Saint Catherine Early Childhood Curriculum
Three-Year-Olds
Three-year old children are full of wonder and curiosity. Their days are filled with busy exploration of the world. Much time is spent watching, observing, and imitating.
Children of this age should be actively engaged. They learn best by doing. Therefore, they should be provided with plenty of opportunities to create their own learning and knowledge. A sensory approach is the most effective. Young children need to touch, taste, smell, look, and hear in order to process information.
The gross motor skills of three-year olds are better developed than their fine motor skills. The best activities for them involve movement, music, repetition, and freedom to initiate their skills.
Three-year olds are becoming more aware of themselves and are beginning to notice differences in others. Although they are able to tolerate some frustration at this age, it is still difficult to take turns, share, and respect the rights of others. Activities should be designed that promote children’s capacity to develop empathy.
Since young children have limited personal experience and often lack a sense of competency, they are fragile and can be strongly affected by the adults in their lives. Teachers represent the link between the home, the school, and the world. The way in which adults interact with children sends them a strong message. When children feel loved and valued, they are more likely to succeed.
1. Literacy Readiness – The student will demonstrate emergent literacy skills.
a. Enjoy listening to stories.
b. Add commentary to a story.
c. Name and briefly explain pictures.
d. Hold book right-side up.
e. “Read” from front to back.
f. Turn pages independently.
g. Begin to identify the beginning and end of a book.
h. Identify items that are identical and match them together.
i. Begin to recognize letters.
1. Listening – The student will demonstrate listening skills.
a. Enjoy repeating words and sounds.
b. Recognize and name common environmental sounds.
c. Respond to own name. Begin to recognize name in print.
d. Listen attentively to short stories and books.
e. Repeat simple rhymes.
f. Learn words to songs with much repetition.
g. Enjoy simple finger plays.
h. Understand and respond to simple one-step directions.
i. Answer basic questions (e.g. “What is this?” “Who is that?”).
j. Begin to recognize theme vocabulary (e.g. zoo, tiger, cage).
2. Speaking – The student will express himself or herself freely.
a. Speak so that 75% to 80% of speech is understandable.
b. Show a steady increase in vocabulary.
c. Use simple, complete, sentences of three to five words to express self.
d. Ask who, what, where, and why questions.
e. Understand “now”, “soon”, and “later”.
f. Understand some prepositions.
g. Use some negative forms.
h. Use some irregular past tense forms.
i. Use correct pronouns often.
Writing
1. Handwriting – The student will use a variety of marking and/or writing
instruments.
1. Readiness – The student will experience opportunities and materials to imagine
and make observations.
a. Understand comparisons (e.g. big, bigger, biggest; long, short; first, last).
b. Begin to understand spatial relationships (e.g. above, below, on, inside, outside, in
front, behind, over, under).
c. Categorize objects by size, color, or shapes.
d. Recognize basic opposites (e.g. hot and cold, dry and wet).
2. Number Sense – The student will recognize numbers.
Patterns, Relations, and Algebra
1. Classification – The student will classify objects according to their attributes.
a. Sort by color. Recognize and match six colors.
b. Comprehend the concept of “same/different”.
2. Patterning – The student will begin to recognize and complete simple patterns.
Geometry
1. Geometry – The student will recognize geometrical forms.
a. Recognize at least three shapes (e.g. circle, square, triangle).
b. Match geometrical forms.
c. Begin to draw a circle and a square.
Measurement
1. Measurement – The student will participate in measurement activities.
a. Recognize size differences (e.g. big, little, large, small).
b. Understand the concept of “full/empty”.
c. Begin to use estimation skills.
1. Science Processes and Inquiry – The student will investigate and experiment with
objects to discover information.
Physical Science
1. Five Senses – Develop an awareness of the sensory attributes of objects according
to taste, smell, hearing, touch, and sight.
Life Science
1. Self – The student will express an interest in himself or herself.
a. Identify some parts of the body.
b. Identify functions of the body (e.g. nose, ears, eyes).
c. Use good hygiene habits.
d. Know gender and age.
e. Know first name. Begin to recognize last name.
2. Plants/Animals – The student will recognize general facts about plants and
animals.
a. Understand that plants need water to grow.
b. Recognize that animals need food, water, and shelter to live.
c. Know where different animals live (e.g. cows on a farm, deer in the woods).
d. Classify/sort animals by color, shape, size.
e. Discover and observe insects.
Earth Science
1. Weather/Seasons – The student will recognize changes in weather and the
seasons.
History
1. Family – The student will identify family members and extended family
members.
Geography
1. Geography – The student will identify characteristics of his or her community.
a. Recognize the different parts of a community (e.g. bank, library, fire station, police
station, hospital, zoo, post office, grocery store).
b. Recognize different modes of transportation (e.g. car, train, plane, boat).
