Children in this group continue to develop and master more and more social, linguistic, cognitive, and motor skills, with the ultimate goal of becoming ready for their entry into kindergarten – emotionally, socially, and academically. They continue to gain important social and emotional skills surrounding guided and free play and exploration of their environment, with greater levels of cooperative play and shared goals with their peers. They also gain important cognitive skills through a more in-depth exploration of weekly themes, discussing these topics in circle time, in stories, and in the planned activities, games, and crafts they carry out daily with teacher guidance. Their focus on early literacy and math skills increases, with daily discussions around the “letter of the week” and math skills included in many table stations.
Monkeys generally follow this schedule:
7:00-9:30 – Drop off, breakfast/morning snack, and free play
9:30-10:00 – Circle time with stories and songs, lesson for the day is introduced
10:00-11:30 – Table stations and centers, including many art and academic activities reinforcing the day’s theme
11:45-12:30 – Lunch and potty
12:45-2:45 – Quiet stories, books on tape, and nap
3:00-3:30 – Afternoon snack
3:30-6:00 – Open centers, free play outdoors (weather-permitting) and pick-ups
The Monkeys class generally has 12-17 children, a lead teacher, and an assistant teacher.