Fours

Approaches to Play and Learning

Because children learn best through teacher-facilitated play-based activities – with friends and on their own – our preschool program balances free play with child-initiated and teacher-directed and group activities. We always take different levels of ability and learning styles into consideration when developing appropriate activities for this age group to ensure each child’s needs are met in our childhood learning program.

Cognitive Development

Preschoolers engage in learning experiences that continue to expand on concepts related to science, math, and more. Children learn such skills as classification, organization, patterning, linear equations, addition, and subtraction through hands-on, meaningful, and relevant planned learning program experiences. Our early childhood education program teacher staff nurtures this growth through social studies, science, math, dramatic play, and creative movement.

Communication and Literacy Development

The more children practice writing or make writing motions in fun ways, the more they want to do it and the better they get at it. Our preschool program classrooms offer many ways for children to scribble and write. In addition, our four-year-olds participate in explorations of other cultures and languages that introduce new vocabulary words through our Country of the Month, creating engaging ways to grow their language skills and spark a love of reading and writing. Our preschool teachers are dedicated to creating enriching learning opportunities in our learning program.

Physical Development

Strengthening fine motor skills is important for this age group. In our preschool classrooms, children in our early childhood education program are encouraged to turn pages in books, scoop and pour sand and water, stack blocks, link and connect beads, squeeze play dough, clay, and sponges, use tongs and tweezers to pick up small objects, shake musical instruments, string, and lace, stir, use spatulas and dress up in dramatic play. Our preschool teachers provide a wide range of physical development learning opportunities for children in our childhood program.

Social and Emotional Development

By this age, children are developing peer relationships and discovering self-discipline and control. Our focus on character education and service learning, as part of our early childhood education program, also helps preschoolers learn the importance of being a good neighbor. Our preschool teachers model such traits as gratitude and empathy, and then intentionally comment when they see children using each trait. Our Heart Projects help to deepen preschoolers’ understanding of these traits and give them confidence in their abilities to contribute to solving real-world problems, like supporting research for childhood cancer or helping children in need. Our learning program ensures holistic early child development.

Weekly Spanish

While you’re at work, your child will be taking on new adventures in new languages. Our four-year-olds participate in a weekly Spanish lesson, during which time, our experienced language preschool teachers use fun lessons that incorporate music and play to give early exposure to other cultures in our childhood education program.

Kindergarten Ready

At Big Blue Marble Academy, being kindergarten-ready means our students have developed their fine motor skills, have already begun to explore the building blocks of math and science, are learning key social and emotional skills, and have experience with authentic writing and other precursors for literacy. What’s more, we’ve helped to foster a love of learning that encourages problem-solving and an “I Can” attitude through our early childhood education programs. Finally, our highly trained childhood education teacher staff plays a crucial role in providing ample learning opportunities in our academy’s childhood programs.