Competence profile and observation instrument

We started the project by developing a competence profile for global citizenship education for very young learners. Which competences do we want the children to develop? And consequently, what should the curriculum objectives be? We used a ‘backwards design’ approach: we looked at existing competence profiles for higher grades in primary education and translated these into a competence profile suitable for very young learners. We have also developed an observation instrument to monitor the children’s development throughout the project.

 

Downloads:

Competence profile: Nederlands – English – Polski

Observation form: Nederlands – English – Polski

Lesson projects

Based on the competence profile, we are developing four lesson projects. Each project centres around a different global citizenship theme. We utilise CLIL methodology (Content and Language Integrated Learning), ensuring that pupils also improve their English language skills. CLIL as a pedagogical approach is especially suited for integrating global citizenship education, curriculum goals for very young learners, and English lessons. As part of the lesson projects, a digital exchange between the participating classes will also take place. The first project is now available.

 

Lesson projects:

• Be yourself
• Homes and Houses (not yet available)
• Water (not yet available)
• Friendship (not yet available)

About this project

For the higher grades of primary education, plenty of lesson ideas and materials are available to teach global citizenship education, whether integrated with other subjects or not. For very young learners (children aged 4-6 years old), however, this is not the case, even though there is every reason to do so. It helps children understand that they are part of a larger world. This understanding can lead to a stronger sense of connectedness and responsibility. During the kindergarten years, children are particularly receptive to learning values such as empathy, respect, and tolerance, as well as to learning languages. Global citizenship education can help them develop these skills by bringing them into contact with diversity and by teaching them to cooperate and communicate with children from different cultural backgrounds. When they are introduced to other cultures in a playful and engaging way, they develop intercultural competences more quickly. This means they learn not only to recognise differences, but also to appreciate and respect them.

With this in mind, Expertisecentrum EarlyBird, Edese SV and Niepubliczne Przedszkole Calineczka launched the Erasmus+ project “Global Citizenship for Very Young Learners”, co-funded by the EU. In this project, we will develop materials to introduce global citizenship into kindergarten classrooms (children aged 4-6 years old). The project started in January 2026 and will run until the end of 2026. All developed materials will be made available gradually on this web page. Documents will be published in English, Dutch, and Polish.