Program Objectives
Physical:
Our goal at Arts In Motion Performing Arts Preschool, is to offer a fine arts based program. Our classes will include both structured and unstructured opportunities to dance, act in dramatic play, move, tumble, stretch through yoga and sing. Each of these program highlights offer valuable gross motor skills that include creative movement, range of motion exploration, body awareness, running, stretching, balancing and jumping. Children will be able to use various props to engage in activities that will keep their learning environment exciting and stimulating. For fine motor activities, our daily schedule will include arts and crafts and exploratory opportunities such as, building with various materials, painting, cutting, pasting, play dough, clay moulding, beading and pegboards. Our teachers will promote the concept of process over product and allow children to explore their physical growth at their own unique pace with open ended opportunities. Free play time will also provide children with an opportunity to guide their own activities involving physical development.
Social:
Our program strives to provide ample opportunities (such as free play time and circle time) for the children to interact with their peers and the teachers within the classroom. We encourage children to make relationships with others, learn to communicate their needs, and continue to develop self regulation. Our staff will play an important role in this category as children are encouraged to build trusting and caring relationships with the adults in their classroom. Our teachers will work to develop positive attitudes toward learning, working with others and building relationships. Providing a genuine interest in each student, listening to them, guiding them and demonstrating appropriate behaviours are some of the primary objectives for our staff. Teachers will also help to identify children who struggle engaging in play, or who avoid cooperative play and will help. Learning to problem solve so they may begin to form relationships with their peers and developing social skills through working and playing with others are a few of the benefits that come from exposing children to a positive social circle. Surrounding your child with positive role models in a fun, creative atmosphere will highlight their journey to social literacy.
Intellectual:
Our program at Arts In Motion Performing Arts Preschool is designed to stimulate each child’s cognitive development. Aspects of attention, memory, reasoning, classification, math, science, literacy and language are all essential components of our program. Children will participate in circle time which will introduce them to topics such as calendar, counting, phonics, letter recognition, math, science, communication, colours, shapes etc. Children will be encouraged to do these skills independently, or with some open ended help from the teachers. This means that the staff will not give the answer directly, but rather, help the children find clues to help them solve the problem or answer the question. Activities to develop cognitive abilities will also be present around the room in different centres during free play time. Games such as various puzzles, water table with measuring utensils, a box with shapes of various colours and sizes will all be found around the classroom so that children may introduce themselves or refine their skills on their own. Children will also be encouraged to interact and expand their vocabulary during class times whether it be in circle, or with one on one attention. Books will be available for children to look at on their own, and stories will be read with the children in circle time. This early literacy opportunity allows children to connect their thoughts and drawings with the actual words that represent what they have done.
Creative:
The children enrolled in our program will have various methods to expel their creativity. As this is a fine arts based program, children will have many diverse opportunities to develop this aspect of growth. Arts and Crafts will be available to the children, whether it is a group project, or an independent one done during free play. Children will also have access to various costumes and props for dramatic play, different blocks for building, and many other toys to play with such as dinosaurs, dolls and pretend kitchen supplies. These materials will help children engage in their creative play and help to grow their ever expanding imaginations. Within our program, there will also be opportunities for guided creative activities. For example, in dance class, the children will engage in many different games that will allow them to move like various shapes, animals and characters. They will be subjected to diverse music, sounds and instruments that will allow them to “move to their own beat” and establish their unique sense of creativity.
Emotional:
Our goal is to encourage children to gain emotional competence by understanding their emotions/feelings and learning how to cope with them by developing problem solving skills, self regulation and resilience. Children will be provided with opportunities to learn about such skills in situations such as circle time (waiting their turn to speak and listening), play time (sharing toys, working with others) and gross motor time (personal space and hands to ourselves). Teachers will be trained to listen to the children about their perceived problems, comfort them in stressful times (such as parental good byes at the door) and be prepared to react in a positive, receptive and sensitive manner. Teachers will also be encouraged to continually learn about their students and their various cultures to remain open to all situations. Our program would like to encourage all children to express their feelings and emotions and understand that not all children are able to verbalize it appropriately. Children will be given various mediums to display their emotions (such as art work) if they are unable to verbalize them and it will be our staffs job to ensure that the child is given support and strategies to appropriately deal with their feelings.
The high standard for providing the physical, social, intellectual, creative and emotional needs for children is of the utmost importance to us. As we continue to strive for excellence in early childhood education with a base in fine arts, we will continue our journey of learning with the children and ensuring we are providing them with an exceptional program that is both developmentally appropriate and fun.
