Author: S. J. Little

Parent / Teacher Guide – Add A Little Curriculum – 3 Year Old

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 3 Year Old Curriculum – Intro

Parent / Teacher Guide

 

Intro

Why name a curriculum “Add A Little”? Because that’s exactly what this curriculum is designed to do – add a little enhancement to your child’s development by providing ideas and activities for you to do with them. This light curriculum was developed with the busy parent or caretaker in mind.

 

Activities for 3 Year Olds

3 year olds are entering a brand new stage of development. They are curious and ready to learn, but still have a lot of wiggles to get out. Imaginative play is taking off, and they want a sense of confident control. With this in mind, the Add A Little curriculum for 3 year olds is designed with three main components to help meet your preschooler right where they’re at. Keep reading to learn more about each component.

  • Movement Moment
  • Art Activity
  • Five-Minute Focus

Don’t forget to read the Tips for Success below.

 

Table of Contents

Each Unit Includes:

  • Movement Moment
  • Art Activity
    • Supplies
  • Five-Minute Focus
    • Let’s Learn the ABCs
      • Letters of the unit
      • Letter Activity
    • Let’s Sing
    • Let’s Read
    • Let’s Sing a Christian Song
    • Let’s Read the Bible

Units

Tips for Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

Disclaimer

Helpful Links

Each Unit Includes:

Fun Theme

Every unit has an engaging theme selected specifically with a 3 year old’s development in mind.

 

Movement Moment

This is the get up and move activity. Studies have shown that physical exercise boosts overall brain development and good health. That’s why every unit includes a Movement Moment.

 

Art Activity

One of the big focuses of the preschool years is the development of pre-writing skills. This includes strengthening fine motor muscles and so much more. Each Art Activity is designed to enhance fine motor development and provide a creative outlet, all while being a relatively simple, low-prep activity.

– Supplies

While additional supplies may be required, here are some general art supplies that may be used in the lessons:

  • Basic white paper (printer paper)
  • Coloured paper
  • Thick paper (cardstock)
  • Washable paint
  • Crayons or washable markers
  • Tape that can be used on walls and removed (consider masking tape or painter’s tape)
  • Scissors
  • Recyclables such as cardboard boxes and various washed plastic yogurt or margarine containers, etc.

 

 

Five-Minute Focus

In preschool teacher lingo, this is circle time. It is a time when the child(ren) and parent/teacher sit down for an intentional time of learning. It doesn’t have to be long.

For greatest success, build a routine around your Five-Minute Focus.

  • Make it regular – choose a consistent time in your daily schedule. In a classroom, it could be just before going to outside time. At home, it could be just after putting the baby down for their morning nap, or immediately following supper.
  • Make it different – sit on “Five-Minute Focus cushions” or have a “Five-Minute Focus box”. Something to visually signal to your children that this is a sit down and focus time.
  • Make it custom – your Five-Minute Focus should be adapted to the needs of your children. Do you have advanced 3 year olds, or have your children only just barely turned 3? Your focus time will need to be tweaked to suit your children.

– Let’s Learn the ABCs
3 year olds still have two years until kindergarten. This part of the unit is intended to help them gain familiarity with the letters, but they are not expected to memorize all the letters until they are older. Keep it fun, engaging, and short (think 1-2 minutes).

If you don’t already have one, consider printing, purchasing, or creating an alphabet poster that shows all the letters of the alphabet. If possible, put it on the wall near where you will be doing your Five-Minute Focus.

  • Letters of the Unit
    Every unit is assigned 3 letters. These have intentionally not been closely linked with the unit itself to provide you with flexibility. The goal is to introduce your children to every letter of the alphabet. Many preschools do this by having a “letter of the week”. If your children already have a letter of the week, feel free to use the AAL Letter Activity to reinforce the letter they are already learning rather than the ones listed with the unit.
  • Letter Activity
    A fun, low-pressure activity to help familiarize your child with the letters.

