Teacher Planning for Preschool

Introduction

• Focus on preschool age children (2-5 years old)
• Emphasis on child development rather than academics
• Aimed to provide a simple template for lesson planning

Resources

• Superbook (Preschool Version)
  • Great resource for new and veteran teachers
  • Organized by category with various activities
  • Suggestion: Look for an updated version or similar resources online, e.g., Mailbox Magazine

Common Developmental Skills

• Categories include:
  • Social-Emotional
  • Gross Motor
  • Fine Motor
  • Visual Motor
  • Communication and Language
  • Cognitive Skills
• Developmental milestones can be found in child development books

Year at a Glance

• Monthly breakdown: theme, letter for the week, book of the week
• Available for purchase on TeacherPayTeacher store

Lesson Plan Structure

• Organized by sections (not in strict order):
  • Social Learning Centers
  • Fine Motor Skills
  • Language Expression and Comprehension
  • Gross Motor Skills
  • General Knowledge and Cognition
  • Circle Time
  • Theme Activity
  • Letter of the Week and Story of the Week

Example Lesson Planning (Monday)

• Social Learning Centers
  • Use materials available in the classroom
  • Activity: Miniature cars to help students follow environmental expectations
• Fine Motor Skills
  • Activity: Puzzles to encourage reaching for objects
• Language Skills
  • Use puppets for following two-part or three-part directives
• Gross Motor Skills
  • Activity: Sit unsupported and roll a ball with peers
• General Knowledge
  • Activity: Classify objects by one characteristic (e.g., shapes)

Circle Time Activities

• Conducted at the carpet (mostly students in chairs)
• Includes:
  • Daily schedule overview
  • Classroom rules
  • Pre-academic skills (e.g., greetings, recognition of names)
  • Sign language activities
  • Seasonal discussions

Theme Activity Example

• September Theme: Back to School and Animals
  • Activity: Create a family tree using pictures sent by parents
  • Pinterest for animal hand/footprint crafts

Letter of the Week

• Letter A
  • Use vocabulary picture cards with photographs for real-world connections
  • Example story: "Preschool Day" by Linda Leopold Strauss

Conclusion

• Encouragement to modify plans as needed
• Open invitation for questions and suggestions for future content on lesson planning
• Reminder to check out additional resources on the TeacherPayTeacher store and on Instagram.