How To Create A Preschool Curriculum

1.   What is your philosophy?

·   Do you believe that education is one of the most important aspects for your child? Do you want your child to be “advanced” or move ahead of the “norm”?

·  Do you believe that education in today’s society is highly overrated and view learning as experiencing life?

·  Do you find you are somewhere in the middle or along the spectrum between the two ideals?

      -I, personally, find myself somewhere in the middle. I think education is very important but I believe it is over-rated in our society today and stealing our kids’ childhood from them. Thus, I take the laid back teaching/learning style in educating my kiddos. At this age I view experiencing life just as important as actually sitting down and learning their colors, numbers, letters…etc. However, I do structure activities that will help them experience life, have fun and learn at the same time.

2. What do you teach?

· I started with the basics: Colors Recognition, Shape Recognition, Letter Recognition, Letter Sounds, and Counting 1-10 or 1-20.

·    I found a wonderful preschool blog that had an actual sheet you could keep track of things they need to know: http://www.lovelycommotion.com/preschool-assessments/

·         Here is the Idaho Common Core Standards website which will list standards for each grade and content area: https://www.sde.idaho.gov/site/common/

3.   Where do you start?

· The first thing I do is to pre-test a certain unit (letter recognition, shapes….). It’s hard to know where you want your child to be if you don’t know where they are. Plus, why spend time on information they already know?

· It doesn’t have to be a boring: you point, and they tell you what the letter is. Make it fun, create a game. Anything to show you what they have learned.

· KEEP TRACK! And check back 1-3 a year.

4.   Decide HOW you want to teach.

·Do you want to teach one content area at a time? Or include multiple ones each week/day?---For instance, last year if I created a week unit on the letter “T”, I didn't include numbers or shapes or colors in the week. This year, I have decided to have a main purpose (for instance the letter G) but still have some surrounding activities that might include other concepts. This way they are still getting the main point but I am not neglecting the others.

·  What kinds of activities/learning centers do you want for your children?

·Here is a list of what I include when planning my curriculum:

o   Morning Activities-quick, independent activities regarding the content area

o   Bible- For instance: The story of creation for the letter “C”

o   Circle Time- It includes a prayer, the pledge, a song, and then a reading of a book that discusses the main theme for that week.

o   Worksheets-

o   Outside Activities-

o   Games or a Project-

o   Artwork-

o   Computer/IPad-

o   Reading- I use the books I already have plus get ones from the library. I use Pinterest and google to search for relevant books that are age appropriate and FUN!

o   Toys-I give them a playtime with some of his toys that have to do with that content area.

o   Movies-I find movies, use Netflix and google relevant, EDUCATIONAL kids shows or movies for that content area.

*I don’t do EVERY activity, EVERY day. I will either rotate or pick and choose based on the day.

o    Take into consideration your child’s learning style: Are they a wiggly Willy and need to move A LOT. Are they social and need to have lots of interactions? Do they thrive on sitting still and doing worksheets? Are they an audio, visual, kinesthetic learner, or a combination of all of them?

o    Take into consideration YOUR teaching style? Do you prefer them to be sitting quietly why you do housework, do you like to do hands on projects? Or are you somewhere in between?

5.   Make a plan

·         AFTER you know what you want to teach and how you can start researching online, in workbooks, and Pinterest for specific activities to include. Don’t just pick something because it looked cool on Pinterest….actually know that the activity you are planning for your child is what they need and will benefit from. Why waste your and their time? There are also LOTS of blogs with full preschool curriculums available for free. I don’t use them cause I like my tailored version and most of it is worksheets, but if that’s you, USE THEM!

·         I then keep all my resources I found in a divided binder so when I am planning again for the next go around I have to do less work.

3.   Have Fun!

·         Every once in awhile I create a “fun” unit that encompass many different content area. Some examples of ones I have done are: Thanksgiving/Fall Day, Candy, Christmas Month, Forest Animals, Easter/Spring Day, and If You Give A… literacy unit.

 

Feel Free to Ask Any Questions You Have! I love questions!