Upper Kindergarten program
The language skill of the upper kindergartner is well developed. They pronounce words clearly, speak in complex and compound sentences, use correct grammar for the most part, and have good-sized vocabularies that continue to grow rapidly. Children this age enjoy initiating conversations, can wait their turn to speak during group conversations, and are typically able to include appropriate details when sharing personal experiences.
Receptive Vocabulary (words recognized when heard or seen)
At 60 months, knows 4000-5000 words. Acquires 3000 additional words during this year. Some children acquire 4000 or more
The average child has the capacity to acquire six to nine words per day, given access to new words in his or her daily experiences.
Below is a snapshot of this year. The curriculum for this age group is thus developed accordingly keeping in mind all the three milestones in the same age group.
How they develop this year
The upper kindergartners are creative and enthusiastic problem solvers. They offer progressively more imaginative ideas for how to do a task, make something or solve longer-term or more abstract challenges. As they participate in a variety of new experiences, they ask more analytical questions and weigh their choices. They are also more social as they learn new things and prefer activities that involve other children.
The language skills of upper kindergartners are well developed. They pronounce words clearly, speak in complex and compound sentences, use correct grammar for the most part and have good-sized vocabularies that continue to grow rapidly. Children this age enjoy initiating conversations, can wait their turn to speak during group conversations and are typically able to include appropriate details when sharing personal experiences.
Upper kindergartners begin to extend their oral language skills to reading and writing. They know their uppercase and most lowercase letters and understand that letters represent specific sounds in spoken words. This knowledge helps them to sound out words in print and write out words based on their sounds. They also can discuss stories and are able to tell their own tales.
At this age they have an increased capacity for learning math concepts. They use logical reasoning to solve everyday problems and can effectively use language to compare and describe objects and shapes. They can count to "ten," recognize written numerals "0" to "9" and add and subtract using numbers up to "four." Four-year-olds know some variations of a circle, square, triangle and rectangle. They know days of the week, months and the seasons, but still cannot tell time.
The mathematical thinking of children this age becomes more abstract and expands to include a greater understanding of the characteristics of shapes and numbers. They can count out a collection of up to "20" items, conduct simple addition and subtraction and identify which number in a set is larger. They understand and use words related to position, such as "under" or "behind." They sequence events chronologically and are learning to tell time. They can also sort objects based on more than one characteristic.
Physically, upper kindergartners are abound with energy and seek active games and environments. Their increased abilities to balance and coordinate movements allow them to ride a bike with training wheels, swim, jump rope and perform most ball-related skills. They show mature form in walking and running and are able to vary the direction, speed and quality of their movements. They can also use their fingers flexibly to control writing and painting tools, dress and undress dolls and manage zippers and buttons.
At this age they really want to know more about how the world works. Hands-on experiences help them to form theories to explain "how" and "why" things happen. They can use tools like thermometers and scales to gather information and are able to more independently carry out simple investigations. they also use increasingly descriptive language to relay information, ask questions and provide explanations.
Children this age can manage feelings and social situations with greater independence. They might decide on their own to go to another room to calm down, or try strategies like negotiation and compromise to resolve a conflict before seeking adult help. They also have improved skills for forming and maintaining friendships with adults and other children. Being accepted by "the group" is becoming more and more important.
In the creative arts, they have a varied repertoire of music and are able to compose and arrange music within specified guidelines. They create realistic art with recognizable subjects and more detailed settings. They also recognize that art can tell a story. The dramatic play of this age is pre-planned, elaborate and sustained. They are able to perform simple plays, do pantomime and perform puppet shows.
