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During this time of year the anxiety kicks up several levels. The pressure and expectations that we all feel cause panic to run in. And almost every time, a slew of questions pertaining to one particular subject hit the ABCJesusLovesMe Facebook Group.
How Do I Break the Weekly Lesson Plans into Daily Activities?
If you have hung around very long you know that I emphasize using teachable moments, being intentional, and making learning part of your day. {Read our “Preparing to Impress” series.}
Time for specifics. To get started, gather the following items.
- A Weekly Lesson Plan – If you don’t know where to find the lesson plans, turn in the Curriculum Book to the week in which you are desiring to cover.
- The “I am Learning” Objective Poster found in the Curriculum Workbooks.
- Grab a copy of your Weekly Schedule – If you haven’t created one, be sure to read the “Scheduling Success” series or review last weeks posts.
The great thing about ABCJLM is that I have already created the lesson plans for you! Let’s start by dissecting one.
Objectives
Each lesson plan includes a list of suggested supplies (Items Needed), objectives to cover during the week, and then suggested activities to introduce the child to the objectives.
Let’s start with the objectives. The objectives – or goals – have been divided and organized throughout the 36 weekly lesson plans in a building-block way. Each week you will have a specific number of objectives to cover to help your child meet the overall curriculum objectives.
Using the objectives in the lesson plan, fill in the “I am Learning” Objective poster. If you don’t want to reprint the poster each week, place the page in a reusable dry erase pocket and write with an erasable marker. By placing this poster in a prominent place, we can quickly scan what is important for the week. And again, it helps us be intentional to place these objectives into daily activities.
Here is my example of the 2 Year Curriculum, Week 1 which I will be using with Peanut (age 2 1/2) beginning Monday.
Activities
Next in the Weekly Lesson Plans are the suggested activities. These activities are merely suggestions to help teach the objectives for the week. Now it’s time pick objectives and activities that are appropriate for your child and situation, and then incorporate them into the normal activities of your week.
Below I have printed the suggested activities from the 2 Year Curriculum, Week 1. You will notice that I have highlighted the activities that I desire for us to do.
Book of the Week Ideas:
– Color the Red Shirt coloring sheet. (This will be done as the fine motor activity.)
– Have a Pajama Day: Wear your pajamas all day.
• God Made the World Around Me Preschool Bible Story Activities & Color Sheets:
– ABCJLM Bible Coloring Sheets: Day 1, Day 2
– Crafts:
During the next few weeks, we will be looking at Creation. Each week’s craft will include a page for “My Creation Book.” At the end of the Creation study on Week 9 a cover will be given to combine the pages together to create a book. Add other crafts if desired.
My Creation Book – Use a piece of black construction paper as the background. Cut a piece of white construction paper in half. Glue the half white sheet vertically on the black sheet. Write “Day” on the white piece and “Night” on the black. Add the number “1” to the page.
My Creation Book – Use a piece of blue construction paper. Add cotton balls in the sky for clouds. Make waves with shaving cream and blue paint at the bottom. Add the number “2” to the page.
Coffee Filter Earth
– Using washable markers, color on a coffee filter with green and
blue. Spray water on the coffee filter to watch the colors run
together.
– Ideas:
As you read the story, have the child give a thumbs up every time God says, “It is good!”
– Creation Fingerplay
On Day 1 (On numbers – put corresponding fingers in the air)
God created light (close fists and then quickly open in the air and bring down to side creating arches)
On Day 2
God created the sky (wave arms in the air) and water (make waves with hands)
– Do you Know Who Made the World?(Thank you, Connie, for this idea.)
Tune: “Mary Had a Little Lamb” or “Do You Know the Muffin Man”Do you know who made the day (night, sky, water),
made the day (night, sky, water), made the day (night, sky, water)?
Do you know who made the day (night, sky, water)?
It was God who made the day (night, sky, water).
– Verses: To help learn the memory verses, Memory Verse Cards are available to print. Each card contains the memory verse, reference, and a corresponding picture.
– Click to view additional Creation craft and activity ideas.
• Circle Activities:
– Circle Poster – Color, paint, or draw on the circle poster. Use the color red.
– Circle Song – (make big circles in the air as you walk and sing)
Tune: Up on the Housetop
Circle, circle big and round
Where it ends can not be found
Tires, balls, the earth, and sun
Making circles is so much fun.
– Do a Shape Walk: Walk around the house or neighborhood looking for circles.
