The Play-Based Preschool Approach
Wooddale Community Nursery School is a play-based preschool in St. Louis Park that was founded over 25 years ago. Today, it continues to be a hidden gem in the community. Many generations of families have trusted their children’s early years to WCNS–including each of us teachers!
Play-based preschool is based on the idea that play is a child’s work. Wooddale Community Nursery School has followed the same time-tested preschool approach for decades. The teachers get to know each child and their family, which makes the school feel like a community. We also take every opportunity to engage with our communities and the world around us. Our goal is to provide each child with a range of enriching experiences that will help prepare them for school and life.
If you or someone you know is looking for a play-based preschool in St. Louis Park, please reach out to us for more information about joining our school.
What is Play-Based Preschool?
The play-based preschool approach may sound simple: engage kids in open-ended play and provide an enriching, varied environment for them to explore.
The results of play-based preschool? Kids learn the social skills they’ll need to build healthy relationships throughout their life. They feel safe a secure at school and learn that other adults care about and can help them. Kids learn how to follow a predictable routine at school and solve problems.
And of course, kids learn to identify letters and the sounds they make, how to count and do very simple math, and a variety of social and science skills. In our play-based preschool, these skills are taught with music, play, and hands-on experiences instead of rote memorization or repetition.
There’s research to support the play-based preschool approach. Early childhood experts have found that play-based preschools can actually produce better educational results than ones that focus on academic instruction. When children are playing, they are using their imagination and creativity to solve complex, real-world problems. They are engaged and invested in what they are doing, and what they learn stays with them for life.
Does Play-Based Preschool Prepare Kids for Kindergarten?
This is a common question for parents who are concerned about their kids being ready for the rigors of Kindergarten. As parents, we get it! Most Kindergarteners will be expected to attend school for an entire day and the first year of school has become increasingly academic.
Recently, Wooddale Community Nursery School hosted an informational parents’ night out. We invited a local Kindergarten teacher (and WCNS parent!) and a child psychologist to speak about the transition to Kindergarten.
Our Kindergarten teacher spoke about key skills a child needs to succeed in a modern Kindergarten classroom, including:
Being able to sustain attention on a task for 5-10 minutes at a time
Following a teacher’s directions
Identifying colors, shapes, numbers, and some letters
Being able to write some or all of their name
Feeling comfortable asking a teacher for help
Being able to join a group of peers
Play-based preschool helps children learn the social and emotional skills they’ll need for Kindergarten–and the rest of their time in school–and also offers a play-based focus on numbers, letters, and pre-reading and writing skills.
We love to watch the kids’ progress throughout the year. Our students leave our school well prepared for Kindergarten, feeling confident and excited about school!
Learn More About Joining Our School
If you are looking for a play-based preschool in Minneapolis, St. Louis Park, or Edina and want to learn more about our program, call us at 952-926-2123. You may also download a registration form on our Home page.