Definitions of Curriculum Areas

    Children’s play is a very vital and important part of their development.  An abundance of skills and abilities are learned and enhanced by children’s basic need to play and experience.  In the following 11 areas of our curriculum, you will find these skills and abilities children learn and develop through their play.

Blocks - Art - Sand & Water - Listening Center - Dramatic Play - Library

Music & Movement - Outdoors - Manipulatives - Discovery - Writing Center

    Blocks:

            Providing a variety of blocks with props allows children to be creative in their building:  towers, fences, roads, buildings, houses, animal cages, etc.  They learn how the blocks fit together and what works and doesn’t work.  They problem-solve, share ideas with their friends, and role-play when using the props. 

            When using different shapes and sizes of blocks, they learn the patterns, comparison of the shapes and sizes, length, and area.  When putting the blocks back on the shelf, they come to recognize the different shapes and match them to their correct place on the shelf.  Playing with blocks also promotes eye-hand coordination when constructing.

            Language and communication is encouraged by giving the children an opportunity to discuss their work, ask questions, and expand their thinking.  They learn to value their own work and the work of others.

    Art:

            Art provides young children with an opportunity to express their thoughts and ideas.  It can even be an outlet for some children to express these thoughts and ideas from particular events in their own lives.  It allows for creativity, individuality, and originality in their work.

            For physical development, children learn to develop their small muscles when, for example, cutting or tearing paper and kneading playdough.  This small muscle control leads to controlled writing.  These writing skills can be enhanced when they are encouraged to write down what they have created.

            Cognitively they learn colors, shapes, sizes, lines, and cause and effect when mixing colors.  They gain new vocabulary as well:  thin, thick, gooey, sculpture, palette, squish, etc.

    Sand and Water:

            A wonderful sensory experience!  The feel of sand.  The smell of  shaving cream.  The sight of purple water on the water wheel.  The sound of seeds dumping. 

            The fun of a sand and water table is the possibilities are endless!  We don’t have to stop at sand and water.  Children like to play with many different things:  flour, bird seed, corn meal, Easter grass, leaves, goop, ice, etc.  Through the exploration of these different materials, many skills are developed.

            Children observe, compare, measure, and problem-solve when filling buckets, pouring water, or digging for treasure.  They discover differences like wet and dry sand, or cold, hot, and frozen water.

            Small and large muscles can be developed when digging, scooping, pouring, stacking, or driving a car or boat.  This also develops eye-hand coordination.

            Communication and social skills are also learned when children discuss the things to build together and “what would happen if…”.  The vocabulary is endless:  splash, sprinkle, pour, shallow, deep, sink, float, disappear, gooey, cold, icky, sticky, etc.  It is fun to listen to children explain what bird seed might feel like when poured into their hands or what shaving cream smells like.    

 Playing in the sand and water table can be a soothing experience for young children.  There is value in successfully building a sand castle, imagining you are a dinosaur in the jungle, or learning to care for and bathe a baby doll.  Children learn to value their work and the work of others.

    Listening Center:

            In the listening center, children listen to storybooks on tape.  This promotes auditory (hearing) and visual skills.   They hear the words being read (auditory) and follow along in the book (visual). 

            Learning to read is a process that children have to go through.  They learn the letters of the alphabet.  When these letters are put together, they form words.  When the words are put together, they make sentences.  Sentences grouped together then make stories.  This process is referred to as print awareness.  They also learn that words go left to right on the page when they follow along in the book,

            When listening to stories, children hear the expression in the author’s or reader’s voice.  They will even listen to the same story several times.  This may encourage them to write their own stories or to read to a family member or friend.  They also gain language and vocabulary.

    Dramatic Play:

            In this area of curriculum, children are inspired to imagine!  They act out experiences from their own lives or role-play ones experienced through books.  For some children, this may even be a healing process. 

            Math skills, such as counting, matching, sorting, classifying, sequencing, and measuring are learned when children set the table for supper, count money for the grocery store, or measure ingredients for a recipe.  They learn from each other by sharing and communicating ideas and problem-solving together. 

            In the Dramatic play area, language is a guarantee.  Children talk with each other about their lives, their experiences, or their ideas.  They learn to hold conversations with other children and adults.  It is often enjoyable just to sit and watch children play in this area.  Their ideas are endless.

            The Dramatic play area is also a great place to encourage reading and writing.  Children can write recipes, read menus, write grocery list, fill out doctor bills, etc.

    Library:

            All aspects of literacy are introduced in the library area:  reading, writing, listening, and speaking.  It is a place for a child to get away alone in a quiet, relaxing area. 

Through books, children learn about the world around them, the culture that they live and other cultures of the world.  They can relate to their own life experiences or desire to create a new experience (which can be played out in the Dramatic play area).  They develop empathy for other people’s experiences. 

An interesting or captivating book can encourage children to ask questions, share ideas, or write their own similar story.  They begin to realize that words have meaning and that reading is done left to right on the page.  Cognitively, they learn about shapes, sizes, colors, or patterns depending on the content of the book.

