Whether you are doing a homeschool preschool program or are a teacher in a preschool, having a plan is essential. Every year, I begin with an outline for what I plan to teach throughout the school year. I created this resourceful, editable preschool curriculum to keep organized and easily change what I teach from year
Two Points: This is MY method, and not necessarily right for you, your teaching or care philosophy, your set-up, or your students. Curriculum participation by my students is VOLUNTARY. I invite them to participate, but if they choose not to, then that is fine. I usually offer them a choice of a few of the activities and let them decide where we start and where we go. An engaged child learns, a dis-engaged child rebels. The 3-year rotating curriculum is theme based. Some times we stick to the plan, but usually I observe what they are interested in learning about, what they are asking questions about, and suggest up to three different themes they can choose from for us to study. I make my own 3-year rotating curriculum for many reasons: Packaged curriculum is often only one year. Since I teach for 3 years, this would be redundant. Most packaged curriculum focuses on skills my students master early. My 2s count to 20, know 11 colors, know most of their phonics, uppercase and lowercase letters, 10 shapes and some of their numbers and I still have 3 years of curriculum to teach them. They often are worksheet intensive. My students usually are cognitively advanced from their fine motor skills. I have 4 year olds that still can't write well. If I had relied on worksheets for the last 2 years, there is no way they would have the skill sets they have. Worksheets are also not considered Developmentally Appropriate Practice [DAP] for children under the age of 8. We use them here for writing practice starting at age 4. [Yes, worksheet-intensive public schools are not using DAP for kindy through 3rd grade!] They can be expensive. If you are purchasing worksheets, why would you spend even $1 a week/$52 a year when you can purchase a 400 page Scholastic preschool workbook from Sam's Club for $8 that covers probably more material, is most likely aligned with the public school expectations, and is colorful. Colored copies are NOT affordable to make from packaged curriculum. Most [ALL!] preschool learning should be interactive. Pinterest is a better source for ideas. My students change every time I do a theme. I have to be able to tweak it to the interests and capabilities of those currently in my care. Plus, I'll find more interesting activities on Pinterest, have an idea for a new game, etc. It's a constant evolution to keep my curriculum relevant to our current group, situation and resources. However, curriculum planning and creation is very time consuming. Even with older curriculum I spend several hours going over it prior to teaching - updating, creating new materials, purchasing and setting new classroom decorations. While I have had my 3 year curriculum, this year I found myself wanting a more specific schedule to focus on specific skill sets for this particular group of children. Most of these skills can be incorporated into our themed curriculum, or they take 5 minute sessions to pop into our day. I have two groups, the younger preschoolers are 2-3 years old and the older ones are 4-5 years old, all at the same developmental and skill set level within their group. This makes it easier, as I can tailor everything to just 2 groups. If I were to have additional levels of children, then it would be tailored to each level. Children here are taught at their developmental level, not age. Asychronastic development is normal, so I may be teaching a child at various levels depending upon the subject matter. For the younger preschoolers, I came up with this structure. For the older pre-k students, I came up with this one. For instance, both of them have Measurement & Comparison on Friday for Reasoning. However, for the younger students, this would be a more/less, longer/shorter, big/little, etc. activity, while the older students would be measuring with rulers, yardsticks, tape measures, measuring cups, unit blocks, foot steps or themed units, and graphing the measurements to compare. Same skill set, differentiated at vastly different levels. Even this needs conditional tweaking. All the pre-k's know how to spell their last names now, so that is no longer a relevant skill activity for music and will be changed out. In another post I'll get into the curriculum components and the importance of each. For instance, how counting on Friday teaches 1-to-1 correspondence and creating method processes for counting groups of objects. CLICK PICTURES TO VIEW LARGER I use this MS Word template, available for FREE on TPT, for curriculum planning. Often, the daily skill sets above are either already incorporated, or can easily be incorporated, into the theme planning. For an example of a completed curriculum unit, check out our Owls Theme. Each monthly theme is broken down into 4 sub-themes. For instance: SPACE Astronauts & Rockets The Universe Our Solar System Aliens & Robots We also have a musical component, often classical, and an art component, often a master, and Spanish vocabulary component that we incorporate. This planning form may not include all games, file folder games, manipulatives, room-set up, etc. that I utilize. For those of you trained in curriculum creation, I do NOT do a full curriculum development for each activity. With having these children usually from infant to school-age, I keep an internal evaluation of progression and plan out only weekly learning objectives. Since I am creating the activities for my personal use, I do not need to create written procedures and evaluations. My curriculum is stored currently in file folders in a large office bookcase unit. I would like to get it into boxes so that I could have EVERY theme-related item, including dress-up, room set-up, manipulatives, etc. together for an easy pull. File boxes will most likely be the easiest, but they do take up a lot of space. In each file some of the things I probably have: Completed planning sheets All the books I own for that theme Flannel board Sentence and word walls File folder games Samples of previous crafts DVDs CDs Coloring pages Mini-book(s) Build-a-[theme item] game Curriculum creation is one of my great joys. I love the research and compilation, the creativity and excitement of bringing something fun and educational to my students. Learning is rarely linear. Children take developmental leaps, sometimes in odd directions. As a teacher, it is important that I keep each one challenged without pushing or inhibiting their growth, and that takes constant evaluation and a good eye for when those leaps happen so that we can move on to a higher level of instruction. When we do an activity, I constantly question if they WANT to do another round, another activity, and I usually cut them off while they are still engaged. I want them wanting more, and they will usually ask if they can continue. One of the most important desires and abilities I can instill in them is that of self-directed learning. So as they choose to go off with their rulers after we've spent several minutes doing a measuring activity, conferring between themselves as to procedures and what to measure next, I step back and let them. They know I am here as a resource, rather than an intrusive director. It is my job to ensure that when I invite my students to learn, they glow with excitement and anticipation of a fun, interactive, playful time. The results, so far, have been astounding. A few of my complete curriculum units are available through my TPT store. Apples Dental Ice Cream Penguins Rainbows St. Patrick's Day Valentine's Follow Connie -'s board Classroom on Pinterest. Tags: preschool, child care, pre-k, curriculum, development, teaching, education, homeschooling, homeschool, home, school, preschool curriculum development, planning
Homeschooling a preschooler is a precious season in life! They are gaining independence, and are filled with curiosity. Whether you want to dive into academics with your preschooler, or you want to take a more informal approach, you can create your own preschool curriculum. There are wonderful preschool curricula to choose from, but with all of …
52 weeks of FREE themed curriculum for kids ages 1-5. Perfect for daycare and homeschooling preschoolers, toddlers, and infants.
