Using ‘I’ or ‘me’ when referring to self Expanding length of sentences Increased vocabulary Uses words to get attention Talking to other children

Interacting with other children as well as adults Role Playing Use creativity and imagination Taking turns with other children

Balancing on one foot Continued physical activity including walking, running, jumping, climbing, balance, & strength Fine Motor Skills by coloring, beading, legos, & drawing

Gross Motor Skills Increased coordination while walking and running (less tripping) Hopping, jumping and standing on one foot Walking backwards and climbing stairs w/ one foot after the other Kicking and throwing a small ball; catching a bigger ball most of the time Climbing Beginning to pedal a tricycle or bike Fine Motor Skills Drawing a circle with a crayon, pencil or a marker Playing with toys that have small moving parts and buttons Turning pages one at a time Building with Mega Blocks, creating towers of six or more blocks Operating door handles and twist-on bottle tops

Name the 8 colors in a crayon box (black, brown, purple, orange, green, blue, yellow, red) Reciting numbers 1 through 10, starts counting groups of things Starts to understand different times of the day and days of the week Remembers and re-tells favorite stories Comprehends and discusses things that are the “same” and “different” Follows simple three-step directions (“wash your face, brush your teeth and put on your pajamas.”)

Using basic rules of grammar but not totally understanding grammatical rules Speaks well enough that most strangers can understand what they’re saying Uses a group of words in a sentence and begins to have two- to three-sentence conversations Can tell you their name, a friend’s name and the names of most objects Understands words that describe location, such as in, out, on, behind and on top Asks the “what, where, when and why” questions to learn more

Preschool & Nursery School

Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.

Nelson Mandela

Preschool & Nursery School = Learning + Childcare at Holmdel Preschool

Passing from toddler to preschool age, children are developing many skills in different areas. You’ll notice that your three-year-old is becoming more adept at the gross and fine motor skills they developed as two-year-olds, as well as learning and practicing new skills. Your child will start learning and discovering new things about the world around them. They start experimenting with new ways to perform familiar tasks and activities. Three-year-olds become more verbal and expressive. Their comprehension of verbal instruction increases. This is a transitional time for your child, as they become more independent.

Holmdel Preschool works with you and your child to begin a seamless and successful transition towards school. We follow the The Creative Curriculum® designed to prepare your child for what lies ahead, teaching the skills they’ll need and helping them discover new ways to apply these skills. Our philosophy is to assist the children to develop the ability to think, we don’t give them answers, we help them find the answers. We do this using the 4 C’s skills: critical thinking, creativity, collaboration and communication.

This philosophy includes:

Language Skills

Using ‘I’ or ‘me’ when referring to self
Expanding length of sentences
Increased vocabulary
Uses words to get attention
Talking to other children

Social Skills

Interacting with other children as well as adults
Role Playing
Use creativity and imagination
Taking turns with other children

Cognitive Development & Thinking Skills

Acquire problem solving skills
Use planning skills
Improving thinking skills
Observe, inquire and discover
Use creativity and imagination
Classification and association
Reasoning
Recall sequence
Recognize, duplicate and expand patterns
Understand cause and effect

Motor Skills

Balancing on one foot
Continued physical activity including walking, running, jumping, climbing, balance, & strength
Fine Motor Skills by coloring, beading, legos, & drawing

Acquire concepts and information leading to a fuller understanding of the immediate world

Demonstrate skills in pretend play

Develop beginning reading skills

Acquire beginning writing skills

Enhance socio-emotional development

3 Year Old Milestones Include:

Physical Milestones

Gross Motor Skills
- Increased coordination while walking and running (less tripping)
- Hopping, jumping and standing on one foot
- Walking backwards and climbing stairs w/ one foot after the other
- Kicking and throwing a small ball; catching a bigger ball most of the time
- Climbing
- Beginning to pedal a tricycle or bike
Fine Motor Skills
- Drawing a circle with a crayon, pencil or a marker
- Playing with toys that have small moving parts and buttons
- Turning pages one at a time
- Building with Mega Blocks, creating towers of six or more blocks
- Operating door handles and twist-on bottle tops

Cognitive Milestones

Name the 8 colors in a crayon box (black, brown, purple, orange, green, blue, yellow, red)
Reciting numbers 1 through 10, starts counting groups of things
Starts to understand different times of the day and days of the week
Remembers and re-tells favorite stories
Comprehends and discusses things that are the “same” and “different”
Follows simple three-step directions (“wash your face, brush your teeth and put on your pajamas.”)

Language Milestones

Using basic rules of grammar but not totally understanding grammatical rules
Speaks well enough that most strangers can understand what they’re saying
Uses a group of words in a sentence and begins to have two- to three-sentence conversations
Can tell you their name, a friend’s name and the names of most objects
Understands words that describe location, such as in, out, on, behind and on top
Asks the “what, where, when and why” questions to learn more

Social & Emotional Milestones

Being hesitantly interested about new experiences and places
Playful engagement with rather than by other children
Comforts and shows compassion for sad friends without being told to do so
Takes turns while playing
Mimics real-life during playtime
Starts using simple ways to solve disagreements
Shows a variety of emotions…may not name them

Committed to Care & Learning

Our before-and-after school childcare is available from 7am to 7pm for all children attending Holmdel Preschool. For parents who want or need extra time for their children outside of the class, we offer a familiar surrounding with familiar adults. Each new day represents a new opportunity for self-discovery, new learning, confidence building and celebrating success. At Holmdel Preschool, each tomorrow becomes the best day ever!