Teaching Preschool: A Year of Inspiring Lessons
Learn how to develop creative and balanced preschool lesson plans for every month of the school year. This course will equip you with a solid lesson plan template, plus over 100 engaging and interchangeable activities for circle-discussion, art, literacy, motor skills, science, and music.
If you teach preschoolers, crafting original and inspiring lesson plans may have been a daunting task, but not for much longer. In this course, you will get equipped with a solid lesson plan template and lots of interchangeable activities to choose from—plenty of inspiration to take you and your students from September to May.
You will learn over 100 circle-discussion, art, literacy, fine and large motor skill, science, and music activities that you can take into your classroom right away. Then you can adopt the ideas just as they are or tweak them slightly to fit a variety of themes. Either way, you will have ample material for crafting memorable, balanced, and engaging lesson plans.
Whether you're already teaching or you're just investigating a career as an early childhood educator, you're sure to find the right mix of inspiration, motivation, and practical tips in this short yet comprehensive course.
What you will learn
- Learn a foolproof, endlessly-modifiable template for preschool lesson planning
- Learn over 100 art, literacy, motor-skill, circle-discussion, science, and music activities in just 6 weeks
- Discover how to craft original and inspiring lesson plans that will engage and keep the attention of your preschool students
- Discover how to build lesson plans to last the duration of the school year calendar
How you will benefit
- Gain confidence in your ability to reach and inspire young students
- Learn a year's worth of activities to teach and engage preschool-aged children
- Understand how to develop and use a template for an endless number of creative lesson plans
Outline
Engaging Your Students
Have you ever thought about teaching children aged 2 to 5? Or maybe you already are and just want some fun, creative ideas to help you reach these students on their level. Either way, you're going to discover new techniques for teaching preschool and the skills needed for success in the classroom.
Developing Compelling Lessons, Part I
Some people think that preschool teaching is limited to art projects and snack time. Nothing could be further from the truth—the best preschool classrooms are structured around balanced lesson plans. In this lesson, you will learn the first four components of a trusty lesson plan template—themes, circle discussions, literacy activities, and songs and fingerplays.
Developing Compelling Lessons, Part II
Now that you know the first four components of your lesson plan template, are you ready to meet the rest? A balanced lesson plan also includes art projects, number sense activities, large and fine motor skill activities, dramatic play, and science and discovery time.
September: Starting School
There's something about going back to school in September. For teachers, it's an exciting time of year because you get to meet your new students. But students often have a lot of anxiety about going back to school. In this lesson, you will discover smart strategies to make the classroom transition easy on them.
October: Having a Scary Good Time
October is a month of spooks and scares, but that doesn't mean that your lesson plans need to be in horrifying shape. That's what you will learn about in this lesson—everything from the books to the art projects and dramatic play that complement Halloween.
November: Being Thankful for Learning
November is the month to teach students to consider all that they have and how grateful they are for wonderful things in their life. And in this lesson, you will build a week's worth of lesson plans around the Thanksgiving theme.
December: Celebrating Around the World
If November is a month for being thankful, December is a month for grand-scale celebration. In this lesson, you will craft lesson plans around the theme of Celebrations Around the World—including books, circle discussions, and art projects that celebrate diversity and cultural exploration.
January: Making the Most of Winter
In this lesson, you will plan a week's worth of lessons around the winter theme. You will be able to build your own winter wonderland at school with lesson plan ideas that incorporate number sense, discovery, games, and art projects. No passport necessary!
February: Loving the Classroom
It's always great to get a valentine, and Valentine's Day is a fantastic time to incorporate some heart into the preschool classroom. In this lesson, you will create a week's worth of Valentine's themed lesson plans.
March: Making Your Own Weather Report
March is often when people notice the sunshine and puffy clouds in the sky. That makes March the perfect time to plan a weather-themed week. In this lesson, you will do just that—craft literacy, number sense, science, and motor skill activities around the weather.
April: Going Down to the Farm
Since spring is a time that brings birth and renewal in the natural world, what better time to teach students about animals and outdoor life? In this lesson, you will craft a variety of farm and animal-themed lesson plans that include art projects, science and discovery time, and circle discussions.
May: Celebrating Mom
May is the perfect time to pay tribute to some of your students' favorite people: the moms who love them. In this lesson, you will develop a week's worth of lesson plans around Mother's Day crafts, activities, games, books, and art projects that help your students appreciate Mom.
Prerequisites:
There are no prerequisites to take this course.