ELC Summer programme 2026

Across the four weeks of the Dove Summer School programme, children will experience a carefully balanced range of activities drawing from creative exploration, sensory and movement play, stories and shared language experiences, and early maths experiences integrated through hands-on learning. A strong highlight of the programme will be art. Children will engage daily in open ended art experiences using a variety of materials such as paint, clay, collage, drawing tools, and mixed media. The focus will be on creative exploration, expression, experimentation, and process rather than finished products. Art activities will intentionally support fine motor development, bilateral coordination, hand strength, grasp patterns, visual motor integration, and motor planning within meaningful and motivating contexts.

Sensory rich experiences will also include structured water play to support regulation, tactile exploration, hand strengthening, pouring and transferring skills, and early mathematical concepts such as volume and comparison. Turn taking games will be embedded throughout the programme to strengthen impulse control, flexible thinking, joint attention, and cooperative play skills. Daily time on the playground will provide opportunities for gross motor development, balance, coordination, spatial awareness, and social confidence through running, climbing, ball play, and shared physical games.

Academic concepts will be gently woven into these creative and play based experiences rather than delivered through formal instruction. Early literacy will be supported through shared stories, visual prompts, and structured fine motor tasks that strengthen pre-writing control, letter formation foundations, spatial awareness, and visual discrimination. Early numeracy concepts such as counting, sorting, pattern recognition, and simple problem solving will be explored through tactile materials that build number sense alongside sensory regulation and attention skills.

While academic ideas will be explored, this remains a summer camp experience. The primary focus is enjoyment, relationship building, regulation, and positive shared experiences. Learning will emerge naturally through art, movement, conversation, water play, and collaborative projects. Each week will offer repeated opportunities within calm, supportive routines. The emphasis will be on having fun, building trust, strengthening peer connections, and creating a safe environment where children feel confident to participate and try new experiences