Learning through play at the School of the Madeleine

At the School of the Madeleine, teachers take play very seriously.  

“Play is a child’s work. We use play to help students learn the life skills of effective communication, problem solving, collaboration, and sharing,” said the kindergarten teacher, Amanada Tharayil. 

Teachers at the Madeleine intentionally map out each day to facilitate a healthy balance of both structured and unstructured play for students.   “Choice time” comes at the beginning and end of each day in kindergarten and first grade, which provides a seamless transition into and out of the school day. Students can immerse themselves in imaginary play, build with Legos or blocks, and create art. “Choice time” allows children the freedom to understand how to engage with one another naturally, with a teacher on the periphery to gently shepherd and redirect when a boundary is reached. 

Kindergarteners at the School of the Madeleine work together, building with Legos. Courtesy of the School of the Madeleine

Throughout the day, students learn through intentional, structured play, using materials like magnetic letters in language arts, dice games in math, and hands-on explorations in science. At this age, many kids learn by moving their bodies, and the kinesthetic kindergarteners are able to engage through dance, motion, and full-body activity. 

“This is a child’s first introduction to school, and we want that to be positive,” Tharayil said. “Children come in with varying levels of academic exposure, but they all know how to play. Play is the entry point to knowing how to be together, and then the catalyst for building in those academic skills.” 

On a recent warm afternoon, the sunny weather sparked the kindergarteners’ curiosity about how trees provide shade. Students can learn and observe so much in their immediate environment that they feel like scientists in their own school garden. Using their own observations and inquiry, the class learned about how trees shade and protect with their leaves, and they ended their time under the trees with a gratitude circle, thanking the trees for their shade.

Amanada Tharayil (background), a teacher at the School of the Madeleine, takes kindergarteners outside for a lesson on animals. Courtesy of the School of the Madeleine

Whole-child education

Educating the whole child has always been at the core of Catholic educational philosophy. the School of the Madeleine’s approach to whole-child education began in 1937 with the founding Dominican Sisters. The Dominican philosophy of education is rooted in Veritas (the quest for truth), quiet contemplation, dignity and respect for all humans, dialogue and a commitment to lifelong learning. The students at the School of the Madeleine, starting in kindergarten, are raised in an environment that nurtures their minds, bodies and spirits with equal care. 

Students enjoy the playground at the School of the Madeleine. Courtesy of the School of the Madeleine

Academic freedom

At the Madeleine, educators have the freedom and privilege to meet each student where they are. 

“The purpose of educating the whole child is just that. To place each element of growth and development at the table, and to nurture each element with equal importance” Tharayil said. This freedom is what allows each learner to receive the support they need in order to achieve academic and personal success — whether that means tailored reading or math support for a struggling student, or changing the curriculum for a student who needs a greater challenge.  

K-8 community

In addition to the whole-child approach to learning, the Madeleine’s single-campus, K-8 grade structure is unique and essential to a child’s development through early adolescence. Tharayil has been teaching long enough to watch her former kindergarteners become eighth graders and head to high school. 

“The draw of the K-8 school is that we truly know, nurture, and support children in their formative years through those early adolescent years and that is so vital to students,” she said. When children are able to be a part of a close community that spans the ages of 5 to 14, their sense of self becomes developed to its fullest extent upon their entry into high school. 

“At the Madeleine, you are never lost. We see through the long lens of what you can be.”

The School of the Madeleine in North Berkeley was founded in 1937 by the Dominical Sisters.