Welcome to the Pre-Kindergarten page
 

Welcome to the Elephant Pre-K classes

Attending the Elephant Pre-K class will be a growing and wonderful experience for your child. Your four year old will be exposed to a variety of growing experiences that will stimulate developmentally appropriate growth in many areas. Classroom activities are designed to incorporate the varying abilities of the children. We encourage growth in the areas of social/emotional, cognitive, language, and physical. Your child will have the freedom to make activity choices within a teacher directed schedule. The Pre-K classes incorporate academics, fun hands on learning, and teacher directed learning, to prepare them for Kindergarten. The Elephant classes are designed for preschoolers who will be going to kindergarten the following year or who are staying for an additional year of preschool. We do not push children into their academic school years but rather prepare them for it while having fun. 

You may contact the Elephant classes at: 925-449-5683 ext. 127 for Room 111 or ext. 123 for Room 113 

Your child’s teacher will be giving you a curriculum packet and additional information once the new school year begins. 

Below are some helpful hints to start the year off great: 

• Please call if your child will be coming late after 9:00am or will be absent that day. 
• Please provide a blanket and sheet (twin or crib) each week for your child’s comfort at rest time. This is a California State regulation. These items will be sent home at the end of the week for laundering. 
• You may also bring a small pillow for rest time. 
• Please do not bring toys from home unless it is your child’s share day. 
• Please bring one full set of clothes, labeled, and in a ziplock bag to be left at school. We will store them in the bathrooms in case your child needs to change clothes. 
• Please do not leave large bags or backpacks at the center. The hooks under the cubbies are needed to hang up their jackets. 
• Please provide a self-sufficient, balanced, and nutritious lunch with a beverage each day for your child packed in an insulated lunch bag with an ice pack. 
• Due to food allergies, do not send any peanut butter or nuts of any kind with your child to the center.

Skills being developed throughout the year: 

COGNITIVE

• Name shapes: circle, square, triangle, rectangle, heart, star, diamond, oval, cross, sphere, prism, cube, and cylinder. 
• Name the primary and secondary colors: red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple, white, black. 
• Know how to mix colors to create the secondary and a variety of colors 
• Know opposites concepts: over/under, hard/soft, up/down, outside/inside, top/bottom, hot/cold, stop/go, happy/sad, fast/slow 
• Know address (number, street, city) 
• Know telephone number 
• Know parents name 
• Know age, know birthday – day & month 
• Know if boy or girl 
• Know sibling names and ages, older or younger 
• Identify textures: rough, smooth, hard, soft 
• Recognize written first and last name 
• Alphabet recognition upper and lower case letters A-Z, a-z 
• Arrange several items by size from smallest to largest 
• Understand full/empty, shorter/taller 
• Understand ideas of whole and half using objects 
• Match, sort, and group by size, length, weight, and temperature 
• Demonstrate some reasoning and thinking about cause-effect (if then) relationships 
• Identify same and different 
• Count by rote 1-30, count 1-12 objects 
• Recognize written numbers 1-20 
• Can use mathematical language to say which set has “more than” or “less than” 
• Know the function of their five senses: taste, smell, hearing, sight, touch. 
• Recall three objects that are visually presented 
• Identify what is missing from a picture 
• Identify time concepts: yesterday, today, tomorrow, morning, afternoon, night 
• Correctly name a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, paper dollar – not necessarily their value 
• Locate the source of a common sound 
• Begin to learn left from right hand 
• Begin to distinguish between reality and fantasy 
• Recall past events 
• Understand true and false, right and wrong 
• Can string beads, use blocks or objects to create or copy a pattern 

LARGE MOTOR

• Move in rhythm to songs and music 
• Walk, run forwards and backwards, fast or slow 
• Kick a ball with direction 
• Catch a bounced ball with both hands 
• Walk up stairs, walk down stairs with alternate feet 
• Can gallop, beginning to skip 
• Bounce a ball, roll a ball, and throw a ball with direction 
• Jump in place on two feet 2 or 3 times 
• Balance on one foot for ten seconds 
• Hop on one foot at least 6 times 
• Jump over objects and land on two feet 
• Learn to propel own self on the swings 
• Pedal a tricycle forward and backward 
• Walk and turn around across a balanced beam 
• Follow a straight and curved line, hold objects while following a line 
• Climb playground equipment 
• Swing across the monkey bars 
• Log roll across the room – stomach to back 
• Do a forward somersault 
• Walk on toes and heels, walk heel to toe 
• Push or pull objects 
• Throw a beanbag into a target 5 feet away 
• Create a block building, stack at least a 7 large block tower 
• Build/dig in the sandbox 

