Curriculum

Our Curriculum

Ardmore Presbyterian Weekday Preschool is a Christian preschool which emphasizes Christian values and an appreciation of God’s ever-present love for everyone.

A nurturing and loving atmosphere surrounds activities promoting social, emotional, spiritual, intellectual and physical growth.

Art

Young children’s first experiences with art materials are not always for the purpose of making anything specific.

At an early age, children are simply caught up with manipulating a wide variety of materials as they learn about colors, textures, shapes and lines.

It is the process that matters, not the product.

We gently guide them occasionally but want them to feel good about their own creation.

Christian Education

Bible stories and Biblical themes are woven into our daily experiences through simple activities, stories, questions.

Children learn that God is present at all times. We share the stories of God’s love, Jesus’ lessons and how people of the Bible followed God.

We, as parents and teachers, represent God in the lives of our children by our examples.

We develop their self-esteem, and appreciation of others’ faith in an environment filled with love and gentle nurturing.

Math

Math activities help children discover mathematical concepts at their own pace as they compare attributes of shapes and sizes of objects and organize what they investigate.

Activities introduce counting, number recognition, one-to-one correspondences and basic concepts such as time, direction, weight, speed, some/all, more/less and spatial relationships.

Music

Music is one of the most powerful means of expression, which promotes happiness and relaxation.

Every child has the capacity to create and enjoy music.

Musical skill and appreciation develops over a period of time with experiences listening and singing to live and recorded music in the classroom, with a weekly music teacher.

Playing rhythm instruments, physical movement to music and spontaneous making up of songs by teachers and children always puts a smile on our faces as we explore the beauty of sound in God’s world.

Play

Play is intrinsic to our program.

Not only does children’s creativity, imagination and problem-solving thrive, but play builds confidence and positive social interaction, which are the foundations of a happy life.

Play allows children to learn by trial and error with- out concern for making mistakes and lets their imagination be their guide.

Physical development is a key component in play and learning.

Large muscle development is realized through:

  • movement on the playground
  • Rainbow Room
  • group games
  • dramatic play
  • creative movement.

Small muscle development is facilitated with manipulatives such as:

  • puzzles
  • pattern blocks
  • matching, sorting and counting materials

Art materials such as crayons, pencils, paint brushes, scissors and Play Doh are great for small motor development and eye-hand coordination.

Science

Preschool children are naturally inquisitive scientists asking how and why at any given moment.

In science activities children explore, wonder, hypothesize, observe and draw their own conclusions.

Encouragement of natural curiosity by taking time to answer questions in uncomplicated, accurate ways or suggesting a way of finding answers works best for preschoolers.

Direct involvement with surroundings in nature and the elements of their world give children an excitement and appreciation of the wonders of God’s world.

Socialization and Social Studies

Children who are three to five are changing from self-centered beings to increasingly social ones.

Their solitary play and parallel play are gradually replaced with group play.

During this time the size of the play group expands and the amount and duration of cooperative play increases.

Play with other children, more than any other activity, helps increase children’s social competence.

The leader who emerges in a group is usually the one who has the ability to organize the play and maintain harmony.

The curriculum in Social Studies is designed to help children relate to people and understand their surroundings beginning with the family, school, community and eventually expanding the larger world, including different nationalities of potential friends.