How Do I Provide A High Quality Toddler Curriculum For My Preschool or Homeschool?
Updated: Aug 7
So, you've decided to find or create a high-quality toddler curriculum for your early learners at home or in a preschool setting. The kids in your care are lucky to have you thinking so carefully about their growth and development! But now that you've begun your search, you're unsure exactly what that learning plan looks like. Do you go with the "traditional" themes found in most box curriculums? Do you follow your child's interests and let them lead the way? Do they even need to learn academic skills this early in life?!
It can definitely be overwhelming to think about all the possibilities and options. Let's take a step back and look at the essentials found in a high quality toddler curriculum, and then parcel out what can easily be personalized based on your own strengths as a teacher or parent, as well as the unique needs of your child(ren).
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Non-Negotiables For A High Quality Toddler Curriculum
I have four non-negotiables when it comes to identifying a high-quality toddler curriculum.
Toddler Curriculum Requirement #1: Inclusive and Accessible
When I am designing or examining a potential curriculum, if it does not include, represent, and uplift all children, families, abilities, faiths, and cultures, it's a no-go for me. Check out the recommended reading lists, the activities, and the pedagogy behind the curriculum design. If the included read-aloud titles only focus on animals and white kids, ditch it (and/or write to the curriculum designer and ask them to make some major improvements).
If a curriculum only follows commonly seen seasonal themes but never branches out into deeper ideas within or outside of those themes, even for our youngest learners, that usually tells me that this learning plan probably isn't culturally relevant or easily accessible to all my learners.
When a toddler curriculum is inclusive, the activities and lessons will be explicit in their aim toward cultural pluralism. The suggested read-alouds will be written by authors of all racial backgrounds and genders, and center characters who are equally diverse in appearance, ability, language, and culture. Lessons will be easy to modify, or will be created using a universal design that considers a range of student needs and interests. Every child under your care will be able to access and see themselves within a high quality toddler curriculum.
Toddler Curriculum Requirement #2: Play-Based & Developmentally Appropriate
Jean Piaget told us that play is the work of childhood. If a curriculum isn't rooted in research-based pedagogy that supports developmentally appropriate learning, don't use it! If you spend time observing young children at play, you know that they learn more than we could ever directly teach them when they are deeply engaged in something that feels fun, creative, and motivating to them, especailly when it is something that they can do independently. Look for or create a curriculum that repeatedly exposes children to new concepts within the context of their play, as opposed to those that have you print out lots of worksheets and coloring pages.
Of course, educators know that intentionally pushing into children's play at the right moments or directly providing instruction in a certain area can capitalize on teachable opportunities or solidify skills that children are on the cusp of acquiring. This is why a play-based curriculum that is designed with developmentally appropriate activities is a must. Inviting children to participate in hands-on experiences that respect the rights of children to explore, self-direct, and experiment is the cornerstone of a high quality toddler program.
Toddler Curriculum Requirement #3: Child-Centered
A child-centered curriculum is one that designs activities and learning opportunities with a deep respect and knowledge of child development and individuality. Every child grows at their own pace. Students learn best when their interests and strengths are respected and integrated into the learning experience. For example, a high quality toddler curriculum will incorporate a lot of freedom for early learners- freedom to move, freedom to laugh, freedom to create, freedom to experiment, as well as the freedom for educators to tailor content and lessons to the unique needs of each child in their care.
Early learners should be spending most of their time engaged in play that is open-ended and intentionally crafted, and while there are certainly learning goals being targeted, the possibilities for skill acquisition within any structured lesson or invitation to play reach far beyond a few potential objectives. If lesson plans for this age group have teachers doing the most talking or teaching, you are not looking at a child-centered curriculum.
Toddler Curriculum Requirement #4: Integrated Across All Learning Domains
Early learners do not learn in isolation. Toddler learning is cyclical and integrated, and a high quality toddler curriculum will therefore be crafted in a cyclical and integrated fashion. Toddlers most often learn through repeated exposure, organic language development, and the integration of foundational concepts into meaningful and real-life activities. Early literacy and math skills, for example, should be paired with movement or sensory play. If you are looking at a curriculum with tracing worksheets, tons of coloring pages, or prescribed crafts that value product over process, then you are not looking at a toddler curriculum that is well-integrated across all learning domains (and also contains activities that are likely not developmentally appropriate).
Early learners are continually observing, integrating, refining, and testing skills as they are applicable to opportunities presented. In a high quality toddler curriculum, daily lessons should aim to create a short break from free exploration time in which teachers can purposefully guide student play and interaction with the goal of exposing them to one or more concepts within learning domains that include, but are not limited to: Physical Well-Being, Health, and Motor Development; Social and Emotional Development; Approaches to Learning; Cognition and General Knowledge; and Language, Communication, and Literacy.
Tailoring Your Toddler Curriculum To Your Strengths and Needs
Now that we understand what the non-negotiables look like, it's time to talk differentiation! No two children or teachers are the same. It's natural and necessary for you to tailor any given curriculum to your own strengths and the needs of your learners.
That means there is a ton of room to structure your homeschool, preschool, or childcare experience in a way that feels right for you and meets the needs of your students!
It's not really that important whether you choose a curriculum that utilizes songs and circle time, is Reggio Emilia-inspired, follows a Montessori approach, brings your learning outdoors, or uses field experiences as the basis for your early learners' growth. All of those are amazing options with myriad unique benefits. There are tons of ways to structure and execute your chosen curriculum, and as an educator you will certainly find that some approaches work better for you and your children than others.
As long as your toddler curriculum is inclusive, accessible, play-based, developmentally appropriate, child-centered, and integrated across all learning domains, you can't go wrong!
What kind of curriculum approach do you enjoy most? Need ideas for how to ensure that it is of the highest quality? I would love to hear from you!
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