Basic Beginnings

Teaching a child is the single most important responsibility of adults. The preschool years are critical in the formation of young minds. Teachers, caregivers, parents, grandparents, brothers and sisters, the barber, the grocer, the mailman, the firefighter, and the policeman all have a critical role in the experiences of a child. Everyone that comes into contact with a child has a role in molding this small child into a positive, secure, enthusiastic person. We all know that a loving, caring, safe environment is essential for a child to grow healthy and happy. We do not put enough emphasis on the role of the teacher/parent in the early childhood years. A consistent day is important so that the child feels comfortable with what comes next. It is imperative that we present the skills children need to be ready for that big step into the world of kindergarten. This can be a scary new world if our children are not confident in themselves and ready for the challenge. We need to help our children feel that learning is fun and to motivate them to be the best that they can be. I have seen over the years of teaching that so many teachers get caught up into the programs that are popular at the time and options for many different curriculums. We forget the true feeling of creative teaching. Lesson plans that take hours to do and then you don t get to half of what you have down in your plans. It is essential to have lesson plans to help us stay on track and help if you have a substitute that day. Our lesson plans are simple and they allow the caregiver to use their own creativity to carry out the objectives and elaborate in their own way. We cover all the essential elements for kindergarten. Each weekly lesson plan has the objectives to cover that week. There are five color pages, one for each day that reinforces the objectives. Children need to experience the creativity of self-expression. We do not advocate giving the children color papers during the day. This one sheet gives the caregiver the chance to sit down and talk with the child about what we are learning on this particular day. These sheets are large enough to give these little fingers an easy pattern to follow. The objectives given each week should be stressed every day. Children feel comfortable with the repetition and this will reinforce the objectives. Our children have left our program excited to move into this new world of kindergarten. They are prepared and enthusiastically ready to learn! These early years give you so many opportunities to have fun with the children and give them a positive way to look at learning. Take a beautiful day and go outside. We can teach the children so many ways to learn from the nature around us. What an invigorating way to learn! Take a walk! Not only are the children getting the exercise that they need desperately but also you can cover the objectives in such a concrete way... and they are listening. A child will remember the color blue by looking at the beautiful blue sky more than looking at a blue piece of construction paper. Looking at the color of the tree changing at different seasons of the year, looking at a bright red bird that flew by, or just taking time to watch the little ants working so hard to achieve their task (cooperation). The cat that went under that house and the geese are flying over the house. I think you can get the picture...These are real life experiences that a child will remember. We want you to take these lesson plans each week and find a creative way to make them your own. Take time each day to listen to your children!