Every parent knows there are only two answers to the question, “What did you do at school?”
“Nothing.”
or
“I don’t know.”
The truth is that a lot happens during the day at preschool. Our daily routine includes literacy, math and science activities, art projects, music, and playing outside. We take walks in the neighborhood, learn about fire safety, estimate the weight of a pumpkin, and make predictions about seed growth. The first few weeks of school are the critical period for learning teachers’ expectations and how to get along with classmates.
Our daily curriculum is informed by the children’s interests. Underlying all of our activities are the guidelines detailed in the NJ Preschool Teaching and Learning Standards of Quality provided by the NJ Department of Education. This document is a little bulky but I will do my best to break down the categories for you month by month.
Our initial focus at the beginning of the school year are the goals for Social/Emotional Development.
Standard 1: Children demonstrate self-confidence.
Standard 2: Children demonstrate self-direction
Standard 3: Children identify & express feelings.
Standard 4: Children exhibit positive interactions with other children and adults.
Standard 5: Children exhibit pro-social behaviors.
If you listen carefully and look around the room, you’ll see evidence of the many ways teachers support the social and emotional development of the children. We notice when children achieve their goals by reinforcing, “You did it all by yourself!” We encourage children to try again or try a different strategy when they start to feel frustrated. We ask children to look at each other’s faces when they have a conflict to identify how the other person is feeling. We spend time in meaningful conversation with the children every day, in order to model pro-social behaviors and conversation skills.
A child’s social and emotional development provides a foundation for later academic learning. Relationships with adults and peers exert a powerful influence on children’s overall development. The goals we set for children during this phase of their life will follow them through every stage of life.
