Pequeñitos II (4 - 5 yrs)

Full-Immersion Pre-K Program (2 TERMS REQUIRED)

9+hrs/week: Bilingual in Spanish
3+hrs/week: Spanish as a 2nd Language

“Pequeñitos II” is our Spanish course for the “little ones” ages 4 to 5 years old. This is a very thorough and intensive pre-k program and, though fun, it prepares children to begin any kindergarten program at an academic school.  Our full time courses (3+ hrs. daily) provide kids with all the necessary tools to succeed.  This is why it can be chosen as a substitute for regular pre-k programs.

Cognitive and Artistic Development

 

Math	Science	Art
Music	Social Studies	Language

 

 

Physical & Emotional Development | Reading and Writing Skills

 

	Independance and Self-Reliance			Listening comprehension, speech and fluency
	Physical and personal enhancement			Pre-reading and pre-writing readiness
	Social and emotional growth			Large and fine motor skills development

 

Children are started early in the literacy process in a fun and stress-free way.  We expose them to written language from the beginning, introducing them to hundreds of written familiar words throughout the program.  Thanks to the Whole Language Approach for Reading, by the end of the school years students are able to globally “read” those words.  We also help children develop their fine motor skills through very simple exercises and activities such as tracing, cutting, drawing, matching, categorizing, classifying, and other pre-reading and pre writing skills, which will help them in the first stages of the reading/writing process.  Other activities are language fun, puppet shows, active games, snack time, storytelling, shared reading, role-playing, and music & singing.

All activities are developed within a total immersion environment in Spanish. 

 

After consistently completing all the recommended weekly hours, and after following the program’s suggestions, this course could help your child become fluent in the language by the age of 8.

 

Pequeñitos II - Daily Schedule & Activities

Welcome circle:  We sit in a circle and sing welcoming songs while everybody arrives.  Children say goodbye to mom or dad.  They get comfortable and settled.  We tell welcome rhymes, play icebreaker games and we say hello to each other.  We talk about ourselves (what we brought, how we are feeling, what color we are wearing, etc).  We work on the children's names and descriptions of themselves, the calendar (day's date, days of the week, numbers, months, birthdays, seasons and weather).  We take roll practicing spelling.  We review our classroom rules and routines.  We introduce the day's theme.

 

Books / Skill development:  All skills are developed systematically thanks to our excellent and age appropriate preschool course book series, which are the same to the books used in the Official Preschool Curricula in Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, and many Latin America/European countries.  The books, specially imported for our program, cover all the following skills and many more: Language/Expression, Pre-reading, Pre-writing, Art, Math, Science, Social knowledge, and organization.  The books include stickers in the final pages to enhance the learning experience even more.

 

Language fun:  During circle activities children are introduced to the new language words and structures to be taught according to the theme of the day using a great variety of language teaching resources such as learning games, concrete and fun materials, visuals and audio-visuals, flash cards, and instructional toys.

 

Art and Science:  Through art and science projects children learn how to follow instructions in Spanish through guided crafts and basic science experiments.

 

Active language games: These games give children the opportunity to work on their coordination and gross motor skills through gymnastics, movement, traditional games, and many other activities.  Children are given space to run, jump, and have fun while learning the language.

 

Role playing corner:  Students take turns wearing different costumes and acting out real life situations.  Children are guided by the teacher according to the theme and dialogues presented and practiced.  Some of these real life situations are, for example: The family eats together around the table, The  family goes to a restaurant, The mother takes the child to the doctor, The father cooks a meal, The children do their house chores, etc.

 

Music & singing:  Music is used as another effective teaching tool since students learn many new words and structures through singing at this age.  Children play instruments and learn songs, sing, and dance.

 

Storytelling and shared reading:  Our specially designed reading corner was created to immerse kids in a fantastic world of creativity and imagination.  Giant leaves, comfy cushions, and a very inviting setting creates the perfect environment for our storyteller characters to involve kids in their stories.  Some of our reading techniques involve big books, shared reading, dramatization and characterization, flannel stories, and role playing.  Pre-reading and pre-writing skills are also introduced during this activity.

 

Puppet show:  Using puppets we incorporate many different, fantastic characters and objects into language learning. Students are not only listening and comprehending the language, they also role play with the characters, asking and answering questions, producing little dialogues, and hearing and repeating many words and structures.

 

Snack time: Students bring their own lunchboxes from home.  Healthy snacks and drinks are encouraged.  Due to allergies, we ask parents to avoid bringing peanut products.  We also ask parents to let us know about any other food restrictions we may need to comply with.  Student's are not allowed to share any food with each other.  If a child forgets his/her lunchbox, we will provide with crackers and water.  In order to avoid English interaction during snack time, students will be read to, watch a video, or listen to music.