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Pre-Nursery

The overarching objectives of the language arts, mathematics, social studies, science, social-

emotional, physical, cognitive, and the arts programs are guided by both the Creative Curriculum

frameworks and the NAEYC 2012 curriculum criteria for cognitive development in early

childhood. We recognize that child development unfolds in a progressive sequence, but we also

recognize that there may be overlapping of the developmental stages. Therefore, oftentimes, the

various domains may be inter-related. Depending on the child’s individual pace, the

developmental indicators listed below may appear in more than one age group. Generally,

children progress through these predictable sequences as they develop and mature. Developed by

Teaching Strategies, these developmental objectives are the most predictive of future school

success. We build our entire curriculum around these indicators.

Pre-Nursery: 2-3 years

Objectives for Development and Learning

Social-Emotional Development

1. Regulates own emotions and behaviors

a. Manages feelings

L 2 Uses adult support to calm self

L 4 Comforts self by seeking out special object or person

L 6 Is able to look at a situation differently or delay gratification

b. Follows limits and expectations

L 2 Responds to changes in an adult’s tone of voice and expression

L 4 Accepts redirection from adults

L 6 Manages classroom rules, routines, and transitions with occasional

reminders

c. Takes care of own needs appropriately

L 2 Indicates need and wants: participates as adult attends to needs

L 4 Seeks to do things for self

2. Establishes and sustains positive relationships

a. Forms relationships with adults

L 2 Demonstrates a secure attachment to one or more adults

L 4 Uses trusted adult as a secure base from which to explore the world

L 6 Manages separations without distress and engages with trusted adults

b. Responds to emotional cues

L 2 Reacts to others’ emotional expressions

L 4 Demonstrates concern aabout the feelings of others

c. Interacts with peers

L 2 Plays near other children: uses similar materials or actions

d. Makes friends

L 2 Seeks a preferred playmate: shows pleasure when seeing a friend

3. Participates cooperatively and constructively in group situations

a. Balances needs and rights of self and others

L 2 Responds appropriately to others’ expressions of wants

b. Solves social problems

L 2 Expresses feelings during a conflict

L 4 Seeks adult help to resolve a social problem

Physical Development

4. Demonstrates traveling skills

L 2 Moves to explore immediate environment

L 4 Experiments with different ways of moving

5. Demonstrates balancing skills

L 2 Balances while exploring immediate environment

L 4 Experiments with different way balancing

L 6 Sustains balance during simple movement experiences

6. Demonstrates gross-motor manipulative skills

L 2 Reaches, grasps, and releases objects

L 4 Manipulates balls or similar objects with stiff body movements

7. Demonstrates fine-motor strength and coordination

a. Uses fingers and hands

L 2 Reaches for, touches, and holds objects purposefully

L 4 Uses fingers and whole-arm movements to manipulate and explore objects

L 6 Uses refined wrist and finger movements

b. Uses writing and drawing tools

L 2 Grasps drawing and writing tools, jabbing at paper

L 4 Grips drawing and writing tools with whole hand but may use whole-arm

movements to make marks

Language Development

8. Listens to and understands increasingly complex language

a. Comprehends language

L 2 Shows an interest in the speech of others

L 4 Identifies familiar people, animals, and objects when prompted

Follows directions

L 2 Responds to simple verbal requests accompanied by gestures or tone of

voice

L 4 Follows simple requests not accompanied by gestures

L 6 Follows directions of two or more steps that relate to familiar objects and

experiences

9. Uses language to express thoughts and needs

a. Uses an expanding expressive vocabulary

L 2 Vocalizes and gestures to communicate

L 4 Names familiar people, animals, and objects

b. Speaks clearly

L 2 Babbles strings of single consonant sounds and combines sounds

L 4 Uses some words and word-like sounds and is understood by most

familiar people

c. Uses conventional grammar

L 2 Uses one-or two-word sentences or phrases

L 4 Uses three-to-four word sentences: may omit some words or use some

words incorrectly

d. Tells about another time or place

L 2 Makes simple statements about recent events and familiar people and

objects that are not present

L 4 Tells simple stories about objects, events, and people not present: lacks

many details and a conventional beginning, middle and end

10. Uses appropriate conversational and other communication skills

a. Engages in conversations

L 2 Engages in simple back-and-forth exchanges with others

L 4 Initiates and attends to brief conversations

b. Uses social rules of language

L 2 Responds to speech by looking at the speaker; watches for signs of being

understood when communicating

L 4 Uses appropriate eye contact, pauses, and simple verbal prompts when

communicating

Cognitive Development

11. Demonstrates positive approaches to learning

a. Attends and engages

L 2 Pays attention to sights and sounds

L 4 Sustains interest in working on a task, especially when adults offer

suggestions, questions, and comments

b. Persists

L 2 Repeats actions to obtain similar results

L 4 Practices an activity many times until successful

c. Solves problems

L 2 Reacts to a problem; seeks to achieve a specific goal

L 4 Observes and imitates how other people solve problems; asks for a

solutions and uses it

d. Shows curiosity and motivation

L 2 Uses senses to explore the immediate environment

L 4 Explores and investigates ways to make something happen

e. Shows flexibility and inventiveness in thinking

L 2 Imitates others in using objects in new and/or unanticipated ways

L 4 Uses creativity and imagination during play and routine tasks

12. Remembers and connects experiences

a. Recognizes and recalls

L 2 Recognizes familiar people, places and objects; looks for hidden objects

where it was last seen

L 4 Recalls familiar people, places, objects, and actions from the past (a few

