Your child will learn naturally through play and Timmy’s stories

Introducing English to your child between the ages of four and six allows them to learn the language when it comes to them most naturally.

The British Council’s early years specialists have designed Learning Time with Timmy to be fun and engaging for your child. Our approach to learning nurtures your child’s creativity, critical thinking and social skills as they learn English. It boosts their self-confidence and helps them develop communication skills and good pronunciation. Find out more about how we teach.

We have partnered with Aardman animation studios because the stories of their world-famous character Timmy, star of Timmy Time, enable your child to learn new words in context. Timmy and his friends will capture your child’s imagination. This connection deepens their engagement in the learning process.

Improve your child’s learning with our world of English expertise.

Course overview

Levels Beginner, Elementary
Course fees From €725 per academic year
Course length 50 hours per academic year, one and a half hours a week

What will my child learn aged 4–5 years?

In this course stage your child will:

  • join in with repeated refrains in songs and stories
  • be able to follow a story with pictures or props
  • be aware of the way stories are structured
  • listen to stories with increasing attention, and recall and anticipate key events
  • extend vocabulary by grouping and naming objects
  • say the alphabet
  • begin to talk about the size of everyday objects, e.g. ‘big’ and ‘small’
  • give meaning to the marks they make as they draw, write and paint
  • use three fingers (tripod grip) to hold writing tools
  • understand and use some positional language
  • look closely at similarities, differences, patterns and change
  • recognise and recite numbers in order up to 15 and use some number names accurately in play
  • count and record using marks they can interpret and explain.

What will my child learn aged 5–6 years?

In this course stage your child will:

  • identify and describe main story settings, events and principal characters, and suggest how a story might end
  • imitate a familiar story
  • start to change a familiar story supported by an innovative approach from Talk4Writing
  • represent a changed story through chosen form of expression e.g. art, drama, dance/movement, information technology or writing
  • invent a new story and represent it through desired expression
  • extend vocabulary by grouping and naming objects
  • order and sequence familiar events in stories and/or familiar steps in an everyday task
  • be aware of their own feelings and describe some of them
  • describe self, identify abilities, and express preferences and opinions
  • recreate roles and experiences in play situations
  • count confidently from 1–20 and recognise the written forms
  • find the total number of items in two or three groups by counting all of them and record using marks they can interpret and explain.

Study options

Centre Day Time
Kolonaki Teaching Centre Saturday 09.00–10.30
11.00–12.30
13.00–14.30
Kifisia Teaching Centre Saturday 10.00–11.30
12.00–13.30

For information about the academic calendar and holidays, please see our Kolonaki Teaching Centre and Kifisia Teaching Centre pages.

Exact timetable will depend on level/age. Course dates and times will be confirmed when you register.

Fees 2018–19*

  • One payment of €725 per year (one year is two semesters) for registrations on or before 15 July 2018 or
  • One full payment of €395 per semester

* We offer a discount to the younger brothers and sisters of registered students, up to a maximum of two discounts per family after the early bird period.

See also