Kindergarten: Building Strong Foundations Through Classroom Stations
In Kindergarten, station work is a regular part of the learning routine, giving students the chance to practice important skills in small, focused groups. These rotating activities support development in areas like fine motor coordination, handwriting, executive functioning, and early literacy—all building blocks for independent learning.
At one recent set of stations, students used rubber bands and pool noodles to strengthen finger muscles and build hand-eye coordination. They then transitioned to a color-by-number activity that encouraged pencil grip, control, and number recognition. With Lead Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs. Helen Valiant, students made friendship bracelets—an activity that supported small motor precision and early patterning.
Matching games at an independent station helped students build executive functioning skills such as memory, attention, and flexible thinking. With Kindergarten Support Teacher, Ms. Evelyn Ruocco, students practiced capital letter formation, laying the foundation for fluent handwriting. At the Reading Playground station, students worked with vocabulary words like before, next, and last while also exploring rhyming and sequencing—skills that support early reading comprehension.
Through station work, students develop confidence, focus, and independence while engaging in purposeful, age-appropriate practice across multiple areas of learning.
Graland Country Day School
Graland Country Day School is a private school in Denver, Colorado, serving students in preschool, kindergarten, elementary, and middle school. Founded in Denver in 1927, Graland incorporates a rich, experiential learning approach in a traditional classroom setting, emphasizing the development of globally and socially conscious leaders who excel academically.
