Children experience a language explosion at the ages of 3,4, and 5, and play — intentional play — can help them channel that. In Canyons District, time is set aside in preschool and kindergarten for play, or for students to “plan, do, and review” a fun activity of their choice.

Think of it as educating not only the mind, but the heart, and connecting students at an early age with a “choose your adventure” mindset and the tools to get there.

It may be the middle of winter, but it’s already time to start thinking about where to enroll in “big kid school” for the next year.

On the latest episode of Connect Canyons, we sit down with two early childhood experts: Terri Mitchell, Canyons Early Childhood Administrator, and Kenna Sorensen, Administrator in CSD’s Instructional Supports Department. Mitchell and Sorensen emphasize the importance of early participation in preschool, while providing insight into specialized programs like Dual Language Immersion and SALTA.

They also share how parents can help their children prepare to step into their first classroom from engaging in meaningful learning activities, to helping them learn going to school on the first day will be an exciting journey.

“In Canyons, we’re different than any other District in two ways,” says Mitchell. “All of our teachers are certified teachers and early childhood special ed certified. The second thing is, in our classrooms we focus on what is called active learning. In our Canyons preschools, you won’t see things like worksheets, for example. We are using hands-on materials to teach a variety of concepts.”

Here are a few more key points our experts make in this episode:

• Importance of early participation in preschool
• Overview of Canyons’ unique active learning approach
• Guidance on finding and researching boundary schools
• Insight into specialized programs like Dual Language Immersion and SALTA
• Importance of early application deadlines and tips for enrollment
• Suggestions for preparing children for kindergarten socially and academically
• Emphasis on parental attitudes impacting children’s school readiness
• Encouragement for parents to engage in meaningful early learning activities
• Assurance of readiness from Canyons educators to support diverse learning needs