Our preschool recognizes and values each child’s unique characteristics and abilities, and we strive to facilitate academic learning and social interactions through many developmentally appropriate activities and experiences. Center-based play offers many opportunities for each child to make choices. Teacher-directed activities introduce and reinforce academic concepts in a print rich environment. Most importantly, self-esteem is fostered because our program is designed so that every child enjoys success.
Social-Emotional
Development includes the child’s experience, expression, and management of emotions and the ability to establish positive and rewarding relationships with others.
- Mood changes rapidly
- Tries out feelings of power
- Dominates; is bossy, boastful, belligerent
- Assertive, argumentative
- Shows off; is cocky, noisy
- Can fight own battles
- Hits, grabs, insists on desires
- Explosive, destructive
- Easily over stimulated; excitable
- Impatient in large groups*
- Cooperates in groups of two or three*
- Develops “special” friends* but shifts loyalties often
- In-group develops; excludes others*
- Resistant; tests limits
- Exaggerates, tells tall tales
- Teases, outwits; has terrific humor
- May have scary dreams
- Tattles frequently
Language
Development includes a wide range of specific competencies that preschool children will need support to learn including listening and speaking, reading, writing.
- Has more words than knowledge
- A great talker, questioner
- Likes words, plays with them
- Has high interest in poetry
- Able to talk to solve conflicts*
- Responds to verbal directions
- Enjoys taking turns to sing along
- Interested in dramatizing songs, stories
- Exaggerates, practices words
- Uses voice control, pitch, rhythm
- Asks “when?””why?”how?” *
- Joins sentences together
- Loves being read to
Physical-Motor
Development includes balance, loco motor skills, manipulative skills, body awareness, spatial awareness, directional awareness, and active participation.
- Longer, leaner body build
- Vigorous, dynamic, acrobatic
- Active until exhausted
- “Works”: builds, drives, pilots
- Can jump own height and land upright
- Hops, skips
- Throws large ball, kicks accurately
- Hops and stands on one foot
- Jumps over objects
- Walks in a straight line
- Races up and down stairs
- Turns somersaults
- Walks backward toe-heel
- Accurate, rash body movements
- Copies a cross, square
- Can draw a stick figure
- Holds paint brush in adult manner, pencil in fisted grasp
- Can lace shoes
- Dresses self except back buttons, ties
- Has sureness and control in finger activities
- Alternates feet going down stairs
Cognitive
Development focusing on child’s ability to process information, conceptual resources, perceptual skill, language learning, and other aspects of brain development.
- Does some naming and representative art
- Gives art products personal value
- Can work for a goal*
- Questions constantly*
- Interested in how things work
- Interested in life-death concepts
- Has an extended attention span
- Can do two things at once
- Dramatic play is closer to reality*
- Judges which to two objects is larger
- Has concept of three; can name more
- Has accurate sense of time
- Full of ideas
- Begins to generalize; often tautly*
- Likes a variety of materials
- Calls people names*
- Has dynamic intellectual drive*
- Has imaginary playmates
- Recognizes several printed words
*Key cultural awareness of identity characteristics