The Three year old child

The three year old is at the very beginning of learning how to get along with others.

He starts to understand social skills like sharing and being kind. Three year olds often enjoy being with other children and they now begin to play together more. They are learning that other people are real and have feelings. In this year children delight in physical activity and will love to run, jump, climb, dance, ride their three-wheeled bikes and swing. Three year olds are now talking in simple sentences and there is so much going on inside their head that often it seems as though the words can’t come out fast enough to describe it all. They enjoy music and singing songs. They love being silly and saying silly words.  Reading is a favorite pastime of the three year old child.  They like to “read” and be read to. The Three year old child likes hands on activities and being involved in the process.

At St. Christopher Center for Children we offer a program where the three year old has a loving, safe and educational place to develop.  Our daily schedule includes time each morning to discover the world around them in science, math, art, movement and music, and religion.  Playing cooperatively and sharing is an important part of our three year old program.

The Four year old child

Four  year olds are moving out into the world and can usually play happily with other children and enjoy lots of physical games as well as stories.  Their sense of humor is developing and they are likely to laugh at funny situations.  Some of their behavior is “over the top” – noisy, boasting, exuberant.  They play quite complicated make believe and pretend games. Four year olds often ask lots of questions about the world and why it is the way it is. Four year olds can usually cut a straight line, copy their name, sort objects by size, and by what sort of thing they are for example color, shape, size.  Four year olds are developing confidence in their physical ability. They are able walk easily up and down steps, one foot to a step throw and catch, bounce and kick a ball and use a bat, climb ladders and trees. Four year olds are often great conversationalists and love to talk about the details of all sorts of scientific and important subjects. Your child needs to find out about all aspects of life and talking about things is a very important way of understanding how the world works.

In our four year old classes at St. Christopher Center for Children, the children will explore and develop their skills through a variety of hands on activities.  This is the age the children when begin to understand the concept of reading and writing and therefore, we provide literacy based activities (anything to do with the printed word) for the children in each room.   The children have time each day for exploring the science and math centers.  Art and religion are incorporated into the schedule daily. The friends made in the classes of the four year olds are friends for a lifetime.

The Pre-Kindergarten Child

St. Christopher Center for Children is committed in creating multi-disciplinary learning centers that encourage individual skills and emerging interests in the areas of creative expression, literacy, language and handwriting, math/manipulatives, technology, art, dramatic play, and outdoor learning.  The pre-kindergarten children need to be engaged intellectually, physically, emotionally, and socially. The pre-kindergarten child needs a variety of projects and activities that build upon established foundations for learning, with specific focus on advancing language ability, mathematical reasoning, and scientific thought. These children develop through independent work and in small groups, both in carefully-planned discovery centers and guided learning experiences.

At St. Christopher Center for Children our Pre- Kindergarten teachers target developmental and academic milestones in the areas of language and literacy, mathematical reasoning, and scientific investigation.  The teachers work closely with the area kindergarten teachers to ensure that our curriculum aligns with their curriculum and the kindergarten early learning concept standards. The pre-k teachers proudly Implements a curriculum that engages the individual child by providing a mix of independent, teacher-directed, and small group learning experiences and activities