Over the past several years, I have found that themes are the best way to engage young children in learning, no matter what their strengths or abilities. A good theme reflects a child’s experience in the world.
I also believe that our thematic units provide one of the best vehicles for integrating content areas in a way that makes sense to children and helps them make connections to transfer the knowledge they learn and apply it in a meaningful way.
Because my belief in this process is so strong I have invested a great deal of time and money into our theme boxes and as a result have created a curriculum I am very proud of and have seen the children respond wonderfully to.
Below are some goals I have when developing my “Theme Boxes”
1. To foster children’s curiosity to learn using a theme that is familiar but previously unexplored to them.
2. Allow the children to learn new concepts and skills that they are curious about in a fun hands on approach.
3. Help the children see the real-world relevance of the new concept and want to try to apply it themselves.
4. Our children will feel the satisfaction of a gaining new understanding of their world. They feel like experts of the theme and come away with increased ownership of a new concept or skill.
5. To address the diverse learning styles of the children I serve and respect their individuality.
6. To allow children to explore abstract ideas like sorting, patterning or letter sounds, through real-world experiences
My intent is to create a great cycle of learning by using a well thought out theme that engages all ages
Some Examples of themes boxes I have are:
- Our 5 senses
- My Body
- Farmers Markets
- Old West
- Carnivals
- Healthy Food
- Penguins
- Zoo animals
- Ocean Life
- Dinosaurs
- Going on a Bear Hunt
- Dr. Suess
- Life cycles
- Our world
- Planets
- Colors, Shapes, and sizes
- Feelings
