The early years of life can shape what children believe, how they think, and who they will become.
Our Curriculum
Our curriculum at Blooming Preschool is based on current research that supports developmentally appropriate practices and academics. Developmentally appropriate practices are those that take into account the way children develop and learn. We support the interest of each child through hands-on experiences with materials and concepts. We believe children discover and learn by making the decisions needed to work through activities. Teachers create lesson plans around weekly curriculum themes. Each week, teachers will focus on specific letters, numbers, colors, shapes, and sight words. Blooming preschool practices skills to build healthy social and emotional development, self-control, and have a positive attitude towards life. Each day at Blooming Preschool begins with the mindfulness practice: “May I be thankful, may I be healthy, may I have peace.”
Child Guidance
Guiding children in our program involves patience, safety, routine, and setting clear rules and expectations. Our teachers are passionate, professional individuals who have studied child development at a college level. Each teacher meets state requirements, is fingerprinted, and completes training upon hiring. Teachers are expected to follow their class schedule to maintain consistency and act in a way that represents our mission and values. Our teachers also participate in monthly meetings to stay up to date in the field of early education and licensing regulations. Our staff model appropriate behavior and treat students and families with respect. We comfort children and show them ways to regulate emotions to become self-sufficient at school and at home. Teachers guide children with attention, care, and realistic expectations for their age and stage of development.
At Blooming Preschool, we make every effort to connect school and home together open communication and partnership to meet each child’s needs.
Language and Literacy Development
Children in our program are encouraged to talk, sing, make-up rhymes and listen to stories to improve their literacy skills and oral language skills. Our teachers provide tools and opportunities for children to experience written material, self-expression, storytelling, new vocabulary, and interactions with peers. Blooming Preschool incorporates American Sign Language and welcome opportunities to learn different languages.
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1. Listening Skills
-Music/Songs
-Instruments
-Listening to stories
-Recall comprehension (understanding and retaining what is being said)
-Descriptive Language (advanced)
2. Alphabet/Letters:
-Recognition & song
-Alphabet sequence
-Sounds/Phonics
-Tracing/Writing Practice Skills (staying in the line)
-Upper and Lowercase (connection)
-Direction they face (always correct the child)
-Words (pronunciation & what letters they begin with)
-Songs/Rhymes/ASL
-Sight words (advanced)
3. Writing Skills
-Pincer grip introduction and fine motor skills (building hand muscles)
-Recognizing difference between lines and shapes
-Beginning handwriting/free drawing/scribbling (finger placement)
-Tracing (staying in the lines)
- Writing (coordinating eyes with hand movement)
-Mastering moving hand across the body left to right
-Understanding what letters/words represent
Developmental Sequence of Pre-Writing Skills
• Vertical Line – 2-year-olds may imitate a teacher’s drawing of this line; 3-year-olds (and older) may be able to see a drawn line and copy it without prompting. This line is usually mastered by 3-year-olds.
• Horizontal Line – Older 2s (mid-year 2s) may imitate this line; 3s can copy and master it.
• Circle Shape – Older 2s imitate; 3s can copy and master it.
• Cross Shape – Older 3s may imitate; 4s can copy the shape.
• Square Shape – 4-year-olds can imitate and copy this shape.
• Left/Right Diagonal Lines – Older 4s (mid-year) may imitate and copy this shape.
• X Shape – 5-year-olds can imitate and copy this shape.
• Triangle – 5-year-olds can imitate and copy this shape.
- Punctuation/Complete sentences (advanced)
4. Name: First & Last
-Response to name/picture of themselves
-Repeats/states their name
-Recognition (on cubbies, work, or flashcards)
-Spelling/Writing (is it correct? Are the letters switched?)
Cognitive and Mathematical Development
Our program offers activities that include counting, determining more or less, larger or smaller, how many, recognizing patterns, shapes, and developing a sense of time awareness. Teachers encourage students to question, use problem solving skills, use classifying skills, and find ways to explore numbers and what they represent.
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1. Observation: Using the senses
Observing is the first step in gathering information. Children use their senses to observe attributes such as color, size, sweet/sour, texture, and soft/crunchy.
2. Problem Solving:
Real experiences and games.
Convergent problem solving is the ability to gather individual pieces of information together in one’s mind and come to a single solution to a problem.
Divergent problem solving is the ability to gather many pieces of information and consider a variety of possible solutions to a problem. “Thinking outside the box.”
3. Language:
Use math language throughout the day as well as during activities. Introduce new words with activities such as “This is a pattern! Red, white, red, white.”
