Guest author Jeanette Norman

When planning a curriculum, you need to make some decisions about what you want the children to learn and experience. Many preschool classrooms are divided into sections sometimes called learning centers. There should be seven basic center categories. These include: art, blocks, dramatic play, science & sensory, library & writing, manipulatives (or sometimes called math), and music. Music could be the area you set aside for circle time.

Teaching through themes is ideal so there is consistency every week in the ideas that the preschooler has to grasp. They will associate activities in each area with the whole day experience. To start planning a curriculum, look at the “big picture” first. By this I mean take a look at the calendar beginning when your preschool learning year starts. This can coincide with the day school agers begin their year in August. Look at each month and see what themes you can plug in where. You can start the school year off with the first week being about “Me”. This would be a great theme for children to open up to you and their classmates so they get to know each other. Bring in pictures from home, an item for show and tell, or a favorite snack. Here is a sample curriculum for an entire year

August 31 Welcome to School	January 18 Health and Fitness

September 7 Me	                January 25 Circus

September 14 Shapes and Colors	February 1 Dinosaurs

September 21 Homes	        February 8 Sound

October 5 Pets or Farm	        February 15 Careers

October 12 My Neighborhood	February 25 Teddy Bears

October 19 Fall Changes	        March 1 Transportation

October 26 Safety	        March 8 Flowers, Plants and Growth

November 2 Planets	        March 15 Spring Break

November 9 Community Helpers	March 22 Wind and Rain

November 16 Food	        March 29 Spring

November 23 Thanksgiving	April 5  Weather or Seasons

November 30 Winter Changes	April 12 Garden

December 7 The World	        April 19 Recycling

December 14 Winter Celebrations 	April 25 Zoo

December 21 No School – Winter Break	May 3 Friends

December 28 No school – Winter Break	May 10 Water

January 4 Snow and Cold	        May 17 Summer Changes and Fun

January 11 Zipping, Buttoning,  and Tying

Just looking at these themes can make the wheels start turning with ideas for activities in the different centers I mentioned earlier. Think about what your children show an interest in. Plan a theme around a subject they are asking questions about. There are many community resources out there for teachers to take advantage of. The best way to discover these is to start with your local library. There are activities posted there or the librarians themselves might know where to go.

Breaking It Down Into Weekly Lesson Plans

Once you have your year in a basic sketch, make weekly lesson plans 2 weeks ahead of time. Why 2 weeks you ask? I found when I was teaching, this would give me plenty of time to make photocopies, gather materials, and notify parents if I needed them to bring something in for the children. Post next week’s plan on Friday where parents can easily see it. Once preschool I worked in required us to make copies for the parents to take home as well. I have made a printable example of what a weekly lesson plan might look like. Click here. Also, here is a weekly lesson plan for each center. You can use one or the other or both. The one made for the centers can help you plan your week into more detail. I am a planner. I love having everything planned out know what I am doing and what to expect. You don’t have to be as compulsive about planning as I am hehehe.


Book Recommendations

Here are some books you may find helpful!