Leap 'N Learn Preschool Curriculum: Nurturing Growth Through Arts, Academics, and Physical Activity

In a world increasingly characterized by sedentary lifestyles and nutritionally deficient diets, the Leap 'N Learn preschool curriculum presents a unique and innovative approach to early childhood education. It emphasizes the importance of providing children with smart and healthy choices, merging beginning academics with an age-appropriate health and physical fitness program. Leap 'N Learn believes that children who develop an early love of learning and physical activity will carry the joys and benefits of that foundation throughout their lifetime.

A Three-Year Journey of Learning and Development

Leap -N- Learn offers a comprehensive three-year preschool program designed to prepare each child for Kindergarten and encourage a lifelong love of learning. The program is structured into three classes:

Leaping Lambs Program: For children entering Kindergarten in three years.
Leaping Lizards Program: For children entering Kindergarten in two years.
Leaping Leopards Pre-Kindergarten Program: For children entering Kindergarten in one year.

Each year includes a special Winter Program and Graduation Ceremony for the students, along with opportunities for school field trips, visiting guests, and individual class trips.

Creating Extraordinary People Through Extraordinary Opportunities

Leap’n Learners Preschool believes that providing a fun, friendly, and safe environment is vital to a child's success as they begin their educational journey. The key to creating extraordinary people is by providing extraordinary opportunities that allow their knowledge, imagination, confidence, and independence to truly take flight.

The well-balanced approach to preschool education will ignite a child’s mind and awaken a yearning for learning that lasts a lifetime. Students will find joy and self-worth through achievement as they begin exploring and mastering foundational skills in everything from letters and numbers to music, dance, community, and more-all taught in an environment where learning is as rewarding and enjoyable as playtime.

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The Building Blocks of the Curriculum

The Leap 'N Learn curriculum is designed to stimulate and develop various skills in young children:

Dance and Movement: A class designed to stimulate and develop large motor skills, strength, rhythm, balance, coordination, and awareness through movement. Dance provides an outlet for positive emotional expression, as well as instills a love for movement through improvisation, props, and stories.
Centers for Exploration and Interaction: Centers feature opportunities for exploration and interaction through fine-motor-skill activities, block play, dramatic play, sensory, math, and art.
Math Concepts: Math concepts help teach children excellent problem-solving skills. Through the use of various techniques, including manipulative objects, students will begin to develop number sense.
Phonics-Based Reading and Writing: Fun, musical, phonics-based methods are used to teach and establish strong reading and writing skills, as well as build confidence in students’ ability to recognize letters. When confronted with a new word, they use phonics concepts to help them sound the word out without guessing. Students also receive daily practice forming and writing letters while holding pencils correctly.

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Art and Creativity: Art refines fine motor skills and stimulates creativity in each student. Projects are often themed around the literature of the day or seasonal themes and holidays.
Literature and Comprehension: Reading from well-written literature helps expand children’s comprehension, increases vocabulary, and improves listening and speaking skills. They develop an understanding for characters and events that relate to life, as well as travel to new places through imaginative stimulation.
Social Studies and Circle Time: Weekly circle time and social studies topics provide a chance for children to explore, understand, and appreciate the world around them. Letter-of-the-week based thematic units give practical and often tangible meaning to the topics and ideas being taught and discussed. Classes also gather for calendar, weather, patriotic, and positive character-connection songs.
Music and Memory: Music has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to learn, as well as assist in memory and recall. Music also builds listening skills, patterning, rhyming, rhythm, and concentration. Music is used to teach and reinforce concepts taught in the classroom. As a result, children may hum or sing about numbers, days of the week, or the weather as they go about their day.
Character Development: Character development reinforces values such as honesty, compassion, responsibility, and respect. It also helps children internalize the concept that every action has a reaction, and that our actions can affect others.