Much research has been done about the importance of reading with young children.  It is linked to the amount of success a child has in school.  The more they are exposed to books, the more beneficial it will be for them as they continue through the school years.

    Music and Movement:

            Music is a universal part of our culture.  There are many different forms and types of music and each evokes a different emotion.  Everyone has their preference about what kind of music they like, so introducing these different forms of music to children is important.  They can also learn to appreciate other cultures through music. 

            When songs are sung together it can make children feel like a part of the group.  For example, “The More We Get Together” includes each of the children’s names present within the group.  Cooperation and social skills are learned when playing musical games such as “The Hokey Pokey” and “A Tisket, A Tasket”.

            Active songs and games help children become aware of the different ways their bodies move.  The learn eye-hand coordination, left to right correspondence, and counting skills.   Small and large muscles are developed when marching, doing fingerplays, or playing musical instruments.  The instruments can help introduce sounds and rhythms.

            When listening to music, they hear rhythm and rhyming words and they use their listening skills to follow directions.

    Outdoors:

            What is great about the outdoors is that almost everything done inside the classroom can also be done outside.  Each of the areas of the curriculum can be extended to outdoors.

            It is almost second nature for children to discover and observe the outside world around them:  bugs, wind, rain, sun, leaves, trees, etc.  This hands-on exploration of nature is done when collecting bugs, planting the garden, flying a kite, comparing leaves, and just watching animals.

            Physical exercise is a guarantee.  Children’s small muscles are developed when they dig, collect bugs, or use sidewalk chalk.  Their large muscles are developed when they run, jump, climb, crawl, swing, etc.  There is a sense of accomplishment when a skill such as catching and throwing a ball or skipping is successfully completed. 

            Social skills such as cooperation, taking turns, and sharing are also learned when children share equipment such as balls, buckets and shovels, and tricycles.  This can help with children’s problem-solving skills when children have to share between two tricycles. 

            Reading and writing can also be enhanced outdoors.  Children can be encouraged to write down the things they see, hear, or feel, -or- how many, what color, and what size something is.  Encourage children to write with sidewalk chalk, paint a picture, or read and write the road signs they see.

            On the days when it isn’t possible to go outside, this can be a great way to discuss with the children why.  The children can observe why and be aware of the reasons first hand:  too hot, too cold, raining, snowing, or storming.

    Manipulative:

            In this area, children use many skills while simply sitting at the table or on the floor:  Lego’s, unifix cubes, small blocks, dominoes, marbles, buttons, board games, etc.  This is a quiet activity that children can do alone or with a friend or adult.  They learn cooperation, sharing, and turn-taking when playing together.  They read and memorize the rules of a game.  When children discover that they have completed a task successfully or that they have “won the game”, it develops confidence.

            When counting, sorting, classifying, sequencing, patterning, or building they develop their small muscle skills and eye-hand coordination while also improving their problem solving and math skills. 

            Language and communication is enhanced when children develop new ideas, share ideas among each other, write down their findings, or discover new words when playing games. 

    Discovery:

            When you do or see something, have you ever wondered “How did it do that?”  or “What happens if I do this?” or  “Why did it do that?”  Children are naturally curious and wonder about the world around them.  They discover through their 5 senses:  sight, smell, taste, hear, and feel.  Giving children opportunity to act upon the things they see or do sparks their curiosity.  They observe, experiment, pose questions, wonder aloud, and make predictions which all enhance their thinking and problem solving skills. 

            When children discover together, they learn cooperation and sharing of ideas.  When they make a correct prediction, they are more likely to experiment with other things.  This is just natural curiosity.

            Language is enhanced when children write down their questions or predictions, make a chart about their findings, or record the results of an experiment.  Books are also a great way to learn about the world around us!

            When taking care of pets and plants, children learn how to be responsible and safe.  They learn the duties and care it takes to keep it alive and healthy.  This is a great lead in to how we take care of our own bodies.

            Motor skills and eye-hand coordination are enhanced as well when children, for example, squeeze a clothespin or pull a rope.  Cognitive and math skills are developed when measuring, estimating, or comparing.

    Writing Center:

            The writing center is where children are given the opportunity to write, write, write.  They discover writing can be an outlet when they are angry, sad, happy, excited, bored, or just want to write a letter to their best friend.  They discover that writing letters and words has a purpose.  They can write or draw their own ideas or share ideas and experiences with their friends.

            Writing can be encouraged by providing different materials and situations in which to write.  Different materials include pens, pencils, markers, erasers, clipboards, note cards, notebook paper, envelopes, etc.  Different situations include menus for restaurants, recipes, road signs, posters, letters at the post office, etc. 

            When children are given an individual journal, they are encouraged to use it to write their own experiences or to express themselves.  Some children use far more detail in their pictures and writing than other children.  This can give teachers and parents insight into their child’s world.  They have something that belongs to them which gives them a sense of ownership. 

            Writing helps children develop memory and communication.  It also encourages more reading.

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