P R Toddlers' Academy (Pathway to SSC Board)
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(Pathway to Maharashtra State Board - SSC Board)
All kids need is a little help,
a little hope, and
somebody who believes in them
At Rustomjee, our preprimary program is designed to develop skills and prepare children for the formal schooling years.
We focus on the play-way method of learning which includes fun activities such as story telling, field trips, gross and fine motor skills development, and show-n-tell.
Admission to our Preprimary program commences every year on 1st August, and we have two deadlines for admission interaction, one in September, and one in October every year. After the two deadlines, we follow a rolling-admission process, subject to availability of seats
Hence, preschoolers develop their oral language, vocabulary instruction, and critical thinking skills. Undoubtedly, the curriculum covers math, science, language arts, social studies, drawing and coloring, and emotional as well as physical development.
All of our classrooms and programs are designed to offer enhanced learning opportunities and to teach the independent thinking skills and exploration that will help your child succeed in the future.
Classrooms are child-centered. You might see children working on the floor, individually at a table, or with classmates. There is usually choice in where to work.
1. Gross Motor Skills
Physical development starts with developing gross motor skills – the large muscles of the body.
At preschool, your children will be moving nonstop. Movement is the most important skill to develop first in the early years as it is necessary for all other learning.
Children must develop skills such as strength, hand-eye coordination and agility.
They also need to develop two important senses – vestibular and proprioception – responsible for balance and body awareness.
Movement is important as it stimulates learning, improves concentration, gives the brain oxygen and works both sides of the brain. Good gross motor skills also lay the foundation for fine motor skills.
Some examples of gross motor activities:
Throwing and catching balls
Singing action songs
Playing with bean bags
Balancing on beams
Climbing and hanging
Skipping and hopping
Running and chasing games
2. Fine Motor Skills
Fine motor coordination – the development of the small muscles – is a prerequisite to learning how to write and is necessary for performing everyday tasks.
In preschool, children spend a large portion of their day working on these skills.
Fine motor skills are developed by all kinds of art activities, such as:
They can also be developed with other fine motor activities such as:
Pegboards
Puzzles
Playing with pegs
Playing with construction toys (Lego is great)
Developing a pencil grip and learning to form letters starts with all these kinds of fine motor activities.
3. Early Mathematical Concepts
Preschool is where the foundations for mathematics begin. No child ever learns maths in the first grade. The type of maths they learn just becomes more formal.
In the preschool grades children learn:
Rote counting (such as counting up to 20)
One-to-one correspondence (counting objects)
Classifying
Length
Capacity
Weight
Area
Temperature
Time
Space
Shape
These concepts are learned while having pure fun – in the sandpit, while baking, playing with water, building with blocks and even while tidying up!
4. Problem Solving
Problem solving is an important life skill and one that must be developed early on. Learning this in preschool also helps children with mathematical problem solving during the formal grades.
Problem-solving skills are built during simple activities such as:
Playing board games
Resolving problems during social play
5. Language and Vocabulary
Preschool is a language-rich environment where children’s vocabulary expands dramatically.
They learn sentence construction, the use of grammar and tenses, the meaning of words, etc.
Language and vocabulary are learnt throughout the day while:
Having circle time discussions
Singing rhymes and songs
Playing games
Playing alone and with friends
Learning about a theme
Playing with toys, equipment and other materials
6. Pre-Writing Skills
Writing starts with developing important pre-writing skills through play and art activities. These four skills are specific requirements for learning to write and will be the focus during preschool:
Pencil grip
Learning about letters and their formation (though play, not formal writing)
Learning to form patterns (for example drawing big waves or zig-zags which mimic the shapes found in letters)
7. Listening Skills
Listening is one of the most important and often under-developed skills. This should be a focus area during preschool.
Children learn to listen by doing these kinds of activities:
Listening to stories
Playing games such as Broken Telephone or I Spy
Following instructions
Class discussions
Although children are learning to listen at school, it is highly recommended to focus on these skills at home too. Children with good listening skills are much more successful and capable at school. Here are some listening games you can play at home.
8. Musical Skills
Music in preschool is about so much more than just developing musical skills. Music develops children’s:
Vocabulary
Understanding of rhyme, syllables and sounds
Auditory perception
Concentration
Fine motor skills (finger plays)
Gross motor skills (action rhymes)
Mathematical skills (counting rhymes)
decision-making skills (games such as musical chairs)
9. Visual Perceptual Skills
Visual and auditory perception are the two main building blocks of learning to read.
