It was just a short couple of minutes.
It was affirming to see so many children busy with activities in that short time.
Children were busy playing AND learning.
This is more than just playing with stickers. This is language as the teacher and child named the items on the stickers, talked about the colors, etc. This is fine motor coordination and growth. This is emergent literacy as they used and named letters on the stickers.
This is a group of boys playing with pegs and shapes with holes. This is also boys categorizing as they match colored pegs to their shape. This is eye-hand coordination. This is balance and counting as the stacks started going up. This is social skills as one child found a green one for his friend.
Aww, what a sweet interaction. This is also confidence building. Ms. MaryBeth had asked a child to “help” her out of the chair. He did so with pride. This little one wanted to be helpful too. Look at her face. Look at her pride. It’s important learning to know you are capable and helpful.
Children love the train table. These are two of our youngest playing and learning about give and take with others. This is little eyes building eye-tracking skills that are so important for reading. This is children experimenting with gravity as the trains go faster down the hill.
Children are busy gluing down shapes. Children are also learning about patterns and order in our world; both visual and procedural. You have to put the glue on first, THEN add the shape. You can read more about the importance of visual patterns on this post. PATTERNING
This is exploration with paint and art. This is also learning about a procedural process. Our world is full of processes such as filling your car with gas, baking a cake, and even building a car on an assembly line. This is also a child experiencing a new art technique called print making.
Let’s make spiders. This is important fine motor strengthening. This is one to one connection as they match legs to dots. This is counting. This is biology as we talk and learn about spiders.
Who doesn’t love to play store with a cash register. This is also number recognition and exploration. This is playing with others and trying on roles we see in our community.
“Who has the longest?” I loved seeing the pride of accomplishment on these boys faces. Counting and number awareness are the basis of math. This is also language development as we used the words, longer, shorter, bigger, littlest, etc. I also enjoyed watching the little guy observing the action. There is learning in observation too.
Aldersgate Preschool 