Sensory room
Bubble tubes, fibre-optic light strands, a projector ceiling and weighted cushions. Used in small groups for calm-down time, light exploration and focused one-to-one sessions.
British EYFS · 6 months to 4 years
Big days for little explorers
A warm, light-filled nursery tucked into a quiet Mirdif street, where babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers learn through play, sand, song and plenty of fresh air, guided by the Early Years Foundation Stage.
- Open 7:30 – 18:00, Mon–Fri
- Ratios from 1:3
- Nutritionist-led menu
Programmes by age
Four rooms, one gentle journey
Each room has its own key person system, so your child always has a familiar face, and you always have someone who knows their day by heart.
Babies · The Nest
A calm, shoes-off room with soft light, low mirrors and treasure baskets. Routines follow your baby's own feeding and sleep pattern, not ours.
1:3adult to baby
max 9 babies per room
max 9 babies per room
- Individual sleep cots in a separate, monitored sleep room
- Daily photo diary and nappy/feed log sent via the parent app
- Breast milk storage and bottle prep station
A typical Nest day
- Cuddly welcome and handover with key person
- Breakfast, bottles and baby massage
- Sensory baskets, tummy time, songs
- First nap (to baby's own rhythm)
- Purées or finger-food lunch
- Garden buggy walk in the shade
- Snack, music and messy play
- Quiet stories and home time
Toddlers · The Waddlers
Room to wobble, climb and discover. Lots of first words, first friends and first attempts at feeding themselves with a spoon.
1:4adult to toddler
max 12 per room
max 12 per room
- Low climbing frame and soft-play corner
- Signing and first-words programme
- Splash pad sessions twice a week
A typical Waddlers day
- Welcome and free play
- Breakfast together at the little tables
- Circle time: hello song and signing
- Garden, sand tray or splash pad
- Hot lunch from our kitchen
- Nap time with soft music
- Messy art, paint and play dough
- Snack, stories, home time
Pre-FS1 · The Dune Hoppers
Curious, chatty and busy. We build independence, from washing hands to pouring water, and gently support potty training at your child's pace.
1:5adult to child
max 15 per room
max 15 per room
- Weekly Arabic songs and stories
- Phonics-ready listening games
- Weekly music and movement with a specialist
A typical Dune Hoppers day
- Self-registration with name cards
- Breakfast and helping jobs
- Circle time and topic of the week
- Indoor/outdoor free flow learning
- Lunch and tidy-up song
- Rest or quiet sensory time
- Arabic, music or yoga (rotating)
- Snack, stories and home time
FS1 · The Explorers
School-ready, not school-pressured. Explorers lead small projects, start phonics, count everything in sight, and practise the social skills that make big school feel easy.
1:8adult to child
max 16, two practitioners
max 16, two practitioners
- Letters and Sounds phonics, Phase 1–2
- Termly school transition reports
- Forest-school style dune walks (cool months)
A typical Explorers day
- Early club and breakfast
- Morning circle, weather and calendar
- Phonics and early maths groups
- Project time: builders, scientists, chefs
- Lunch as a family table
- Quiet reading and mindful moments
- PE, Arabic or splash pad
- Show-and-tell, snack, home time
A day at Little Dunes
From first wave to final hug
Tap through the clock to see how a full day unfolds in our Pre-FS1 room.
7:30Arrival
Good morning, sunshine
Doors open for early birds. Key people greet each child by name at the gate, and little ones pop their bags into their own named cubby.
Fees 2026/27
Clear fees, per term
Three terms per year. All meals, snacks, nappies, wipes and specialist sessions included. No hidden extras.
| Room | Half day8:00 – 12:30 | Full day8:00 – 15:00 | Extended7:30 – 18:00 |
|---|
One-off registration fee AED 750, refundable deposit AED 1,500. Flexible 3-day and 4-day weeks available at pro-rata rates. Summer camp priced separately.
Sibling discount calculator
10% off the 2nd child and 15% off the 3rd, always applied to the lower fees.
- Standard fees / term
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- Sibling savings / term
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- You pay per term
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- Per academic year (3 terms)
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Facilities
Built for little hands and big feelings
Shaded splash pad
Ankle-deep, non-slip and fully shaded, with fountain arches and buckets. Water is filtered and tested daily. Open year-round, indoors in summer.
Our kitchen and nutritionist menu
Everything is cooked fresh on site each morning. Menus are planned with a consultant paediatric nutritionist, nut-free, low in salt and sugar, with halal meat and full allergy tracking.
| Mon | Chicken and sweet potato machboos, cucumber yoghurt |
|---|---|
| Tue | Lentil and vegetable shepherd's pie, steamed peas |
| Wed | Baked salmon fingers, herby rice, roasted carrots |
| Thu | Mini lamb kofta, hummus, warm flatbread, salad sticks |
| Fri | Wholewheat pasta with hidden-veg tomato sauce, fruit salad |
Parents' reviews
Heard at the gate
Sample reviews for this concept site.
Our daughter started in The Nest at seven months and cried for exactly two mornings. Now she runs in. The photo diary gets me through every Monday at the office.
Potty training happened at nursery and at home on the same plan, with the same words. It was done in three weeks. The team genuinely communicates.
The food is better than what I cook. Our son now asks for lentil pie at home. The extended day until six is a lifesaver with both of us working in DIFC.
Come and say hello
Book a 30-minute tour
Walk the rooms, meet the room leaders, peek into the kitchen and try the splash pad toes-first. Little ones are very welcome to come along.
Little Dunes Nursery (concept)
Villa 18, Street 12b, Mirdif, Dubai
Near Uptown Mirdif · 10 min from Dubai Int'l Airport
Mon – Fri, 7:30 – 18:00 · Tours 9:30 – 16:00
Tour request received
Thank you! Our admissions team would normally confirm within one working day. Here is what you asked for:
Questions parents ask
Good to know
Do you help with potty training?
Yes. We start when your child shows readiness, usually between 2 and 3 years, never on a fixed date. We agree a shared plan with you (same words, same routine), send home a daily progress note, and keep spare clothes in every cubby. Nappies and wipes are included in fees until your child is fully trained.
What do the children eat?
Breakfast, a hot two-course lunch and two snacks are cooked on site daily from a four-week rotating menu planned with a paediatric nutritionist. We are a nut-free nursery, all meat is halal, and we cater for allergies, vegetarian and cultural diets. Babies' purées are made fresh, and you are welcome to bring expressed milk.
Do you offer transport?
We run a door-to-door minibus within Mirdif, Al Warqa'a, Mizhar and Rashidiya, with child seats and a trained nanny on every route. It costs AED 1,600 per term for return trips (FS1 and Pre-FS1 only). Babies and toddlers are dropped off by parents so key-person handovers stay personal.
What are the settling-in sessions like?
Five free settling-in sessions over two weeks, starting with an hour together and building up to a half day alone. Your key person will message you through the parent app throughout.
Which curriculum do you follow?
The British Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS), enriched with Arabic language and UAE culture, music, yoga and outdoor learning. This is a concept site, so licensing and inspection details are placeholders.