Three-Year-Old-Care

Who are our three year olds?

They live in that wonderful place of being little and sweet and inquisitive and grow before our eyes in every way! They are exuberant about their family including their siblings and extended family, their friends and pets and just can’t wait to explore the world! Like other pre schoolers their emotions are felt with intensity but these small kiddos remember everything! Now mommy and daddy can finally hear from their little one exactly how the day was! We love, love our threes and the way they balance being young with growing up! This is a year to treasure at preschool because they are learning and growing so quickly. They aren’t ready for the more structured Pre Kindergarten or Junior Kindergarten classroom but boy do they think they are! So taking a cue from them, we really beef up our program to nurture and stimulate, support and ground! It’s a fine balance and a yummy recipe for a happy three!

Before Starting in the Three-Year-Old classroom:

• I am mostly potty trained with occasional accidents
• I am able to dress and undress myself relating to potty training and sweaters, jackets and shoes
• I can find usually identify my belongings in my cubby including my lunch bag, sharing/show and tell item and outerwear
• I know how to care for toys and classroom materials such as manipulatives, blocks, art easel paint and brushes and books
• I am learning to use scissor, markers and messy art materials like paint, playdough and love the water and sand table and neon slime!
• I have reasonable table manners and can wait while friends are being served, use a cup without a sippy lid and eat my food appropriately- I love messy food still!
• I can unpack my own lunch with little help
• I can clean up after myself after snacks and meals, I love to be a table helper and serve snacks and juice to classmates; although getting to wipe the spills from the table is even more fun!
• I know not to put dangerous things like scissors or markers in my mouth and try to remember proper safety precautions like walking inside the classroom
• I can wash my hands by myself
• I love to look at books and am working on turning pages correctly and taking care of the book binding and cover
• I can articulate my needs and can help my friends express themselves- preschool drama is my thing!
• I love to help the teacher and getting a turn for classroom jobs is a highlight of my day- it's so much better being three!
• Emotionally I want caring adults and teachers near by as I challenge myself to try new things away from Mommy and Daddy- consistent caregivers is a priority at Bright Beginnings
• I’m learning to name my feelings to help my teachers and family understand my feelings
• I may resist nap time but I need it! I can self soothe and usually go to sleep with just a little help
• I’m pretty goofy and love the school traditions such as our lunch and snack poem, the funny rhymes we say when lining up and especially getting together with the Pre K friends for Community Meetings

Our recipe for a successful three year old classroom:

• Experienced and certified teachers and caregivers plan a variety of super fun and creative activities designed to help your three grow in every way: social (most important!), emotional (oh yes!), physical (can’t stop a three!) and cognitive (love to learn)
• make your child’s day nurturing, challenging and successful using our award winning curriculum and a balance between quiet and active play, teacher guided and child initiated activities, just enough of a challenge in each content area to unlock new skills but not frustrate
• Multiple opportunities for experiencing excellent quality children’s literature throughout the day- we even have the Bookmobile visit twice a month
• A structured curriculum calendar provides specific guidelines for teachers to plan for their individual children and the class as a whole- you’ll receive our calendar each month and should use it as reference and for talking points about your child’s day
• Content areas for threes: math and science, literacy, literature, centers and free choice exploration, sensory motor, beginning journals and portfolios, gross and fine motor, Spanish, yoga, gardening, art and art and music appreciation and much more
• Threes get to experience field trips for the first time! Our goal is to expand their world beyond home and classroom and get into the community: apple, strawberry and peach picking, picnics and parks, a petting farm or zoo, museums and local community attractions
• Communication is essential: Tadpoles virtual day notes are sent to parents at least once a day and include pictures from the day, specific classroom activities and skills being introduced and sometimes a fun video

And the result! Ta-Da!

Take one part young three and mix with great curriculum, supportive and nurturing teachers and friends, great parents and here’s what we get by the time your young three leaves the classroom!

• Recognizes own name and some of his classmates’ names
• Strong peer interactions and improved social skills although threes are most comfortable with adult assistance in solving peer problems
• Improved patience when taking turns, attention from the teacher and sharing super fun toys and materials
• Strong and articulate communicator who is ready for Pre K
• Greatly improved physical skills such as running and climbing- less top heavy and uncoordinated than a two year old which gives them confidence!
• Trike riding is now super fun because he can steer and pump simultaneously- our trike obstacle course is a huge hit! We learn bike safety too!
• Threes are getting control of themselves including managing their voice levels and recognizing and repeating funny sayings, poems and silly songs- there’s nothing cuter than a three year old singing at the top of his lungs!
• Is interested and capable of solving puzzles and attempts simple logical reasoning activities such as understanding a whole can be separated into parts and then put back together
• Basic letter, number and sound recognition
• Understanding of classroom routine and rules
• Has formed interests in specific content area (science, math, building, language arts and literature)
• Field trips make a three feel so independent! It’s so fun to go on an outing close by and see the world around us
• Community meetings with Pre K friends and their teachers allow threes to get a peek at what’s coming up next year! Pre K seems so grown up!
• Experiencing the school campus: we are happy to get out of the classroom and move around the campus as we explore the nature trail, Grandma’s cottage, soccer field, water park and gardens. Its super fun to read under a tree and have a picnic