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Science and Exploration: Science helps children understand the world around them, as well as teaches deductive reasoning and critical thinking skills. Weekly hands-on experiments are used to make science exciting. A variety of topics are studied, including animals and their habitats, characteristics of human needs, and the life cycle. Scientific exploration fosters inquisitive minds and encourages children to discover the whys and hows of the world around us.
Social Skills: Displaying good manners, communicating effectively with others, cooperation, self-control, confidence, independence, being considerate of the feelings of others, curiosity, empathy, and expressing emotion and personal needs are all important components of solid social skills.

Revolutionizing Early Childhood Dance Education with Leap 'N Learn

Leap 'N Learn revolutionizes early childhood dance education by embedding student engagement into every part of the class - from before a child steps into the studio door to their warmups, to transitions between exercises and dancing on stage.

The Leap 'N Learn method was created with careful consideration of children's physical, cognitive, social, and emotional development. It is integrated with on-the-ground knowledge of what sparks joy, excitement, and curiosity for young dancers. This combination maximizes student engagement, education, enjoyment, and success.

Leap 'N Learn teachers are trained to teach excellent dance technique, not just as a grocery list of skills and concepts, but so children understand the underlying principles of movement. Leap ‘N Learn dancers are thinking dancers.

Flexibility and Customization

Even though the LNL curriculum is fully laid out, it's also super flexible. This might mean swapping out songs, switching things around in the lesson plans, or integrating other content or themes. The curriculum is designed to help, not hinder. Teachers can choose to work some of the exercises in with some of their existing ones, or they can choose to run LNL by the book. Many studio owners use Leap 'N Learn content and teaching methods but deliver it under their own program name, packaging and marketing their program so that it aligns with their studio values, culture, and business goals.

The Leap 'N Learn curriculum is Ballet and Creative Movement. Licensed Studios can upgrade their membership with an add-on Hip Hop Building Blocks package, which is packed with age-appropriate exercises to develop foundation hip hop skills. Other styles are currently in development. Leap 'N Learn isn't just a syllabus - it's a teaching method.

Teaching Preschool Dance Classes with Confidence

Teaching effective, engaging, and educational dance classes begins before even stepping into the classroom. It starts with understanding the developmental needs of young children and what makes them tick. When you understand why kids do what they do it's going to unlock a whole new level of joy and ease in your teaching.

Creating a Supportive and Enriching Environment

Leap’n Learners Preschool offers a warm and nurturing environment where children can experience the excitement of exploring, learning, and growing at leaps and bounds. The environment, methods of teaching, and level of quality add up to a well-rounded experience.

Parent Testimonials

Parents love Leap’n Learners Preschool, noting that the teachers are great with the kids and that their children receive individualized attention. They especially love the hands-on learning experiences.

Additional Programs and Partnerships

Beyond the core preschool curriculum, Leap 'N Learn and similar programs often engage in community partnerships and offer extended day options:

Bedford Youth Performing Company (BYPC): Founded in 1996, BYPC provides quality performing arts instruction and experience for youths. In 2003, BYPC opened Creative Kids Preschool, an arts-integrated, New Hampshire state-licensed preschool with a multi-aged program for children 3 to 6 years old and a 2-year-old preschool readiness program. BYPC partners with organizations like Easter Seals and Head Start to provide programs and classes that reach hundreds of children each year who would not otherwise receive arts education.
Learning, Enrichment, And Play (LEAP) Program: LEAP programs offer secure, supervised learning and play experiences that enhance the time a child spends away from home and school. The LEAP program also offers a Teen Extended Day (TED) program providing secure, supervised care. All LEAP sites are licensed facilities located at each elementary school within the Marana Unified School District for students enrolled in preschool through sixth grade. LEAP and TED offer homework support, art, physical education, and creative projects geared to engage students in a fun and safe way.

Supply List

A typical supply list for a Leap 'N Learn preschool program might include:

Pencil box
Washable markers
Glue sticks
Preschool pencils
Twistable Crayons
Watercolor Paint Sets
Kleenex
Disinfectant Wipes
Paint Shirt
Disinfectant Spray
Baby Hand & Face Wipes (unscented)
Play-Doh
Hand Sanitizer

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