Pre-K Class

 Goals and Objectives

• To encourage your child’s natural curiosity and wonder in learning
• To learn effective social skills to develop a positive relationship with others
• To help your child master the skills needed to prepare for kindergarten
• To foster independence and encourage children to use their voice to express needs and ask questions

Learning Tree builds on the foundations of the Letter of the Week curriculum learned in the three year-old program to ensure your child is socially and academically prepared for kindergarten and their academic adventures ahead. We also introduce STEM concepts and process art.

Learning Tree Preschool provides a warm, nurturing, safe and happy environment for your Pre-K child in which to learn and practice these important early academic skills. A newsletter will be sent home weekly & photos will be shared through a private app.

Socialization

Our Pre-K children learn a variety of social and emotional skills. They learn to express individuality by making independent decisions. They learn to recognize and describe a wide range of feelings, including happiness, sadness and empathy. Our teachers foster positive interaction with other children and adults. Our teachers know that these skills take time and practice. We provide individualized guidance, encouragement, and positive feedback. Children are also encouraged to take turns speaking at circle time and learn independence by hanging coats and backpacks.

Pre-Reading

Our Pre-K teachers foster a love of reading and language through many fun and engaging age-appropriate activities. These include story time, fingerplays, sequencing cards, and authoring and acting out stories. Alphabet activities based on the Fundations program allow children to review capital and lowercase letters and their sounds, and the children build a solid foundation of sight words throughout the year.

Pre-Math

Our Pre-K children learn an understanding of numbers and numerical operations, including counting and one-to-one correspondence, pattern recognition, shape recognition, and problem solving through both structured activities and unstructured play.

Pre–Writing

Children need strong fine motor skills for proper pencil grip and control. At Learning Tree we help foster fine motor development through activities that are fun and age-appropriate. They include painting, drawing, tracing, as well as pencil and paper activities including mazes, dot-to-dots and independently writing their names and letters. The children sign in daily so they are prepared to write their names in kindergarten.

Science

Children are natural scientists – always curious, and eager to find answers. Our teachers provide children with a variety of hands–on science experiments including planting, color diffusion, baking soda volcanos, and hatching insects, just to name a few.

Daily Schedule

9:00 AM – Arrival:
Children hang up coats and bags, wash hands and sit at the tables to engage in socializing with friends while using pencils, markers, crayons, and paper or manipulatives. Children sign in daily by writing their names on their Name Page. Children will answer the question of the day.

First Circle:
Morning message, calendar, weather, music and movement songs, story time, and discussion of the letter of the week and activities for the day. We talk about the letter of the day and the sounds it makes and words that start with the letter.

Free Play:
Children choose among activities and centers provided by the teacher for that particular day. Each child participates in the craft project and practicing fine motor and cognitive skills with the teacher. Children may also visit the art table or stem, sensory area.

Cleanup Time:
Everyone works together putting toys and art supplies away.

Snack
We provide a nut free snack each day and children are asked to bring their own labelled refillable/reusable beverage container. 

Gross Motor Activities:
Playground or movement activities indoors in the case of inclement weather.

Second Circle:
Story time, music activities, movement and other group learning activities, Pledge of Allegiance and question of the day.

12:00 PM– Dismissal

  (option for afternoon enrichment)