Pre-K Goals & Curriculum
The Pre-K child’s world is rapidly expanding. While the children are very much focused on themselves and their families, they also are excited to learn about the world around them. Children at this age are developing both their independence and sociability. Children in Pre-K have a lot of energy and curiosity and our classrooms offer innovative and hands on experiences to support their enthusiasm for learning. Inquiry and play continue to be the vehicle through which children learn in Pre-K. Language, emergent literacy, math, collaboration, and cooperation continue to help the children build the strong foundational skills to succeed in school and life.
In Pre-K, our children are immersed in a bilingual environment, in which one teacher in each classroom speaks to the children only in Hebrew, while the other two teachers speak in English.
Themes for this year may include
- Rosh Hashana
- Animals
- Sukkot
- Transportation
- Construction
- Family
- The Four Seasons
- The Five Senses
- Self
- Shapes
- Voting
- Thanksgiving
- Musical Instruments
- Chanukah
- Tu B’Shvat
- Trees
- Flowers
- Purim
- Israel
- Pesach
- Yom Ha’Atzmaut
- Shavuot
The Pre-K curriculum offers both new thematic curriculum and previously experienced and now expanded units that incorporate the more developed cognitive abilities of the Pre-K child. The teacher will select themes that are appropriate for the class and make changes that reflect the interests of the children. We encourage emergent curriculum in our Pre-K program. Throughout the day, block play, dramatic play, art activities, sand and water play, outdoor play, cooking, circle time, story time, and music all facilitate growth and development. At this age, children enjoy dramatic and fantasy play, and we encourage children to use their imaginations and creativity in their play. Dramatic play helps children develop language that is more vivid and spontaneous. Many of these activities are experienced in small groups to ensure that each child is actively engaged in all parts of our program.
While understanding that children develop and mature as individuals at different rates, there are basic milestones that each child should reach through the Pre-K experience. Through daily interaction with other children, teachers, and materials, children will continue to develop in the following areas throughout the year: