Main Goals:
Spiritual, Creative Expression, Physical Development, Social, Emotional, Language Growth, Cognitive Curriculum

Our goal in all areas of development is to foster competence which can be defined as that wonderful feeling of assurance exemplified by the statement, 'I can do it'

SPIRITUAL GOALS

• Expose children to the love of God
• Introduce rules that God made for us to follow
• Make prayer feel natural and spontaneous
• Begin memorizing Bible verses
• Know what the Bible is and become familiar with it
• Hear stories from the Old & New Testaments
• Talk about salvation
• Learn Bible songs & finger plays

These goals will be realized through the use of songs, Bible reading, flannel graphs, books, practical applications and acting out stories.

CREATIVE SELF-EXPRESSION GOALS

Children will learn to creatively solve problems and to express themselves through the use of materials and during play

Procedure:

• Be willing to allow children to creatively take a project or play in a different direction than planned as long as it is safe
• Provide open-ended materials that encourage creativity
• Ask questions that encourage a child to reach his own conclusions

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT GOAL

Children will be able to demonstrate or acquire skills appropriate to his age

Procedure:

• Provide daily opportunities for children to use large muscles by running, jumping and balancing
• Working on: climbing equipment appropriately, jumping and hopping with ease, walking a balance beam and running and walking with a coordinated gait.
• Outdoor activities are planned so children can develop large muscles and can express themselves freely and loudly
• Daily opportunities to develop small muscles through activities such as puzzles, painting, cutting and similar activities will be provided
• Working on: using scissors successfully, holding a writing utensil correctly, completing a 10 piece or higher puzzle and snapping, zipping and buttoning own clothes

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS

• Children will gain ability to care about the rights and needs of others
• He/she will develop the ability to play with others by accepting leadership from others on occasion and by contributing his own ideas when desirable

Procedure:

• Allow large blocks of time so children have the opportunity to develop friendships and social skills such as cooperating, helping, negotiating and talking with the person involved to solve interpersonal problems
• Be aware of children who need help to join in a group; give the needed support
• Use positive guidance techniques such as modeling and encouraging expected behavior, redirecting children to more acceptable activities, and setting clear limits
• Working on: relating positively to adults, identifying classmates/teachers by name, amusing self and making purposeful use of time and equipment and ability to follow directions

EMOTIONAL GROWTH GOALS

• Children will remain in touch with the full range of feelings, both positive and negative, and will be encouraged to express them in appropriate ways
• Children will build a sense of self-esteem
• Help children begin to achieve empathy and insight into the feelings of other children and members of staff

Procedure:

• Intervene if child is showing emotions in an inappropriate way; give him the words to use, if necessary, and suggest a safe outlet for the emotion(s) exhibited
• Use words of encouragement rather than praise...words that acknowledge the process and the effort put forth, not the end result
• Be role models as we interact with children and other staff

LANGUAGE GROWTH GOALS

• Children will increase communication skills and increase vocabulary
• Provide children with many opportunities to see how reading and writing are useful and interrelated
• Working on: telling a story and carrying on a conversation, repeating songs/finger plays learned

Procedure:

• Listen to and read stories and poems
• Dictate stories
• Provide writing materials so children can experiment with writing, drawing and copying
• Use classroom charts, poems and signs to see print in use

COGNITIVE CURRICULUM GOALS

Stimulate children's mental growth by providing hands-on, concrete materials that are age-appropriate

Procedure:

• Building with blocks
• Measuring sand, water or ingredients for cooking
• Sorting objects
• Listening to music and singing music from other cultures
• Drawing, painting and working with clay
• Working on: recognizing upper/lower case letters, recognizing 6/7 basic shapes, recognize the basic colors, recognize numbers 0-10, counting 1-10: including objects, recognizing first name, ability to print first name correctly and learning the days of the week