Curriculum 

3 Year Old Classroom

Social Development

Once the three-year-old is comfortable and adjusts to the school environment, they are eager to make new friends and interact. They can follow directions and have respect for new adult authority. During the first half of the year, the children will play in small select groups. As the year progresses, they will initiate new games, and boys and girls interact more together. They now see themselves as part of a group; their community has grown larger than their family.

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Emotional Development

The three-year-old enjoys attending school and playing with friends but may still find it difficult to separate from Mom and Dad. The children find security in this new environment and gradually feel comfortable speaking alone during “Show and Tell.” They discover new emotions (such as jealousy) and can show empathy for others. The three year old shows sign of increased patience with puzzles, artwork, and the teacher's attention.

 

Physical Development

The three-year-old participates in activities that promote the improvement of large and small muscle skills. These skills are used to help develop and increase eye-hand coordination. The children will work with more advanced puzzles, string large and small beads and learn to use scissors. They color, paint (finger and brush), use glue, and practice lacing. The children will use pencils and may be able to connect dots. Many children still need to establish a set handedness (right or left). Large muscle skills are more advanced. They can now ride a tricycle, throw and catch a ball more accurately, hop, tiptoe and attempt skipping. The children enjoy songs and moving to music. The three-year-old has better health skills but is still working on hand washing, toilet use, and tissues. The class will reinforce dental hygiene.

 

Intellectual Development

Fall: The three-year-old child has an ever increasing vocabulary and is now speaking in longer sentences. The rapid growth in language development makes their interaction with others more enjoyable. The children are practicing their recognition of colors and shapes and will have exposure to letters and numbers with an introduction to counting from 1 to 10. Some children may be able to count five objects consecutively. The three-year-old has a growing attention span yet is still distractable. They can sit through a short story and enjoy predicting outcomes. The children enjoy playing learning games, can recognize objects, the same and different and love to repeat songs and poems. They may recognize the first letter of their name and enjoy seeing their name in print.

 

Spring: In the spring, the children are very comfortable with their surroundings and ready to learn. They can identify more colors and shapes and have a longer attention span. Some children may be able to count to ten and consecutively count ten objects. They enjoy the “ABC” song and be able to identify letters in their name and some random letters and numbers. With exposure to their last name, they may be able to say their first and last name together. For safety reasons, as well as general knowledge, the children will practice saying their address and telephone number. The three-year-old has better sequencing skills and awareness of increased and decreased size. They have improved spatial relations and can understand more time concepts, such as day and night routines. The children are encouraged to increase language development by answering questions using sentences and explaining the message that they are trying to convey. The teacher will ask thought-provoking questions to stimulate their problem-solving ability. This skill, when developed early on, will be a great learning tool. The children are beginning to establish personal reading interests, and the artwork and pictures they draw are more recognizable. The three-year-old enjoys listening to music, dancing, and using instruments.