Autonomy is the most simple, yet important step for a preschooler. It is how they learn to be self-sufficient by taking care of themselves, their things, and taking initiative for their own activities.
Before beginning our program in the fall, it is important to discuss the rules and procedures with the preschoolers, and why they are important. This truly sets the stage for the entire school year. When children can understand how to function, they are well prepared to dive into learning. Reinforcing how to use classroom materials, practice good manners, take turns, and how to clean up after themselves will bring them one step closer to becoming autonomous preschoolers.
Before beginning our program in the fall, it is important to discuss the rules and procedures with the preschoolers, and why they are important. This truly sets the stage for the entire school year. When children can understand how to function, they are well prepared to dive into learning. Reinforcing how to use classroom materials, practice good manners, take turns, and how to clean up after themselves will bring them one step closer to becoming autonomous preschoolers.
Curriculum: Each month, preschoolers are introduced to 3 letters, 3 numbers, color review and a shape. Additionally, we focus on specific objectives in the areas of Language Arts, Math, Science Motor Development and Social/Emotional Development. Some of these objectives are on-going and worked on for several months; others are practiced and mastered within a short period of time. Assessments are given periodically, and the growth of your child is recorded.
Literacy: Each Monday, a new book is introduced. Preschoolers learn about parts of a book; i.e., the front and back cover and its spine. We also review how to hold a book and how to turn the pages. Then, we discuss the location of the title, the name of the author, and the name of the illustrator. It is important that they know these terms, as it will increase their knowledge and concept about print. Next, we take a picture walk through the story before its read. A picture walk is when you guide children through a book without reading words. Instead, they are encouraged to use the pictures to make predictions about the book. This is a fun way to improve comprehension. Questions are asked which prompt the children to share a personal experience that might relate to the story. After completing the picture walk and then reading it aloud, a discussion follows comparing their predictions that were made to the actual text of the story. Throughout the rest of the week, preschoolers become actively involved with the story by selecting a character, and then acting out a scene from the book which allows them to make their own interpretation. Participating in finger play, learning new rhymes, clapping and moving to music, and coloring storybooks gives preschoolers an all-encompassing learning experience to literacy.
Phonics/Handwriting: We use the program “Handwriting Without Tears” to help preschoolers practice their writing skills. Students using this award-winning program have been shown to have high end-of-year scores on foundation printing, which makes them well prepared for the demands of producing written work in classrooms. Recent findings demonstrate that writing by hand improves creative writing and fine motor skills. In fact, elementary students have been found to write faster by hand than when using a keyboard.
New letters and numbers are practiced weekly with an overall review on Fridays. They practice their skills on a variety of writing surfaces, i.e., chalk board, dry-erase board, paper, and sand. A “hint phrase or rhyme” reminds preschoolers how to write each letter. Preschoolers also participate in action phonic poems that reinforce the sounds of each letter while clapping, stomping, and moving. Each weekly lesson is reinforced through creating weekly story books, completing writing pages, and participating in phonic and reading games. Preschoolers learn to count to 100, read written numbers through the number twenty, count by 5’s and 10’s, and become familiar with number recognition of 21 through 100. Preschoolers practice sequencing stories, graphing mathematical story problems, distinguishing basic size differentials, understanding and using directional words, learning the correct way to hold scissors, coloring for fun and realism, and so much more.
Outdoor Activities: Children go outdoors every day and participate in a variety of activities which includes: water play, outdoor games, and trips to the neighborhood park weather permitting.
RSS Feed
