When you take a peek into Miss Sweet’s classroom, you will see young children learning how to draw and construct people by singing the Mat Man Song. The Mat Man song helps children add details to their drawings.
Drawing is one way that children can represent their thinking. Constructing a model of something is another way to represent their thinking. Symbolic thinking is an important cognitive skill that we nurture in preschool.
In this way, children are literally constructing their knowledge as they interact with the environment, the adults and the materials.
Ms. Johnson and several children enjoyed singing together and using our fingers to make large drawings on a screen. Later this week children will draw their families on paper.
Using different forms of media to express our thinking motivates children to try different experiences. Some children may feel uncomfortable drawing on paper and may feel more comfortable using a different medium.
Children worked together to make pictures of people. We used timers to take turns. We practiced waiting for turns. Some children knew how to write their names and some made letter-like symbols. Some scribbled. These are all stages of writing development.
Children learn by watching and talking to each other. Peer teaching is powerful!
Children also practiced breathing. Breathing is a way that we stay calm and focused.
Children are learning about the daily schedule and can read what comes next. Preschoolers thrive on predictability!
Children learned about voice levels in the classroom.
Children learned how to walk in a line in the hallway by using a handrail.
We learned how to touch the wall but not touch other’s students’ work on the bulletin boards.
Then we walked to the library!
Mrs. Rider taught us how to check out library books soon. We toured the library and even got to say hello to the fish!
Our school library has so many books!
We learned so many new things today!
This post originally appeared on the Georgia Elementary Preschool Program blog.
The FWSU Story 