Handprints Curriculum

The Handprints curriculum is based upon on-going scientific research in early education.  We strive to reach a balance between child-directed activities, and more structured teacher-directed activities by providing an active and engaging environment that provides the most developmentally appropriate setting for optimum learning in young children.  Our teachers strategically plan the classroom day with opportunities for each child to grow cognitively, emotionally, socially, physically, and spiritually.  “Because we want children to see themselves as inventors, problem solvers, discoverers, and capable learners, we help them develop their natural curiosity.  We encourage them to observe, explore, take things apart, build, create, draw, and see what they can find out. The more active children are in their work, the more they learn and remember.”  A Parent’s Guide to Preschool, Dodge, Diane Trister, Phinney, Joanna, Teaching Strategies®, 2002.  Children learn through play and the Handprints teachers set up the classroom in an intentional way that encourages discovery through play. Teachers use The Creative Curriculum for Preschool© and The Creative Curriculum for Infants, Toddlers and Twos© as the foundation for creating a rich learning environment for children.

Bible

The Karyn Henley’s Playsongs® Bible Time, 2002, curriculum is the basis for the Handprints Bible curriculum.  It is a hands-on curriculum that complements The Creative Curriculum© as well as Handprints’ philosophy of Christian early education.  Handprints spiritual development goals are based on the spiritual development stages found in Spiritual Growth of Children©, John Trent, Ph.D., Rick Osborne and Kurt Bruner, Tyndale House Publishers, 2000

Writing

Children develop fine motor skills and pre-writing skills according to their individual development.  The teachers use an informal approach to teaching writing and focus on developing pre-writing skills and fine motor development.  As children develop in their fine motor skills the teachers add a more formal approach to teaching writing.