KidSparkz news blog, featuring new and free preschool resources

WHAT WE TEACH : PRESCHOOL & PRE-K CURRICULUM PLANNING

2/7/2022

Here are some general curriculum/activities areas that can be considered and adapted for young children from toddler through kindergarten age.

Read Some Great Stories
Choose books that have meaning for preschoolers because of the story line, the illustrations, the educational content, and just overall literary merit. Many can be purchased inexpensively in paperback form, and of course, borrowed from the library. While reading, allow time for the children to comment, ask questions, and to predict what might happen. Reading both fiction and nonfiction books with children is the
most influential thing that you can do to pave the way for a future love and appreciation of learning. Reading both fiction and nonfiction books with children is the most influential thing that you can do to pave the way for a future love and appreciation of learning.

Make and Create
Creative activities should provide opportunity for children to do most of the work, with emphasis on creativity, imagination and the process, rather than the appearance of the finished product. Of course, some craft skills, such as stitchery and weaving, must be taught, however, for children younger than 5, providing the materials and a few suggestions is enough to spark the creative process. Don't forget food preparation activities.

Use New Words
Preschoolers are learning at least 5 to 10 new words a day. Use descriptive vocabulary that may not have been heard before. It’s usually not necessary to explain meaning; the context in which it is used will do that. Every time the new word is used, will add an extra piece of the concept in your child’s mind.

Letters and Reading Readiness
This is a very large and complicated curriculum area, and very dependent on the developmental level of the child. Include activities for letter and sound recognition, comprehension, rhyming, categorizing, memorizing, sequencing, and recognition of patterns.

Getting Ready to Write
Activities in this curriculum area depend a great deal on the physical development of arm and hands, and the complicated connection/interaction of what the brain is understanding, the eyes are seeing, and the control of hand muscles. Encourage activities for strengthening eye-hand co-ordination, and small muscle control - scribbling, tracing, mazes, picking up tiny items, cutting.

Numbers, Reasoning and Predicting
Wow, what a fun curriculum area! Games, challenges, predictions, logical assumptions all prepare a child for the larger world of mathematics. Include activities for number recognition, organization of sets, and manipulating combinations of sets (plus, minus, simple multiplication).

Understanding How Things Work
This is the section about science and nature, including earth sciences, weather, physics, biology and astronomy. Of course we are surrounded constantly by exciting things just waiting to be discovered and explored. What is this? How does it work? What can I do with it? As the child's development progresses, we move step by step from the completely familiar, to the entirely unknown.

Sing a Song
What would I do without music? It's my peace, my haven, and my soul. Sing, dance, chant, wiggle, clap, use rhythm and rhyme; listen to ALL kinds and styles of music often. We use songs and rhymes that have musical, traditional or educational merit. If your eyes glaze over when you hear a particular kiddy tune or piece of doggerel, don't waste time with it. Choose the best.

Play a Game
Just for fun! (and learning at the same time). Individual games include matching, sorting. Play group games indoors or out, don't be afraid of a little competition, and make it fun.

Interacting With the Neighborhood
Getting out and about: to explore concepts in person, to meet other people in various capacities, and to experience environments and new situations to extend learning and awaken curiosity. Grownups can do all kinds of jobs to make money to buy food and clothes and other things. People can live in many kinds of environments. People are the same, and different, in many ways.

Outdoor Play
Provide interesting and safe equipment, and then stand aside and watch as the children explore, discover and learn.

MORE TO SEE ...

The KidSparkz Philosophy
How We Teach: Methods and Philosophies
The Power of Reading!- Establishing the Environment for Early Literacy Development
The KidSparkz Theme-a-Pedia index
Become a KidSparkz member and access a password-protected area of the site for $3.50 a month.

