Curriculum Overview

At Trinity Lutheran Preschool we understand through recent brain research, that learning in a play environment is essential to help young children grow and develop socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, and intellectually.  We have prepared this overview for you to better understand how we approach and implement the preschool curriculum in a developmental age-appropriate way.

Socially
Children will have opportunities to develop

• A love for learning
• Skills to make friends
• Respectful conflict resolution skills
• Understanding and empathy for others
• Cooperative play skills

Physically
Children will have opportunities to develop:

 Fine Motor Skills:

• Cutting with scissors
• Playing with play dough
• Painting
• Pasting/gluing
• Writing with various utensils
• Lacing cards
• Stringing beads
• Learning correct pencil hold
• Putting puzzles together
• Experiences for hand –eye coordination                  

Large Motor Skills:

• Spatial awareness activities 
• Easel painting        
• Finger painting       
• Outdoor playground           
• Indoor gym 
• Bike riding 
• Games, relays
• Running, hopping, jumping           
• Throwing, catching 

Emotionally
Children will have opportunities to develop:

• Self awareness
• Skills to regulate their emotions
• Appropriate behaviors
• Attention span
• Sharing and cooperation with others
• Vocabulary to name and understand emotions

Spiritually
We desire that each child will develop an awareness of and a love for God and His son Jesus Christ, and an appreciation for all of His creation by:

• Weekly Chapel worship experiences
• “Beginner Bible” stories and discussion
• Singing songs with Christian values
• Introducing prayer
• Grace before snacks
• Interacting with teachers who model love, acceptance and forgiveness
• Emphasizing Christian character building values…love, sharing, cooperation, respect, responsbililty, honesty, and integrity
• Giving projects like:
  
  • Offering for Tanzania Education, Food Bank and other opportunities

Intellectually

Literacy:
Literacy is the ability to communicate with others through speaking and listening, reading and writing which is essential for success in school and in life.  In our program, we plan experiences every day to help your child develop these important skills by developing:

• Oral Language
  
  • Developing listening and speaking skills with others
  • Expanding vocabulary through conversation, experiences, and books
  • Learning to express thoughts and ideas into words and sentences

• Alphabet Knowledge
  
  • Learning letter names
  • Matching letters to their names
  • Developing phonemic awareness (knowledge of individual sounds)
  • Phonics learning letter-sound relationship 

• Print Awareness
  
  • Learning concepts about books
  • Learning concepts about print
  • Developing positive attitudes about reading and writing
  • Pre-K writing experiences
  • Pre-K story dictation
  • Exposure to varied writing materials
  • Formal and informal experience with quality children’s literature.

•  Phonological Awareness
  Learning that language has a structure that includes words, syllables, rhymes and sounds.

Science:
Children will have the opportunity to learn about natural and life sciences by:

• Cooking, gardening, experimenting
• Sensory center
• Observing the seasons and weather
• Playing with magnets
• Learning about life cycles of plants, animals and insects
• Growing and releasing butterflies
• Visiting the pumpkin patch farm
• Learning to take care of the environment including recycling and being “green
• Visiting the learning center

Math:
Math is more than just knowing numbers and counting.  It’s about organizing information, comparing amounts, and seeing relationships.  Math involves logical thinking.  We teach math through many different kinds of experiences like:

• Number recognition and concept games
• Calendar/patterns during circle time
• Manipilatives/sorting
• Sequencing
• Recognizing repeated patterns
• Shape and size identification
• Construction-geometry
• Graphing
• Numeration
• Measurement

The Arts:

The arts give children different ways to express what they know and feel.  This is why it is so important to create one’s own work of art.  

 Art

• Open ended creative art experiences including, painting, collage, cutting and pasting with a vast array of art materials

Music

•  Group and individual musical experiences that include singing, use of instruments and listening that expand a child’s awareness and appreciation of music.

 Dance

•  Informal movement experiences with music that allows a child to express themselves physically to experience rhythm and develop balance and coordination.

•  Opportunities to use imagination and to learn how it feels to “be” someone else using dramatic play centers, puppets, and acting out stories 

Social Studies:
Our classroom experience provides children a learning environment that:

• Fosters a positive sense of self
• Explores roles in the family and workplace
• Helps them understand they belong to a classroom community
• Builds an understanding of diversity

Technology:
Teachers will use media to enrich learning and support teaching by using:

• Listening center with books
• Pre-K computer lab

Health and Safety:
Children will learn about:

• Good health habits and safety procedures
• Healthy food choices
• Safety rules to follow in the classroom, gym, playground and the community
• Roles of health and safety professionals and community agencies

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