February preschool curriculum
February in the free preschool curriculum: 4 theme weeks (shapes, five senses, pets, dinosaurs), each on one sheet with its parts, the skills they work on, box-free materials and open-ended ways in.
← JanuaryMarch →The whole year
- Week 21: Shapes, the full plan
- Week 22: Five senses, the full plan
- Week 23: Pets, the full plan
- Week 24: Dinosaurs, the full plan
A shapes week for twos to fours: circles, squares, triangles and rectangles in blocks, food and the room.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What shape is our door? What shape is a plate? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Ben and the Blocks; Moss and the Box; Man, Pan, Map | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Shape picture: Pick a circle, a square and a triangle. Glue them down as a house, a face or a car. Name each shape you used. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Hot Cross Buns | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Kiwi Turtles | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | S is for square | Early literacy |
| Outside | Shape stops: Chalk a big circle, square and triangle on the ground. Call a shape; everyone runs to it. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: paper shapes cut by a grown-up, card, glue stick, crayons.
Snack: kiwi, green grapes.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
circle · square · triangle · rectangle
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out paper shapes cut by a grown-up, card, glue stick and crayons with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own shapes picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (circle, square, triangle, rectangle) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What shape is our door? What shape is a plate?” on Monday and again on Friday, and write both answers up.
- Twos: a grown-up pours the paint and holds the glue.
- Mixed ages: the twos do the craft with help; the fours help the twos.
Ask at pick-up
Ask about which shapes made their picture. Ask about a shape they saw at home.
A five senses week for twos to fours: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting and touching, one sense a day.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What can you hear right now if we are very quiet? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | I See a Boy; Tim Taps; Sip, Sip, Sip; Pat, Pat, Pat | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Touch board: Glue the four scraps onto the card. Touch each one with eyes closed. Say a word for each: soft, rough, smooth, bumpy. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Peter Piper | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Trail Mix Your Way | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | E is for ear | Early literacy |
| Outside | Listening walk: Walk quietly and stop three times. What can everyone hear? A bird, a car, the wind? | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: card, glue stick, cotton ball, sandpaper scrap, foil scrap, fabric scrap.
Snack: o-shaped cereal, peanuts, little pretzels, raisins, dried cranberries, chocolate chips.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
see · hear · touch · taste
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out card, glue stick, cotton ball and sandpaper scrap with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own five senses picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (see, hear, touch, taste) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What can you hear right now if we are very quiet?” on Monday and again on Friday, and write both answers up.
- Twos: a grown-up pours the paint and holds the glue.
- Mixed ages: the twos do the craft with help; the fours help the twos.
Ask at pick-up
Ask about what they heard on the listening walk. Ask about which scrap felt the roughest.
A pets week for twos to fours: what a pet needs (food, water, a bed, kindness), gentle hands, and a pretend vet corner.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What does a pet need every day? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Bev Has a Pet; Pup in the Tub; A Cat and a Dog; Jem and Pug Sit | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Paper-plate puppy: Draw the eyes and the nose. Glue the floppy ears on the sides. Glue the tongue under the nose and name your puppy. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Three Little Kittens | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Turtle Sandwich | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | P is for pet | Early literacy |
| Outside | Walk the dog: Pairs take turns: one is the dog on all fours, one is the walker. Sit, stay, and walk slowly. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: paper plate, brown paper ears (grown-up cuts), crayons, glue stick, a paper tongue.
Snack: bread, cream cheese, cucumber, green grapes, raisins.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
pet · dog · cat · gentle
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out paper plate, brown paper ears (grown-up cuts), crayons and glue stick with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own pets picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (pet, dog, cat, gentle) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What does a pet need every day?” on Monday and again on Friday, and write both answers up.
- Twos: a grown-up pours the paint and holds the glue.
- Mixed ages: the twos do the craft with help; the fours help the twos.
Ask at pick-up
Ask about what a pet needs every day. Ask about the name of their puppy.
A dinosaur week for twos to fours: big and small, stomping and hatching, and what bones tell us.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | Were dinosaurs bigger or smaller than our room? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Big Egg; Mop Can Hop; Jump, Jump, Jump!; Look at the Big Pig | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Dinosaur footprints: Dip the sponge in paint. Stomp the footprints across the paper. Count how many steps your dinosaur took. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Hickory Dickory Dock | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Ants on a Log | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | D is for dinosaur | Early literacy |
| Outside | Dinosaur dig: Bury big blocks or toy bones in the sandbox; dig them up with spoons like scientists. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: large paper, a sponge cut in a three-toe shape (grown-up), washable paint, wipes.
Snack: celery, peanut butter, raisins.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
dinosaur · egg · bone · stomp
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out large paper, a sponge cut in a three-toe shape (grown-up), washable paint and wipes with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own dinosaurs picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (dinosaur, egg, bone, stomp) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “Were dinosaurs bigger or smaller than our room?” on Monday and again on Friday, and write both answers up.
- Twos: a grown-up pours the paint and holds the glue.
- Mixed ages: the twos do the craft with help; the fours help the twos.
Ask at pick-up
Ask about how many footprints their dinosaur made. Ask about what they dug up.