Preschool Curriculum

Curriculum Goals & Objectives
The children learn at Happy Harbor by doing. We emphasize the 5 senses as a tool to enhance development. The activities we do at school may look like “play” and it is! Remember that children learn better through play and hands-on experience than by pencil and paper work. Here at Happy Harbor we encourage kinesitic activities rather than stifling the child’s development by forcing them to sit at a table and do work that their eyes, hands and muscles are not ready to do. Research and tests show that the total development of a child occurs best with hands-on learning. The following list of readiness skills is just a beginning of their learning.

Physical
• To develop large motor muscles through outdoor activities (run, jump, hop, skip, balance, climb, etc.)
• To develop coordination, strength and agility through use of balls, swings, bikes, and other playground apparatuses.
• To develop small motor muscles through manipulative activities (craft, finger plays and blocks).
• To learn to cut with scissors.

Phonics Readiness
• Recognize alphabet
• Print name
• Copy shapes
• Match shapes, color, objects, etc.
• Develop listening skills

 

Math Readiness
• Measuring (size, length, height, weight, quantity)
• Ordering/sequencing
• Special Concepts
• Comparison/contrast
• Marking X,O
• Positional words: Top, bottom, middle, over, under, in, out, between, up, down.
• Size difference: small, smaller, smallest, large, largest, same size, etc.