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How We Teach: Methods and Philosophies in Early Education

2/7/2022

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"Children learn best through their everyday experiences with the people they love and trust, and when the learning is fun". Zero to Three

That's it. That's the "big secret" about how children, or anyone for that matter, learns anything. Don't YOU learn things better, and more deeply, if you are comfortable, among people you know, and if the stuff you're looking at studying is interesting and FUN? Any sign of anxiety, or demands, or "tests", or doing paperwork while the sun is shining outside - any chance of learning anything flies right out that window. Yes, I am going to list some of the very important approaches that are in vogue at the present time, or have actually stood the test of time, but please remember, when analyzing and considering them, those 2 big concepts - TRUST and FUN. (Oh, by the way!! Your child already trusts you. All you have to do is make the subject matter fun, and all the learning that will occur is made in the shade!!!)

Creative Curriculum - this is the approach that is used at most preschools today, with the room divided into areas and centers. Housekeeping, blocks, table toys, art, sensory box etc. Works well for a mixed age group with varying developmental levels. The teacher must prepare activities for each area every day, to present learning challenges. If the teacher is not dedicated and experienced, the exploratory play becomes repetitive. A parent can use this approach at home, by setting up a variety of activities, and guiding the child from one to the next, at the child's pace.

High/Scope - an organized approach best used in group situations, for older preschoolers. Children discuss and plan what they will be doing during the class session, then do it, then reflect on what they did. The sequence is called Plan -Do - Review.

Montessori - Maria Montessori's approach has stood the test of time (100 years!). Children direct their own learning in an environment of prepared experiences. Uses ordered, fitted blocks and other materials that guide children to segue from the simple to the complex and from the concrete to the abstract. Creative art was not part of the curriculum at first, but is now incorporated in many Montessori learning centers. The Montessori blocks and other self correcting materials can be purchased for at home use.

Waldorf/Steiner - a deeply philosophical and controversial approach introduced in Europe in the early years of the 20th century. It emphasizes classicism, natural surroundings and objects, and spirituality.

The Project Approach - usually used as a part of other learning approaches, and by pre-K age or older. A topic that a child or group of children seem very interested in is chosen for a study in depth. Can last from 1 day to many weeks, and several projects can continue at the same time. This approach is very suitable for children and parents at home.

Reggio Emilia - begun in some Northern Italian preschools about 40 years ago, using the concept of emergent curriculum. This similar to the project approach, in that topics are studied as they emerge as an interest from the children. Teachers are not really able to plan ahead, but offer different learning experiences every day as new subjects arise. Emphasis on beauty, art, discussing what is being done, and groups cooperating together on tasks and learning.

Theme-Based Model - very popular approach in preschools and family child care homes. Teachers plan curriculum ahead, based on what they want the children to study and learn. Based on the concept that children/people learn things based on what they already know, linking new learnings to old. Art, songs, stories etc are all based on the theme being taught, linking the subject matter together, and giving children with different learning styles an opportunity to use their particular talents.

Multiple Intelligences - a relatively recent (1970s) approach put forward by Howard Gardner. Rather than concentrating on the older idea of intellectual aptitude (i.e. IQ) being the only measure of personal intelligence, Gardner says that there are at least 8 different aptitudes. In every person, one or more of these "intelligences" outshine the others. He says that teachers must address all these aptitudes (and ways of learning) in their curriculum programming, so that all students have their particular learning needs met. Gardener's multiple intellingences are: Linguistic intelligence, Logical-mathematical intelligence, Musical intelligence, Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, Spatial intelligence, Interpersonal intelligence, Intrapersonal intelligence, and Naturalistic Intelligence.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATION WEB RESOURCES

National Assn for the Education of Young Children
The Creative Curriculum
High Scope
Project Approach
Reggio Emilia
Waldorf
Montessori
Multiple Intelligences
Early Childhood Leadership
NAEYC Position Statements If you are seriously considering creating an optimal environment in which to educate young children, read these articles.
Common Core information
Zero to Three A site that goes beyond the diversity of curriculum approaches to the basics of human to human relationships in the early years.
Daycare Provider's Home Page - for Home and Center Childcare Providers

MORE TO SEE ...