months before); recalls 1 or 2 items removed from view

b. Makes connections

L 2 Looks for familiar persons when they are named: relates objects to events

L 4 Remembers the sequence of personal routines and experiences with

teacher support

13. Uses classification skills

L 2 Matches familiar object

14. Uses symbols and images to represent something not present

a. Thinks symbolically

L 2 Recognizes people, objects, and animals in pictures or photographs

b. Engages in socio-dramatic play

L 2 Imitates actions of others during play, uses real objects as props

Literacy

15. Demonstrates phonological awareness

a. Notices and discriminates rhyme

L 2 Joins in rhyming songs and games

L 4 Fills in the missing rhyming word; generates rhyming words

spontaneously

b. Notices and discriminates alliteration

L 2 Sings songs and recites rhymes and refrains with repeating initial sounds

16. Demonstrates knowledge of the alphabet

a. Identifies and names letters

L 2 Recognizes and names a few letters in own name

17. Demonstrates knowledge of print and its uses

a. Uses and appreciates books

L 2 Shows interest in books

L 4 Orient books correctly: turns pages from the front of the book; recognizes

familiar books by their cover

b. Uses print concepts

L 2 Shows understanding that text is meaningful and can be read

18. Comprehends and responds to books and other texts

a. Interacts during read=aloud and book conversations

L 2 Contributes particular language from the book at the appropriate time

b. Uses emergent reading skills

L2 Pretends to read a familiar book, treating each page as a separate unit,

names and describes what is on each page, using pictures as cues

c. Retells stories

L 2 Retells some events from a familiar story with close adult prompting

19. Demonstrates emergent writing skills

a. Writes name

L 2 Scribbles or marks

L 4 Controlled linear scribbles

b. Writes to convey meaning

L 2 uses drawing, dictation, and scribbles to mark to convey message

L 4 Uses drawing, dictation, and controlled linear scribbles to convey a

message.

Mathematics

20. Uses number concepts and operations

a. Counts

L 2 Verbally counts (not always in the correct order)

L 4 Verbally counts to 10, counts up to five objects accurately, using one

number name for each object

b. Quantifies

L 2 Demonstrates understanding of the concepts of one, two and more

c. Connects numerals with their quantities

L 2 Recognizes and name a few numerals

21. Explores and describes spatial relationships and shapes

a. Understands spatial relationships

L 2 Follows simple directions related to position (in, on, under, up, down)

L 4 Follows simple directions related to proximity (beside, between, next to)

b. Understands shapes

L 2 Matches two identical shapes

22. Compares and measures

a. Measures objects

L 2 Makes simple comparisons between two objects

23. Demonstrates knowledge of patterns

L 2 Shows interest in simple patterns in everyday life

Science and Technology

24. Observe, explores things in the environment

25. Distinguishes living and non-living things

26. Examines features of objects

27. Knowledge of Earth’s environment: reacts to weather changes

28. Uses tools and other technology to perform tasks

Social Studies

29. Demonstrates knowledge about self: communicates that each person is part of a

family

30. Shows basic understanding of people: similarities and differences

31. Explores change related to familiar people of places: understands change

32. Demonstrates simple geographic knowledge (mountain, hill, beach)

The Arts

33. Explores the visual arts (work of peers)

34. Explores musical concepts and expression (different kinds of music)

35. Explores dance and movement concepts (spatial awareness, conveys feelings through

dance)

36. Explores drama through actions and language (also relates to sociodramatic play)

English Language Acquisition

37. Demonstrates progress in listening to and understanding English

L 2 Observes others as they converse in English during play or other small-group

experiences; may engage in similar activities by imitating behavior; attends to oral

English

L 4 Responds to common English words and phrases when they are accompanied by

gestures or other visual aids

L 6 Responds to English words and phrases when they are not accompanied by

gestures or other visual aids

L 8 Understands increasingly complex English phrases used by adults and children

38. Demonstrates progress in speaking English

L 2 Repeats sounds and words in English, sometimes very quietly

L 4 Uses a few socially interactive English terms appropriately; uses one or two

English words to represent a whole idea

L 6 Develops multiword phrases by using socially interactive English terms; adds

new words to the phrase

L 8 Uses increasingly complex English grammar; makes some mistakes typical of

young children

Judaic Studies – vocabulary, concepts, ritual objects, food, Hebrew, and music associated with:

Shabbat, Havdalah, Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot, Simchat Torah, Chanukah, Tu

B’Shevat, Purim, Passover, Israel Independence Day, Shavuot. Students also learn middot

associated with being a mensch.

Other Holiday Units – vocabulary, concepts, food, and music associated with: Thanksgiving,

Martin Luther King, Jr., and Presidents’ Day.

Physical Environment - classroom spaces are divided into Learning Centers. In Pre-Nursery

these include: library, table toys, art, blocks, dramatic play, and Happy Circle. Outdoor space

includes a sensory garden, tot playground, tricycle track, water play, and sand tables.

Books and Materials – selected to support appropriate developmental stages (not an exhaustive

list)

Dramatic play props (telephones, dolls, and dress-up clothes), puppets, flannel boards, language

board games, small animal figures, blocks, stacking and sorting toys, size and shape sorters,

sorting trays, counting and patterning items, various sized pouring containers, two and three

dimensional shapes, puzzles, job charts, center charts, illustrated daily schedule chart, calendar,

number lines, and books.

Assessment - teacher observation, documentation, student products, elicited student responses,

and the Gold Assessment Tool.

Revised: February 24, 2015