Children learn and develop through play, and SparKits are designed for purposeful educational opportunities. With each Kit is a list of specific Skill Builders to help families understand what long-term skills are developed with different activities. SparKit Skill Builders align with Indiana’s Early Learning Foundations.
For example, sorting colored pompoms with tongs helps a child develop small motor skills, which eventually leads to holding a crayon to color or a pencil to write.
Each experience builds skills from basic to more complex, all laying the foundation for skills needed in school and beyond.
Develop skills that support creative expression through:
- Voice, instruments, and objects
- Movement
- The process, production, and appreciation of visual art forms
- Dramatic play
This Skill Builder aligns with
Math Concepts may be as simple as basic sorting and counting, but each Kit builds on basic skills, laying the foundation for more complex skills:
- Counting, quantity, and comparison
- Recognition of written numbers
- Mathematic structure and patterns
- Concepts of classification and data collection
This Skill Builder aligns with
Activities that develop Language Skills focus on communication:
- Alphabet awareness
- Concepts of words in print
- Comprehension of words’ meanings
- Ability to tell a story
This Skill Builder aligns with
Social/Emotional development in early childhood give children skills they need throughout life not only for their own emotional health but also working with others. These skills support:
- Self-awareness, confidence, and the identification and expression of emotions
- Executive functions, that is, impulse control, planning skills, and emotional regulation
- Conflict resolution
- Social development and engagement with others
This Skill Builder aligns with
Examples of science concepts are all around us. SparKits help children investigate and understand basic concepts:
- Properties of objects and changes in the physical world
- Experience the natural world of earth, sky, weather, and seasons
- Learn about the characteristics of living creatures and plants
- Solve problems using basic engineering processes
This Skill Builder aligns with
Physical development is important in order to perform activities using large and small motor skills. SparKits support:
- Health, safe, and nutritional practices
- Processing information and understanding one’s own body in relation to space and objects in space
- The development of fine and gross motor coordination
- Independent care of one’s self