Other examples of math language we use in preschool are heavy, light, tall, short, round, rectangular, add to, take away, etc.
4. One-To-One Correspondence
This is the understanding that one group of items has the same number of items as another. It is any activity where the children match one thing to another thing.
For example, one cup to one person.
5. Number Sense
Number Sense is the concept of understanding number by making connections between quantities, counting, more, less, etc.
6. Shapes
At this age, students will identifying basic shape names and comparing, sorting, classifying and drawing them.
Development: Identify, recognize, 2D, 3D, how many faces, edges, sides, vertices, real examples of shapes, and practicing composing and decomposing shapes...etc.
It is also important to teach symmetry with the help of basic shapes for kids. This will help them understand how to position themselves and develop motor skills.
7. Spatial Sense/Positions
Spatial sense is the ability to place items in the correct spaces or places using a logical design or a pattern. As an example, we see this when children are working on puzzles.
Positional and directional terms such as inside/outside, left/middle/right, top/middle/bottom, above/below, beside/next to, etc.
8. Comparing:
Comparing is the ability to identify similarities in items or groups. Once children have had time to explore items, they begin to compare by noticing similarities and differences such colors, weights and sizes of apples.
9. Sets and Classifying
Creating sets is the ability to make groups of items in a logical way. It requires the skill of classifying.
Classifying is a higher level skill than comparing. After observing and comparing, the children can take the information learned and begin sorting, classifying, and grouping in logical ways.
They begin to separate items based on observations. They may separate items by size, by color, etc.
As adults we sort every day, putting away groceries, sorting laundry, sorting mail, etc.
10. Patterning
Patterns are the ability to place items in a specific order that repeats such as:
Patterning a pompom caterpillar in an AB pattern—yellow, blue, yellow, blue
ABC - yellow, blue, orange, yellow, blue, orange
Patterning the children in a line—boy, girl, boy, girl
Patterns by size: long/short, tall/short, wide/narrow, light/heavy, holds more/less, etc.
Patterns are all around us: music, art, building design, nature, etc.
11. Counting
There are 2 types of counting.
Rote Counting- reciting numbers in order from memory.
Rational Counting- is counting items in a group and then understanding that the last number stated IS the amount for the set.
12. Measurement
Measuring includes many areas such as volume, weight, length, height, temperature, and time.
13. Parts and Wholes
Parts & Wholes is an early fraction skill! At this age, children learn the basics of parts and wholes. Some examples in preschool are:
If we break a Graham Cracker (a whole) in half, we have 2 pieces and each of those pieces (the parts) are rectangles! We can rip or cut a piece of paper (a whole) in little pieces (parts).
14. Numbers and Symbols
When referring to Numbers and Symbols, we are referring to the understanding that a specific number is a symbol, and that symbol stands for a set of specific items. <, >, +,-, =, etc.
15. Simple Graphing
Graphing is a way of recording or communicating observations and data that the children have learned.
Physical Development
Physical activities in our program help build strong bodies, boost cognitive function, improve social skills, reduce stress, and promotes better sleep. Children in our program participate in large and small motor skills inside and outside of the classrooms. Our playground is spacious with a variety of safe play equipment.
Teachers encourage students to practice personal health and safety. Activities can be child-initiated and teacher-initiated. They will involve group time games, free choice times, outdoor play, and dancing. Children are provided with appropriate meals, snacks, and rest times to support physical growth.
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1. Improves Brain Function
Regular exercise during childhood can improve memory, attention, and thinking skills. Physical activity stimulates the growth of new brain cells and strengthens the connections between existing neurons, which helps enhance learning and problem-solving abilities.
2. Better Social Skills
Physical activity also provides opportunities for children to socialize and develop essential social skills. Participating in team sports, for example, can help children learn to communicate, cooperate, and respect others. Team sports can also help build self-esteem and confidence as children work toward achieving common goals with their peers.
3. Help the body relax and reduce stress
Physical activity is also an excellent way for children to manage stress and anxiety. Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals, which can help reduce stress and anxiety levels. This can be particularly beneficial for children who struggle with external stressors.
4. Improves Sleep
Regular physical activity has also been linked to better sleep for children. Exercise promotes relaxation and helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, making it easier for children to fall and stay asleep. Improved sleep quality can benefit children with improved mood, better academic performance, and a reduced risk of obesity and other health problems.
