1. PRESCHOOL DEVELOPMENT

2. Preschool Age  Preschoolers are children ages 3-5  Most preschoolers will attend full time or part time preschool programs before kindergarten http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH6122

3. Physical Characteristics  Gaining of strength and coordination  Increased control of hand and use of fingers  Gross motor skills include kicking, bouncing, and catching a ball  Jumps, hops, and skips smoothly  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7UgnIpJOkU http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7UgnIpJOkU http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH6122

4. Fine Motor Skills  Lacing shoes  Stringing beads  Hammers nails  Cuts with scissors  More hand control for writing  Buttons and zips clothing  Can dress themselves  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKFwH5QlYoY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKFwH5QlYoY

5. Toilet Training  By preschool age, children should be potty trained completely  They will need minimal assistance in toileting, bathing, and dressing

6. Intellectual Development  Curiosity  Cause and Effect Exploration  Recognizes letters and numbers  Awareness of alike and different  Developing an awareness of time  Recognizes and labels colors and shapes  Will develop a preference for being right of left handed

7. Expressing Feelings  Affectionate  Developing a sense of humor  Will begin to tell basic jokes like knock knock  Easily encouraged or discouraged  Intense feelings of joy, anger, fear and love  May show off or demand attention

8. Play and Communication  Engages in pretend play  Begins to display self control  Shares and takes turns  Learns facts about themselves- age, name, gender  Asking why/how come  Able to resolve verbal conflicts with others  Enjoys making up or telling stories  http://extension.missouri.edu/p/GH6122

9. Preschool Play  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQb95itdoCM http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQb95itdoCM

10. Types of Preschools  Montessori Program  Waldorf Approach  High Scope Approach  Bank Street Approach  http://www.babycenter.com/0_the-top-preschool-programs-and-how-they- differ_64635.bc?page=3

11. Montessori Schools  emphasize the importance and connection of all living things, and the need for each person to find meaningful work and his or her own place in the world  Children learn about other cultures, animals, and plants in addition to reading, language, and mathematical skills  Montessori programs encourage a child's sense of independence  Children are always asked if they want to try a task, if they need help doing it, or if they feel they aren't ready.

12. Examples  Telling jokes  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mRXOFcS9rY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mRXOFcS9rY  Solving verbal conflicts  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BMT6BfxR7w http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_BMT6BfxR7w

13. Montessori Schools  Special needs children thrive here, as well as children with ADD because it is so individualized and self-paced  Another benefit is the cultural studies and diversity among children attending

14. Waldorf Approach  It is made up of three parts- body, mind and soul  Children are immersed in nurturing environments  Children are encouraged to participate in creative play  The environment is home-like and saturated with opportunities for creative play  Wax molding, painting, baking bread, building boxes out of houses, dress up play, etc.

15. Waldorf Approach  This approach involved more group play and centers as opposed to Montessori  Any child can benefit from this approach, although it is not recommended for severely disabled children  Waldorf is more structured than some other approaches such as Montessori

16. High Scope Approach  based on the theory that children need active involvement with people, materials, ideas, and events  the core belief is that children learn best by pursuing their personal goals and interests  Shared control where adults and children learn together  Supports independence and decision-making

17. High Scope Approach  Computers are usually a part of the High Scope curriculum  There are 58 points in the curriculum, including space, time, classification, music and movement  This is an excellent program for children who need individual attention  It was originally developed for at risk urban children  Effective for children with developmental delays and learning disabilities

18. Bank Street Approach  Child centered education  They teach several subjects at once in groups  Children learn in their own way, at their own pace  They use toys that leave a lot to the imagination and have a very unstructured approach to learning

19. Activity  Discuss with your group which school system you liked the best and why  Create a Venn diagram comparing two ages of children  Choose from infants, toddlers, or preschoolers  You can include physical traits, fine motor skills or gross motor skills, or language and emotion, foods they eat, games they play, etc.