St. Paul is proud to offer one of the best preschools in Grand Rapids MI, and the surrounding area. Our preschool has children from Forest Hills, Ada, Kentwood, Grand Rapids, Caledonia and East Grand Rapids.
Our experienced and creative teachers consistently enhance the learning development of our students by adding events and activities that make each grade special and memorable. Here are some of the highlights we offer:
- God Made Me and God Made the World religion programs frame the themes and units of the preschool curriculum. With faith and love of God as the central focus of our days, the preschoolers enjoy many activities and learning opportunities occurring in the world around them.
- A variety of activities outside the classroom provides growth in many learning domains: P.E, music, computer, field trips.
- Handwriting Without Tears and VoWac phonics establish a solid foundation as emergent readers. An introduction to the Spanish language and American Sign Language are also incorporated.
- The social and emotional growth and needs of the students are valued and nurtured as the foundation of happy and productive relationships and learning.
- Play is the medium of choice and design utilized by preschoolers to learn about and solve problems in their world.
As Early Childhood professionals, we recognize and respect each child’s unique gifts and abilities. Each child is welcomed as an individual and provided with activities and experiences which encourage the growth of skills and acquisition of concepts. We strive to develop a love of school and learning to remain with each child throughout life.
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[su_spoiler title=”Religion”]God Made Me (Threes) Awareness of God’s gift of abilities
God Made the World (Fours) Awareness of God’s creation
Celebrate God�s love
Recognize prayer as a means of communicating with God
Recognize that God created us to do good deeds[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Social and Emotional”]Develop a healthy sense of self
Show increasing ability to regulate emotions
Develop healthy relationships with other children and adults[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Intellectual”]Explore and increase understanding of physical characteristics and relationships in the environment Similarities and differences
Sort and classify
Recognize and use symbols
Increase observation skills
Increase ability to ask questions and make predictions
Increase ability to solve problems in their hands-on activities[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Language and Early Literacy”]Enjoy being read to from a variety of materials
Begin to demonstrate reading-like behaviors
Understand concepts of print (title, cover, directionality, etc.)
Recognize name in print
Recognize a few meaningful words (mom, dad), signs, and environmental print
Retell story in own words (fours)
Predict events in a story
Sequence pictures to tell a story
Develop physical skills needed to write letters and numbers
Handwriting Without Tears (fours) Practice recognition and formation of uppercase letters
Introduced to most common letter sound
Begin to develop writing skills to communicate and express self
Use a variety of forms of early writing (scribbling, drawing, letter strings, copied)
Use writing for a variety of purposes (stories, lists, labels, restaurant orders, etc.)
Develop abilities to express themselves clearly and communicate to others Take part in different kinds of roles as a speaker
Understand roles of the participants in a conversation
Experiment and play with sounds
Increase vocabulary through stories and conversations
Learn to use and recognize nonverbal gestures and expressions
Increase capacity to use effective listening skills Increase attention span
Progress in following directions
Gain information from listening[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Creative Arts”]Express feelings, thoughts, and learning through experiences with visual arts, music, movement, and dramatic arts Experiences with drawing, painting, molding, and building with a variety of materials
Experiment with musical instruments
Participate in musical activities (vocal, listening, finger plays, singing, and simple performances)
Move body in response to different tempos of music
Move body to express feelings and thoughts
Grow in the ability to pretend and use objects as symbols
Use dramatic play to represent concepts
Begin to distinguish between reality and fantasy[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Physical Development”]Develop gross motor skills Classroom games and movement
Outdoor play
Gym time
Gain control of bodies Recognize names of body parts
Develop spatial awareness
Develop small motor skills Experiences with scissors, pencils, markers, crayons, glue, blocks, puzzles, lacing, stringing, and many other manipulatives
Use fine motor skills in daily activities (zipping, buttoning, etc.)
Develop the ability to cooperate and appreciate others� abilities
Develop pride in own abilities[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Health, Safety, and Nutrition”]Demonstrate increasing independence with personal care (hand washing, toileting, using tissues and disposal)
Begin to understand the importance of good health
Begin to learn safety procedures for different situations
Recognize nutritious foods and junk food
Develop and understanding of oral hygiene[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Mathematics”]Develop strategies for solving mathematical problems in daily living
Match and sort
Classify
Compare and contrast
Order by size
Understand more and less
Recognize and create simple patterns
Use nonstandard and standard units for simple measurement
Develop one-to-one correspondence
Count
Recognize numbers
Recognize shapes
Begin to recognize ordinal numbers
Develop vocabulary to describe directionality, order, and positions of objects
Develop addition and subtraction concepts through stories, finger plays, and concrete materials[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Science”]Gain knowledge about science through observation and active play
Recognize the difference between living and nonliving things (fours)
Understand the way simple tools work through play
Explore physical properties through magnets, car ramps, blocks, texture table
Begin to be aware of knowledge related to the earth Features
Weather and seasons
Earth materials
Safety during bad weather[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Social Studies”]
Use pretend play to represent their environment
Tell personal information: first and last name, phone number, address (fours)
Recognize that people and families are both alike and different
Grow in understanding and respect for differences
Begin to understand the reasons for rules and their consequences
Recognize community helpers and what they do for the community
Recognize that money is necessary to buy needed things
Recognize that the environment needs care and how they can participate
Recognize the days of the week (fours)
Begin to recognize the months of the year (fours)
Gain knowledge of holidays and participate in celebrations[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Technology”]Explore and use a variety of technology tools through play
Use computers to discover components and accomplish tasks (fours)[/su_spoiler]
[su_spoiler title=”Foreign Langauge”]Count to ten or above in Spanish
Introduced to color words and days of the week in Spanish[/su_spoiler]
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