Our four-year-old class, or “The Shining Stars” build upon what your child has learned in the Moonbeams.  Concepts that were introduced the year before become concrete and new concepts, especially ones relating to the alphabet and handwriting, are introduced.  

Bright Beginnings Nursery & Pre-school uses a thematic approach to curriculum in center-based areas. Monthly curriculum themes are the basis for stories, crafts and discussions. Activities are set up in the classroom and the children are free to choose from a variety of materials. Each child is encouraged to try new activities and experiment freely in a risk free environment.

Print-rich classrooms enable students to be immersed in literacy acquisition, developing letter and word recognition. Throughout the day, physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development are nurtured in a warm, caring, safe environment, providing students with the early skills to become lifelong learners.

The Shining Stars class use a multi-sensory educational program called “Letterland” to help them learn to recognize the letters of the alphabet and understand phonics rules. Our children meet lively characters such as “Harry Hat Man” and “Sammy the Snake” who live together in an imaginary place called Letterland. This program has been published and used in schools world-wide for over 40 years. Letterland’s mission is to ensure children have fun while learning.       

Throughout the year, both the Three and Four Year olds will work on developing and reinforcing the “soft skills” needed for a successful transition into Primary One. The “soft skills” are set out in our Early Learning Goals and include such skills as listening, sitting quietly, taking turns, expressing themselves in clear sentences, working as part of a group, developing fine motor control which is needed for handwriting etc.