The KidSparkz Philosophy
What We Teach: Curriculum Planning
The KidSparkz Theme-a-Pedia index
The Power of Reading! - Establishing the Environment for Early Literacy Development
Become a KidSparkz member and access a password-protected area of the site for $3.50 a month.

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KIDSPARKZ EDUCATIONAL PHILOSOPHY

2/7/2022

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The KidSparkz approach to planning curriculum in early childhood education: How does it help you as teachers and parents, and the children as learners?

It is immediately accessible – print and do. Most, if not all, of the thousands of activities available both in the site and in the downloadable curriculums can be completed using just a short list of everyday materials and supplies. You can plan ahead, or start fresh every day, whichever teaching method works best for you. By following the easily navigable links, you can usually find whatever you need within 3 seconds.

The printable activity pages are NOT worksheets. They are designed to be used as teaching/learning props, hands-on tools and motivational supports. Many worksheets that you can find on the web are basically assessment tools – they are designed to be used to “test” if something has been learned after the fact. Pages like connecting words to pictures, and number addition and subtraction require that the concept has been learned and understood previously. KidSparkz activity printables TEACH the concept.

The importance of child/adult interaction: the children and an adult/teacher/facilitator work together on the activities and games, not just a child alone. The teacher acts as a guide, eliciting answers and ideas with open-ended questions, and encouraging a back and forth discussion. This approach works equally well with an individual child or a small group, and at every developmental level. And the children who do the activities and play the games at school can easily take them home and play again, with the family.

More than letters and numbers. Of course, learning to read and to add are important, and there are many KidSparkz activities and games that support the development of these skills. But early childhood education consists of so much more than letters, numbers, shapes and colors. How about oral language, storytelling, critical and creative thinking, logical process, whole body movement, music and art experiences, the hand/eye/brain process, and encouraging the developing awareness of a “self” in relationship with our earth and a larger community with early science and social studies concepts? The KidSparkz activity pages and curriculums provide all of this.

The educational theory supporting the activities has been taken care of for you. Theory is important. It is all-important. But busy teachers and parents do not have the luxury of time to be able to read about and understand the educational reasons behind every activity, every day. Go ahead and use the KidSparkz printables and curriculums, knowing that an educational professional has designed and created them, with the latest ideas and theories of early childhood educational thought in mind. All activities are supported by the comprehensive Washington State Standards, and NAEYC recommendations

more to see ...

What We Teach : Preschool Curriculum Planning
How We Teach: Methods and Philosophies
The Power of Reading! Establishing the Environment for Early Literacy Development
Letters for Little Learners - an alphabet curriculum
Become a KidSparkz member and access a password-protected area of the site for $3.50 a month.
The KidSparkz Theme-a-Pedia index

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Monthly themes for preschool

8/31/2019

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Many early childhood educators like to plan their monthly curriculum plans ahead of time. They feel more organized, and even if an interest emerges in the group while using the prepared lesson plans, they can refer to the themes they have prepared and grab ideas and activities to expand the new interest. During my many years of teaching early learners, I developed a sequence of monthly themes that seemed to fit intuitively into the seasons and sequence of the year.

september

october

Firefighters and Safety
Fall is here (overview)
Leaves and Weather
Apples, Squirrels and Nuts
Corn
Scarecrows
Pumpkins and Spiders
Halloween

november

december

january

February

march

april

may

june

Summer "themes for a day" ideas

Camping preschool theme activities and printables

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January Preschool Theme Bundle

12/15/2018

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January themes curriculum bundle for preschool and preK.

This BIG (over 700 pages!) bundle includes 15 of my Pre-K Theme packs, all related to themes that could be studied during the month of January. With all the ideas, activities and centers that I provide in these theme packs, this bundle could definitely extend for the full month of January, and have enough left over for next year!

Click on the images to check out the individual packs in the January theme bundle ...

And here is a FREE complete 49 page COOKIES Theme Pack for you to download and try out with your class or child. It's from the Pre-K Themes series. Let me know how it works for you.