Junior Kindergarten (5 year olds)
Tuesday through Friday from 9:00a.m. – 12:20p.m.
Curriculum is developmentally appropriate for the age of the children in the Junior Kindergarten class. Furthermore, it is recognized that children have individual rates of development in addition to individual interests, temperaments and learning styles. Jr K curriculum promotes early literacy with more emphasis on concepts in print, phonemic awareness and letter recognition. We offer increased opportunities to develop and enhance math skills. Counting, patterning, and graphing activities are planned. Social competence and self-regulation is emphasized and children are supported in problem solving. Children are provided opportunities for creativity and self-expression. They are also given opportunities for motor skill development. In addition, professional instruction in art and music is provided. Your child will begin to function more independently in a group setting, and will gain proficiency in social abilities and build a foundation of cognitive skills in anticipation for success in school.
The Junior Kindergarten class for 4.5- to 5-year-olds meets Tuesday through Friday mornings from 9:00am – 12:20pm. We typically follow the Poudre School District Schedule. This applies to holidays and breaks, when classes aren’t in session.
Contact us to schedule a tour and register today!
Goals for the 5 year old class:
We focus on goals in 5 key areas of social and emotional development, language and literacy, knowledge and understanding of the world, physical development and creativity.
Communication, Language and Literacy
To enhance the development of conversational skills
To begin to recognize non-verbal features of communication
To continue to develop increasingly complex vocabulary and syntax
To use language skills to organize, relate and analyze information
To engage and participate in read-aloud stories
To develop literacy skills-concepts in print, phonological awareness and phonemic awareness
Physical Development
To enhance knowledge of healthy habits and to be responsible for personal care needs
To develop eye-hand coordination
To further develop motor planning skills
To further develop large motor skills such as running, jumping, galloping skipping, climbing
To provide maximum opportunities to develop the fine motor skills needed for drawing and writing
To develop scissor skills
Social and Emotional Development
To develop positive relationships with adults in the classroom environment
To develop the ability to interact with peers respectfully and to form peer relationships
To develop the ability to sustain complex play with three or more children involved
To establish a sense of self and personal responsibility
To promote the development of self-regulation skills
To function and work constructively in a group setting
Knowledge Acquisition and Cognitive Development
To enhance the development of visual and auditory memory skills
To promote the ability to follow oral directions
To promote the idea of symbolic representation – specifically with letters and numbers
To promote the recognition of patterns, classifications and comparisons
To develop a sense of rhyme
To develop numeracy and number sense
To explore the idea of cultural similarities and differences
To begin developing simple geographical concepts
To explore the characteristics of living things
To explore the concept of weather and seasons
Creativity
Provide opportunity for movement and music activities
Explore art with a variety of media - collage, paint, clay
Provide opportunity for dramatic play experiences.