Civics
1. Citizenship – The student will exhibit traits of good citizenship.
a. Work and play cooperatively in a variety of settings (e.g. large and small groups,
learning centers).
b. Listen to others, for short periods of time, while in large and small groups.
c. Show respect for others and their property.
Economics
1. Careers – The student will recognize a variety of different occupations (e.g. police
officer, firefighter, doctor, dentist, teacher).
Creed
1. Creed – The student will understand that he or she is part of God’s family.
a. Begin to recognize God as Father.
b. Begin to recognize Jesus as the Son of God. Recognize that Jesus loves us.
c. Begin to recognize Mary as the Mother of Jesus.
d. Recognize that God created all things. Express thanksgiving for all that God
has given us.
2. Scripture – The student will begin to understand the history of God’s people
through the Old Testament. The student will begin to understand the mission
of Jesus through the stories in the New Testament.
a. Listen to many bible stories and characters. Answer simple questions regarding them (e.g. “What did Noah build?”).
b. Recognize that Jesus wants us to follow His words and examples.
Prayer
1. Prayer – The student will experience formal and informal prayer.
Arts and Crafts
1. The student will use self-expressive materials.
a. Use different mediums.
b. Create arts and crafts from ordinary objects (e.g. buttons, noodles, leaves, acorns).
c. Work imaginatively with art materials.
Music
1. The student will experience a variety of music.
a. Sing simple children’s songs. Recall lyrics and melodies to songs.
b. Begin to use simple musical instruments.
c. Move freely in response to music. Recall dance movements.
Dramatic Play
1. The student will pretend in a variety of play situations.
a. Engage in spontaneous imaginative play.
b. Participate in dramatic play by assuming a variety of roles.
Fine Motor
1. The student will develop fine motor skills.
a. Use a variety of materials to develop fine motor skills (e.g. lace, pull, cut, open and shut, turn, separate, mix, paste, sprinkle, poke, hook, join, screw).
b. Grasp small and large objects.
c. Complete a five-piece puzzle (with whole objects represented as a piece).
d. Place large pegs into pegboards.
e. Drive nails and pegs.
f. String large beads.
g. Build block towers of 5-7 blocks. Build a 3-block bridge.
h. Begin to draw shapes, such as the circle.
i. Begin to draw objects (e.g. house, figure).
j. Draw objects in some relation to each other.
k. Practice holding large crayons, or large markers, with fingers instead of fist.
l. Enjoy playing with clay or play dough (e.g. pound, roll, squeeze, shape, punch, pinch).
m. Carry a medium-size container without excessively spilling.
n. Pour liquids with few spills.
o. Undress with some assistance (e.g. zipping, buttoning).
Gross Motor
1. The student will develop gross motor skills.
b. Walk up and down stairs, holding rail, alternating feet.
c. Walk short distances on tiptoes.
d. Begin to walk on a balance beam.
e. Stand, balance, and hop on one foot.
f. Climb up and down a small slide by self.
g. Pedal a tricycle.
h. Begin to catch a large ball with both hands.
i. Catch a rolled ball.
j. Throw a ball overhead.
k. Kick a ball forward.
Social and Emotional Development
1. The student will practice acceptable social skills and expression of feelings.
a. Separate easily from parents.
b. Interact and play with other children with favorable conditions (e.g. materials, space, supervision).
c. Join in simple games and group activities.
d. Begin to take turns and share with encouragement.
e. Form relationships with adults other than family.
f. Eager to please. Able to accept suggestions and follow simple one-step directions.
g. Begin to express feelings in age appropriate ways. Begin to exhibit self-control.
h. Begin to show awareness of others’ feelings.
i. Help others in simple tasks.
j. Involve self in dramatic play.
k. Practice good manners.
Self Help
1. The student will practice taking care of personal needs.
a. Use language to communicate desires and needs.
b. Choose activities without teacher help.
c. Use toilet independently. (May need help to clean and dress self.)
d. Dress self with minimal assistance (e.g. buttons, snaps, zippers, shoelaces).
e. Wash hands, and get a drink with minimal assistance.
f. Feed self with spoon and small fork. Butter bread with knife.
g. Show interest in handling food and cooking procedures.
h. Pour from pitcher into cup with undue spilling.
i. Use facial tissue with reminder.
Work Habits and Attending Behavior
1. The student will develop effective work habits.
a. Follow one-part directions.
b. Willingly participate in activities.
c. Use class materials appropriately.
d. Help clean work/play area.
e. Demonstrate appropriate transition skills.
f. Pay attention in large and small group activities for short periods of time (e.g. 5-10
minutes).
g. Attend to an individual activity for five to ten minutes (longer if interested).