The emphasis in our 4-year-old program
is Kindergarten readiness. Although not all of these children
will move into Kindergarten, this program will introduce pre-reading
and pre-math skills to prepare each child for
future success. The curriculum is designed to offer a
learning environment that will maximize the learning potential of each
child. The children will have the opportunity to work with
the teacher one-on-one and in small groups to master skills and become
comfortable within a learning environment. They will also participate
in a "Star of the Week" program to build confidence and self
worth.
The
weekly activities focus on the "Letter of the Week", where the proper
formation of the D'Nealian alphabet will be practiced and the letter
sounds will be introduced. They will also focus on learning
their full name, parents names, address, and phone number as they
prepare to venture out into their social world.
Math
concepts such as shapes, sequencing, patterns, numbers and problem
solving will be introduced through concrete activities and
projects. The children will also have an opportunity to
discover another language with our Introduction
to Spanish unit.
Fine
motor development will be encouraged through weekly arts and crafts
projects, where there will be daily opportunities to cut, color, glue,
work with Play Dough, and enjoy a variety of manipulatives.
This
curriculum will be supplemented with a computer center that uses
software to reinforce all the skills being introduced in the
classroom. The children will have the opportunity to spend
time working on the computer each week.
Gross
motor development will be addressed in the daily physical education
program. The children will participate in units that provide
structured activities such as daily warm-ups and stretching, obstacle
courses, ball skills, tumbling, dancing, and games. The
children will also spend a portion of this rotation engaging in
creative movement, singing and music awareness.
