Preschool and Pre-K Curriculum
St. Michael’s uses The Creative Curriculum System for Preschool which supports our belief that the most important goal of curriculum is for children to get along well with others and become enthusiastic learners. We want children to become independent, self-confident, and curious learners. We teach them how to learn in all areas of their life. This is accomplished by creating purposeful and productive hands on exploration and discovery that helps build lifelong critical thinking skills and foster confidence.
Our curriculum identifies goals in four areas of development:
Social/emotional
To help children develop independence, self-confidence, and self -control; follow rules and routines, make friends; and learn what it means to be part of a group
Physical
To increase children’s large muscle skills (balancing, running, jumping, throwing, catching) and to use small muscles in their hands to do tasks like buttoning, stringing beads, cutting, drawing, and writing
Cognitive
To acquire thinking skills such as the abilities to solve problems, to ask questions, and to think logically – sorting, classifying, comparing, counting, and making patterns – and to use material and their imagination to show what they have learned
Language
To use words to communicate with others, listen to and participate in conversations, with others, understand the purpose of print, recognize letters and words, and begin writing for a purpose
St. Michael’s embraces the “learn through play” model and follows all Delaware Stars and state licensing requirements.
Example of Daily Preschool/Pre-K Schedule
*What the Learning Centers teach children:
Blocks
• Children learn coordination by the practice of reaching, picking up, stacking, lifting, carrying, and
fitting things together. Blocks also teach pre-math skills through concepts of shape, size, proportion,
counting and grouping.
• Compare heights and learn geometric shapes
• Use vocabulary to compare objects
• Develop hand/eye coordination
• Understand gravity, stability, weight and balance
Dramatic Play
• Children who know how to make believe develop a good vocabulary, important for reading and
problem solving. They learn to use oral language in a variety of situations
• Match pairs, sort and classify objects
• Practice self-help skills
• Life skills likr buttoning, zipping, and tying through dress-up play
Science
• Children learn about classifying, weighing, measuring, temperature and volume concepts.
Playing with science toys (for example, magnets and magnifying glasses) captured their attention.
• Manipulative area
• Form groups by sorting and matching
• Repeat a simple pattern using objects
• Develop fine motor skills
• Experience counting objects