God has given me two avenues to minister to families. One way is through this blog. The other is through the free Preschool Curriculum website called ABC Jesus Loves Me. I want to take a moment to share with you how this website came about and what is available.
As an educator, I know the “requirements” for Kindergarten. These are the items that the school districts want all 5-year-old students to know by Kindergarten screening time. Because we chose not to send our children to a formal preschool, I knew that the responsibility for readiness would fall into my hands.
When I began looking into a preschool curriculum for our oldest child, I became very discouraged and overwhelmed. What I was looking for was a simple Bible curriculum that incorporated phonics, math, writing, and music. Because of our son’s disabilities, I also needed ideas for fine and gross motor and social development skills. Many of the sites that I found cost money. And lots of it. Other sites were so involved that there was no way I incorporate them and stay sane, let alone give my child play time!
I knew that I wasn’t the only mom looking for a simple curriculum which would allow a child to still be a child. With my husband’s support, I felt led to create a curriculum that would give our child a solid foundation without taking away his childhood.
So, I began developing my own lesson plans using my education background, classroom experience, and life with our children. I thought about the requirements for Kindergarten and activities my children enjoyed doing. I took into consideration time available for preparation and the length of time my child could focus. I recognized that the key was to make the learning applicable, incorporate it into the day, and include time to review objectives. Thus began the creation of the ABC Jesus Loves Me Preschool Curriculum.
Four curricula – 2 Year Curriculum, 3 Year Curriculum, 4 Year Curriculum, and 5 Year Curriculum – are at the base of the ABCJLM preschool curriculum site. Each curriculum builds upon the other with a foundation of the Bible and preparation for Kindergarten being the goal. All other pages and links on the site support the curricula as well as provide the parent or teacher with ample ideas from which to choose. Ideas to help with teaching, academics and Bible time, craft ideas, holidays, academic concepts, character education, working on motor skill development, visual perception, training, and so much more can be found on the website.
Each curriculum contains a list of suggested items needed, objectives, and supplemental ideas. The setup allows the adult to choose specific topics and activities he or she wants to cover that week.
From the birth of this website, we have felt led to provide all of the ABCJLM resources to families for free. Yes, the curriculum, the printables, and all of the ideas on this website are ~~free~~ for the teaching of children in an immediate family/home setting under the Terms of Use. As the ABCJLM website has grown, businesses, preschools, and churches have asked to use the curriculum. Licenses are now available to purchase.
Beyond the resources available on the ABCJLM website, we have a wonderful collaboration of moms and teachers who share ideas and ask questions on our ABC Jesus Loves Me Facebook Group.
Thousands of families, churches, and preschools around the world are using the ABCJLM preschool curriculum as a guide to help them be intentional with the children in their lives. I hope that you will take a moment to join the ABCJLM family too!
And if you are already part of our family, please be sure to share us with your friends and family.
