Monthly themes for preschool

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. 

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september

• School time
• I Am Special
• Emotions and Feelings
• Our Hands
• The Five Senses
• Living Things
• Health and Nutrition
• Healthy Teeth

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october

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

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november

• Families
• Babies
• Grandparents
• Pets
• Homes
• Thanksgiving

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december

• Shiny Sparkles
• Lights in the Darkness
• Rudolf and Reindeer
• The Nutcracker Ballet
• Gingerbread
• Cookies
• Toys
• Poinsettias
• Christmas
• Hanukkah
• Kwanzaa 

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january

• Happy New Year
• Seasonal Changes
• Rain
• Snow
• Animals in Winter
• Warmth and Coziness
• Arctic Animals
• Penguins
• Martin Luther King Day
• Action Heroes and Costumes

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February

• Groundhog Day
• Chinese/Lunar New Year
• Valentines
• Communication
• Vehicles and Transportation (overview)
• On the Road
• Trains
• On Water
• Air Travel
• Space Discoveries
• Community Helpers

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march

• Science Discovery: Wind and Air
• Science Discovery: Water
• Science Discovery: Tools and Machines
• Science Discovery: Magnets
• St. Patrick’s Day
• Forest Animals
• Arrival of Spring
• Easter Bunnies and Eggs

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april

• Amphibians/Frogs
• Reptiles/Snakes
• Insects (overview)
• Insects: Butterflies and Moths
• Insects: Bees
• Insects: Ladybugs
• Farms (overview)
• Farm Animals
• Dairy Farms and Cows
• Chickens
• Earth Day:Appreciating Our Planet
• Arbor Day:Trees

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may

• May Day
• Gardens
• Flowers
• Cinco de Mayo
• Mother's Day
• Dinosaurs
• Ocean Animals
• Fruit

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june

• Birds​
• Rainforests
• All Kinds of Food
• What and Why We Eat
• Food Production 
• Vegetables
• Protein/Breads/ Rice
• Father's Day 

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Summer "themes for a day" ideas

• Bubbles Day
• Magic Day
• Rainbows
• Let's Build
• Camping Out
• The Beach
• July 4th
• Sticky Day
• Exploration: Africa
• Exploration: Australia

• Pizza Day
• Prehistoric Adventure
• Carnivals
• Ice Cream Day
• Our Golden Sun
• Blueberries Day
• Let's Get Wet
• Watermelon Day
• Happy Summer

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