SMALL MOTOR

• String small pony beads at least 12 inches 
• Do table puzzles with 7-11 pieces or a large floor puzzle with 12 – 24 pieces 
• Hold scissors correctly with a thumbs up hold 
• Cut with scissors on a line continuously or on a curve 
• Cut different paper textures 
• Trace/copy 7-10 basic shapes 
• Draw a face with features – eyes, ears, nose, hair, mouth 
• Draw a stick figure person with head, body, legs, arms, feet, hands, clothes 
• Copy/trace/write own name, first and last 
• Begin to copy words and letters 
• Color within the lines 
• Fold and crease paper 
• Can pour liquid, rice or sand from one container to another 
• Hold a crayon, pen, and a pencil with fingers not fist 
• Stack 5-10 small blocks in a tower form 
• Manipulates buttons, zippers, snaps, and other fasteners 
• Turn doorknobs or unscrew lids 
• Manipulate difference kids of door locks and latches 
• Turn caps on or off an object 
• Insert small pegs into a board 
• Identify familiar objects by touch 
• Use an eye dropper and tongs 
• Make balls and snakes with dough/clay 
• Lace following a sequence of holes 
• Paint with a large and small brush on various sizes of paper or surfaces 
• Hammer pegs or nails into a soft foam board 

LANGUAGE 

• Follow two-three unrelated directions in proper order 
• Classify objects by color, shape and size 
• Label objects correctly: body parts, clothing, animals, furniture 
• Repeat familiar rhymes 
• Can spell own first name out loud 
• Participate actively in and repeats, from memory, finger plays 
• Repeat songs 
• Speak in complete 6-10 word sentences 
• Express feelings using words 
• Initiate conversation 
• Interested in books and reading 
• Can listen to music of various styles 
• Use manner words: please, thank you, you’re welcome 
• Understand who, what, where, and why 
• Tell about an action in a picture – like the girl is combing her hair 
• Understand position words: in, over, on, top, in front of, above, out, under, off, bottom, top, in back of, below. 
• Ask and answer simple questions 
• Can produce animal or object sounds 
• Name sounds heard around the home or school 
• Notice first sounds in words, notice last sounds in words 
• Can match consonant sounds to the appropriate letters 
• Can sing the alphabet song 
• Can recite the alphabet without singing 
• Dictate description of own drawing 

SOCIAL/EMOTIONAL

• Separate from parents 
• Wait a turn with some assistance 
• Share toys and materials 
• Play with others 
• Stand up for own rights 
• Participate in group activities, sit in a group formation 
• Persist with several activities for at least 5-15 minutes; group, free play, outside 
• Adjust to daily routine, handle transition 
• Handle frustration and conflict verbally 
• Able to occupy self 
• Initiate own play or activity 
• Want a “best friend” 
• Can problem solve and make some choices 
• Can accept choices for self-discipline and problem solving 
• Remain at a task with some help for a period of time 
• Likes to play pretend 
• Has positive feelings toward self 
• Is considerate of another’s feelings and is aware of such feelings as pain, sadness, happiness, anger 
• Can make a plan and follow through 
• Accept limits, follow safety rules with reminding 

SELF HELP 

• Eat using utensils appropriately, drink from a cup 
• Can cut soft foods using a plastic knife 
• Can pour own drink from small pitcher 
• Put on own socks and shoes, dresses self 
• Put things away in appropriate places 
• Can wash and dry face and hands 
• Attend to toileting needs without help 
• Eat a well balanced meal, tries new foods when served 
• Has a rest time on a cot 1-2 hours 
• Use good table manners, including napkin 
• Handle brushing teeth effectively when given instruction. 
• Put on and take off jacket/coat 
• Care for personal possessions and other’s belongings 
• Cover mouth or nose when coughs or sneezes 
• Able to fold blanket on nap bed 
• Help clean up after play 
• Has chores or responsibilities during the day – line leader, calendar helper, flag holder, pet monitor, plant monitor, door holder, Bible monitor 

SAFETY: 

• Able to identify an emergency and dial 911 if needed 
• Practice the Stop, Drop, and Hold earthquake drill 
• Practice the Stop, Drop, and Roll drill in the event their clothes are on fire 
• Know how to get out of the building in the event of a fire, participate in fire drills 
• Know how to cross the street safely with an adult 
• Know the school’s playground safety rules 
• Learning to understand dangers