Here in the Pre-K, our goal is to prepare students for kindergarten, while providing a fun and caring atmosphere for our 3- and 4-year-olds.  We follow a routine everyday, beginning with circle, where we read stories and discuss the weather, date, and letter of the week.  During this time we also have show and tell, introduce themes, and discuss the daily schedule.  Following snack, each child completes a worksheet, which promotes letter and number recognition, as well as coloring, cutting, and gluing skills.  Everyday, the children complete an art project that deals with either the letter or theme of the week. After our art lesson, we like the children to participate in an imagination activity, an exercise, or a song.  Lunch is followed by outside play or, when it’s raining or too cold, a game such as memory, or free play. 

      Free play is a part of the day that we find extremely important.  Children learn through play, and a free choice time allows them to choose what they would like to play from a variety of activities.  Many of the activities are planned by the teacher to correlate with a theme or unit. During this time, art, dramatic play, science, and block building are available for children.  This time also provides an opportunity to develop friendships and socialize with the other children.  The classroom is divided into several learning areas, which we call “centers.”  We have a number of centers in our classroom to stimulate learning such as the building center, puzzle center, and reading center. Twice a month, our classroom is visited by a hands-on science program, which the children have responded tremendously to.  The program takes topics such as volcanoes, dinosaurs, and magnets, and teaches the information at a level the children can understand and enjoy.  At Little Village, our pre-kindergarteners enjoy an equal balance of learning and play.  We strive to keep each child interested in what is taught, and make each day a fun and exciting experience for everyone.