What will my child learn?

Our preschool curriculum focuses on guiding children through active play to gain skills that they will need to be “Kindergarten Ready,” to enjoy learning, to become confident and independent, and to have fun. Classroom environments are supplied and designed to give children the ability to select materials and activities that interest them and to participate with growing independence in a wide variety of projects and activities specifically chosen to increase their skills & Christian faith development.

Preschool Curriculum

Faith Development

• Experience daily chapel time
• Learn songs of faith
• Learning how to pray
• Hear Bible stories
• Begin developing compassion and empathy for others

Social Skills

• Learn how to make friends
• Learn about being a good friend
• Learn to share
• Learn to take turns
• Solve problems together
• Learn to behave in ways that are safe
• Work and play with others
• Learn to work with adults

Emotional Skills

• Understand their own feelings
• Learn to respect the feelings of others
• Use words and other appropriate ways to express strong feelings
• Control their own behavior in a group setting
• Develop a sense of confidence in their own competence and abilities

Skills to Promote Health and Safety

• Follow teachers' direction
• Stay with a group
• Watch out for others
• Practice and participate in cleanliness, including frequent hand washing
• Follow playground safety, fire, and emergency procedures
• Be aware of personal safety and stranger awareness
• Use tools such as scissors and staplers safely

Developing Independence

• Learn to dress themselves – snap, zip, and button
• Pour liquids
• Pick up after themselves
• Choose an activity they enjoy
• Gain confidence in their ability to solve problems by themselves
• Learn how to navigate around the school

School Readiness Skills

• Increase the length of time the child can focus on a task
• Develop listening skills
• Learn to use playground, sidewalks, and other places in the school
• Listen and follow directions
• Work productively with others in a group
• Talk in front of others
• Speak in complete sentences

Reading Skills

• Learn the names of the letters in the alphabet
• Learn the sounds of the letters
• Recognize the letters of the alphabet in many contexts
• Listen to the teacher read
• Respond to and discuss story content
• Predict what will come next in a story
• Repeat phrases from a familiar book
• Participate in shared reading of books with teacher and other children
• Choose to read books independently
• Establish phonemic awareness – rhyming and letter sounds

Writing Skills

• Learn to hold a pencil
• Write letters of the alphabet
• Learn to write their name
• Use pictures and symbols to convey a meaning

Math Skills

• Count in many contexts
• Recognize numbers
• Learn to write numbers
• Combine numbers in many contexts
• Measure and learn to estimate
• Learn about geometrical shapes
• Sort shapes into sizes and colors
• Matching like objects

Science Skills

• Observe animals in aquariums, terrariums, and in nature
• Read and learn about animal behavior
• Plant seeds and observe how plants grow
• Use magnifying glasses, binoculars, scales, and other scientific tools
• Observe and chart changes in the environment

Large and Small Motor Skills

• Increase large motor skills such as jumping, hopping, throwing, catching, improving balance, strength, and endurance
• Increase small motor skills by practicing finger plays, using pencils, crayons, scissors, small tools, threading beads, sewing, and manipulating small objects

Art and Music Skills

• Create art using a wide variety of objects
• Learn to use art materials such as paint, glue, and glitter
• Exhibit and talk about their art work
• Learn songs
• Participate in dance, rhythm, and movement exercises
• Listen to music
• Play musical instruments

Age Level Goals

(Preschool 3's & 4's, and Pre-Kindergarten 4's & 5's)

By the end of the year, each child will have accomplished:

Preschool – 3’s & 4’s

• Provide an environment that includes structured and self-directed time
• Social
  • Play with others
  • Share
  • Take turns
• Communication
  • Express thoughts into words
  • Talk in front of others
  • Speak in complete sentences
  • Speak up to defend themselves
  • Follow directions (3 steps)
• Self-control
• Fine motor
  • Cut, color, glue, draw, write, paint
  • Strengthen pincer grip
  • Begin to hold pencil, crayons, and markers properly (pincer grip)
  • Begin to hold scissors properly
  • Begin to cut with purpose
• Self-confidence
  • Independent
  • Adapt to change
  • Begin to follow 3-step instructions
  • Begin to put on clothing/shoes – try to snap, zip, and button
• Cause & Effect
  • Consequences
  • Safety
  • Trial & error
• Exposure to art, science, outdoors, nature, and cooking
  • Explore
  • Get messy
• Numbers
  • Count objects to 10 by May
  • One-to-one correspondence
  • See and hear numbers 1 – 10
  • Exposure to shapes and colors
• Sing & listen to music
• Literacy
  • See & hear alphabet – non-order
  • Read books by pictures
  • Retell stories – key points
  • Begin to recognize rhyming words

Pre-Kindergarten – 4’s & 5’s

• Provide an environment that includes structured and self-directed time
• Social
  • Play with others
  • Share
  • Take turns
• Communication
  • Express their thoughts into words
  • Talk in front of others
  • Speak in complete sentences
  • Speak up to defend themselves
  • Follow directions (3-step)
  • Know difference between question and comment
  • Learn to listen; participate in a conversation
• Self-control
  • Fine Motor
  • Cut, color, glue, draw, write, paint
  • Be able to write first and last name by May (proper form)
  • Hold pencil, crayons, and markers properly (pincer grip)
  • Hold scissors properly
  • Cut straight lines, curve lines, & shape
• Self-confidence
  • Independent
  • Adapt to change
  • Follow 3-step instructions
  • Put on clothing/shoes – snap, zip, and button
• Cause & Effect
  • Consequences
  • Safety
  • Trial & error
• Exposure to art, science, outdoors, nature & cooking
  • Explore
  • Get messy
• Numbers
  • Count to 30 by May
  • One-to-one correspondence
  • See, hear, & write numbers 1 – 10
  • Exposure to shapes & color
• Sing & listen to music
• Literacy
  • See, hear, and write alphabet – non-order
  • Read books by pictures
  • Retell stories – key points
  • Recognize rhyming words
  • Daily writing