Our 2 year-old program centers upon developing language skills, group awareness, listening, and fine/gross motor skills. In the course of the year each kid will learn the basic shapes, colors, be introduced to letters and letter sounds, numbers zero to ten, and counting objects. At the start of the year the kids work on recognizing their written first name, and by the end of the year they will be learning how to spell it.
We work on developing fine motor skills used in cutting, gluing, and painting. We also work on holding crayons/marker pens in the correct tripod grip, coloring within outlines, and learning to trace lines.
Activities include, circle time, calendar, listening to stories, looking at books, singing and dancing, exploring, and imaginative play using age appropriate toys such as blocks, wheeled toys, shape puzzles, dolls, and manipulatives to foster creativity.
Our 2s class includes enrichment classes in Spanish, science, art masterpiece, yoga, and character education.
As we accept children into the 2s class who are not toilet trained, and work with parents on potty training their child throughout the year.
The curriculum goals are listed below by category.
Language & Communication
- use 4 or 5 word sentences
- use age-appropriate speech patterns
- say their name, age and gender
- name familiar objects
- name the eight basic colors: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and brown
- name the four basic shapes: circle, square, rectangle, triangle
- identify happenings in pictures
Reading & Writing
- sing the ABC song
- recognize their written first name
- recognize some letters of the alphabet
- know some letter sounds
Numbers & Counting
- count to 10 by rote
- count up to 10 objects
- show understanding of the meaning of one, two and three
- recognize some of the numerals
Social & Emotional
- play cooperatively with other children for a time
- take turns with help from the teacher
- participate in group activities such as singing, dancing, stories
- speak to the teacher and classmates
- exhibit good manners
- put away classroom toys and snack time dishes
- begin to control their emotions and use words to express needs
Cognitive
- build a tower of more than six blocks
- stack rings on a peg in order of size
- do puzzles of up to eight pieces
- group objects by a single category
- match a picture to an object
- identify body parts: eyes, nose, mouth, ears, hair, cheeks, chin, arms, legs, feet, hands, fingers, toes, elbows, knees
- look at books for pleasure
- show understanding of simple concepts such as “all” and “none”
Fine Motor Skills
- hold a pencil or crayon with two fingers and thumb
- draw circles, lines, and crosses
- paint or color dots and lines
- use scissors with assistance
- use a glue stick
- string large beads
- wash and dry hands
Large Motor Skills
- run easily
- jump up and down
- climb simple structures
- balance on one foot for a few seconds
- walk backwards and on tiptoes
- kick a ball forward
- throw a ball overhand
- use feet to propel a riding toy