• Red Activities:
– Color one of the ABCJLM Red Coloring Sheets: Red Balloon, Red Heart, Red Leaf, Red Stop Sign, Red Truck, Red Wagon
– Eat red food – apple, strawberry, raspberry, red licorice, lollipop, cranberry juice, watermelon, radish, beets, red popsicle, strawberry or raspberry jello
– Do a Color Walk: Walk around the house or neighborhood looking for the color red.
• Toddler Letter Activities:
The 2 Year Curriculum does not focus heavily on letters. The objective is for the child to learn to say the letters of the alphabet
correctly. The letters are divided into seven groups – divided into sections according to the “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” alphabet song. Point out letters throughout the day and help the child say each letter (especially in the tough L-M-N-O-P section of the song). (Even in this learning, understand that the letters probably have no meaning yet.) This week, begin with letters A-G.
• Toddler Number Activities:
Create an Apple Tree Number Book to introduce the child to several art media and counting. After decorating using the suggested medium, add the appropriate number of apple stickers. For this week, use crayons to color the tree and basket and then add one apple to the tree. Thank you, Teresa, for sharing this idea with us.
• Information Activities:
Throughout the curriculum different “Information” ideas will be focused on. For the first four weeks, the focus is on the child’s first name. Work on the child clearly pronouncing his/her first name. Teach the child to look the person in the eyes when he/she is asked his/her name.
• Self-Care and Manners:
While the attention span is very short for a toddler, the child needs to learn self-control and how to sit quietly for short moments at a time. Teach the child to sit with “criss-cross” legs and hands in his/her lap. Discuss how there are times when a child listens while the adult talks. Start with very short time intervals and increase until the child is able to sit through the entire Bible lesson. Begin each listening time with a saying such as:
My legs are crossed,
Together my hands go,
My mouth is quiet,
I’m ready to learn and grow!
• One Color at a Time:
In this curriculum, the child is introduced to nine colors. Each color is introduced individually and then slowly combined with other colors. Since the goal is to provide the child with time to work with the specific color(s) and improve fine motor skills, keep the objective simple and use only the color(s) of the week during craft and drawing time.
• Vertical Surface:
Children develop fine motor skills best when they work on a vertical surface. When holding a writing utensil or brush against a vertical surface, extra muscles in the wrist and hand are strengthened. These muscles are not used when writing on a horizontal surface. For this reason, place craft, writing, and drawing projects on a vertical surface as much as is
feasible.
Items Needed:
Once again I have added the suggested activities from the 2 Year Curriculum, Week 1. You will noticed that I have highlighted the supplies that I will need.
Color: Red
Worksheets: Apple Tree Number Poster, Circle Poster, ABCJLM Red Coloring Sheets (Red shirt), Day 1, Day 2
Books: Bible, Llama Llama Red Pajama
CD: The Ultimate Bible Song Collection for Kids
Activities: Sidewalk chalk, water in a bucket, sponge, apple stickers, red colored foods, coffee filter, washable markers, shaving cream, paint, cotton balls, squirt bottle
Calendar:
You will notice that I didn’t choose every activity. I chose what I feel will be best for Peanut and our calendar. Now lets place this into the schedule that I created.
Sit-down school time is from 9:00 – 10:00, four times a week. (We will spread the learning out over four days since Little Man will be using the 5 Year Curriculum for four days a week. More about combining the two tomorrow.) Using the activities that I highlighted, let’s place these into a daily schedule.
Everyday:
In the car – Song, Memory Verse, Pat-a Cake, Alphabet, Name
Before Quiet Time – Read: Llama Llama Red Pajama
Before Bed – Read the Bible Story from Children’s Bible
Monday: Bible Story with flannelgraph (Sitting Quietly)
Creation Fingerplay
Apple Tree
Shape Walk (Sing Circle Song)
Tuesday: Day 1 Craft
Creation Fingerplay
Color Walk
Red Shirt Color
Wednesday: Day 2 Craft
Creation Fingerplay
Shape Walk (Sing Circle Song)
Friday: Bible Story with flannelgraph (Sitting Quietly)
Creation Fingerplay
Circle Poster (paint red)
Color Walk (Sing Red Song)
Put the Fire Out – afternoon activity with big kids
The rest of the items, I will do as I think of them (as the Holy Spirit points out teachable moments). We will talk about red when we see a red sign or house. We will count “one” as we read. We will trace circles in our arm as we find them around among our toys. Always looking for times that we can pull out the learning objectives.
One weeks Lesson Plan broken into activities. Tomorrow, I will explain how to use more than one curriculum at once.
What questions do you have?
