January preschool curriculum
January in the free preschool curriculum: 4 theme weeks (bears and hibernation, colors, counting, nursery rhymes), each on one sheet with its parts, the skills they work on, box-free materials and open-ended ways in.
← DecemberFebruary →The whole year
- Week 17: Bears and hibernation, the full plan
- Week 18: Colors, the full plan
- Week 19: Counting, the full plan
- Week 20: Nursery rhymes, the full plan
A winter week on bears for twos to fours: where bears sleep, why they sleep all winter, and a cozy cave day.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | Where does a bear sleep in the winter? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Not Yet, Ted; Dad Naps; The Black Cat; The Bear Who Could Not Sleep | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Paper-bag cave: Open the bag on its side as a cave. Glue snow on the top of the cave. Put the bear inside to sleep. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Wee Willie Winkie | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Teddy Bear Toast | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | B is for bear | Early literacy |
| Outside | Bear hunt walk: Walk around the yard on a bear hunt: over the log, through the grass, into the cave (under the slide). | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: brown paper bag, a bear drawn or printed on card, cotton balls (snow), glue stick.
Snack: bread, peanut butter, bananas, blueberries.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
bear · cave · sleep · winter
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out brown paper bag, a bear drawn or printed on card, cotton balls (snow) and glue stick with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own bears and hibernation picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (bear, cave, sleep, winter) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “Where does a bear sleep in the winter?” 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 why bears sleep all winter. Ask about what they took into their cave.
A color week for twos to fours: naming colors, sorting by color and a color hunt around the room.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What is your favorite color, and where do you see it? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | The Red Hat; The Red Bus; Six Cats, Six Hats; Red, Red, Red | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Color sorting mat: Draw four circles: red, blue, yellow, green. Sort the paper scraps into the right circle. Glue them down and name each color. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Lavender's Blue | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Rainbow Fruit Cup | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | C is for color | Early literacy |
| Outside | Color hunt: Call a color; children run and touch something that color. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: white card, crayons, colored paper scraps, glue stick.
Snack: strawberries, clementines, bananas, green grapes, kiwi, blueberries.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
red · blue · yellow · green
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out white card, crayons, colored paper scraps and glue stick with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own colors picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (red, blue, yellow, green) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What is your favorite color, and where do you see it?” 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 their favorite color. Ask about what they found on the color hunt.
A counting week for twos to fours: counting to five and ten, one-to-one with real things, and counting songs.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | How many children are here today? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Ten Pigs; Six Cats, Six Hats; The Red Bus; Look at the Big Pig | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Counting caterpillar: Glue circles in a line behind the head. Write or say a number on each. Count to the end of your caterpillar. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | One, Two, Buckle My Shoe | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Trail Mix Your Way | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | N is for number | Early literacy |
| Outside | Count and jump: Roll a big die or hold up fingers; everyone jumps that many times. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: paper circles, a paper head, crayons, glue stick.
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
one · five · ten · more
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out paper circles, a paper head, crayons and glue stick with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own counting picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (one, five, ten, more) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “How many children are here today?” 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 high they can count. Ask about how long their caterpillar is.
A nursery rhyme week for twos to fours: a rhyme a day, words that sound the same, and acting the rhymes out.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What word rhymes with cat? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Man, Pan, Map; Six Cats, Six Hats; The Hat Cat; Fish in a Dish | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Humpty Dumpty puzzle: Draw Humpty's face on the egg. A grown-up cuts it into three pieces. Put Humpty together again on his wall. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Humpty Dumpty | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Mini Cracker Pizzas | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | R is for rhyme | Early literacy |
| Outside | Rhyme and move: Jack be nimble: jump over a block. Little Bo Peep: find the hidden sheep. Act out a rhyme each day. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: an egg shape on card, crayons, a grown-up's scissors, a paper wall.
Snack: round crackers, pizza sauce, grated mozzarella, sliced black olives.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
rhyme · sing · clap · wall
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out an egg shape on card, crayons, a grown-up's scissors and a paper wall with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own nursery rhymes picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (rhyme, sing, clap, wall) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What word rhymes with cat?” on Monday and again on Friday, and write both answers up.
- Twos: a grown-up does the cutting.
- Mixed ages: the twos do the craft with help; the fours help the twos.
Ask at pick-up
Ask about a word that rhymes with cat. Ask about which rhyme they acted out.