At Highwood Playschool, we cherish the belief that children learn best through play. Through exploration of their environments, of materials around them, and of increased social interactions, children naturally discover and develop. The role of the teacher is to provide a safe, rich and inspiring environment in which each child can move toward his/her unique potential, and to encourage play experiences which promote the child’s next steps in development. Play is a child’s work, and will be honored and celebrated in our playschool.
**Our philosophies and practices are informed by Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, Piaget’s Cognitive Stages, Erikson’s Developmental Stages, and the Reggio Emilia Approach.
Our Program Endeavors to Support Child Development in 3 Ways:
Cognitively
Increased language and communication skills (verbal and literal). Increased creative problem-solving. Form and test hypotheses, make conclusions. Increased flexibility and divergence in thinking (new ideas). Acquire new information about self, others and world. Introduction to math (counting, shapes, sorting, comparing attributes, measuring) and science (observation, prediction, logic, cause and effect, nature). Introduction to music, poetry and dance. Introduction to reading (letters, sounds, appreciation for printed materials such as books, signs, lists, etc) and writing (representation of own ideas on paper, through art and scribed story-telling, etc).
Physically
Increased body-awareness, over-all coordination, and strength. Increased skill in large muscle movements (jumping, running, balance), and in small muscle precision (pencil hold, cutting, fine movement). Increased self-care skills. Practice in healthy lifestyle, such as exercise and good food choices. Use of all senses to build knowledge.
