Thinking for themselves
Children learn to think for themselves, to recognise connections, to develop their own paths to a solution and to use mistakes as chances to learn.
Individual learning support that makes children strong.
The Learning Bus is a preventive, pedagogically grounded programme for children in their early learning years.
The Learning Bus strengthens children to shape their personal development with confidence, independence and an eye to the future.
Why the Learning Bus
We come before a child decides there is something they cannot do.
Most support programmes begin once something has already gone wrong. The Learning Bus begins before that, in the years that decide how a child stands towards learning.
Preventing is easier than catching up
When support only starts after poor marks, it is long past being only about the material. By then a child has formed a view of themselves: I can’t do this. That view is more stubborn than any rule of arithmetic, and it often stays for years. The Learning Bus begins before it forms. A child who never gets the impression of being bad at something does not have to shed that impression later.
The years in which this is decided
From the first year of kindergarten to the third year of primary school, less depends on material than on attitude. At this age children learn through play, through conversation, and through the people who work with them. In doing so they learn what they trust themselves to do. What goes well in these years carries far beyond primary school. That is why we work here, and not only once marks begin to count.
We begin with what a child can already do
We look first at what a child brings, not at what is missing. Every child is good at something: building towers, inventing stories, looking closely. That is exactly where we start. From a strength you dare to approach something difficult; from a weakness, rarely. This understanding comes from the Reggio Emilia tradition: children actively shape their own learning, and their paths are made visible rather than graded. In the Lernkiste, each child gathers what they have thought, tried and discovered. None of it is marked.
Pedagogical approach and goals
The Learning Bus is guided by core competencies such as emotional intelligence, creativity, the ability to communicate, and critical, connected thinking.
Staying with it
They gain strategies for actively engaging with material that is not immediately exciting, and for staying with it through reluctance.
Foundations and early German
In parallel, gaps in basic language and mathematical skills can be addressed and consolidated in a targeted way.
Early German support helps children from the age of three to build language foundations, express themselves more confidently and take part in lessons with greater trust.
Confidence and resilience
The programme strengthens children's self-confidence, their resilience and their readiness to learn independently.
The goals
- Strengthening learning skills, self-worth and self-efficacy
- Fostering curiosity and intrinsic motivation to learn
- Building resilience and strategies for dealing with setbacks
- Creating a safe, appreciative learning space
- Fostering communication skills and independent thinking
- Making individual learning progress visible
Who it is for
- Children from the first year of kindergarten to the third year of primary school
- For children whose learning and future skills should be strengthened in a targeted way
- Early German support from age 3, one to one or in pairs
- Places made possible to promote equal opportunity
How it works
1
Getting-to-know meeting with the parents
2
Individual learning support (60–90 minutes, at least 6 months, one to one or in pairs)
3
Content guided by interests and talents, with creative, language, mathematical and emotional aspects of learning
4
A trusting, protected learning space
5
Lernkiste for personally documenting learning progress
6
Regular talks with parents and support for child and parents as needed, including accompaniment to meetings
7
Start on Münsterplatz, later a Lernbus serving the neighbourhoods
8
Small groups during school holidays to consolidate and deepen what has been learned
Framework and quality assurance
Our learning mentors work reflectively, empathetically and with solid professional grounding. Thanks to their varied professional backgrounds, children have access to a range of well-matched adults who can connect with their individual interests and needs.
The quality of the programme is safeguarded and continuously developed through team meetings, professional exchange, evaluation and further training.
Fees
What it costs.
CHF 100 per hour
Learning support costs CHF 100 per hour. A reduced rate applies in the pair setting. Everything else we discuss in the introductory conversation.
Places made possible
Some of the places are made possible by people who invest in children. If money is tight at home, simply say so. It is not an obstacle, and it stays between us.
Introductory conversation
Arrange a conversation.
The Learning Bus starts in September 2026 with a small number of places. Tell us briefly who it is for and when we can reach you. We will get back to you within a few days.
No obligation. Your enquiry goes as an email straight to info@lernbus.ch and is stored nowhere else. Would you rather talk? Write us a line and we will call back.
Frequent questions
Is this tutoring?
Not in the usual sense. We work on gaps where there are gaps. Above all, though, it is about your child learning gladly and independently. That lasts longer than any single topic.
Does my child need to have problems?
No. The Learning Bus is open to every child, whatever they bring with them and wherever they come from. We deliberately begin early, to preserve and strengthen confidence and the joy of learning.
Is this not too early?
Young children learn through play and within a secure relationship, and that is exactly where we begin. The point is that learning stays joined to joy from the start, and that it can happen in many different ways.
Why at least six months?
Because trust takes time. The effect does not come from any single exercise, but from a reliable relationship and a genuine enthusiasm for the child and their path of learning.
Who works with my child?
Learning mentors from a range of professional backgrounds. They are selected carefully and to the highest standards. Quality is maintained continuously through team meetings, professional exchange, evaluation and further training.
One child or two?
Both are possible. Some children concentrate better alone, others come alive with a second child there, because explaining and listening are themselves ways of learning. What suits your child we decide together in the introductory conversation. In both cases the support runs for at least six months.
And during the school holidays?
In the holidays there are small groups for children the Lernbus supports. They deepen and consolidate what was worked on during the term.
Who is behind it
A programme of the Learning Society.
The Learning Society is an association based in Basel. It fosters the natural curiosity and the will to learn of children and young people. The board works on a voluntary basis.