How to Put Together a Lesson Plan for Preschoolers

Teaching on the preschool level may seem simple at first, but getting and holding the attention of a room full of little people can be tougher than you think. But if you prepare preschool lesson plans ahead of time, using these simple tips, you and your preschoolers will have a great time learning together and the time will fly by.

Work in Short Time Periods
Preschoolers can absorb more information than we realize many times, but they have short attention spans. Their attention and motor skills are developing, so they can only handle activities for short periods of time. Scheduling your learning activities from 5 to 15 minutes each works well; this gives the preschoolers a chance to get engaged before getting bored and losing interest. Unfortunately, kids are exposed to more and more TV and video games, which are presented in short bursts, so that's what most preschoolers are used to. Therefore, structuring your time in the classroom in this manner will help them learn without overloading them.

Vary The Methods of Instruction
Children learn in different ways, so it's best when teaching preschoolers to vary the methods you use to teach them. The three basic learning styles include: audio (learn through hearing), visual (learn through seeing) and kinesthetic (learn through hands-on interaction and movement). These methods can be used together or separately throughout the day to help each child take in information on their best terms. For instance, when reading a story, reading aloud will help the audio learners, showing pictures or a flannel graph will help the visual learners and acting out a part of the story or engaging in a finger play will help kinesthetic learners.

Using arts and crafts and games to reinforce the lesson; repetition is key when teaching preschoolers. Some kids need to hear and experience the same basic lesson several times before absorbing it well, so incorporate repetitive ideas when making your lesson plans for preschoolers. Everything from listening to a story on CD to making masks and acting out a story will help kids take in the information in new and different ways.

Use Hands-On Activities
Even though there are three different types of learning styles, all preschoolers benefit from kinesthetic, or hands-on learning, simply because of their age and stage of development. While helping preschoolers develop good listening and attention skills is important as they grow, young children need lots of opportunities to move around and interact with their environment. When you teach preschool, make sure your classroom is set up with various hands-on activities and centers so that kids can experience learning in many ways. Everything from blocks and puzzles to clay and puppets is a great way for kids to learn and develop creativity. Bringing these activities into the lesson in a structured way is a wonderful way to reinforce what you're teaching, but make sure you provide ample time for kids to just play as well. Allowing preschoolers to make up their own games and stories is a wonderful way for them to learn as well.

Keep It Simple
Above all, keep in mind when teaching preschoolers to keep it simple. Young children can only handle one basic concept at a time, so teaching the basics is perfectly appropriate for this age group. Stories with one simple plot or lesson work well, and reinforcing a unit concept over a period of a few weeks or a month is a great way to let kids experience different activities under the umbrella of one concept like "apples" or "sharing." When making your preschool lesson plans, just keep these simple concepts in mind, and your students will have a great time learning.

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