The early years of life can shape what children believe, how they think, and who they will become.
Welcome Educators
Blooming Children thanks you for your dedication to changing the lives of children. It takes patience, kindness, and passion to build connections with students. Here you’ll find useful information whether you are new or experienced to the field of early childhood education. Our Blooming Preschool Educators will follow these guidelines.
Child Guidance
Child Guidance involves patience, safety, routine, and setting clear rules and expectations for children. It requires caregivers and educators to model appropriate behavior and ways to regulate their emotions. Educators at Blooming Preschool will guide children with attention, care, and understanding of what their role is.
Language and Literacy Development
Children should be encouraged to talk, sing, make-up rhymes and listen to stories to improve their literacy skills and oral language skills. Educators should provide tools and opportunities for children to experience written material, self-expression, storytelling, new vocabulary, and interactions with peers. Blooming Children believes in incorporating American Sign Language and welcome opportunities to help children learn different languages.
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Writing Skills
-Pincer grip introduction and fine motor skills (building hand muscles)
-Recognizing difference between lines and shapes
-Beginning handwriting/free drawing/scribbling (finger placement)
-Tracing (staying in the lines)
- Writing (coordinating eyes with hand movement)
-Mastering moving hand across the body left to right
-Understanding what letters/words represent
Developmental Sequence of Pre-Writing Skills
• Vertical Line – 2-year-olds may imitate a teacher’s drawing of this line; 3-year-olds (and older) may be able to see a drawn line and copy it without prompting. This line is usually mastered by 3-year-olds.
• Horizontal Line – Older 2s (mid-year 2s) may imitate this line; 3s can copy and master it.
• Circle Shape – Older 2s imitate; 3s can copy and master it.
• Cross Shape – Older 3s may imitate; 4s can copy the shape.
• Square Shape – 4-year-olds can imitate and copy this shape.
• Left/Right Diagonal Lines – Older 4s (mid-year) may imitate and copy this shape.
• X Shape – 5-year-olds can imitate and copy this shape.
• Triangle – 5-year-olds can imitate and copy this shape.
- Punctuation/Complete sentences
Few correct words/letters are better than a lot of wrong work. Your students should learn the right way.
Name: First & Last
-Response to name/picture of themselves
-Repeats/states their name
-Recognition (on cubbies, work, or flashcards)
-Spelling/Writing (is it correct? Are the letters switched?)
Alphabet/Letters:
-Recognition & song
-Alphabet sequence
-Sounds/Phonics
-Tracing/Writing Practice Skills (staying in the line)
-Upper and Lowercase (connection)
-Direction they face (always correct the child)
-Words (pronunciation & what letters they begin with)
-Songs/Rhymes/ASL
-Sight words
Listening Skills
-Music/Songs
-Instruments
-Listening to stories
-Recall comprehension (understanding and retaining what is being said)
-Descriptive Language
Cognitive and Mathematical Development
Educators should encourage activities that include counting, determining more or less, larger or smaller, how many, recognizing patterns and shapes and developing a sense of time awareness. Blooming Preschool will encourage students to question and challenge them to solve problems, use their memory, classify, and explore numbers and what they represent.
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1. Observation: Using the senses
Observing is the first step in gathering information. Children use their senses to observe attributes such as color, size, sweet/sour, texture, and soft/crunchy.
2. Problem Solving:
Real experiences and games.
Convergent problem solving is the ability to gather individual pieces of information together in one’s mind and come to a single solution to a problem.
Divergent problem solving is the ability to gather many pieces of information and consider a variety of possible solutions to a problem. “Thinking outside the box.”
3. Language:
Use math language throughout the day as well as during activities. Introduce new words with activities such as “This is a pattern! Red, white, red, white.”
Other examples of math language we use in preschool are heavy, light, tall, short, round, rectangular, add to, take away, etc.
4. One-To-One Correspondence
This is the understanding that one group of items has the same number of items as another. It is any activity where the children match one thing to another thing.
For example, one cup to one person.
5. Number Sense
Number Sense is the concept of understanding number by making connections between quantities, counting, more, less, etc.
6. Shapes
At this age, students will identifying basic shape names and comparing, sorting, classifying and drawing them.
Development: Identify, recognize, 2D, 3D, how many faces, edges, sides, vertices, real examples of shapes, and practicing composing and decomposing shapes...etc.
It is also important to teach symmetry with the help of basic shapes for kids. This will help them understand how to position themselves and develop motor skills.
7. Spatial Sense/Positions
Spatial sense is the ability to place items in the correct spaces or places using a logical design or a pattern. As an example, we see this when children are working on puzzles.
Positional and directional terms such as inside/outside, left/middle/right, top/middle/bottom, above/below, beside/next to, etc.
8. Comparing:
Comparing is the ability to identify similarities in items or groups. Once children have had time to explore items, they begin to compare by noticing similarities and differences such colors, weights and sizes of apples.
