children. This creates clear links between the person and the language, which facilitates acquisition.

2.2. Daily language structure:
• Monday & Thursday: Slovenian
• Tuesday: Italian
• Wednesday & Friday: German
On these days, morning circle, rituals and daily routines take place exclusively in the respective language.

2.3. Language balance German – Slovenian:
Our goal is to ensure a balanced promotion of German and Slovenian (50% / 50%). To ensure that both languages are equally represented, we pay attention to the fair distribution of activities, songs, projects and materials.

2.4. Supplementary English programme:
From the age of 4, children have the opportunity to enrol in a voluntary English course with external language teachers. This course takes place once a week and is only held if there are enough participants.

3. Language teaching objectives
• Promotion of natural multilingualism in everyday life.
• Equal development of German and Slovenian and constant exposure to Italian.
• Development of communication skills in everyday situations, songs, stories and games.
• Promotion of tolerance, openness and intercultural understanding.
• Supporting children in valuing and actively using their family’s first languages.

4. Methodological and didactic implementation
4.1 Language support integrated into everyday life
• Morning circle, rhymes, songs and games in the respective language of the day.
• Routines (e.g. greeting, washing hands, meals, saying goodbye) are consistently accompanied by language.
• Stories, picture books, role-playing and theatre in all languages.
• Music, dance and movement serve as a bridge between languages.

4.2 Creating language spaces
• Multilingual signage in the group rooms.
• Materials, books and media in all three languages.
• Thematic projects are accompanied by flexible language use.

4.3 Role of the educators
• Each specialist remains consistent in their language.
• They offer the children language models without correcting them, but through natural repetition and demonstration.
• Language activities are playful, emotionally positive and relevant to everyday life.

4.4 Parent involvement
• Information evenings on multilingualism and language development.
• Exchange of information on the children’s language development.
• Joint multilingual celebrations, songs and theatre projects.
• Empowering parents in their role as language role models in the family language.

4.5. School preparation in German and Slovenian
• School preparation in German takes place every Wednesday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.
• School preparation in Slovenian takes place every Thursday from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

5. Special features of the concept
• Cross-age learning: Younger children benefit from older children as language role models.
• Structure & flexibility: Clear language allocation through the daily structure, but room for spontaneous language changes by the children.
• Language balance: Equal promotion of German and Slovenian (50/50) – no hierarchy.
• English as an additional offer: Playful experience of another language in a voluntary, project-based setting.

6. Evaluation and further development
• Regular observation and documentation of individual language development (e.g. language portfolios).
• Reflection within the team and further training in the area of multilingualism.
• Close cooperation with specialist agencies, parents and schools to ensure a smooth linguistic transition to primary school.

7. Daily rituals – ritualised language examples

In the morning, the children shake hands with the teachers and say ‘Guten Morgen, Dobro jutro, Buon giorno’ in all three languages.

When saying goodbye, the children also shake hands with the teachers and say ‘Auf Wiedersehen, Srečno, Arrivederci’.

When we tidy up the group room, we sing a trilingual tidying-up song.
Either song 1:

Wir räumen auf, wir räumen auf, das Spielen ist vorbei.
Pospravimo, Pospravimo, igre konec je.
Mettiamo aposto, mettiamo aposto il gioccho e finito.

Or song 2:
En dva tri, pospravimo zdaj vsi.
Aufräumen, aufräumen, alle Kinder räumen auf.
A posto, a posto, tutti i bimbi mettono a posto.

Before we go anywhere, we sing the following song:
Augen auf, Ohren auf, wir gehen jetzt los
Odpri oči, poslušaj me, mi gremo zdaj na pot.
Ochhi aper ti ascolta mi, adesso andiamo via.

