September preschool curriculum
September in the free preschool curriculum: 4 theme weeks (letters and sounds, feelings, friends and kindness, apples), each on one sheet with its parts, the skills they work on, box-free materials and open-ended ways in.
← AugustOctober →The whole year
- Week 2: Letters and sounds, the full plan
- Week 3: Feelings, the full plan
- Week 4: Friends and kindness, the full plan
- Week 5: Apples, the full plan
A letter-sound week for twos to fours: the first sound of each name, a letter hunt, and silly sound games.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What sound does your name start with? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Pam Pins a Map; Man, Pan, Map; Sid Sat; Tim Taps | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Name letters: A grown-up writes your first name big. Put a sticker on each letter. Say the sound your name starts with. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Peter Piper | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Snail Roll-Ups | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | S is for sound | Early literacy |
| Outside | Letter hunt: Hide big paper letters around the yard. Find one, bring it back and say its sound. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: card, a grown-up writes the child's first name, stickers or dot markers, crayons.
Snack: flour tortillas, cream cheese, strawberry jam, green grapes, thin pretzel sticks, candy eyes.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
letter · sound · name · word
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out card, a grown-up writes the child's first name, stickers or dot markers and crayons with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own letters and sounds picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (letter, sound, name, word) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What sound does your name start with?” 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 the sound their name starts with. Ask about which letters they found.
A feelings week for twos to fours: happy, sad, mad and scared, naming them, and what helps.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What do you do when you feel sad? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Mop Is Sad; Did It; Jem Is Mad; A Boo for Bea | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Feelings faces: Draw a happy, a sad, a mad and a scared face. Tape one to a craft stick. Hold up the face that matches how you feel. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Little Miss Muffet | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Fruit Pizza | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | F is for feelings | Early literacy |
| Outside | Feelings walk: Walk like you are happy (bouncy), sad (slow), mad (stompy), then calm (slow breaths). | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: four paper plates or circles, crayons, a craft stick, tape.
Snack: large plain rice cakes, cream cheese, strawberries, blueberries, bananas.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
happy · sad · mad · scared
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out four paper plates or circles, crayons, a craft stick and tape with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own feelings picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (happy, sad, mad, scared) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What do you do when you feel sad?” 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 helps when they feel sad. Ask about which face they held up today.
A kindness week for twos to fours: sharing, taking turns, helping, and noticing when a friend needs us.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What is one kind thing you can do for a friend? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Fox and the Hen; A Bun for Fran; Stop, Bus!; Pat, Pat, Pat | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Kindness chain: Draw a kind thing on a strip (a grown-up writes the words). Loop it onto the class chain. Add a link every time someone is kind. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Pat-a-Cake | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Fruit Burritos | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | K is for kind | Early literacy |
| Outside | Partner jobs: Pairs carry a ball together on a blanket or a towel from one end of the yard to the other. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: paper strips, crayons, glue stick.
Snack: flour tortillas, peanut butter, bananas, blueberries, yogurt.
All week: paper, crayons, a ball or a scarf for the outside game.
Words for the wall
kind · share · friend · turn
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out paper strips, crayons and glue stick with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own friends and kindness picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (kind, share, friend, turn) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What is one kind thing you can do for a friend?” 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 a kind thing they did. Ask about how long the kindness chain got.
One week on apples for twos to fours: what grows on a tree, what is inside, and how many seeds we find.
| Part | This week | Works on |
|---|---|---|
| Circle time | What do you think is inside an apple? | Language, Social and emotional |
| Books | Meg and the Seed; Jen and the Jam; A Bun for Fran; Johnny Appleseed | Early literacy, Language |
| Craft | Paper-plate apple: Paint the plate red or green and let it dry. Glue on the brown stem and the green leaf. Draw three seeds in the middle and count them together. | Moving, Thinking and exploring |
| Song | Oranges and Lemons | Language, Moving |
| Snack | Rainbow Fruit Cup | Social and emotional, Early math |
| Letter pack | A is for apple | Early literacy |
| Outside | Apple roll relay: Roll a ball (the apple) along the grass to a partner and back. Count the rolls. | Moving, Social and emotional |
Box-free materials
Craft: paper plates, red or green paint, brown paper strip, green paper leaf, glue stick, a brown crayon.
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
apple · seed · tree · core
Open-ended ways in
- Process art: put out paper plates, red or green paint, brown paper strip and green paper leaf with no finished sample to copy, and let each child make their own apples picture.
- Invitation to play: the four words (apple, seed, tree, core) on cards in the reading corner with this week's books, paper and crayons.
- Wonder wall: ask “What do you think is inside an apple?” 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 seeds were in our apple. Ask about what color apples can be.