A preschool curriculum is normally very flexible to suit the child’s abilities. Learning in these first years of life should focus on fun and play instead of a very structured learning experience.
Children learn a lot through everyday play and interaction with other people. Talking and reading to small child are two of the most important things a parent can do. They way you talk to the child are very important. They can learn basic colors, for instance, within a very informal environment. By repetitively hearing the parent refer to a certain color the child will soon recognize the color.
There are resources available on the internet that will assist you in designing your own curriculum around your child’s interests. At learningtreasures.com the process is explained step by step.
There are also many companies that sell ready made curriculums if you are interested in rather buying the curriculum.
There are certain aspects that should be addressed in the preschool curriculum.
Academic Skills
Reading, writing, math, science and social studies should be covered. At the age of four a child should have reached a specific level in all these areas to be ready for the Kindergarten years. In writing, for example, the child should be able to copy letters and words. In math they should be able to count to a 100 and recognize numbers up to a 100.
Readiness Skills
A few thing they should be able to do at this age is : folding a paper in half, draw simple pictures, line up objects from small to large or the other way around, know own and parents’ names, address and telephone numbers.
Manners
The child must be able to assist in small tasks around the house such as packing away toys or other objects. Normally a child of this age can assist in taking care of a pet and answer the telephone correctly.
Personal Care
A child of this age should be able to dress and bath themselves. Parents might need to keep an eye on some areas such as brushing teeth.
At the website discountschoolsupply.com there is a parent resource area where specific outcomes are explained. Parents can use this as a check list to determine if their children are meeting these outcomes for every specific year.