Other ritualised phrases in Slovenian:
– Mi gremo v kopalnico, se postavimo v tri vrste, gremo lulat, si umijemo roke in se usedemo tiho v slačilnico
– Prosim umijemo si roke
– Obujemo si čevlje in oblečemo jakno
– Prosim pospravimo kotičke
– Še enkrat
– Ali lahko grem v kotiček za punčke
– Ali lahko grem v gradbeni kotiček
– Ali lahko grem v plišasti kotiček
– Ali lahko grem v kuhinjo
– Ali lahko grem v kotiček za branje
– Ali lahko grem v kopalnico
– Podajmo si roke
– Postavimo se v vrsto
– Zavihajmo si rokave
– Usedimo se
– Pospravimo
– Zelo dobro
– To si super naredil/a
– Ponosna sem nate
– Zdaj gremo na pocitek
– Prebrali bomo knjigo
– Zamenjala bova plenico
– Zapeli bomo pesem
– Obujemo copate
– Oblečemo dežne hlače
– Nadenemo si kapo
– Obujemo čevlje
– Gremo se igrat
– Gremo na vrt
– Gremo na sprehod

Other ritualised phrases in Italian:
– Mettiamo a posto!
– Bambini, andiamo in colonna!
– Posso andare in palestra?
– Posso andare a costruire?
– Posso andare a giocare con le bambole?
– Posso andare a coccolarimi?
– Posso andare a leggere?
– Posso andare in cucina?
– Lavati le mani
– Fai pipi
– Devi fare pipi?
– Siediti /& Alzati
– Prendi il zaino.
– Metti il giubbotto e le scarpe.
– Vestiti che andiamo in giardino,
– Dammi la mano!
– Anchora per favore
– Acqua per favore
– Grazie
– Per favore
– Alzati, siediti, girati, batti le mani
– Vieni qui
– Metti via le forbici
– Metti via la matita rossa
– Prendi le forbici

8. Our multilingual partnerships
Partnership with the Slovenian kindergarten France Prešeren in Ljubljana and the Slovenian kindergarten Vrtec Kekčevi Junaki in Kranjska Gora
An essential part of our language development concept is our lively and intercultural cooperation with the multilingual France Prešeren kindergarten in Ljubljana (Slovenia). This cooperation enables the children to immerse themselves in another language and culture in a playful way, while experiencing the joy of communication and understanding across borders.
Once a month, both institutions meet in a joint video call. We organise a varied programme that actively involves the children:
We sing songs to each other in our respective national languages.
We give each other small tasks to complete before the next meeting, such as learning a song in the other language or introducing ourselves to each other in the new language.

We send each other letters that the children design themselves and eagerly await until the reply arrives.
We exchange drawings, photos and project documentation, allowing the children to share in the ideas and experiences of the partner group.
We introduce our countries to each other: flags, sights, national dishes, famous personalities and cultural features are presented creatively by the children.
In addition, we give each other creative assignments that promote curiosity, cooperation and the language learning process.
This regular exchange not only provides an initial encounter with a new language, but also raises awareness of cultural diversity and fosters a sense of international solidarity. The children learn in a playful way that language builds bridges and that learning together across borders is fun.

Cooperation with class 1B at Völkermarkt Primary School (Slovenian class)
An essential part of our language teaching work is our cooperation with class 1B, the Slovenian class at Völkermarkt Primary School. This cooperation creates valuable encounters between kindergarten children and schoolchildren and enables a playful, joyful approach to the Slovenian language.

The cooperation includes a wide range of joint activities:
• Joint excursions such as walks or picnics, where language can be experienced in everyday activities.
• Mutual visits, for example when the pupils come to our kindergarten to enjoy a snack together.
• Reading together on ‘Reading Day’, when we discover and discuss a story in both languages.
• Making music and singing together, as we did recently in the Avsenik Ensemble’s ‘Slovenija’ project: we rehearsed, sang, practised, did a photo shoot and made a joint recording with the schoolchildren.

The project ‘Slovenija’ is a song by the internationally renowned Avsenik ensemble that celebrates the beauty and uniqueness of Slovenia. By working together on this piece of music, the children were not only able to gain musical experience, but also to experience a special cultural connection to language, homeland and identity.
This cooperation strengthens their enjoyment of language, promotes natural language acquisition and teaches the children that multilingualism is something natural and valuable in our region. It also eases the transition from kindergarten to school and creates a sense of community and belonging at an early age.

Project description
A musical video greeting is being created for the Slovenian national holiday, in which Slovenians living abroad and emigrants worldwide can participate. Together with the Saša Avsenik ensemble, the song ‘Slovenia, where does your beauty come from’ will be sung and danced. Choirs, music groups, individual singers and folklore and dance groups are invited to send in their recordings. All contributions will be used to create a joint video, which will premiere at the Welcome Home event in Nova Gorica at the end of June.