9. Sets and Classifying
Creating sets is the ability to make groups of items in a logical way. It requires the skill of classifying.
Classifying is a higher level skill than comparing. After observing and comparing, the children can take the information learned and begin sorting, classifying, and grouping in logical ways.
They begin to separate items based on observations. They may separate items by size, by color, etc.
As adults we sort every day, putting away groceries, sorting laundry, sorting mail, etc.
10. Patterning
Patterns are the ability to place items in a specific order that repeats such as:
Patterning a pompom caterpillar in an AB pattern—yellow, blue, yellow, blue
ABC - yellow, blue, orange, yellow, blue, orange
Patterning the children in a line—boy, girl, boy, girl
Patterns by size: long/short, tall/short, wide/narrow, light/heavy, holds more/less, etc.
Patterns are all around us: music, art, building design, nature, etc.
11. Counting
There are 2 types of counting.
Rote Counting- reciting numbers in order from memory.
Rational Counting- is counting items in a group and then understanding that the last number stated IS the amount for the set.
12. Measurement
Measuring includes many areas such as volume, weight, length, height, temperature, and time.
13. Parts and Wholes
Parts & Wholes is an early fraction skill! At this age, children learn the basics of parts and wholes. Some examples in preschool are:
If we break a Graham Cracker (a whole) in half, we have 2 pieces and each of those pieces (the parts) are rectangles! We can rip or cut a piece of paper (a whole) in little pieces (parts).
14. Numbers and Symbols
When referring to Numbers and Symbols, we are referring to the understanding that a specific number is a symbol, and that symbol stands for a set of specific items. <, >, +,-, =, etc.
15. Graphing
Graphing is a way of recording or communicating observations and data that the children have learned.
Physical Development
Physical activity helps build strong bodies, boost cognitive function, improve social skills, reduce stress, and promotes better sleep. Children should be encouraged to participate in large and small motor skills.
Blooming Preschool will encourage students to practice personal health and safety. There will be activities that are child-initiated and teacher-initiated that involve group time, free choice times, outdoor play, appropriate meals, snacks, and rest times.
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1. Improves Brain Function
Regular exercise during childhood can improve memory, attention, and thinking skills. Physical activity stimulates the growth of new brain cells and strengthens the connections between existing neurons, which helps enhance learning and problem-solving abilities.
2. Better Social Skills
Physical activity also provides opportunities for children to socialize and develop essential social skills. Participating in team sports, for example, can help children learn to communicate, cooperate, and respect others. Team sports can also help build self-esteem and confidence as children work toward achieving common goals with their peers.
3. Help the body relax and reduce stress
Physical activity is also an excellent way for children to manage stress and anxiety. Exercise releases endorphins, the body’s feel-good chemicals, which can help reduce stress and anxiety levels. This can be particularly beneficial for children who struggle with the demands of school or other external stressors.
4. Improves Sleep
Regular physical activity has also been linked to better sleep for children. Exercise promotes relaxation and helps regulate the sleep-wake cycle, making it easier for children to fall and stay asleep. Improved sleep quality can benefit children with improved mood, better academic performance, and a reduced risk of obesity and other health problems.
Personal and Social Development
Children are encouraged to feel comfortable in school settings, trust their environment, make friendships, and feel a sense of belonging. Children are encouraged to develop a self-concept, self-worth, and self-control through interacting with others, problem solving, and conflict resolution. Blooming encourages manners, character education, and developmentally appropriate changes in age.
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By 2 months, babies:
• Begin to smile at people
• Can briefly calm himself (may bring hands to mouth and suck on fingers)
• Try to look at parent
• Coo, make gurgling sounds
• Pay attention to faces
• Begin to act bored (cries, fussy) if activity doesn’t change
By 4 months, babies:
• Smile spontaneously, especially at people
• Like to play with people and might cry when playing stops
• Copy some movements and facial expressions, like smiling
• Begin to babble
• Babble with expressions and copy sounds he hears
• Cry in different ways to show hunger, pain, or being tired
• Let you know if she is happy or sad
• Respond to affection
• Watch faces closely
• Recognize familiar people and things at a distance
By 6 months, babies:
• Know familiar faces and begin to know if someone is a stranger
• Like to play with others, especially parents
• Respond to other people’s emotions and often seem happy
• Like to look at self in a mirror
• Respond to sounds by making sounds
• Respond to own name
• Make sounds to show joy and displeasure
• Show curiosity and try to get things that are out of reach
By 9 months, babies
• May be afraid of strangers
• May be clingy with familiar adults
• Have favorite toys
• Understand “no”
• Play peek-a-boo
• Copy sounds and gestures of others
By 1 year, babies:
• Are shy or nervous with strangers
• Cry when mom or dad leave
• Have favorite things and people
• Show fear in some situations
• Hand a book when he wants to hear a story
• Repeat sounds or actions to get attention
• Put out arm or leg to help with dressing
• Play games such as “peek-a-boo” and “pat-a-cake”
• Respond to simple spoken requests
• Use simple gestures, like shaking head “no” or waving “bye bye”
• Make sounds with changes in tone (sounds more like speaking)
• Say “mama” and “dada” and exclamations like “uh-oh!”
