Frog Street Pre-K - Criterion 2.8

Frog Street Pre-K materials partially meet expectations for supporting gross motor skills (2.8a). 

The Welcome Guide outlines Frog Street Pre-K Gross Motor Standards across 3 strands (p. 115):

X.A.1 Demonstrates coordination and balance

X.A.2 Coordinates a sequence of movements

X.A.3 Demonstrates control and strength of large muscles 

Daily opportunities for gross motor movement occur across all nine themes through gross motor practice centers, transitions, greeting circle, music and movement, outdoor activities, and yoga poses. Music and Movement lessons include guided activities that support locomotion, control, and coordination, such as running, hopping, galloping, and jumping.

Teacher Guide Examples include:

Coordination and Movement

• Theme 1 (p. 35): Children work in pairs using Muscle Movement cards, with one child performing a movement and the partner copying it.

• Theme 1 (p. 15): During Music and Movement, children sing "It’s Brain Smart Time" and "Snap, Clap, Wiggle, and Giggle," and act out movements such as touching body parts and snapping or clapping.

• Theme 3 (p. 88): Children perform movements using Muscle Movement cards, with a suggestion to change the sequence once the routine is familiar.

Balance

• Theme 6 ( p. 9): Children walk along tape lines on the floor, with a midweek option to shift from straight lines to zigzag paths.

Muscle Strength and Flexibility

• Theme 5 (p. 37): Children roll dough with a rolling pin to support strength development.

• Theme 7 (p. 35): Children rub sticks together during Practice Centers to build strength.

Integration of gross motor development with other content areas.

• Theme 1 (p. 47): During shared writing, children sing the song “ I Can, Can you?” and perform the motions of the song

• Theme 1 (p. 48): During math small group, children act out location words (left, right, in, out, in front, in back) and dance to “Hokey Pokey.”

Overall, Frog Street Pre-K provides daily opportunities for gross motor movement across themes through transitions, music and movement, outdoor activities, and yoga. Opportunities to further strengthen the program include more clearly defined learning goals, clearer connections to other content areas, and more explicit guidance to support implementation. While lessons identify gross motor standards, learning goals beyond identified standards are not always clearly outlined, and it is not evident how activities increase in complexity or build on one another over time.

Frog Street Pre-K materials partially meet expectations for supporting fine motor skills (2.8b). 

The Welcome Guide outlines Frog Street Pre-K Fine Motor Standards across 2 strands (p. 115):

XC.1. Demonstrates control/strength of small muscles

XC.2. Demonstrates hand-eye coordination

Fine motor activities involving the manipulation of small objects, tools, and materials, such as beads, tweezers, crayons, and scissors, are integrated across multiple learning domains through practice centers (Fine Motor, Writer’s Corner, Creative Station), STEAM lessons, and small-group instruction, all designed to support coordination, dexterity, grip, and control.

Examples of Manual Dexterity, Hand-eye Coordination, and Grip and Control include:

• Theme 5 (pp. 34–37): Children cut and tear confetti pieces and practice control using Play-Doh and writing tools during Practice Centers.

• STEAM activities incorporate tools such as tweezers, eyedroppers, and tongs to promote hand strength and precision.

• Sensory play supports resistance-based control and finger isolation using materials such as rice bins, sand, and Play-Doh.

• Theme 7 (p. 11): Children use a magnetic wand to guide ants along a path, refining hand–eye coordination.

Across Themes 1–9, children engage in activities such as sorting, threading, building, stringing beads, stacking cubes, and using linking chains, which are embedded throughout the curriculum to support fine motor development. Daily name-writing routines are also included as an additional opportunity for fine motor practice.  Integration of fine motor development with other content areas is also present.

Some examples include:

• Theme 7 (p. 35): During read-aloud, children rub sticks together to mimic a grasshopper’s legs

• Theme 2: Children count and sort buttons.

• Theme 2 (p. 21) During guided writing, children are provided journals and writing tools and encouraged to illustrate what they would purchase with a jar of money

• Theme 5 (p. 48): Children measure using cubes.

Materials show some progression in fine motor complexity, with children moving from larger to smaller manipulatives, from tracing to more controlled letter formation, and from less to more use of scissors over time. Weekly fine motor practice suggestions are provided; however, teacher guidance is not always fully developed. Fine motor activities are not always clearly aligned with specific goals.

Overall, Frog Street Pre-K materials provide multiple opportunities for children to engage in fine motor development across practice centers, STEAM activities, small-group instruction, and daily routines that support coordination, dexterity, and control. While lessons are developmentally appropriate, clear, specific learning goals for fine motor development are not consistently identified. Materials show some progression in fine motor complexity. Weekly practice opportunities are included, and fine motor experiences are embedded across themes and instructional contexts. The materials could be strengthened by including clearly defined learning goals and more detailed guidance for teachers to support implementation.