Children develop their visual perception during preschool with the following types of activities:
Activities that teach about shapes and colours
Patterning activities
Puzzles and tangrams
Card games
Memory games
10. Auditory Perceptual Skills
Auditory perception is the brain’s ability to make sense of what the ears hear. It is vital for being able to learn sounds for reading. These kinds of activities develop auditory perception:
Reciting rhymes and poems
Playing with instruments
Playing sound games
Playing word games
11. Pre-Reading Skills
During preschool children develop all the necessary pre-reading skills to set them up for learning to read formally.
Learning to read requires developing sound knowledge (auditory perception) and symbol knowledge (visual perception), as explained above.
These are the five main pre-reading skills:
Print awareness – understanding that written words convey meaning
Motivation to read – exposure to books that ignites a desire to read
Listening comprehension – the ability to understand what is heard
Letter knowledge – informal exposure to letters and their sounds during play
Phonological awareness – being able to hear sounds in words (beginning, middle and end sounds)
Children are exposed to these kinds of activities:
Playing rhyming games
Playing word games
Games involving hearing syllables
Playing listening games
Following instructions (single and multiple instructions)
12. Memory
At school, children also strengthen their memory, a skill they will rely on for learning throughout their education.
These are the kinds of games that are often played in preschool classes:
Memory card games
Circle memory games
I went to the shops and I bought a… – each child has a turn to add an item, but must first recall the entire list before adding their item
Categories – pick a category (e.g. fruits) and go around the circle asking each child to add the name of one fruit. No fruits may be said twice so children must remember which ones were already mentioned
13. Early Science Concepts
As children explore and interact with their environment and nature, they also learn about early science concepts.
A great example is learning about physics by discovering the properties of water during water play:
Water makes sand heavier
Water influences the texture of sand
Water falls through space (e.g. through a sieve)
Air (wind) moves water
Water is a liquid because it pours
Water takes the shape of the container it is poured into
14. Social Skills
Where better to learn social skills than in preschool? Children are surrounded by friends and adults and they learn to interact appropriately with others.
Throughout the day children learn about:
Taking turns
Sharing
Considering the opinions of others
Showing empathy
Cooperating and negotiating
Resolving conflicts
Leading and following
Creating and following rules in games to encourage positive interaction
15. Creative Expression
Preschool is where a child’s creative spark can really be ignited. There are many opportunities throughout the school day where children develop their creative expression:
During art activities – painting, constructing, drawing
Musical activities – dancing, singing and playing with instruments
Playing with construction toys
Drama and puppet play
Telling stories
Fantasy/ dress-up play
Outdoor play (e.g. building forts)
16. Independence
Last but perhaps most importantly, the greatest takeaway for young children at preschool is their growing independence.
Children learn to take care of themselves and show a sense of responsibility and a desire to be competent.
There are endless opportunities for this:
Regular tidy-up times
Taking accountability for actions
Looking after belongings (shoes, bags, books, etc.)
Self-care (going to the bathroom, washing hands, etc.)
Making choices throughout the day (during free play or activities with choice)
Practical Life Skills: Self-care and home care skills that will last a lifetime
Sensory Activities: Exploring the world with all of the senses, and developing fine motor skills and problem-solving abilities. Fun games and activities help your child hone her fine and gross motor skills through play and exploration.
Language and Communication Builders: Stories, songs, and games designed to build strong communication skills in a fun social setting.
Early Math and Critical Thinking Skills: Counting, matching, sorting and other skills designed to help even small preschoolers learn about math concepts and build a foundation.
Science and Nature Exploration: Exploring the natural world is at the heart of the Montessori method; your child will learn about the seasons, plants and animals via time spent outdoors and our innovative play materials.
Hands on Art Experiences: The process, not the end product, is at the heart of our creative and flexible art program.
In addition to strengthening socialization skills -- how to compromise, be respectful of others, and problem-solve -- preschool provides a place where your child can gain a sense of self, explore, play with her peers, and build confidence. Kids in preschool discover that they are capable and can do things for themselves -- from small tasks like pouring their own juice and helping set snack tables to tackling bigger issues like making decisions about how to spend their free time
Our 4- and 5-year-olds have begun asking some wonderful questions about the world around them -- what happens to the water after the rain? Do birds play? Quality preschools help children find answers through exploration, experimentation, and conversation."
