Lower-Primary Program: Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade

In our Lower-Primary Program, children take significant strides in their development as unique individuals. Children are in the process of comprehending and formulating ideas about their immediate world. They are learning to think logically, anticipate outcomes, classify objects, and solve problems. The children are entering a stage of developmental integration where they are organizing and combining various skills to accomplish increasingly complex tasks. During this stage of their development, they tend to exhibit a desire to complete everything correctly. They enjoy being challenged and encouraged. Completing tasks helps them feel successful, builds their self-confidence and self-esteem. Within a supportive environment where exploration, play, risk-taking and creativity are valued and
encouraged, children in these programs actively investigate their interests, discover new ideas, and develop their own theories. In keeping with Blue School’s mission and values, teachers in our Lower-Primary Program bring an intrinsic belief in the power and beauty of children’s unique process of learning.

Sensory activities, as well as physical and outdoor play remain important. We recognize this as fundamental practice and provide experiences to scaffold this type of learning and foster all areas of development, including cognition. Friendships continue to be important but are constantly changing: easily established and just as easily forgotten. Teachers model strategies and help children independently address these social challenges.  Parents play an important part throughout the process as children begin to understand the meaning and complexity of everyday events, form moral values and opinions, and recognize cultural and individual differences.

Recognizing visual letter symbols and associating them with their spoken sound is an important component of the emerging literacy that takes place during these years. To meet these developmental needs, our Lower-Primary Program also emphasizes listening to others, developing lines of inquiry, solving problems, reflecting, investigating, and collaboratively planning class projects and work.