Pre-Kindergarten Curriculum
Holy Cross Pre-kindergarten supports the whole child through play, student-centered educational experiences, and an age-appropriate curriculum. Our classroom environment builds self-confidence, self-awareness, and communication skills that are vital to development. A variety of hands-on materials and techniques gives your child a solid foundation for future learning.
Language Arts and Writing
Students in Pre-k develop a large number of language based skills and begin to have increased success with:
- letter recognition
- sound identification
- phonemic awareness
- rhyming
- writing skills
- comprehension of books that are read to them
- basic sight word recognition
Social Studies
Pre k students are eager to learn about the world around them. At Holy Cross we focus on:
- All about me
- Our World/Pledge of Allegiance
- Community workers
- Manners
- Holidays
- Emotions
Science
Science lessons are interactive and hands on. Students in Prek do many STEM explorations as well as learning about:
- Life cycles (seed to plant, insects, frogs)
- Five senses
- Seasons/weather
- Farm life
- Plants
- Dental health and nutrition/personal hygiene
- Simple experiments
Math
Students continue to develop mathematical awareness and number sense as they strengthen and learn the skills of:
- Recognize numbers
- Counting (in sequence, rote, object counting, 1:1 correspondence, ordinal numbers)
- Connecting numerals with quantities
- Comparing quantities
- Recognizing and completing patterns (AB, ABA)
- Recognize 2D and 3D objects and using spatial reasoning
- Developing awareness of the differences of objects and learning to sort, compare and classify objects
- Developing a rudimentary sense of time based on common routines
- Graphing
- Measuring
Religion
In addition to continued learning about God, Jesus, and our Catholic faith, pre-k students :
- Attend weekly Mass
- Participate in school wide Rosary
- Participate in school wide Stations of the Cross
- learn the importance of reverence
- learn simple prayers
- participate in sharing prayers for others and our world
- learn about major events in the life of Jesus
- participate in a classroom Nativity play
- participate in a classroom May Crowning
Basic Skills and Socialization
- Develop greater self-awareness
- Transition from one activity to another
- Understand positional concepts (top, bottom, under, etc.)
- Work and play cooperatively
Gross Motor and Fine Motor Skills
- Improve coordination through physical activity
- Develop pincer grasp and grasp, hold and manipulate objects
- Cut in straight and curved lines
- Draw lines and shapes
- Write name
Art/Music
- Appreciate music through singing and listening to a variety of music
- Participate in the playing of rhythm instruments
- Develop self-expression through various media and materials
- Recognize eight basic colors and primary and secondary colors
In addition to classroom learning, pre-k students participate weekly in separate Physical Education, Art, and Music classes.