Three- and four-year-olds work on becoming comfortable with words and using them to communicate. Through stories, songs, finger play, poems, and games, the children build vocabulary and fluency in fun and age-appropriate ways. The daily Morning Meeting is a language-rich time to come together as a group for sharing and bonding. Labels throughout the classroom foster the connection between words and everyday objects.

In Threes art, there is an emphasis on exploring a variety of materials and tools introduced by the teacher. Threes students have art in their classrooms twice a week for 30-minute periods. Additionally, they have daily access to creative materials for self-expression and sensory experiences in the classrooms with their teachers. Threes students draw with a variety of materials; explore paint (finger paint, tempera, and watercolors); collage and 3D construction (various types of clay, wood, paper, and cardboard construction); and print with stamps.

The Threes music program focuses on musical games, stories, and movement activities. This becomes a foundation for exploring other musical concepts, such as vocal dynamics, listening skills, and playing together in rhythmic unison. Once a repertoire is established, the children are introduced to percussion instruments.

The Threes PE program allows young students to grow and develop at their own pace in a safe, fun, and exciting environment. Classes are a balance of structured activities and guided play that encourages curiosity, reasoning, and information gathering. During the year, students learn how to perform different age-appropriate physical challenges, such as rolling and bouncing balls, tossing bean bags, and catching scarves; they also focus on locomotor skills, including hopping, jumping, and galloping. The goal is to foster self-discipline and self-direction by providing students with learning activities that help them make independent decisions.

Threes children are endlessly curious, always observing the world around them. They ask themselves: “What happens if we do this? How does this feel?” They are like sponges, soaking up all the sights, sounds, tastes, smells, and feelings that they encounter. Threes teachers carefully plan rich and thoughtful scenarios that stimulate learning. Tools such as wooden blocks, water and sand tables, discovery tables, bowls, spoons, and hourglasses add to the experiences that build the foundation for future understanding of concepts in biology, chemistry, earth science, physics, and more. As we believe in the abundant value of outdoor time for young children, Threes students spend a portion of each day in Central Park, learning about the wide variety of plant and animal life that lives there, exploring the different terrains and natural resources and soaking in the beauty of this amazing resource.

A child’s world starts with a strong sense of self. Teachers help to expand this sphere of understanding to other people. Who are the people in your home? Whom do you love? Who are the people in your class? Whole-group activities, such as Morning Meeting, allow for sharing stories about family life and school news.

Our Threes Spanish curriculum teaches vocabulary and phrases related to the book El libro de los números de los crayones (The Crayons' Book of Numbers), by Drew Daywalt. Therefore, students begin the year learning Spanish greetings and salutations, basic emotional vocabulary, colors, and numbers (0–5). By December, students can understand simple questions such as ¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?) and ¿Cómo estás? (How are you?) The students can also recognize and identify some colors and numbers from 1 to 5. During our circle time, students sing, share, and enjoy stories. Music and rhythm are important warm-up activities, reinforcing Spanish phonics acquisition before each new lesson. We also play games that help the students learn and memorize new vocabulary.