Pre-K for 3-year-olds (Pre-K 3)

• Interacts with and forms relationships with adults
• Responds to guidance from an adult
• Interacts with his/her peers 
• Successfully joins play groups
• Can form a friendship or make friends
• Can identify own feelings 
• Shows the ability to manage one’s own feelings and behaviors, at times with guidance  
• Notices and understands emotions of peers
• Uses classroom materials appropriately
• Participates in routine activities throughout the day 
• Is able to adapt to changes in the daily schedule
• Understands and follows classroom rules
• Demonstrates an understanding that there are similarities and differences among people and families
• Can take turns
• Is able to solve social problems (suggests taking turns or making a sign asking others to not knock down block structure) 
• Independently transitions from one activity to the next

• Responds to simple questions or statements
• Engages in conversations that include three exchanges
• Can follow two step directions
• Uses language as a way to express thoughts and needs
• Describes the use of many familiar items
• Is able to use new vocabulary in sentences 
• Speaks clearly enough to be understood by most
• Uses complete four to six word sentences to communicate 
• Tells simple stories that include specific people and events
• Can retell a story
• Listens to others speaking in large group settings
• Follows social rules by taking turns in conversations
• Recognizes first name in print
• Identifies a few letters, especially those in their own name
• “Reads” environmental print
• While looking at a book, is able to orient a book correctly (right side up, front to back) and turn the pages
• Asks and answers questions about text by using pictures
• Writes some letters correctly, especially those in their name
• Uses drawings and some letter strings to “write” a message
• Dictates an idea that can be written down by an adult.

Math

• Verbally counts up to 10
• Counts up to 5 objects accurately using 1:1 correspondence
• Recognizes and names the number of items in a small set (up to five) instantly (is able to look at five blocks and indicate five blocks are present without counting each one separately)
• Identifies numerals to 5 in random order
• Identifies a few basic shapes (circle, square, triangle)
• Begins to understand attributes of objects such as length and weight

Science

• Observes and uses 5 senses to explore things in the environment
• Begins to make comparisons and classify
• Attempts to manipulate objects to understand their properties
• Demonstrates a knowledge of living vs. nonliving things
• Makes predictions
• Identifies and classifies animals and plants
• Demonstrates understanding that there are different kinds of weather and that weather changes

Social Studies

• Is able to use manners in different settings
• Understands roles of community helpers
• Describes different elements of their community
• Describes the various means of transportation and their uses
• Identifies characteristics of family, family members and their roles
• Describes the roles of the immediate family (those living in the household)
• Shows an understanding of their role in the classroom community

The Arts

• Uses a variety of mediums and methods
• Expresses interest in drawings, sculptures, models, and paintings
• Engages in making different rhythm patterns

Gross Motor

• Walks and runs around obstacles
• Uses alternating feet to walk up and down the stairs
• Can climb up and down on playground equipment
• Demonstrates galloping skills
• Can jump and land with two feet together
• Is able to kick a ball
• Is able to use two hands to catch a large ball

Fine Motor

• Can open and close scissors
• Is able to manipulate small objects 
• Uses utensils while eating 
• Is able to copy basic shapes
• Is able to squeeze and release tongs 
• Grasps various writing tools using the three-point finger grasp

Physical Well-Being/Health

• Is able to dress and undress with little help
• Can put his/her shoes on with little help
• Can use a tissue independently  
• Can take care of basic toileting needs independently 
• Is able to wash his/her own hands independently 
• Can follow basic safety rules with some assistance

• Help build oral language skills by reading with your child every day at home.  Your child will be learning about many topics in school, help to increase their knowledge by choosing books that relate to the topic to read together.  
• Discuss new vocabulary words that come up during conversations and reading with your child. The more they encounter the word, the more it will become part of their everyday vocabulary. 
• Engage in pre-reading skills by encouraging your child to tell you what they see happening in the pictures, and ask them what they think will happen next before turning the page.
• Sing songs with your child! Singing is another way to build oral language skills with your child. 
• Play is such an important part of your child’s development and of our prekindergarten program.  Play helps your child promote self-regulation, language, cognition, and social skills. In other words, during play,  your child is learning how to interact in a social setting, problem solve, have a better understanding of their world, express and control their emotions, build on their language development, and build on other skills that will help them succeed in school. By engaging in play at home, you can begin to build these key social/emotional skills for your child to be successful in school and beyond.