Free Preschool Lesson Plans

Pick up some free preschool lesson plans online to help supplement schooling outside the home, to use as part of a home schooling curriculum, or to get fun educational activity ideas for getting through the winter months with a bored 4-year old.

The best kind of lesson plan for a preschool is one that incorporates a number of different learning ideas into one activity. In the world of education, this is considered “cross-curriculum” teaching. When students are asked to work on identifying leaves, but then create a collage of the dried leaves in the shape of a tree, they are working on both science and art skills across the preschool curriculum.

Good lesson plans for preschoolers will incorporate an activity along with an educational standpoint. Known for having short attention spans, preschoolers respond well to lessons that involve participation on their part. Lesson plans may include any of the following skills, alone or in combination with each other:

• Math skills (counting, number identification, simple addition/subtraction)
• Language skills (simple grammar, alphabet recognition, phonetics)
• Art skills (sculpting, drawing, painting)
• Science skills (nature, seasons, weather, animals, biology)
• Social studies skills (current events, holiday recognition, history)
• Music skills (singing songs, dancing, hand games)
• Social skills (teamwork, group brainstorming, projects)

The type of lesson plan chosen for preschoolers depends on the amount of children, their emotional and academic levels, and often, the season. Parents may find that their kid, who may be lacking in one skill area or another, may benefit from some extra lessons at home. Preschoolers who enjoy school might find it fun to have their mom or dad as “teacher” for the day to help beat the winter or rainy day blues. Teachers and tutors also might use lesson plans to outline their day’s teaching strategies.

With the high cost of teaching and supplementary materials, finding useful lesson plans for free can be a boon for strapped schools and parents. The following websites offer free preschool lesson plans online. Before using any plans, be sure to check the terms of use from the website, in case worksheets and materials need to be credited to the source.

A large number of preschool lesson plans grouped by theme are available from First-School. Fully developed activities and ideas are within each category and may utilize crafts, arts, safety, science, language, and math skills. For example, the Beach and Seashore theme includes lessons that integrate the alphabet, animals, holidays, shapes, safety, and more.

Although payment is required for the majority of plans, a section of free preschool lesson plans is available at FunLessonPlans.com. From reading to science, files are available for free from this early childhood education website. Adobe Acrobat Reader is necessary to view the PDF files. The free plans often are part of a larger package, which must be purchased.

Seven different categories of preschool plans are available from Core Knowledge. Each plan has the date it was developed in parenthesis, along with a gold star if the plans were rated highly by a committee of three teachers. Presented in outline format, the PDF files are several page outlines, detailing lesson plans. Appendixes may include worksheets, activities, handouts, and graphics for students. Some information may not be included due to copyright issues, but most plans are extremely well done, making them useable without all of the extras.

Over 250 lesson plans aimed at preschool and pre-kindergartners are available for free through Teachers.Net. From lessons based on classic children’s books to math and music, topics can fit a wide range of curriculum themes. Most lesson plans are short and to the point, leaving room for teachers and parents to expand or collapse plans as needed.

Grouped by categories like thematic units, health, math, and more, the A to Z Teacher Stuff lesson plans for preschool are organized for quick access. A short summary, materials, and plan are included for most lessons, along with any comments from the author. Some plans have ratings from other teachers that have reviewed the plans.

As with any lesson plan, teachers and parents can and should modify it for their particular students and teaching style. Using fun and educational preschool teaching ideas found in free lesson plans is a great way to make a young child excited about learning.

Supplemental materials that may aide in making lesson plans can be found at these sources:

• Preschool Education Theme Topics—Activities grouped by theme
• PreschoolRock.com’s Creating Preschool Lesson Plans: Information on how to write appropriate plans
• tslbooks.com Free Worksheets—Pick up worksheets in a number of categories for free

Writing lesson plans for preschoolers is just as important as writing plans for older kids and students. Not only does it give the teacher/parent a clear goal to meet during the day, but keeps kids interested and involved in learning..

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