Boston-area parents evaluating preschools in Brookline or daycare centers offering a preschool program, might be surprised to learn how many different curriculums are available for this age group. While some programs focus upon a single curriculum, such as Montessori, many combine elements from several curriculum models in their classrooms.

With each model associated with a different style of learning and variations of these models in use, the question becomes how do parents determine which preschool curriculum is best for their child? The answer is that the curriculum should fit your child’s learning style, temperament, age, developmental stage and your parenting philosophy rather than the other way around.

What is the Purpose of a Preschool Curriculum?

While curriculums vary in terms of activities, learning, and teaching methods, the goals of the curriculum for preschoolers are essentially the same. No matter what Brookline preschool program your child attends, the most effective curriculum for this age strives to enhance the social, intellectual, emotional, and cognitive development of the child.  In addition, the curriculum should foster school-readiness skills

What Should a Preschool Curriculum Include?

A typical curriculum used in a Brookline preschool program would focus on developing language, math and science skills. Simple activities that foster these areas include identifying sizes, shapes, colors, and words.  In addition, activities that foster patterns and sequence recognition using numbers, shapes or letters should always be part of a preschool curriculum.

Enriched programs for Brookline preschool children will include reading stories, drawing pictures, writing practice and telling stories aloud. These activities may seem like “play” but in fact, they prepare children for independent reading and strengthen emerging language skills. Given that a solid foundation in reading and language is critical to learning in school-aged children, parents should ascertain their Brookline preschool program provides ample opportunities to develop this skill.

In addition, preschool curriculum should also foster early math skills such as counting, manipulating shapes, recognizing patterns, shapes and categories. Telling time and reading a calendar also help to this end.

When evaluating any preschool curriculum, there is one thing to keep in mind.  Children should be presented with engaging activities that provide ample opportunities to learn and masters skills upon which a lifetime of learning may be built.