Personal and Social Development
Children in our program are included, seen, and heard. We want students to feel comfortable and confident in their classroom. Teachers work on building trust to improve their ability to connect with adults, their environment, their friendships, and ensure they feel a sense of belonging. Children are encouraged to develop self-concept, self-worth, and self-control while interacting with others and proper conflict resolutions. Our teachers encourage manners, character education, and developmentally appropriate changes in age. Teachers support friendships and positive memories at school.
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1. 2 years, toddlers:
• Copy others, especially adults and older children
• Get excited when with other children
• Show more and more independence
• Show defiant behavior (doing what he has been told not to do)
• Play mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children like in chase games
• Know names of familiar people
• Play simple make-believe games
2. 3 years, preschoolers:
• Copy adults and friends
• Show affection for friends without prompting
• Take turns in games
• Show concern for crying friend
• Understand the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Show a wide range of emotions
• Separate easily from mom and dad
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• Dress and undress self
• Name a friend
• Carry on a conversation using 2-3 sentences
• Play make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
3. 4 years, preschoolers:
• Enjoy doing new things
• Play “mom” and “dad”
• Is more creative with make-believe play
• Would rather play with other children than by himself/herself
• Cooperate with other children
• Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Talk about what they like and what they are interested in
• Understand the idea of “same” and “different”
• Play board or card games
4. 5 years, preschoolers:
• Want to please friends
• Want to be like friends
• More likely to agree with rules
• Like to sing, dance, and act
• Show concern and sympathy for others
• Are aware of gender
• Can tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Show more independence (for example, may visit a next-door neighbor by himself but adult supervision is still required)
• Sometimes demanding and sometimes very cooperative
Emotional Development
Children in our program experience pride, self-confidence, develop independence, self-control, and have a positive attitude towards life. Students and staff start the day with a mindfulness practice of “May I be thankful, may I be healthy, may I have peace.” as they start and end their daily preschool experience.
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Birth to one: Noticing Emotions
-Comfort/Discomfort
-Trust
-Attachment bond
-Basic Needs
-Face expressions
Two to Three: Expressing Emotions
-Tantrums vs Meltdown
-Experimenting how to express emotions
-Testing Boundaries
-Connecting Feelings with Words
Three to Five: Managing Emotions
-Independance
-Expressing emotions
-Accepting Consequences
-Setting Boundaries
-New Social Settings
-Handling Change
Creative Arts
In our program we encourage children to express their creativity through art, self-expression, dance, music, and dramatic play. Teachers use different tools for activities to allow children to explore their own creativity. Children are exposed to a wide variety of ideas and experiences in the arts indoor and outdoor.
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Creativity: Art allows children to express their thoughts, feelings, and ideas in unique ways. Whether preschoolers are drawing a picture of their family or painting an imaginary scene, creative activities help them develop confidence in their ideas. Art can be messy and there is no right or wrong when children express their art.
Fine Motor Skills: Tasks like cutting, painting, or gluing help strengthen the small muscles in their hands. These skills are important for future writing, buttoning clothes, and other daily tasks.
Cognitive Skills: Art projects often involve decision-making, problem-solving, and planning. Our craft activities relate to our monthly themes that the teachers have prepared for the week.
Supports Language Development: As children create, they naturally describe what they’re doing, introducing new vocabulary. Discussions about colors, textures, and materials expand their language skills.
Enhances Sensory Exploration: Using various materials like clay, paint, and collage items engages children’s senses. This hands-on experience helps preschoolers explore new textures, strengthen observational skills, and better understand how to use tools.
Scientific Thinking
Our program encourages observations, exploration, and experimentation. Children focus on the world they know and understand. They pay attention to how things work and how teachers do things. Our teachers understand that knowledge grows from the child’s innate need to discover. Our teachers find opportunities to show students how the world works through the use of five senses, questioning, measuring, predicting, and analyzing to explore the world we live in.
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Sense of Sight
Sight is the process of perceiving the world through the eyes. The eye perceives light, and the brain interprets it as visual images.Sense of Smell
Smell is stimulated by chemical receptors in the nose and upper airway.Sense of Hearing
Hearing is the brain interpreting vibrations in the inner ears as sound information.Sense of Touch
Touch is communicated between neurons in the skin and brain. These sensations can be pressure, pain, temperature, and vibration. Touch is more than just a sense used to interact with the physical world. It is also recognized as essential to human wellbeing.Sense of Taste
Taste is made up of the perception of five flavors, sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory. Taste is sensed through the taste buds on the tongue. The tongue’s sides are more sensitive than the middle.