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dreamworld06
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1341 total posts
Name:
Heather
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Play based preschool (pre k)
So I've been questioning why my son never comes home with worksheets of letter writing etc. I was informed that his preschool is a play based preschool and they work on
writing, math based center activities and language and literacy. They use the Letter Land curriculum, work on word and letter recognition on a daily basis. Anyone else's children go to a play based Preschool? Can you give me any insight into what they do in preschool?
ETA: He is 5 and is in a transition class. The cutoff where I live noe is August so he'll go to kindergarten next year.
Message edited 12/27/2017 5:41:11 PM.
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Posted 12/10/17 11:52 AM  |
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ml110
LIF Adult
Member since 1/06 5435 total posts
Name:
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Play based preschool
my oldest DS went to a co-op nursery school in a church. (we live in NJ) it was only 2.5 hours, and the parents took turns being the teacher's assistant. so i was in there like once a month. so i got to see what all they did. It was definitely very play-based. they would work on all of the things you said, but in play situations- like playing "Bingo" for letter or number recognition (" Who has an "A" on their board?", that kind of thing) or they would work on counting during a craft project--- " Stamp 5 apples on your paper" I also remember them doing some sort of dice game to work on something also. They would also do things like planting plants outside in the spring for science lesson, raising butterflies. All that kind of stuff is how preschool kids learn. And they would start off the whole class with circle time to work on days of the week and calendar. SOOO i would say just because he's not coming home with a lot of work, doesn't mean they're not doing anything while he's there. also, i know my son's school didn't really start working on writing until the later part of his 4 year old year- and again, that was mostly during centers time and the teacher would make sure each kid got to try it out. He learned his writing mostly at home, with the LeapFrog "Scibble and Write" toy, or me doing a little bit at home. In kindergarten, for the first couple months he came home with writing homework, too do they did do that in kindergarten, too.
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| Posted 12/10/17 12:40 PM |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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Play based preschool
I think play based is really common for preschool. The only worksheets my kids have come home with have been a coloring page for the letter of the week and one that's gluing stuff on the letter of the day or gluing the pieces together to make the letter. My youngest just turned 3 and doesn't grasp much yet but my older one was able to tell me a lot of what she did. Lots of matching, sorting, counting type games in centers. Everything from making pretend pies with different numbers of apples inside to making shapes or letters out of play doh. She's in kindergarten now and there's no shortage of worksheets. I did have concerns last year about the lack of writing they did but I blame that on her teacher. There were plenty of opportunities she didn't seem to take to have them write even just their name.
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| Posted 12/10/17 4:59 PM |
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NYCGirl80
I love my kiddies!
Member since 5/11 10413 total posts
Name:
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Re: Play based preschool
I don't know what play based preschool is specifically, but DS never had homework in pre-school. He did worksheets in school, but never homework. In Pre-k he gets homework weekly.
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| Posted 12/12/17 9:05 AM |
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phoenix913
LIF Adult
Member since 5/05 3034 total posts
Name:
V
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Re: Play based preschool
Play based is the way preschool should be. They should not be doing worksheets that young. All academic concepts should be introduced in the form of games etc. My DSs go to a preschool like this and it's been wonderful. They'll get plenty of worksheets in K.
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| Posted 12/12/17 9:28 AM |
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dreamworld06
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1341 total posts
Name:
Heather
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Re: Play based preschool
Posted by phoenix913
Play based is the way preschool should be. They should not be doing worksheets that young. All academic concepts should be introduced in the form of games etc. My DSs go to a preschool like this and it's been wonderful. They'll get plenty of worksheets in K.
I'm not opposed to not having worksheets but it's so hard to know what they're doing every day. My son just tell me he played with dinosaurs and mr. Potato head and brings home a gingerbread man that he colored in with markers. He's 5 (We're in NC so he missed the cut off for kindergarten this year) and will be in Kindergarten next year.
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| Posted 12/12/17 6:54 PM |
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mnmsoinlove
Mommy to 2 sweet girls!
Member since 3/09 8585 total posts
Name:
Melissa
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Re: Play based preschool
If you found a play based pre-K be happy! That is what pre-K should be!!! Don’t worry your dc will have dittos galore in Kindergarten!
