Pre-Kindergarten

Pre-kindergartners are preparing for a lifetime of learning. Heritage United Methodist preschool helps them prepare by encouraging their curiosity, working to develop their understanding of the world around them, and expanding their logical thinking skills. Pre-kindergartners at HUM preschool are also supported in their spiritual growth, as they continue to develop an understanding of and a relationship with God.

HUMC has blessed our family greatly, and been such a gift to us! It is a comfort to know my children are loved and encouraged individually by all the staff at HUMC. We are amazed at the stellar teaching, creativity, and opportunities to know biblical truth that the preschool has consistently provided. My boys come home happy, and singing God’s word, which is a joy to hear! Meredith Neufeld

Enroll Today

Frogs

Monday – Friday

$190 per month

Teacher: Elaine Leitch

Standards of Rigor

The Standards of Learning (SOLs) for pre-Kindergarteners at Heritage United Methodist preschool include guidelines for socio-emotional, cognitive, physical, and spiritual development.

Socio-Emotional Development

To experience a sense of self-esteem:

Identify oneself as a member of a specific family
Identify oneself as a member of a classroom family
Demonstrate confidence in one’s growing abilities
Demonstrate increasing independence
Demonstrate pride in accomplishments

To exhibit a positive attitude toward life:

Demonstrate trust in teachers
Be able to separate from parents
Demonstrate interest and participate in classroom activities
Participate in routine activities easily

To demonstrate cooperative, pro-social behavior:

Seek out other children and teachers
Understand and respect differences
Accept responsibility for maintaining the classroom environment
Help others in need
Respect the rights of others
Share toys and materials
Work cooperatively with others on completing a task
Resolve conflicts constructively
Respect “space” of others

Cognitive Development

To acquire learning and problem-solving skills:

Demonstrate an interest in exploring
Ask and respond to questions
Show curiosity and a desire to learn
Use planning skills
Observe and make discoveries
Find more than one solution to problems
Use creativity and imagination

To expand logical thinking skills:

Sort objects by similarities and differences
Put together objects that belong together
Recall a sequence of events (first, second, last)
Recognize patterns and be able to repeat them
Arrange objects in a series (smallest to largest)
Understand concept of opposites

To acquire concepts and information leading to a fuller understanding of my world:

Identify names of objects and events
Begin to make comparisons (more/less, larger/smaller, taller/shorter, opposites)
Use words to describe the characteristics of objects (colors, shapes, sizes)
Identify the roles people play in society (community helpers)
Identify relationships of objects in space (below, inside, under)
Count in correct sequence (1 through 20)
Count backwards from 10
Count by tens
Match one-to-one

To demonstrate skills in make-believe play:

Assume a pretend role
Make believe with objects
Make believe about situations (going to McDonald’s, going to the doctor)
Interact with other children in make-believe role play

To expand verbal communication skills:

Recall words in a song or finger play
Follow simple directions
Use words to explain ideas and feelings
Talk with other children during daily activities
Make up and dictate simple stories
Begin to participate in group discussions
Talk in front of classroom friends

To develop beginning reading skills:

Acquire a love of books
Listen to a story and explain what happened
Demonstrate knowledge of how to use books (turning pages, cover, title, author)
Recognize pictures and text on a page
Begin to understand the concept of “word”
Understand that reading goes from left to right
Make predictions of what might happen next in a story
Listen for rhyming words in a story
Develop recognition of uppercase and lowercase letter
Begin to identify the beginning sound of a word
Begin to recognize common sight words (days of week, numerals, months of year)
Recognize own written name
Recognize written names of some classmates

To acquire beginning writing skills:

Begin to make recognizable letters and numbers on paper
Begin to write words from left to right
Demonstrate an interest in using writing for a purpose (making signs, sending letters)
Begin to write letters between lines
Begin to show an interest in making own books

Physical Development

To enhance gross motor skills:

Use gross motor skills with confidence
Walk up and down steps
Jump over or from objects without falling
Run with increasing control over direction and speed
Use large muscles for balance
Catch a ball
Throw an object in the intended direction
Pedal and steer a “big wheel”
Climb up or down small equipment without falling

To enhance and refine fine motor skills:

Coordinate eye and hand movements (completing puzzles, working with manipulatives)
Use small muscles to complete tasks (building, stringing, working with play dough)
Use small muscles for self-help skills (opening snacks, buttoning, zipping)
Use drawing/writing tools with increasing control and intention

To use all senses in learning:

Demonstrate skill in discriminating sounds
Demonstrate visual discrimination skills
Discriminate by taste and smell
Discriminate differences in texture

Spiritual Development

To develop an understanding of God and Jesus:

They live in heaven
They cannot be seen but are real
They made me
They love me
They care about my every need
They are always with me
They have a plan for my life

To develop a relationship with God and Jesus:

They want to be my best friends
They want me to talk with Them in prayer and to know that they will always answer
They want to be a part of my everyday life
They want me to trust them

To respond in obedience to God:

Love others
Share with others
Use kind words
Help others
Obey my parents
Understand that sometimes I do naughty things and need a Savior
Ask Jesus to be my best friend