Meeting Pre- Standards Through Play; Domain: Physical Development and Health

Pre-K Content Area: Physical Development-Sensory

Pre-K Benchmark: Children use their senses to assist and guide learning.

Children learn best when using all of their senses to help engage them in meaningful experiences. The senses are the most familiar way for children to explore, process, and come to understand new information. Through sensory activities, children are building cognitive skills, promoting curiosity, learning to investigate, collect data, and problem solve. While using their senses, the children are also able to build their vocabulary using descriptive words to discuss sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures. Squishing the cool finger paint in their hands, the smell of

chocolate chip cookies baking, and listening to birds chirping at the window just some of the sensory experiences we learn through everyday.

Making Oobleck

In a tub of Bubbles

Picking our blueberry bushes

Exploring Icicles

Shaving Cream Fun

Baking cookies

Listening to The babies birds chirping outside

Squishy water beads

Pre-K Content Area: Physical Development-Sensory/Motor

Pre-K Benchmark: Children use sensory information to plan and carry out movements.

Children also use their senses to demonstrate and exhibit appropriate body awareness, movements, and spatial boundaries when carrying out a task. We practice these skills when climbing the stairs, carrying our plates to the sink, in action songs during circle time, and in movement games such as Simon Says and Follow the Leader.

Jumping on the trampoline

Finding our way through a corn maze

Walking heel to toe on a line

Exploring inclined planes

Pre-K Content Area: Physical Development-Gross Motor

Pre-K Benchmark:Children Demonstrate coordination and control of large muscles.

Pre-k Benchmark:Children combine a sequence of large motor skills with and without the use of equipment.

The children practice their balancing and traveling skills daily during sitting, standing, and movement activities such as running, jumping, hopping, dancing, and climbing stairs. They also practice these skills using materials such as kicking balls, jump ropes, climbers, and ride on toys with and without pedals.  

Climbing stairs

Riding our favorite tractor

Hopping on animal paws

Jumping on the climber

Climbing hay bales at the farm


Pre-K Content Area: Physical  Development-Fine Motor

Pre-K Benchmark: Children demonstrate eye-hand coordination and dexterity needed to manipulate objects.


Each day, many and varied materials are available to the children which help promote fine motor skills. Children are exposed to art materials such as paint brushes and clay, writing tools, and scissors. The children also manipulate small objects such as stringing beads, lacing cards, geo boards, legos, and puzzles. They serve themselves at meal time, using eating and serving utensils including serving spoons and tongs. We practice dressing skills such as buttoning, zipping, and tying our shoes.

Preparing our meals

Writing on clear contact paper

Squeezing droppers

Working with playdough

Practicing letters

Stringing beads

Using scissors



Up next....

Continuing with Physical development, we'll be looking at physical fitness, health, and safety