Pre-Toddler Program (Reggio Emilia approach/Nido 2)
Our curriculum is designed to guide and develop the social, emotional, self-control, physical and neurological skills needed for future success. Although many academic concepts are introduced, the focus remains on each child’s development and how he/she fits into his or her environment.
Highlights
Communication skills are a vital component of the curriculum as children expand their vocabularies and assign meaning to new experiences. With our Spanish immersion approach, pre-toddlers are rapidly learning a second language as quickly as their native language.
Exploring the world inspires a child to examine, create, and share as he broadens his language through interactions with his teachers and classmates in a safe, nurturing environment. Sensory and repetitive activities transform these new experiences into
knowledge.
Our program also incorporates circle time, music, art and dramatic play to encourage and shape your child’s creativity and imagination. Activities promote the development of physical skills, from running and jumping, to dressing and pre-writing. In our community of exploration, your child can learn, grow and celebrate the world around him/her.
The pre-toddler classroom provides a developmentally appropriate learning environment where children are free to explore and grow cognitively, physically, socially and emotionally. The pre-toddler environment at AEBS is set up to nurture a child’s inherent curiosity by enabling children to explore and discover. AEBS focuses on fostering each child’s self-confidence and positive self-image. The program also focuses on each child’s social skills and instills a positive attitude toward learning.
Practical Life
This area of the curriculum is the bridge for young children between home and school. They are able to do adult activities they see at home while fostering skills to learn to take care of their environment as well as themselves. The aim of these activities is for the child to attain independence, a sense of order, concentration and coordination. Practical life activities include buttoning, zipping, tying, washing ones hands etc. Activities related to environmental care are: cleaning, polishing, food preparation, watering plants etc. Practical life also includes fine motor development such as pouring, cutting, balancing etc. Practical life activities also work on the child’s social development. This includes their interpersonal skill, grace and courtesy, speaking and participating in a group.
Sensorial
In sensorial the child discovers the world around him/her through the use of his/her senses. Children come to know and understand the world they live in through their five senses. Our classrooms have sensorial materials, such as essences to smell, textures, sound cylinders, etc. that will help a child to understand and internalize the concepts of size, shape, color, taste, touch and sound. These materials build the foundation for developing skills in the areas of music, mathematics and language.
Language
The language curriculum focuses on oral language of Spanish immersion learning experiences (singing, finger plays, stories, conversation time) and pre-reading and pre-writing work. Language is built on foundations established in the first two years of life. Materials in the classroom and our native Spanish teachers help them enhance their language abilities and learn a second language. AEBS exposes our students to sounds in the Spanish immersion language that will create dedicated neurons in the auditory cortex of your child’s brain resulting in greater brain capacity.
Math
Children begin their journey in mathematics by going from the concrete to the abstract. The learning experiences are presented in real life scenarios and sensorial exercises which helping children begin their exploration of mathematics. Concrete math materials enable the mathematical mind of the toddler to journey from the concrete to the abstract through manipulation and experimentation. Children first explore the concept of quantity or “how many.” AEBS strongly believes that children build upon each other in a natural progression, encouraging discovery. From there, the child moves on to using symbols or written quantities, and then begins to combine quantities for the operations of addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
Neuro-movement
AEBS pre-toddler programs embrace the joy of early motor development through the exploration of concept-based creative movement. Based on the “Brain-Gym” program, these teaching techniques delight in the movement through the different routines. The kinesthetic vocabulary encourages age- appropriate neurological, emotional and physical development using movement, rhythm and instruments. It’s a wonderful bonding experience for all. Our program is designed to enhance motor skills, social skills and self-esteem. It also enhances physical fitness, balance, and imagination.