Windsor Nursery & Daycare

rules

Self-Help and Intrapersonal Skills

Children must learn how to manage their behavior and their affairs:

*Taking care of personal needs, such as dressing (e.g., tying, buttoning, zipping) and knowing what clothes to wear
*Eating skills (e.g., using utensils, napkins, and a cup or glass; setting a table)
*Health skills (e.g., how to wash and bathe, how to brush one’s teeth)
*Grooming skills (e.g., combing hair, cleaning nails)

Approaches to Learning

Approaches to learning (also known as dispositions to learning) include these components:

*Self-regulation of attention and behavior
*Effective social skills to develop a positive relationship with others
*Positive attitude toward learning
*Self-motivation for learning
*Listening skills
*Ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans
*Understanding, accepting, and following rules and routines
*Finding more than one solution to a question

Learning to Learn

Learning depends on the acquisition of learning skills:

*Self-help skills to promote a good self-image and high self-esteem
*Knowledge of self, family, and culture
*Sense of self-worth
*Persistence, cooperation, self-control, and motivation to learn
*Growing confidence
*Responsibility for age-appropriate tasks
*Turn taking during activities with other children

Academics

As academics plays a more central role in preschool curriculum, some key areas of knowledge include these:

*Names, addresses, and phone numbers
*Colors, sizes, shapes, and positions, such as under, over, and around
*Numbers and prewriting skills, shape identification, letter recognition, sounds, and rhyming
*Simple sentence structure
*Simple addition and subtraction

Language and Literacy

To develop language and literacy skills, preschoolers must work on a variety
of capabilities:

*Oral language skills
*Vocabularies
*Conversations with other children and adults
*Proficiency in language
*Literacy skills related to writing and reading
*Letters of the alphabet
*Listening comprehension
*Motivation to read
*Print awareness

Character Education

Children need multiple opportunities to learn about and demonstrate character traits such as these:
*Positive mental attitude
*Persistence
*Respect for others
*Cooperation
*Honesty
*Trustworthiness
*Sensitivity

Music and the Arts

Brain research supports the use of music and the arts in many ways:

*Varied materials (e.g., crayons, paint, clay, markers) to create original work
*Different colors, surface textures, and shapes to create form and meaning
*Art as a form of self-expression
*Music activities
*Varieties of simple songs
*Movement to music of various tempos
*Dramatic play with others

Wellness and Healthy Living

Helping children learn healthy habits will help them do well in school. Healthy habits include
the following:

*Good nutritional practices
*New foods, a balanced menu, and essential nutrients
*Management of personal belongings
*Ability to dress oneself appropriately
*Personal hygiene, such as washing one’s hands and blowing one’s nose

Independence

Skills of independence help children have the confidence they need to achieve in school activities:

*Doing things for themselves
*Taking responsibility for passing out, collecting, and organizing materials
*Learning self-direction