Our Full Day Pre-K Schedule

Our full day in pre-k is busy, engaging and full of fun! The key is alternating the quieter activities with ones that involve more movement as well as teacher directed activities and student choice.


Being that we are a state funded pre-k program, parents need to sign each child in and out as they pull up in the car line outside our classroom!  I love the daily connection we have with parents!  As children arrive, they are greeted as they enter the room, unpack their folder and water bottle and then settle in and eat breakfast.



Morning Meeting is a great way to start your day as it brings us together, fosters a sense of community and learning is optimal as children are attentive and ready to start the day!  We always start out with a "Good Morning" song as we make connections with each other.  We incorporate a weekly calendar as young children always want to know how many more school days/home days they have and then move onto our morning message.  This is the perfect time to sneak in a little mini lesson with a quick game or activity before we move onto small groups. Click HERE to find out How to Make the Most of Morning Meeting.


Children learn though play.  Small groups are a fun way to integrate learning though games, activities and exploration all while integrating specific content based on standards.  In our classroom, we have 20 children so we have decided to have five groups with four children each.  We have found over the years that four in a group work well for games. You can read more about Math small group ideas HERE.



At this point, my pre-kinders have been hard at work (and play) for an hour so physical movement is NEEDED!  The majority of the time, this means recess!  This means off to the playground we go.  Once a week, we head to the courts for tricycles, scooters and gross motor play!  In the case of rain, extreme heat (over 95 degrees) or extreme cold (under 50 degrees in Florida), we Go Noodle!



Back in the room, my kids are ready to learn during our Literacy Circle Time with stories and poems.  We work on a poem a week which is on a large chart with rebus pictures.  This helps my students focus and follow along.  We work on concepts of print, phonics and phonological awareness.  The poem is laminated which allows for the children to interact with it with a dry erase marker during the lesson.  It often comes back out during centers with pointers as the kids play teacher!



Center time is all about CHOICE!  Students LOVE the independence they are given during this time to choose what interests them.  We have 45 minutes for centers in the morning and 45 minutes in the afternoon.  This is also MY favorite time as bonds are made here with them as they love talking and sharing about EVERYTHING!  You can read more about the Ins and Outs of Centers HERE.



Before lunch is a quick story time and/or time for finger plays.  We send students to the restroom and to wash hands before lunch. We eat lunch in the cafeteria and my para stays with the class.  After lunch, we have music, songs and some movement.  I love the Go Noodle and the Yoga songs before rest time.



After rest time, or cognitive break as our county calls it, we head back to centers for more fun and interaction.  This is a great time to focus on skills and pull a child for a few minutes two for some one on one time!  Believe it or not, students LOVE this and as we are working, a crowd soon gathers asking, "When is it my turn?"! I love their desire to learn as well as their willingness to stop playing to spend a few minutes with me!


Math Circle is a whole group math time that wraps up our day!  We use the Smart Board for YouTube songs.  Jack Hartman is a favorite in our room!  The Story Bots website is AMAZING, free to teachers and can be personalized with student names!  We then follow up with a game or activity to build on a skill we are working on or for spiral review.  I am excited that we have printed and prepped Math Activities for the Year.  It will make planning so much EASIER!





Be sure to follow The Resourceful Apple on Facebook for what's going on in our pre-k community!
Be on the lookout for Facebook Friday LIVE with The Resourceful Apple coming in August!