Looking for some curriculum theme ideas for your classroom or home school setting?

 

These 30+ curriculum themes are great for preschool and Kindergarten children!

 

 

 

If you are looking for some new, fun and exciting curriculum theme ideas to use throughout the year, I’ve definitely got you covered! This is a list of curriculum themes that I have compiled from many years teaching. Many of these themes are Montessori based, but can be used in any type of learning environment for young children. These themes are interesting, fun and provide a great educational basis for kids three to six years old. Having a variety of learning subjects keeps children interested and engaged.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Monthly Curriculum Theme Ideas

This is just a sample of some of the curriculum ideas that can be used in your classroom or home school. This list can easily be adapted to fit your individual child’s or children’s needs, whether it be in a full classroom of children or in your home school environment with one to two children. That’s the great thing about curriculum themes, they can be adjusted to fit a variety of educational needs and children of varying ages!

 

September

• Fall

Discuss the weather, Fall clothing and activities you can do in the Fall.

• Apples

You can discuss parts of an apple, life cycle of an apple and what types of food can be made with apples. Apple tasting is great too!  This free life cycle of an apple from Montessori for Everyone is great!

• Parts of the body

You can talk about the outer and inner parts of the body, the functions of the body and bones

 

October

• Pumpkins

You can discuss the parts of a pumpkin, life cycle of a pumpkin, carve a pumpkin and let children touch & feel the various parts. Check out this free life cycle of a pumpkin from Montessori for Everyone!

 

 

• Halloween

Talk about safety with Trick or Treating, costumes and Jack-o-lanterns. Keep it fun!

• Rocks & Minerals

You can discuss the difference of rocks & minerals, as well as have samples of different rocks & minerals for children to explore

 

November

• Reptiles & Amphibians

Compare the differences of reptiles & amphibians, as well as the parts of and life cycle of different reptiles & amphibians

• Thanksgiving

The story of the first Thanksgiving, giving thanks, and being thankful. Check out this food sorting activity from Montessori for Everyone!

• Nutrition

Talk about the different food groups, foods and healthy eating 

 

December

• Winter Holidays

You can discuss Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and New Year’s

• Winter

Discuss the weather, Winter clothing and activities you can do in the Winter

• Antarctica

Discuss the continent in detail; animals climate, map placement and living conditions

 

January

• South America

Discuss the continent in detail; animals, people, food, culture, famous landmarks/places and map placement

• Science

Colors & color mixing, sink or float, measuring, weight, solids, simple machines are all good fun science activities. 

• Fruits & Vegetables

Discuss the difference of a fruit & vegetable, names of and classification of fruits & vegetables. This is a great fruit activity I’ve used in my classroom, courtesy of Montessori for Everyone.

 

February

• Valentine’s Day

Keep it fun, talk about caring & love for others.

• Dental Awareness

Parts of a tooth, teeth names/numbers, healthy eating habits, discuss good dental hygiene practices. Have a Dentist visit!

• Asia

Discuss the continent in detail; animals, people, food, culture, famous landmarks/places and map placement

 

March

• Europe

Discuss the continent in detail; animals, people, food, culture, famous landmarks/places and map placement

• St. Patrick’s Day

Discuss the country of Ireland, the culture, St. Patrick, luck, Irish and traditions.

• Insects

Talk about different insects, life cycles & parts of commonly known insects. Butterfly, ladybug, dragonfly, bumblebee, and more!

 

April

• Spring

Discuss the Spring weather, Spring clothing and activities to do in the Spring.

• Recycling

Discuss the different ways in which to recycle, reduce, reuse, and repurpose to care for the Earth

• Africa

Discuss the continent in detail; animals, people, food, culture, famous landmarks/places and map placement.

 

May

• Australia

Discuss the continent in detail; animals, people, food, culture, famous landmarks/places and map placement.

• Flowers & Plants

Discuss parts of flowers & plants, life cycle of flowers & plants, how to grow plants, what plants need to grow and care of plants. This Montessori for Everyone plants booklet make learning about plants fun!

• Farm animals

Talk about life on the farm, farm animals, chicken life cycle, mother & baby names, and male & female names.

 

June

• North America

Discuss the continent in detail; animals, people, food, culture, famous landmarks/places and map placement.

• Ocean animals

Talk about the different creatures in the ocean and the different ocean environments

• Summer

Discuss the Summer weather, Summer clothing and activities to do in the Summer.

 

July

• Mammals

Talk about what a mammal is, discuss the different types of mammals

• Community Helpers

Talk about the various common and uncommon Community Helpers that are important in our everyday lives

• Space

Talk about planets, stars, the sun and Earth. Can also discuss the parts of the Earth and what Earth is made up of. You can introduce the different constellations with this awesome work from Montessori for Everyone!

 

 

August

• Rainforest animals

Talk about the different animals that live in the rainforest 

• Birds

Talk about the various birds, as well as the life cycle of and parts of a bird. Talk about birds that fly and those that don’t

• Zoo animals

Discuss the different animals that live at the zoo

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just a start

These are just a few of the theme topics that you could start off adding to your curriculum. When I was a classroom teacher, I would sometimes switch some of the themes to different months, or skip some of the themes one year and go back to them the following year. There are many themes on the list that I ALWAYS used, since they were so fun and the kids always seemed to really enjoy them. I definitely have my favorites, and would try to add something different to the theme to liven it up each year, so that the children would not get bored. Just something to keep in mind if you will be using the same themes over and over each year.

 

 

Holiday Themes

Additionally, these are holiday’s that can be incorporated into the above listed months as well.

Labor Day

Columbus Day

Veteran’s Day

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Chinese New Year

Dr.Seuss’s Birthday

Easter

President’s Day

Groundhog Day

Cinco de Mayo

Memorial Day

Independence Day

 

 

Resources for activities to download and print

These resources are great for looking for free and paid activities to use with curriculum themes. These were my go to sites when I was looking for work to add to my classroom environment.

 

Montessori Print Shop

 

Montessori for Everyone

 

 

In conclusion

It is important to consider the interests and individual learning levels of children before determining which themes to add to your curriculum for the year. I would also recommend planning ahead. I found it very helpful to check the upcoming month for holidays or special days, and plan each curriculum theme accordingly. That gave me ample time to gather all of the necessary materials, activities, and art supplies that I would need for each theme. Some themes were taught for a week, while other extensive themes were taught for two weeks. If the children were enjoying a theme, we continued on with it! Follow the lead of the child/children!

 

I would love to hear about other themes that you enjoy using that I did not add to the list! Please share them in the comments below!

 

Anitra J.