• Try to say words you say
By 18 months, toddlers:
• Like to hand things to others to play
• May have temper tantrums
• May be afraid of strangers
• Show affection to familiar people
• Play simple pretend, such as feeding a doll
• May cling to caregivers in new situations
• Point to show others something interesting
• Explore alone but with parent close by
• Say several single words
• Say and shake head “no”
• Point to show someone what he wants
By 2 years, toddlers:
• Copy others, especially adults and older children
• Get excited when with other children
• Show more and more independence
• Show defiant behavior (doing what he has been told not to do)
• Play mainly beside other children, but is beginning to include other children like in chase games
• Know names of familiar people
• Play simple make-believe games
By 3 years, preschoolers:
• Copy adults and friends
• Show affection for friends without prompting
• Take turns in games
• Show concern for crying friend
• Understand the idea of “mine” and “his” or “hers”
• Show a wide range of emotions
• Separate easily from mom and dad
• May get upset with major changes in routine
• Dress and undress self
• Name a friend
• Carry on a conversation using 2-3 sentences
• Play make-believe with dolls, animals, and people
By 4 years, preschoolers:
• Enjoy doing new things
• Play “mom” and “dad”
• Is more creative with make-believe play
• Would rather play with other children than by himself
• Cooperate with other children
• Often can’t tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Talk about what she likes and what she is interested in
• Understand the idea of “same” and “different”
• Play board or card games
By 5 years, preschoolers:
• Want to please friends
• Want to be like friends
• More likely to agree with rules
• Like to sing, dance, and act
• Show concern and sympathy for others
• Are aware of gender
• Can tell what’s real and what’s make-believe
• Show more independence (for example, may visit a next-door neighbor by himself but adult supervision is still required)
• Is sometimes demanding and sometimes very cooperative
Between the ages of 5 and 7, school-agers:
• Develop greater empathy
• Establish and maintain positive relationships and friendships
• Start developing a sense of morality
• Control impulsive behavior
• Identify and manage emotions
• Form a positive self-concept and self-esteem (identity formation has begun)
• Become resilient
• Begin to function more independently (from looking after person possessions to making decision without needing constant support).
• Form opinions about moral values — right and wrong
• Be able to express an opinion and negotiate
• Develop greater empathy
• Begin understanding different viewpoints
• Start making more sense of who I am (Who am I like? Who likes me?)
• Develop a sense of family history (identity)
• Grapple with questions about death
• Accept that parents are not all powerful
Between the ages of 8 and 9, school-agers:
• Fit in and be accepted by peers (preoccupied with comparisons — do I fit in?)
• Have a best friend
• Strengthen cooperative skills
• Adjust to a sexually developing body and handle the agonies of feeling awkward and self-conscious (What will I look like? Do I look normal?)
• Continue refining a sense of self (fluid and constantly changing)
• Work out values and beliefs — often passionately adopt an ethical stance
• Establish independence and individuality (intensely private, wanting alone time, displays of noncompliance at school and home)
Between the ages of 10 and 11, school-agers:
• Behave appropriately in a variety of social situations
• Refine communication skills
• Resolve interpersonal conflicts — understand the difference between passive, assertive and aggressive responses
• Become more independent and responsible for actions
• Value and respect rules and authority
• Know how to act appropriately and safely in online social world
• Manage emotional changes accompanying puberty (torn between needing the security of the familiar and craving the unknown)
• Develop more positive self-esteem and resilience by building strengths and accepting limitations
• Acknowledge “who I am” through an optimistic lens
Emotional Development
Children experience pride and self-confidence, develop independence, and self-control, and have a positive attitude towards life. Blooming Children encourages starts the day with a mindfulness practice of “May I be happy, may I be healthy, may I have peace.”
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Birth to one: Noticing Emotions
-Comfort/Discomfort
-Trust
-Attachment bond
-Basic Needs
Two to Three: Expressing Emotions
-Tantrums vs Meltdown
-Experimenting how to express emotions
-Testing Boundaries
Three to Five: Managing Emotions
-Independance
-New Social Settings
Creative Arts
Children are encouraged to express their creativity through art, self-expression, dance, music, and dramatic play. In art children mix paint, pound and shape clay, and build structures with blocks, boxes, and Legos. Teachers expose children to a wide variety of ideas and experiences in the arts throughout the day.
Scientific Thinking
Children focus on the world they know and understand. Knowledge grows from the child’s innate need to discover. Examples are measuring, comparing, using the five senses, questioning, predicting, and analyzing results.
First Time Teacher
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