We have talked about the interest areas in a preschool
classroom, and the importance of each. Now- why exactly do I set up my
classrooms with these interest areas? It’s
not just off the top of my head! Research and Early Childhood theories outline
5 domains of early childhood development. (I actually have 6- you will read why
in a moment) Let’s take a look at these.
Physical/ Gross Motor:
This involves learning to use all of the “big” muscles in the body. Crawling, walking, running, skipping,
jumping, and climbing are all important big muscle activities for
preschoolers. Research also shows a link
in gross motor activities and reading skills.
Fine Motor: Fine
motor activities teach hand-eye coordination. Most of the time, these skills are included in
the physical domain. I like let them stand on their own. These activities require a child to learn to
precisely control the muscles in the hands.
Things like coloring, writing, cutting with scissors, using tweezers,
tearing paper, etc. all help build fine motor skills.
Communicative/Language: This domain includes the letter recognition,
phonemic awareness, oral, and written language. Development of these skills
helps your child understand verbal and eventually written language, and enables
them to hold a back and forth conversation. Talking about things throughout the day is
important. READ READ READ to your child!! From infancy on, reading to your kids
is so very important. They will learn their
ABC’s as well as the sounds each
letter makes, and will begin to tell their own stories. Plus it’s a nice time to sit and enjoy this
time with them!
Cognitive: This domain refers to learning and thinking. This
includes cause-and-effect, reasoning, as well as early math skills. Counting , organizing and patterning are also
included in this domain. During the preschool years, your child will also learn
to ask –wh questions: Who, What, Why and When. And of course How? Attention span begins to increase as well. 
Social/Emotional: Your child is a social being! Learning to “play” (especially with others)
is a skill. “Teaching” in this domain
also involves making sure a child feels safe and nurtured. This domain is often overlooked, or considered
a natural progression- but is nurtured through group games and activities. Imaginative play blossoms in a preschooler,
and young children learn to work through anxiety, worry, and anger through this
kind of play.
Self-Help/Adaptive: Activities in this domain include learning to
dress oneself, feed oneself, use the toilet, brush teeth, bathing, tying shoes,
snapping, zipping etc. Everything that a
child needs to know to start being more independent could be included in this
domain. It is important to let your
child do things themselves whenever possible to nurture this domain. Pouring
their own drink, getting their own snack, and having small chores like watering plants, or feeding pets help your
preschooler develop adaptive skills.
