Getting Ready for Kindergarten

At Sprouts of Iman Preschool we prepare children for all areas of Kindergarten readiness. Our training in Early Childhood Education, specifically in child growth and development, enables us to plan and implement programming based on the most current research into how children learn. In consultation with Kindergarten teachers and by following the BC Guidelines for Early Learning we are able provide a complete Kindergarten readiness program.

It is well researched and documented that children learn best through play based activities. That is why at Sprouts of Iman, learning through play is vitally important to us. We want the best possible environment for your children to learn and thrive in. All areas of child development are built when they play. From fine motor skills to Cognitive development, play is children's work- building strong minds and bodies. Based on observation of the children, we carefully select preschool activities and experiences that work on developing specific skills needed for Kindergarten success. Each children is unique and on their own time-table with regards to their development. That is why we use emergent curriculum, following the child's interest and developmental needs, when planning our curriculum. This way, we can plan exactly what each child in our program needs to work on for Kindergarten readiness.

Read what the BC Kindergarten guide has to say about learning through play...

Much of children’s early learning takes place through play. Play is so important that its
significance in children’s lives is recognized by the United Nations as a specific right. The
positive emotions associated with play are as important as the skills children are building
in creating a disposition to enjoy learning and to embrace it with confidence.

Play promotes healthy physical, intellectual, and social-emotional development in ways that
cannot be achieved by focussing on narrow pre-academic skills, such as counting to 10 or
learning the alphabet. For example, when children play with blocks, sand, or water, they are
learning the basis of logical and mathematical thinking, scientific reasoning, and cognitive
problem solving. During dramatic play they are re-contextualizing what they have learned
from personal experience or listening to stories. In symbolic play using literacy materials,
they are deepening their understanding of the nature and purposes of written language.
During active play, children learn to have fun while being physically active. They have
a chance to release their energy, display calmer behaviour during the day, and sleep
better at night. During group play activities with their peers, children are building
relationships, combining ideas, compromising, developing oral narratives, and learning
to take the perspective of others — key elements of social competence, creative thinking,
imagination, and emerging literacy.

To foster optimum development in all domains, children need two kinds of opportunities
for play: child-initiated and teacher-initiated. These are described in detail in the pages
following. Both opportunities contribute to the development of children’s language
skills, early literacy, conceptual learning, problem solving, perspective taking, creativity,
memory, and representational skills.

In both, the teacher or teacher assistant supports
children to extend what they are doing and to make meaning as they engage in
play activities. Teacher-supported play based programs have been shown to support
children’s self-regulation and academic learning more effectively than control classrooms
that did not include any support from teachers.

Read more about how children learn and what they learn in Kindergarten.
BC Full Day Kindergarten Program Guide