Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre

Call Directions Website Contact the school

Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre is an approved HIGHER QUALITY early years service. Stepping Stones is open Monday - Friday 9.00 - 12.00.

Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre is a play based learning environment for children aged 2 1/2 - 6 years old. It focuses on developing children's learning, development and social interaction skills through play and one to one interaction with highly trained staff. Stepping Stones uses Aistear and a variety of international curricula to promote children's development and adheres to guidlines in Aistear: The Irish Framework for Early Learning.

Prioritising Play!!According to , Súgradh (Play) offers children a valuable and enjoyable way to do things. Hands on e...
15/10/2026

Prioritising Play!!

According to , Súgradh (Play) offers children a valuable and enjoyable way to do things. Hands on experiences help children to learn about the world around them 🫶

Today in Stepping Stones there was definite evidence of Play and hands on experiences! 🙌
Some of the children made "goo" using sand and water. They had such fun.
💦☂️They displayed curiosity, experimentation, cooperation and communication skills while carrying out this completely child led sensorial activity.

The result certainly tested wet gear to its limits! If a dirty child is a happy child, these children are ecstatic 😅😅😅

As September draws to a close, we are very proud of how far we've come in one short month 🥰During September we have real...
30/09/2026

As September draws to a close, we are very proud of how far we've come in one short month 🥰

During September we have really celebrated each and every ones uniqueness and individuality ✨️

🖼 Our "All About Me" project included giving each child the opportunity to do their very own self portrait. Each of these are now on display and every child can admire their own picture, as well as that of their friends 🎨🖌

📘We have also created the Stepping Stones Family Album. Each child's has a family photo in this book. This book lives in our Snuggle Area.The children can look at it anytime they wish and they can show and talk about their family picture to their friends 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦

These activities support children's sense of Identity and Belonging . The children see themselves and their families reflected in their learning environment. This brings each child a sense of comfort, while also instilling a sense of confidence and a feeling of acceptance within the group 💕

🍂Mud Kitchen🍂 The Mud kitchen is one of the children's favourite area outside. Our children in Stepping Stones are alway...
24/09/2026

🍂Mud Kitchen🍂

The Mud kitchen is one of the children's favourite area outside.

Our children in Stepping Stones are always keeping busy! 🧑‍🍳🙊. They LOVE getting messy, exploring nature,mixing water and sand, creating and using their imagination. It's wonderful to see how they develop their creativity, communication and social skills

"A little dirt never hurt anyone - sometimes it's here the best learning happens" ❤️

Naturally beautiful!We have been blown away this week with the beautiful artwork produced by our amazing children!The ch...
18/09/2026

Naturally beautiful!

We have been blown away this week with the beautiful artwork produced by our amazing children!
The children have really enjoyed using natural resources in their arts and crafts, and also in their outdoor play 🍃🍂🍁
These materials allow the children to explore and investigate. 👀They promote fine motor skills and language development. And they look absolutely beautiful, enhancing our learning environment, creating a calm and relaxed ambience 😍

💎 Our sensory materials provide a treasure trove of sensorial exploration for the children to engage in.... These open ...
14/09/2026

💎 Our sensory materials provide a treasure trove of sensorial exploration for the children to engage in....
These open ended materials promote investigative play, and testing out theories,concepts and ideas!💡
Today the children listened to the sea shells 🐚 They interacted with each other, passing the shells around saying "listen to this"👂
They also rearranged trinkets, exploring colours, shapes and patterns.

We have successfully completed our first full week of Preschool 🥳 Our new recruits have settled in so well, helped along...
04/09/2026

We have successfully completed our first full week of Preschool 🥳 Our new recruits have settled in so well, helped along of course by our very seasoned and experienced crew!!👧👦
We have been enjoying a very happy learning environment all week. Well done to all the children, and well done also to all our parents and teachers! Transitions can be tricky but teamwork and cooperation between school and home really does ensure success 🙌
🍂🍁Today we enjoyed a lovely Nature Walk! We noticed blackberries, ferns, cattle and chickens. We even saw a very cute little red tractor!
Our Nature Walk allowed us to observe the natural world around us, while also supporting links with our local area 😍

This morning we are noticing lots of learning in our Home Corner. Our Home Corner promotes role play, imagination, soci...
01/09/2026

This morning we are noticing lots of learning in our Home Corner. Our Home Corner promotes role play, imagination, social interactions, communication and confidence.
Our Home Corner is equipped with real life props. These real life items provide a sustainable approach for the children to learn through play.
We observed one child transferring pasta from one container to another using a spoon. This is a task straight out of Montessori Practical Life! It supports hand eye coordination, self regulation and concentration. And all this is happening through play in our Home Corner 😍

Year 2026/27 is off to a flying start. Our new and improved learning environment is inspiring lots of calmness and creat...
28/08/2026

Year 2026/27 is off to a flying start. Our new and improved learning environment is inspiring lots of calmness and creativity ✨️
During the last two days we have observed fun, friendships, imagination and confidence.... to name but a few!
We are so happy to welcome all our little friends, old and new 💕

That's a wrap!!Another wonderful year done in Stepping Stones 💕Thank you to the fabulous Stepping Stones teachers. Teamw...
24/06/2026

That's a wrap!!
Another wonderful year done in Stepping Stones 💕
Thank you to the fabulous Stepping Stones teachers. Teamwork really makes the dream work ✨️
Well done to all our amazing children. Best wishes to those who are heading off to pastrures new. We will miss you but we know you'll do great! 🤩
We look forward to catching up with old friends and making new friends in September 🫶
Happy summer everyone 😎☀️

☀️😎 Fun in the sun! 😎☀️We are having super fun in the sun this morning in Stepping Stones. But health and safety is our ...
23/06/2026

☀️😎 Fun in the sun! 😎☀️

We are having super fun in the sun this morning in Stepping Stones.
But health and safety is our priority 😀
We have sun cream on, sun hats on and uniimited access to our hydration station 💦💦 plus opportunities to take breaks inside out of the heat.
Enjoying the sun responsibly 🤩

Address

Clonaderg
Ballynahown
ATHLONE

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 12pm
Tuesday 9am - 12pm
Wednesday 9am - 12pm
Thursday 9am - 12pm
Friday 9am - 12pm

Telephone

+353870984700

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The School

Send a message to Stepping Stones Early Learning Centre:

Shortcuts

Share

Category