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| Posted 12/13/17 1:32 PM |
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PennyCat
Just call me mommy :)
Member since 7/08 19084 total posts
Name:
Jib
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Re: Play based preschool
Posted by dreamworld06
Posted by phoenix913
Play based is the way preschool should be. They should not be doing worksheets that young. All academic concepts should be introduced in the form of games etc. My DSs go to a preschool like this and it's been wonderful. They'll get plenty of worksheets in K.
I'm not opposed to not having worksheets but it's so hard to know what they're doing every day. My son just tell me he played with dinosaurs and mr. Potato head and brings home a gingerbread man that he colored in with markers. He's 5 (We're in NC so he missed the cut off for kindergarten this year) and will be in Kindergarten next year.
My DS goes to a Montessori preschool but I get an email every week detailing everything they did that week, along with some pictures taken. Maybe that’s something you can suggest to the director.
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| Posted 12/13/17 2:10 PM |
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MrsT809
LIF Adult
Member since 9/09 12167 total posts
Name:
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Re: Play based preschool
Posted by dreamworld06
Posted by phoenix913
Play based is the way preschool should be. They should not be doing worksheets that young. All academic concepts should be introduced in the form of games etc. My DSs go to a preschool like this and it's been wonderful. They'll get plenty of worksheets in K.
I'm not opposed to not having worksheets but it's so hard to know what they're doing every day. My son just tell me he played with dinosaurs and mr. Potato head and brings home a gingerbread man that he colored in with markers. He's 5 (We're in NC so he missed the cut off for kindergarten this year) and will be in Kindergarten next year.
I had this frustration last year. It's mainly a communication issue I think. For some reason, they sent home the bulk of DD's preK work in a binder in June rather than sending each project home as it was completed. Early in the year DD would get upset about things not coming home but she got used to it and I was annoyed bc by the end of the year she couldn't remember anything about the projects to tell me about them.
We did at least get a weekly newsletter to tell us what topics they were learning about, what songs and projects they were doing, and the current and upcoming letters of the week. If you're not getting any info like that I would definitely ask for some kind of weekly update.
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| Posted 12/13/17 2:17 PM |
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dreamworld06
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1341 total posts
Name:
Heather
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Re: Play based preschool
Posted by mnmsoinlove
If you found a play based pre-K be happy! That is what pre-K should be!!! Don’t worry your dc will have dittos galore in Kindergarten!
I'm happy they play and he has fun but I'm sending him there to learn and do things he's not doing at home. He can play with dinosaurs at home and I can take him to programs where he interacts with kids for social skills. I want them to teach him something in a different way then I would. It can absolutely be play based as I want him to have fun but learn at the same time. I hope that makes sense 
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| Posted 12/14/17 9:15 AM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: Play based preschool
Is this preschool or Pre K?
How old is your son?
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| Posted 12/14/17 11:09 AM |
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dreamworld06
LIF Adult
Member since 2/07 1341 total posts
Name:
Heather
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Re: Play based preschool
Posted by NervousNell
Is this preschool or Pre K?
How old is your son?
He is 5 and in a transition class. He will be in Kindergarten next year (the cutoff here is August so he missed the cut off for this year). So I guess that's pre K? Oh no, am I wording the question wrong by saying preschool?
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| Posted 12/27/17 5:39 PM |
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NervousNell
Just another chapter in life..
Member since 11/09 54921 total posts
Name:
..being a mommy and being a wife!
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Re: Play based preschool (pre k)
Posted by dreamworld06
Posted by NervousNell
Is this preschool or Pre K?
How old is your son?
He is 5 and in a transition class. He will be in Kindergarten next year (the cutoff here is August so he missed the cut off for this year). So I guess that's pre K? Oh no, am I wording the question wrong by saying preschool?
No I was just curious because preschool can mean 2 or 3 years old and that would change my answer.
Since he is 5, I am assuming this is a pre k program. In my daughter's pre k program she actually had homework.
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| Posted 12/27/17 9:52 PM |
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nycgirl
Angels!
Member since 3/09 7721 total posts
Name:
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Re: Play based preschool (pre k)
I toured a bunch of preschools and found the discrepancies between what the kids actually do to be huge. From learning the letters and tracing to full reading at the same preK level.
If you are not happy, call a more academic one and see if they have space. January is a good time to make a transition. I consider that with an older kid. DS started K at the age your DS started preK (our cutoff is December).
Message edited 12/28/2017 10:12:23 AM.
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| Posted 12/28/17 10:09 AM |
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