This school year, our kindergarten children and students once again benefit from an extensive range of co-curricular activities. From Kindergarten through Secondary School, they experience a well-balanced daily schedule that meaningfully combines classroom learning, independent work, sports, creative activities, quiet and movement phases, and collaborative learning. Students choose many of these opportunities themselves or together with their parents and teachers and actively shape their school day.
Atelier Time – Individual Pathways Throughout the School Day
Atelier Time creates opportunities for self-directed, individual and collaborative learning between regular lessons, from Kindergarten through to Upper Secondary School.
Atelier Time in Kindergarten
The one-hour Atelier Time takes place once a week in Kindergarten and gives children the freedom to explore, experiment and pursue their own interests independently. Classroom doors remain open, allowing children to move freely between spaces, discover different activities and draw inspiration from a wide range of experiences.
At the same time, they are encouraged to contribute their ideas and experiences and to play an active role in shaping their learning environment. In this way, they learn from an early age to reflect on their experiences, share their ideas and take responsibility for their learning community together with others.
Atelier Time at School
A key element of our personalised learning approach is Atelier Time. Four days a week, students choose from a diverse range of Learning Ateliers and Elective Ateliers tailored to their interests and individual learning needs.
Learning Ateliers
In the Learning Ateliers, students deepen and extend subject-specific and interdisciplinary skills with guidance from their teachers. The wide range of learning ateliers includes, for example, Creative Writing in German, English Crime Stories in English, preparation for the DELF Diploma in French, and a CAD & 3D Printing Atelier.
Elective Ateliers
In the Elective Ateliers, students choose from a wide variety of activities based on their interests and, from Grade 4 onwards, increasingly help to shape and develop the programme themselves.
Whether Stand-up Chinese, Vibe Coding, Improvisation Theatre, Yoga Nidra or Laboratory Adventures, the range extends from artistic and sporting activities to creative and experimental projects, as well as opportunities for relaxation and the development of personal and transferable skills.
This school year, the Elective Ateliers comprise around 90 different formats. Twenty-five of them are organised independently by students. Leading an atelier means taking responsibility while developing teaching, organisational and social skills. Atelier Time therefore provides students at the German School Shanghai with flexible opportunities to develop their strengths and interests while strengthening the sense of community across year groups.
Class Atelier
Once a week, Atelier Time focuses on class community and participation. It provides space for topics that strengthen cooperation within the class and encourage student involvement. Activities include electing class representatives, discussing challenges and finding solutions together.
Co-Curricular Activities – Discover Interests, Develop Talents
300+ Co-Curricular Activities
While Atelier Time is a relatively new concept, co-curricular activities have long been an integral part of life at the German School Shanghai. Over the years, they have grown into an impressive programme of around 300 different activities.
These activities give students the opportunity to discover interests, explore talents and learn new skills. Whether in sports, languages, science and technology, music, art and creativity, or simply through opportunities to relax and recharge, there is something for every interest.
Among the wide range of activities available, dance activities are especially popular in Primary School and, due to high demand, are now offered every day of the week. In Secondary School, the Podcast Club, introduced last school year, has also gained a strong following. The episodes are planned, hosted and produced entirely by students themselves.
In Primary School, the 45-minute activities also provide variety and an active balance to classroom learning during lunchtime. In the afternoon, the 90-minute activities further extend the school day in both Primary and Secondary School, combining care, leisure and learning – until 5:00 pm in Primary School and until 6:30 pm in Secondary School.
Afternoon Club – Extended Day Programme from Kindergarten to Grade 6
The Afternoon Club runs daily from 3:00 pm to 5:00 pm and extends the full-day programme for Kindergarten children from the regular groups onwards as well as for students in Grades 1 to 6.
While social, emotional and motor development are at the heart of the programme for younger children, school-aged students can deepen interests and build new skills. A supervised study period supports independent learning. Each day, children choose two activities from a wide-ranging programme – from early music education with singing, instruments and rhythm games to science experiments, swimming, pottery, rhythmic gymnastics and much more.
By actively shaping their afternoons, children develop independence, responsibility and a strong sense of community.
