What Do Children Learn in Pre-K Programs | Tanglewood Academy (2024)

FAQs

What are kids supposed to learn in pre-K? ›

What Happens in Pre-K? Along with learning numbers, colors, shapes, songs and letters, they're also learning to share toys, take turns and communicate their feelings. Students learn through play, talking with peers, and working at centers.

The objectives cover four major domains of child development (social–emotional, physical, language, and cognitive), five content areas (literacy, mathematics, science and technology, social studies, and the arts), and two objectives that relate to English-language acquisition.

In late preschool, matching some letters to sounds, developing awareness of syllables, and understanding that print is read from left to right and top to bottom. In kindergarten, matching some spoken and written words, reading simple words in isolation and recognizing some familiar words in print.

Preschoolers and young children are natural scientists– observing the world, asking questions, and testing out their theories. Repeat exposure to ideas, materials, and experiences, solidifies the learning process. Adults can support this by making these connections explicit through questions and conversations.

The key difference is the age of the children attending. In preschool, the students are between 2 and 4 years old. Children in pre-K, however, are around 4 or 5 years old. This is because pre-K is meant to take place the year before kindergarten to prepare children for the social and academic challenges ahead.

Aspiring preschool teachers in California can earn either an associate or bachelor's degree in early childhood education or childhood development. Choose an undergraduate program accredited by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC), which establishes standards for teacher preparation in California.

Young children usually begin their first attempts at writing in Pre-K. These beginning writing skills are future predictors of reading and writing success. Children must be given daily writing opportunities to help strengthen the tiny muscles in their hand and provide a chance to draw, scribble and express themselves.

In pre-kindergarten, children ages 3-5 develop a basic understanding of numbers and counting, and connect both to the idea of “how many.” Pre-k math tips work on recognizing, grouping, and comparing objects of different sizes, colors and shapes, and identifying patterns.

Like many developmental milestones there are key stages, but children will vary in age when they learn to independently read. Some children learn to read at 4 or 5 years of age. But most will get the hang of it by age 6 or 7.

The first thing to teach preschoolers is counting and letters. These skills are foundational to all knowledge they'll acquire throughout the year; starting here is best.

What happens to the brain during preschool years? ›

In the first five years of life, experiences and relationships stimulate children's development, creating millions of connections in their brains. Their brains develop connections faster in the first five years than at any other time in their lives.

Hands-On Activities

Hands-on experiences, especially those that are repeated, also facilitate learning. As your preschooler explores an action multiple times, they're making sense of what's going on. As they engage with their environment, they observe, ask questions, and assess their surroundings.

What children know and can do at the end of the preschool years, with adult guidance: • Read their first and last name. Recognize and say some upper case (A, B, C) and lower case (a, b, c) letters. Recognize letters in their first name. Know that letters are used to make words, such as c-a-t, d-o-g.