Our PreSchool Blog

During group time today, the Toddlers enjoyed the poem, “5 Little Pumpkins Sitting on a Gate”. They are doing a great job sitting down and turning on their listening ears! While listening to the poem, the children used their fine motor skills to move the magnetic pumpkins on our big board. The boys and girls are doing a wonderful job identifying the color orange around the room!

Old McDonald has a farm e-i-e-i-o.. and on this farm he has a cow! During group time we  talked about cows having spots, making milk, and eating grass. During our art center, the boys and girls used their fine motor skills to grip circle stampers. The children placed spots all over the cows body!

Today the Toddlers worked on their fine motor skills. One of our objectives this month is for the boys and girls to tear paper. Since it was a rainy day we decided to spice it up and fill a pool with streamers. The children loved tearing and pinching the different colored paper! Tearing paper helps refine small muscle movements that will later help with gripping writing utensils and holding scissors.

One of the first words children learn to read and write is their name. Children hear their name all throughout the day. Names are personal, meaningful, and recognizable. Today we searched for the first letter in each child’s names. Some of the children held onto the letter throughout the day. They recognized it as “their” letter that stands for “their” name.  We reviewed the letters with the boys and girls as well as went over color recognition with them as they dropped the letter in the bucket. Learning letters is  something we work on with our Toddlers everyday. It build self confidence within the child and helps give them a sense of identity!

The Toddlers have been reading “Color Farm” by Lois Elhert during group time. Each day the children review the shapes and colors throughout the book. Today we focused on the color orange because it is the color of the month! The boys and girls found different objects around the room and placed them on the matching mat.  Look at what they found!

During group time this month, the Toddlers have been working on a leaf poem. The boys and girls rake, pile, toss, and dance in the leaves. With the season changing, we were able to do this fun activity during our gross-motor outside time! I bet you can’t guess what their favorite part of the song is… Toss the leaves!

Today the Toddlers read “Mrs. Wishy Washy” during group time. The children like to interact and make washing sounds as the animals get baths! During art, the boys and girls used their fine motor skills to grasp the stampers as well as their hand and eye coordination to place the “mud” on the pigs. We also reviewed the colors pink and brown.

“Oh, lovely mud,” said the pig and he rolled in it!

Today the toddlers worked on the concept of front/back and forward/backward. We read the story “Freight Train” by Donald Crews. While listening to the story, the boys and girls decided which was the front and back of the train. They did a great job identifying all of the colors of the train cars. After the story, the children made their own train and practiced walking forward and backward. They did a great job using gentle hands and following directions!

Reading to Toddlers lays the foundation for later independent reading. Not only does reading help develop speech skills and build on vocabulary, it also helps with logical thinking and enhanced concentration. Reading with your child is a nurturing experience where you can sit and have quality quiet time with your child. Toddlers are extremely interested in books. They enjoy looking at pictures and turing the pages. Allow time to read to your child everyday and you will be amazed how much they pick up from shape recognition to letter sounds. Check out how much the boys and girls love to look at books at school!