How to Write a Lesson Plan for Preschoolers

Talking to your colleagues about your plans is often beneficial.

States have developed preschool standards or objectives to tell teachers what students should know in order to be ready for kindergarten at age five. For example, the state of Virginia has said that children should be able to "follow simple, one-step, oral directions." The various objectives chosen by the state are then categorized. The following eight categories are typical: language, literacy, mathematics, science, history and geography, social development, art and music, and physical development. Teachers need to consider these objectives and the variety of categories when writing their lesson plans.

Things You'll Need

• Computer and spreadsheet software
• or
• Large sheet of paper
• Ruler
• Pencil

Instructions

1. Consider specific themes for each category of objectives. Typical themes for mathematics include numbers, shapes and money; science themes include the planets, animals and plants; art and music themes include colors and musical instruments.

2. If you spend a week on each theme, you will need one page for each theme. At the top of your page, record the week number and the theme. Use the top half of your page for teacher-directed activities, and the bottom half for child-directed or free-play activities. If you have one teacher-directed activity in the morning and one in the afternoon, and if students attend preschool five days a week -- divide the top half of your page into 10 columns. Use two columns for each day, and alternate AM and PM activities. If you have eight categories, assign each category to an AM or PM slot on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday. For example, you might assign language to the AM slot on Mondays and literacy to the PM slot on Mondays. Reserve the last two columns for field trips and other special activities. List your child-directed activity centers down the left side of the page, beginning midway down the page.

3. Create activities pertaining to the week's theme for each of the eight teacher-directed periods. For example, during the week reserved for the theme of money, children might label pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters during the language period; identify the initial letters in the words penny, nickel, dime and quarter during the literacy period; learn that a penny is worth one cent, a nickel is worth five cents, and so on during math; use a microscope to examine the print and picture on each of the coins during science; study coins from other countries during geography; talk about sharing and charities during social development, draw money during art, go on a treasure hunt for coins during physical development, and listen to a banker talk about checking and savings accounts on Friday.

4. List theme-related materials for the child-directed centers at the bottom of the page. Teachers might, for example, add a cash register, check book and banker's clothing to the dramatic play center, and add books pertaining to money to the reading center.

Tips & Warnings

• Evaluate students' performance after each activity and record any changes necessary.

• Prior to the event, check that required materials and staff are available.

References

• Virginia Department of Education: Virginia's Foundation Blocks for Early Learning
• "Standards for Preschool Children's Learning and Development..."; Catherine Scott-LIttle, et al.; 2003
• Pennsylvania Department of Education: Pre-Kindergarten: Pennysylvania Learning Standards for Early Childhood

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• California Department of Education: California Preschool Learning Foundations: Volume 1
• University of the State of New York: Preschool Planning Guide