This preschool curriculum covers everything your kids need to know before kindergarten PLUS it is super easy for you to follow and implement as a parent!
Here's how to decide if the Handwriting without Tears preschool program is right for your child. The most important thing to keep in mind is...
It can be overwhelming to plan for the entire year of preschool! This year-long curriculum map for preschool and Pre-K includes a Year at a Glance, weekly plans, and book lists. I mapped out the whole year for you, just print and go! There’s even an editable template for you too!
This preschool curriculum covers everything your kids need to know before kindergarten PLUS it is super easy for you to follow and implement as a parent!
Preschool themes from A to Z. Choose a theme that is best for your preschooler or preschool class from over 130 preschool themes!
Curriculum Map for Preschool, Pre-K, and Kindergarten for the whole year! Year plan, month plans, and week plans by theme.
Are you looking for free preschool curriculum? This is the ultimate list of free preschool curriculum to help you make the best choice!
This Montessori Inspired Homeschool Plan for Preschool is a loosely formed outline of the lessons we hope to cover in 2016-2017.
The Fall Preschool Unit is packed full of hands on math & literacy activities as well as no prep worksheets for easy lesson planning.
Looking for a preschool homeschool curriculum for 3 year olds? This is the one we are using for our family along with how we are organizing it to help keep us sane.
Transform your preschool day with effective transitions. Explore how music, chants, and stories can engage and guide children through different activities.
Within my preschool classroom, I have been completing assessments with each student during Center Time. This is something I was very used ...
Easy preK at home. 5 FREE #Preschool activities based on #alphabet letter A. Cutting, coloring, matching & reading too! http://bit.ly/5FreeAPreK
For preschool teachers seeking to assess their students skills, printable online resources focusing on fine motor skills, letter recognition, and counting assessment could be a crucial aid.
Kids love Dinosaurs! Take a journey and learn all about them with this 4-week Dinosaur Unit Study geared toward preschoolers.
I confess, I don't actually know a lot about Australia. However, my kids love learning about it, so we have gathered up bunches of books on the country and of course, watched Finding Nemo... (East Australian Current, Sydney, that's educational, right??) Even if you don't count Finding Nemo in the educational category, you can definitely count this fun Australian animal graphing activity. It's great for a geography unit about Australia, New Zealand and Oceana or learning about different animals in science. Cross-curricular activites bring learning to a whole new level!
I have gathered a lot of classroom materials and ideas over the years. I mean, a lot. I know some of you can relate to this. I have SO MUCH STUFF. I feel like a hoarder. But my classroom does not look like the homes on the hoarding TV shows. In fact, all my stuff […]
A free printable with over 80 preschool themes. The themes are organized by season, but also has a list of general themes for preschoolers.
Learn the most important growth milestones and the kinds of activities to promote development for one-year-olds (12-24 months). Reduce stress and increase joy!
Looking for fun Camping Theme preschool Activities for kids? Check out these 16 Hands-On Forest and camping Learning Activities and Crafts for Preschool or Kindergarten.
When trouble is abound in your Preschool or Kindergarten classroom, Sandi is here to save the day! Sandi is an incredible, seasoned, and passionate Kindergarten teacher here to solve your preschool classroom management woes once and for all! Here are Sandi's 7 tips for making sure your Preschool classroom is running smooth and peaceful. Preschool
Preschool curriculum themes is the foundation for any engaging classroom. Basic core subjects in Spanish class fosters fundamental learning skills.
Community Helpers activities and centers for preschool, pre-k, and kindergarten. Plus FREE community signs & fire finger painting printable.
In my play based classroom there are 10 essential learning areas. I cannot do without them. The provocations and resources offered in these areas change throughout the year dependent on children's interests and the curriculum intent. The placement of these 10 areas within the classroom is thoughtf
Combine name recognition and art with this Hidden Name Art Preschool Name Activity and sensory bin for preschoolers and kindergarteners learning their name
Practice problem-solving and fine motor skills while exploring science and safety with this Broken Bones STEAM. Dramatic play STEAM activities are perfect for your preschool-aged learners. You're definitely not going to want to miss it!
