Preschool Curriculum Guide — Building Literacy & Numeracy Foundations | Daisy Days Regina SK

The preschool years (ages 3-5) are among the most concentrated developmental periods of a human life. What children experience in quality licensed preschool programming shapes their cognitive, language, social, and emotional architecture for school and beyond. At Daisy Days Daycare in Regina SK, our preschool curriculum is intentional, documented, and grounded in both play and purpose.

The Foundations of Our Preschool Curriculum

Daisy Days Daycare’s preschool program is built on three core principles:

1. Play is the work of childhood: Children at this age learn most effectively through play — but not all play is equal. Intentional, educator-facilitated play that targets specific developmental goals produces better outcomes than either free unstructured play OR formal academic instruction.
2. Development is integrated: Language, motor, cognitive, social, and emotional development are not separate streams — they develop simultaneously and each supports the others. Our curriculum addresses all domains in every activity.
3. Documentation makes learning visible: ECE educators observe, document, and reflect on children’s development — this allows curriculum to respond to what each child is actually doing, thinking, and wondering.

Pre-Literacy Foundations in Our Preschool Program

Phonological Awareness (The #1 Reading Prerequisite)

Phonological awareness — the ability to hear and manipulate the sounds in language — is the single strongest predictor of reading success. We build it through:

• Daily rhyming songs, fingerplays, and rhyming games
• Syllable clapping (“How many parts in ‘butter-fly’?”)
• Initial sound games (“What starts with ‘b’? Ball! Bumblebee!”)
• Stories that play with language — cumulative tales, nonsense rhymes, sound-play books

Alphabet Knowledge

• Name writing — each child’s name is their most motivating literacy text
• Environmental print: children’s names on cubbies, labels in the room, signs in dramatic play
• Alphabet books, puzzles, and manipulatives — exploratory, not drill-based
• Letter-sound connections emerging from meaningful literacy contexts

Vocabulary and Language Comprehension

• Daily read-alouds with rich discussion — comprehension and vocabulary building simultaneously
• Intentional educator conversation using sophisticated vocabulary (“That’s magnificent!” “What do you think will happen next?” “How did you figure that out?”)
• Storytelling, retelling, and dramatic re-enactment of stories

Pre-Numeracy Foundations in Our Preschool Program

Number Sense

• Counting with correspondence (touching each object as it’s counted — not just reciting numbers)
• Subitizing — recognizing small quantities (1-5) instantly without counting
• Cardinality — understanding that the last number spoken tells you how many
• Number comparison: “more,” “less,” “the same”

Patterns

• Pattern identification, extension, and creation — AB, ABC, ABB patterns in manipulatives, art, and movement
• Pattern is the foundation of algebraic thinking

Geometry and Spatial Reasoning

• Shape identification and composition in blocks, puzzles, and art
• Spatial vocabulary: above, below, beside, between, through
• Block construction: spatial reasoning in three dimensions

Measurement

• “Which is taller? Heavier? Longer?”
• Non-standard measurement: “How many blocks long is this table?”
• Cooking and baking: volume, weight, and time in real-world contexts

Social-Emotional Learning as Academic Foundation

Research shows that the strongest predictors of Kindergarten academic success are not pre-reading or pre-math skills — they’re executive function skills (attention, working memory, self-regulation, cognitive flexibility) and social-emotional competencies. Our preschool curriculum intentionally develops these through:

• Dramatic play — the most powerful builder of executive function in early childhood
• Cooperative games and group projects
• Conflict resolution practice with educator scaffolding
• Self-regulation activities: calm corners, breathing practices, mindful moments

→ Full Daisy Days Daycare preschool program page
→ Kindergarten readiness guide for Regina SK
→ Play-based vs academic curriculum — what research shows

Contact Daisy Days Daycare to learn more about our preschool curriculum.
306-807-3233 | info@daisydaysdaycare.com | 2007 Potts Crescent East, Regina SK S4V 2E5