Fours (4 - 5 years)
Four-year-old’s are ready to expand their horizons to seek out information, explore new territory and make sense of all they encounter. The four-year-old program helps pre-schoolers develop reading and pre-math skills, as well as build social skills and self-confidence in an enriching, trusting environment. Our teachers work with children using hands-on learning experiences to build upon your children’s knowledge base and to reinforce concepts. The environment is closely monitored and we take advantage of learning opportunities to extend play and challenge children’s thinking and reasoning skills in a non-threatening way.
Areas of Development:
Language and Literacy: Your four-year-old's vocabulary now includes an average of 1,500 words. He can communicate elaborate stories by stringing up to eight words together at a time. His narratives will not only be about things that have happened to him, but also about dreams and fantasies. For the most part, his speech is quite clear, and grammatical errors occur less frequently.
Gross/Fine Motor Skills: The four-year old program continues to focus on the gross motor skills of your child. Vastly through play, by the end of this year, your child’s coordination and balance will be similar to that of an adult's. She is likely to be able to stand on her tiptoes, hop on one foot, turn somersaults and maybe even skip. Activities such as copying simple geometric patterns, printing letters, cutting and pasting, as well as painting with a paintbrush, will further hone your child’s fine motor skills.
Cognitive Skills: The curriculum addresses four-year-olds’ increasing cognitive skills, which include problem solving and logical thinking. Children will be encouraged to use their creativity and curiosity when they encounter new tasks, such as building a city out of blocks. To develop logical-thinking skills, teachers read carefully selected children’s books throughout the day, encouraging the children to answer questions and express opinions about the stories.
