Early Preschool’s Week of Happy Moments!

2 days ago
7 min read

Dear parents

In our early preschool classroom, it was a wonderful and busy week full of learning and fun. The children enjoyed creative art activities, explored shapes in literacy, and expressed their ideas freely. They were happy, engaged, and excited to share their learning with us.

Large Group

During our large group session this week, we began as usual with a cheerful Good Morning Song to welcome all the children and help them feel comfortable and connected. After the song, we led a friendly conversation to encourage the children to share their thoughts and experiences. We asked questions such as, “What is the weather today?”, “what did you eat in the morning?”, “who is not here today?”, “who is your friend?”, “what games do you like to play with your friend?”, and “do you have a sister or brother?” This conversation time helped the children develop their communication skills, build confidence, and feel a sense of belonging in the group.

Next, we enjoyed a short dance activity, which helped the children release energy and practice gross motor movements. After dancing, we moved our attention to the board, where we introduced the shapes triangle and square. We stepped on the shapes and gave real-life examples using classroom materials to help the children understand and recognize the shapes in their environment.

The children then chose a song together, and we sang it as a group, supporting their listening and decision-making skills. After singing, we read the story “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?” The whole class loved this book, listening carefully and naming the animals and colors in the book.

We also discussed our daily routines and classroom rules, reminding the children to use kind words such as “please” and “thank you” and not to grab others. This helped reinforce positive behavior and social skills. To end the large group session, we shared a fun high-five with each other, creating a positive and joyful ending to our time together.

Art

During our art session, the children worked on a canvas fruit stamping activity. Before moving to the canvas, we first practiced on paper to help the children become familiar with the materials and the fruit shapes. This activity was connected to our previous fruit tasting experience, which made the session more meaningful and interesting for the children.

We began by asking the children to put on their art smocks and choose a comfortable place to work. Then we prepared the materials, including paints and real fruits such as apples, broccoli, lemons, and bananas. We had a short discussion with the children, asking questions like, “what fruit is this?”, “what color is the banana?”, and “which fruit is your favorite?” This discussion supported their vocabulary development and encouraged them to express their preferences.

Two children were invited at a time to take turns stamping the fruits on the canvas. When we asked, “what color is the banana?” and they answered “yellow,” they painted the banana using yellow paint. The children were very excited and engaged as they explored the different colors and textures of the fruits. They carefully dipped the fruits into paint and pressed them onto the canvas, creating beautiful prints.

After the art activity, we revisited the fruit tasting experience. The children tasted some of the fruits again and connected the colors and shapes they painted with real fruits. This helped them to link art, sensory exploration, and real-life experiences. The children were highly motivated, focused, and proud of their artwork!

Literacy

During our literacy session, the classroom was divided into three small groups to encourage participation and interaction. Each group was given a mystery box. Inside the box, there were animal pictures hidden under paper and attached with tape. We introduced the activity by asking the children, “what do you think is inside the box?” The children shared many creative guesses and ideas, which helped to develop their speaking and thinking skills.

We then counted together, “one, two, three!” and the children took turns pulling out the hidden animals. This part of the activity supported their fine motor skills, as they carefully peeled the paper and removed the pictures. When they discovered the animals, they were very excited and proud. Each child showed their animal to the group, named the animal, and made the animal sound, such as “meow” for a cat or “woof” for a dog. This helped them build vocabulary and connect words with sounds.

Afterward, we played real animal sounds, and the children listened carefully to identify which animal was making the sound. When they recognized the sound, the child who had that animal picture proudly showed it and repeated the sound. The children were highly engaged, motivated, and focused throughout the activity. They enjoyed guessing, discovering, listening, and sharing, making this a meaningful and fun literacy experience.

Gymnastics

During our gymnastics session, the children participated in a fun and engaging obstacle course designed to support their gross motor development, balance, and listening skills. The activity began with the children climbing up a ladder, which helped to strengthen their muscles and build confidence in their climbing abilities. After reaching the top, they carefully walked across the balance beam, focusing on maintaining their balance and coordination.

