What To Look For In Preschool Curriculum Resources

What To Look For In Preschool Curriculum Resources

Imagine a four year old running through the house, jumping on the bed, and getting into stuff. Meanwhile, a three year old adds to the chaos with his relentless pestering. With a tried patience and seeming like nothing has been accomplished, parents can easily throw up their hands in frustration and begin to raise their voices. Parents of young children can easily imagine this scene, and they would hope to stay calm and collected in this situation. On days like this, parents begin to realize the need for creative ways to channel their child’s limitless energy and curiosity. One creative way parents can turn chaos into constructive learning is through preschool curriculum resources. Preschool is an effective tool to teach children life skills, while keeping them entertained. However, the success of teaching and entertaining preschool children depends upon the instruction and curriculum. So, what should parents and teachers look for in preschool curriculum resources to ensure success and fun? Consider these important questions:

Does the curriculum promote Christian values?
Curriculum resources should reflect the values desired to be instilled within the child. If the values deviate from those standards, the material should not be taught. Parents know that instilling Christian values at an early age is crucial because they teach children acceptable behavior expected of them. Proverbs 22:6 says, “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” However, it is important to note that this proverb is not an invariable rule or binding promise from God. Proverbs merely explains how life generally works. Ideally, good parents will raise godly children, and good teachers will produce successful students.

Is the curriculum engaging and instructive?
In searching for preschool curriculum resources, parents should pay special attention to the “engaging and instructive” aspects of the material. Is the material bright, inviting, imaginative, and fun? Does the material use engaging images to teach children lessons in basic skills? Young children thrive on bright colors, hands-on activities, and do-it-themselves tasks. If a curriculum does not provide these aspects, children will quickly lose interest and not benefit from the lessons being taught. Most curriculum materials highlight goals for cognitive, emotional, social, and physical development, but it is important to make sure the curriculum resources are child-friendly and helpful to parents as well.

Is the curriculum child-directed?
Some parents prefer child-directed curriculum for preschool. Child-directed curriculum uses toys or objects a child is playing with to teach a life lesson. For instance, if a child is playing with a fire truck, parents can utilize that time to teach the child about fire safety. If a child is playing with a teddy bear, parents can talk about bears and animals. Even though a child is playing, he is learning without having his playtime interrupted. In this teaching technique, parents should look for curriculum resources that condense important facts about a certain subject into a short lesson. A child’s attention span is very limited, so key facts should be taught within a short time. If parents use this curriculum, they’ll learn that just looking at their child’s toys will create limitless ideas for lesson plans.

What support services does the curriculum offer?
When beginning a preschool curriculum, parents should take special note of what support services the curriculum has available. For example, most curriculum materials provide web pages where additional ideas and techniques are outlined. Some curriculum even offers on-call support to assist parents with the material. Parents should also try to attend preschool seminars and workshops to gain information. Preschool magazines are always helpful, too. The more curriculum resources that are available often means more support is available and more success will be experienced.

By asking these noteworthy questions, parents can make the days of chaos in their homes disappear, and employ well-chosen preschool lesson plans with projects, crafts, games, and songs to transform craziness into creativity!

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