Small Wonders Child Care Center Pre K Room

Pre-K Room

Description:
Ages 3 & 4 year olds..

Dramatic Play: Home living, playing store, puppets, dress-up, community helpers. Teachers set up dramatic play to encourage social skills and role playing while also learning a variety of other skills.

Art: Materials will vary and include crayons, chalk, markers, colored pencils, paints, play dough, stencils, different textures of papers, fabrics and yarn, food coloring, collage materials, and much more. Children are encouraged to express themselves creatively rather than produce a defined object dictated by a teacher.

Group Activities: This includes daily circle time, storytelling, finger plays, songs, American Sign Language Lessons, records/tapes, and walks. Group activities encourage social skills such as turn taking, cooperation, reciprocal language skills, sharing, empathy, as well as cognitive development. Computer programs integrated into the program and review skills learned both in school and at home.

Science: Science is explored all through the day in a multitude of ways children may engage in a cooking activity, take a nature walk, or plant a seed. We have materials such as magnets, magnifying glasses, shells, and rocks, live fish, and butterfly habitats for daily exploration.

Math: Goals for math includes shape recognition, object matching, counting, and categorizing and sorting, quantitative skills, sequencing, and 1:1 correspondence. We achieve these goals through calendar, puzzles, blocks, pattern blocks, beads, and much more.

Sensory Experiences: These activities are important for the enhancement of the senses, so crucial for complete child development. We explore textures, foods, smells, sounds, and sights. Water and sand play is available almost everyday.

Language Development: Through daily stories, songs, finger plays, as well as conversational interactions, we support language development. Additionally, each classroom has a writing center that is available for children to explore written words and names.

Physical Development: Gross motor development is supported through our outdoor playground. Outside we have climbers, ride on toys, slides, water tables and great space for running around. Fine motor activities develop eye-hand coordination and finger/hand muscle strength. We support this through art, writing, and manipulative materials such as peg boards, lacing cards, and puzzles.

Music: Language skills as well as music appreciation are all goals when experiencing music. A monthly music program encourages children to learn new songs, play instruments, follow musical directions, and dance. A music program is incorporated into our graduation ceremony held in June, the children practice weekly for this special event.

Social/Emotional Development: Children need to feel a sense of who they are and their place in the world. We work on building a sense of self-esteem through positive reinforcement and encouragement for children to accept new challenges. Children develop lasting friendships through play and learning experiences provided by the teachers.