Our Program and Philosophy

Play is essential for early childhood development, fostering creativity, problem-solving, and social skills.

Our Program

Los Altos Grace Preschool was established to provide an educational experience in a warm and loving atmosphere for children three and four years of age. Recognizing the importance of balanced growth, our staff will provide opportunities for the social, mental, physical, emotional and spiritual development of each child.

Our preschool has served the families and children of the community since 1972. It continues today, serving a new generation of families, equipping children with necessary skills to grow and develop during their formative years.

The program incorporates well-integrated opportunities for stimulating all developmental components of the preschool aged child including:

Language and Literacy Development

Building Social Relationships and Character

Pre-mathematical Thinking

Engaging Music

Movement and Spatial Experiences

Art Activities

Bible Teaching and Chapels

Our Philosophy

Children Learn By Playing…
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A child learns through play – in all ways! A truth adults do not always understand.

David Elkind, psychologist and author (“The Hurried Child”), says of play:

“Young children learn best by playing and following their own curiosities, by solving real problems, such as how to balance a stack of blocks, or how to negotiate a zipper, put together a picture puzzle and most of all, by making mistakes and trying again.”

When I Play, I Learn…

Modern Accordion Component

When I easel paint I learn:

• To develop my imagination and creativity (intelligence)
• To develop eye-hand coordination (writing skill)
• To distinguish and purposely create shapes (math and writing skill)
• To express my feelings and ideas (language)
• That my ideas have values (self-esteem)
• Relationships of space and size (math and science)
• Concepts of symmetry, balance, and design (intelligence)

When I finger paint I learn:

♥ To exercise my imagination and creativity (intelligence)
♥ About how colors mix to make new colors (science)
♥ Concepts of shape, size, and location (math and writing)
♥ An acceptable way to make a mess and have fun sharing ideas with others (self-esteem)
♥ Eye-hand coordination

When I scribble and draw I learn:

♦ To hold a pencil or other drawing implement and to control the pressure (writing skill)
♦ To express myself with words when describing my drawing (language)
♦ That my ideas have value (self-esteem)
♦ Concepts of color, shape, size, and location (math)
♦ To exercise my creativity and imagination (intelligence)
♦ Eye-hand coordination
♦ The basic strokes of the printed language (writing)

When I glue and collage I learn:

► About different textures (intelligence)
► How to create patterns and designs (math)
► To distinguish patterns from a background (reading skills)
► Concepts of shape, size, location, and design which is relevant to reading
► To exercise my Imagination and creativity

When I look at objects at a nature table I learn:

∗ New vocabulary (language, intelligence)
∗ Concepts of texture color, weight, and size (intelligence)
∗ To group objects into categories (math)
∗ To observe likeness and differences (math)
∗ To appreciate nature and develop a sense of wonder (intelligence)

When I look at books and listen to stories I learn:

■ That books are important and enjoyable
■ That print is written down word
■ To express my own thoughts, feelings, and ideas
■ To handle books with care
■ To follow the development of thoughts and ideas in the plot of a story
■ That I like books and someday I’d like to be able to read them too, when I’m ready
■ To recognize certain words when I see them in print
■ To use more complex patterns in my own speech
■ To use my imagination and make up my own stories

When I play with blocks, cars, and trucks I learn:

∼ Concepts of shape, size, length, and location (math and reading)
∼ To create and repeat patterns (math)
∼ To exercise imagination (Intelligence)
∼ To express ideas and exercise imagination (language, intelligence)
∼ To cooperate with others (social)
∼ About the properties of wood (science)
∼ To see myself from a different perspective (self-concept)

When I play on climbing equipment I learn:

• Physical strength, coordination, and balance
• To use my imagination
• To cooperate with others when involved in group play
• Self-confidence as I develop new skills
• To solve problems

When I play with sand I learn:

♥ To exercise my imagination
♥ How to use tools (writing)
♥ To solve problems (intelligence)
♥ How to play socially with others
♥ Concepts of size, shape, and volume (math)
♥ Concepts of warm and cool, wet, damp, dry, heavy, light (intelligence)
♥ To create systems for classifying, ordering and arranging (math)
♥ To observe changes (science)

When I sort things I learn:

♦ To notice details, likeness, differences, and to form categories (reading and math)
♦ Concepts of color, size, and shape (math)
♦ Numeral concepts or more and less (math)
♦ Logical reasoning (intelligence)

When I string beads I learn:

► To create and reproduce patterns (math)
► Pride in accomplishment (self-esteem)
► Number concepts like more, less, longer and shorter
► Concepts of color, shape, and location
► Eye-hand coordination

When I play with pegboards I learn:

∗ One to one correspondence, concepts of addition (math)
∗ To make and repeat patterns
∗ Possible left to right progression (reading and writing)
∗ Symmetry, shapes, order, and design (reading, writing, math)
∗ Eye-hand coordination
∗ Colors

When I participate in group time I learn:

■ To listen and understand spoken words
■ That my ideas have value to the other children and the teacher (self-concept)
■ To wait my turn when others are talking
■ New vocabulary words
■ To help plan what we will do and when we will do it
■ The names of others in the group
■ To remember the words of songs and poems I have learned and to put things in proper order
■ To cooperate and be considerate of the needs of others

When I do cooking projects I learn:

∼ About nutrition, tastes, and food groups (intelligence)
∼ How heat and cold change things (science)
∼ Whole-part relationships and concepts of volume and measures (math)
∼ Vocabulary
∼ Awareness of my own and other cultures (intelligence)

When I play in the family living area I learn:

• To be flexible in my thinking (intelligence)
• To express myself with my words (language)
• To try on different adult roles (self-concept)
• To solve social problems through negotiation with friends (intelligence)
• To sort and organize play things (math)
• To make decisions (intelligence)
• To improvise and use things in a symbolic way (intelligence)
• To have an object represent something else (intelligence)
• To carry out my ideas with cooperation of others (intelligence, self-esteem, social skills)
• To exercise my imagination and creativity

When I play with riding toys I learn:

♥ Strength, balance, and large muscle coordination
♥ To use my energy in a constructive way
♥ Concepts of speed, direction, and location (math)
♥ To use my imagination
♥ To negotiate and take turns (social skill)
♥ To solve problems (intelligence)
♥ Self-confidence, as I master new skills

When I dance I learn:

♦ Balance and coordination
♦ To be conscious of moods and rhythms of music
♦ To express myself physically in an appropriate way
♦ About the space around me and the space of others

When I play with rhythm instruments I learn:

► To be conscious of rhythms in music (reading skill)
► Concepts of fast, slow, loud, soft, high, low (reading and math)
► To express myself in new and different ways
► Listening skills
► Auditory discrimination – recognizing different sounds (reading)
► To interpret and understand signals and cues

When I sing songs I learn:

∗ Principles of music and rhythm
∗ Vocabulary
∗ Memory skills and sequencing (reading and math)
∗ To be conscious of others
∗ Various concepts emphasized in songs
∗ Phonics or auditory discrimination (reading)
∗ Awareness and identification with my culture and other cultures

When I cut with scissors I learn:

■ To control the small muscles in my hand (writing)
■ Concepts of shape, size, color, and location (math)
■ To exercise my imagination and creativity

When I play I learn:

∼ That I am me – a small child who is valued, cherished, and loved
∼ I count in the world

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