At the end of the beam, we placed three large shapes on the ground: a square, a triangle, and a circle. As the children finished walking, we called out a shape name, and they jumped onto the correct shape. For example, when we said “circle,” they jumped on the circle, and when we said “triangle,” they jumped on the triangle. This activity helped them to recognize shapes while also practicing jumping and listening to instructions.

The children were highly engaged and excited throughout the session. At first, some students were hesitant and a little scared to climb the ladder, and they chose not to participate during their first turn. However, when we offered them a second chance, they showed a big improvement and gained confidence. They climbed, walked, and jumped with enthusiasm, demonstrating courage and determination.

We left the setup on the grass area, and during recess time, many children returned to the course and repeated the activity independently. They were proud of their progress and enjoyed practicing the skills again, showing that the activity was motivating and meaningful for them.

Math- Shape Hunters Exploration

In a recent activity, our students put their “mathematician hats” on as they excitedly participated in a shape hunting experience. For this activity, we hid different shapes: squares, triangles, and circles, inside a container filled with rice. The children were very curious and eager to begin.

One by one, they placed their hands into the rice, carefully searching and feeling for hidden shapes. As they discovered a shape, they proudly lifted it up and identified it by name. We encouraged them to say, “I found a square!” or “this is a triangle!” This helped strengthen their shape recognition and vocabulary skills.

The sensory experience of touching and moving the rice made the activity even more engaging. The children were focused, patient, and excited to see what shape they would find next. Some compared their shapes with friends, discussing the differences between a circle, which is round, and a triangle, which has three sides.

This hands-on math activity supported early geometry skills, fine motor development, and problem-solving. Most importantly, the children were actively involved and learning through play. It was a joyful and meaningful way to explore shapes and build confidence as young mathematicians.

Science- Exploring Ice and Animals

In our recent science activity, the children engaged in a hands-on exploration with ice and small toy animals. Prior to the activity, we froze the animals inside blocks of ice. During outdoor learning time, we presented the frozen blocks to the children and encouraged them to observe carefully. We asked open-ended questions such as, “What do you think this is?” and “What do you see inside?” to spark their curiosity and critical thinking.

The children were excited and eager to investigate. They touched the ice and immediately noticed that it was very cold. As they held, picked, and gently tapped the ice, they described their observations and shared their ideas with friends. Some children tried to break the ice by dropping it carefully on the ground, while others used their hands to explore and loosen the frozen animals inside.

When the animals began to come out, the children proudly exclaimed their discoveries, saying, “It’s a dinosaur!” and “I found one!” This activity encouraged sensory exploration, scientific thinking, and problem-solving skills. They learned about temperature, texture, and the process of melting in a fun and meaningful way.

This activity was highly engaging. The children were active, collaborative, and deeply involved in discovering what was hidden inside. It was a joyful and enriching science experience that supported curiosity and hands-on learning.

Library

Our library session was a wonderful experience, held outdoors in a calm and comfortable environment. We began by spreading a large mat on the ground and arranging a variety of books neatly for the children. To create a joyful atmosphere, we started the session by singing two cheerful songs together. This helped the children feel excited and ready for learning.

After the songs, we introduced the session by warmly announcing, “It’s library time! Now we are going to read a book.” We discussed a few simple and important library rules with the children, such as handling books gently, not grabbing from friends, sharing the books, and reading together respectfully. This helped them understand how to care for books and work cooperatively.

Once the expectations were clear, we allowed the children to freely choose the books that interested them. They eagerly explored the different stories, looked at the pictures, and shared their books with friends. Some children sat quietly and turned the pages carefully, while others engaged in conversations about what they saw in the illustrations.

The outdoor setting made the experience even more special. The children were calm, focused, and highly engaged throughout the session. This activity not only supported early literacy skills but also encouraged independence, responsibility, and a love for reading!