Preschool

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Home » Academics » Preschool

We, at Maktab believe that children are born with natural impulses to explore and play-based learning allows children to learn effortlessly. They understand their world best through hands-on, sensory-based experiences that allow them to actively participate, get messy, and make meaning of both the familiar and the new. Group play leads to social interactions, providing opportunities to build social-emotional competence.

Children who play together talk, negotiate, turn-take, explain, compromise, practice self-control, and experience shared joy, frustration, and wonder. When conflict arises, children’s play can lead to expressing emotions, problem-solving, flexibility, and higher-level thinking. We think that these experiences help young children grow into older children and adults who have open-minded, nuanced views of the world.

Through play, students learn all of the academic skills they will need to begin Nursery and kindergarten. This includes recognizing letters, number concepts, how to write their names, telling stories, singing songs, enjoying music, solving puzzles and more.

Circle Time

Circle Time in our Preschool is a daily opportunity for students to learn and review these concepts through activities such as charting the weather, taking attendance, decoding a morning message, and singing songs with rhymes. The Circle Time materials incorporate pictures and text. Children begin to learn the familiar words and the teachers use guided reading techniques to help them decode new words as they are introduced. Sharing personal experiences during Circle Time helps little children develop communication skills and confidence.

Teaching Languages

Regular trips to the Preschool section of Maktab’s well-stocked library is excitedly looked forward to by our Preschoolers. Language development is especially enhanced by the children being able to see how reading and writing are useful to people, and how people can find pleasure and learn by listening, reading and talking with others. Small group instruction, along with phonics and movement, bring reading and writing to life. Students learn to write and read English alphabets, Urdu haroof-e-tahajji and Numbers through carefully designed workbooks and readers.

Learning Centres

Maktab Preschool takes a lot of inspiration from Mississippi Preschool Curriculum that uses Learning Centers in a Preschool classroom such as Dramatics Centre, Mathematics Centre, Blocks Centre, Art Centre, Reading Centre etc. Our teachers carefully and purposefully guide the play in the classroom, taking advantage of opportunities to support learning goals. This may be done by asking the children thoughtful questions about their play, modeling appropriate skills, and providing certain types of play materials. The teachers are thoughtful about the types of materials they provide, choosing things that allow for creativity and open-ended play, help children build their fine and gross motor muscles, and encourage language building. For example, our classrooms contain a variety of building blocks made from solid wood, cardboard, and foam, all in different sizes and shapes. This allows for endless avenues of play including stacking, building, measuring and balancing.

Children spend time in the Science Centre and focus on conducting science experiments and learn to observe changes. New observation and critical thinking skills are cultivated. The Art Centre is where our Kindergarteners express their ideas in numerous ways through paint, clay, and recycled materials.

Social Interaction through Fun Activities

Special trips outside the class, having snacks and lunches in small picnics with other children in Maktab’s spacious grounds, playing in our playground, acting out in dramatic play or simply talking with the other children provides regular opportunities for developing positive attitudes, values and habits in a structured but an informal way. Our children flourish in carefully prepared, familiar environments that respect, support, and respond to their basic needs for independence, exploration, and movement. Materials are displayed on low, open shelves and on floor mats, all within easy reach of even the youngest child.

We believe parents are the ones who best know their child’s routine, personality, and unique comfort level. We strive to maintain a constant dialogue and close relationship with a child’s family.

Physical Activity

The outdoors is viewed as an extension of the classroom and affords daily opportunities for a great variety of physical challenges and social play as well as exploration of the natural world. Our Preschool enjoys a beautifully designed playground with an inviting tree house that offers a lovely view of the lush green school fields, slides, swings, see-saws, sand box, stationary jeep, etc. Aerobics and Baby Yoga is practiced twice a week by our preschoolers in the school’s spacious grounds.

Lunch Policy

The lunch break is at 10:00 am. The school has a strict policy of ‘No junk and only healthy lunch’. We understand the convenience of store-bought crisps, cookies and juices, etc. but strongly encourage parents to home-cook their children’s lunch. We believe good habits are easier to form from this age.