There’s absolutely nothing wrong with doing a book-based unit or author study, it’s actually a great way to teach. Seuss theme in March to celebrate the birthday of this iconic and beloved children’s author. Is National Cookie Day relevant to your students? No, there are so many other more relevant and appropriate topics out there to choose from. Are there plenty of high-quality picture books to support a National Cookie Day theme? Probably not. Is National Cookie Day of high-interest for children? Not if they don’t know how to read a calendar. National Cookie Day is a made up day, it has absolutely no meaning to children. Do we really want to encourage our students to have more screen time? Just because a movie or show is popular does not make it a good theme. Books based on TV shows or movies and are not considered high-quality. The first reason being that there are no high-quality picture books to go along with these themes. How to Use Preschool Monthly Themesĭisney movies, TV shows, or characters from either are not appropriate themes for a number of reasons. Skills are embedded into our daily routines and learning activities in the classroom they can be taught within themes, but they aren’t themes themselves. Confused yet? In plain English- skills are things like letters, numbers, shapes, and colors. A theme is not a skill and a skill is not a theme. National Cookie Day, National Pancake Day or any other “National” dayīefore you start warming up your fingers to fire off a testy email, let me explain the thinking behind this a little more in depth.Let’s take a closer look at some topics to avoid when it comes to choosing preschool themes. You might be wondering about certain themes you’ve heard of or seen on Pinterest. include opportunities for learning in all domains.Here’s some more food for thought when it comes to choosing themes- I’m on a roll! Make sense so far?Ĭhoosing themes for each month can be challenging. Those fun and engaging learning activities are the delivery methods we use to teach the standards, and the themes are the glue that sticks everything together. The truth is that the standards, guidelines- or whatever you call them, are the actual framework for teaching. We’re constantly searching for new and creative ways to capture (and hold) our student’s attention and interest. You see, as teachers we’re tasked with teaching our little learners academic content that-let’s face it- isn’t very exciting. But that’s OK, because I’m here to help.Ī theme is just a way to deliver academic content to the young children in your classroom in a more fun and inviting way. If you’re spending hours and hours on Pinterest trying to find a way to incorporate the theme “dragons” into your sensory bin, you’re not on the right track my friend. Theme planning doesn’t mean that every single center in your classroom has to be completely transformed into a magical kingdom filled with unicorns and rainbows. Here’s the thing about themes that most preschool teachers get wrong, so don’t skip this part. If you’re ready to get started with teaching smarter instead of harder, keep reading. When you have a solid plan-a go-to resource for each month- you’ll feel much less stressed and overwhelmed. Feeling overwhelmed by the constant demands of lesson planning? You’re not alone! Planning your preschool monthly themes can be so time consuming, but there is a way to make planning your themes for the school year easier.
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