 

Let’s Sing
3 year olds love songs they can sing and engage with. These songs often teach useful concepts. Each unit includes a song suggestion. Many of these songs are demonstrated using a video sourced from Youtube. The video is intended to teach the parent or teacher the song so that they can then sing it with their children.

Want more songs or don’t like a suggested song? Check out this list of Simple Preschool Songs: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/big-list-of-simple-preschool-songs/

 

Let’s Read
The value of reading good books to your 3 year old is tremendous. Not only is it widening their vocabulary and feeding their imagination, they absorb pre-reading skills and a greater appreciation for the world around them. Every unit includes a book recommendation. The book can be read during the Five-Minute Focus, or can be included in the schedule at another point in the day. Regardless of when, be sure to include book reading in your regular routine. Your children will benefit from it.

Also, check out my board, “Books for Toddlers and Preschoolers”: https://www.pinterest.ca/sjlittleauthor/books-for-preschoolers-and-toddlers/

 

Let’s Sing a Christian Song
For those using AAL who are Christian, a Christian song suggestion has been included in every unit. It’s a great way to begin Bible memorization or simply to remind ourselves of who God is.

Want more Christian songs? Visit: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/7-simple-christian-songs-for-preschoolers/

 

Let’s Read the Bible
3 year olds are ready for regular children’s Bible reading. There will not be specific Bible stories suggested with each unit. Instead, pick up “The Beginner’s Bible” and make a habit of reading one story per day, or one story per week, and read your way through the whole Bible.

For more information visit: https://www.thebeginnersbible.com/products/

Units

Every month, one new unit is released. Here is a list of units that have already been released:

3.1 – Transportation

3.2 – Farm

 

Tips for Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

  • Join In
    3 year olds engage better in new activities if someone else is doing it with them, so join in and have fun.
  • Be Flexible
    Every child is different. You know your circumstances and your children’s abilities and interests. Take a moment to consider the suggested activity, then adapt it to your own situation.
  • Remove Distractions
    Did you know that young children play better with less toys at a time? Try putting away most of their toys before attempting to engage them in a new activity. Putting most of their toys away also allows you to do toy rotation. If you haven’t tried toy rotation, read this article https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/toy-rotation/. You’ll be amazed at the difference it makes to your child’s play.

Want More?

Do you want to receive notification of each new unit of the Add A Little 3 Year Old Curriculum when it is released? Join S. J. Little’s preschool email list today.

 

 

Disclaimer

All activities require adult supervision and discretion.

Every aspect of the Add A Little Curriculum is suggested with the expectation that it will be done under adult supervision. Some activities include potential hazards. You and your child(ren) participate at your own discretion.

Every child, family, setting, and circumstance is different. Recommended tips and/or activities in this curriculum may work well for some children but not for others. Adult discretion is required. In some cases, you will need to adapt the curriculum to fit you and your child(ren)’s specific needs.

 

Helpful Links

Smoother Transitions: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/smoother-transitions/

Choosing Excellent Books: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/choosing-excellent-books-for-preschoolers/

Big List of Simple Preschool Songs: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/big-list-of-simple-preschool-songs/

Toy Rotation: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/toy-rotation/

Ice Cream Coated

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

A cheery melody floated through the open window as my daughter and I sat playing.

I glanced at the hot sunny day outside.

A minute later, my daughter perked up having caught wind of the music.

“What’s that?” She asked.

By now the melody was getting louder.

“It sounds like an ice cream truck is coming.”

My daughter jumped up and peered out the window. “Where?”

“I hear it coming, but we might have to wait a little until we can see it.”

We waited at the window, looking for the truck as the music became louder still.

I glanced down at my little one. “When the ice cream truck comes, we won’t wave at him. Otherwise he will think we want to buy ice cream, but we already have ice cream in our freezer.”

“Okay,” she replied easily.

Suddenly she pointed. “There it is! There’s the ice cream truck!”

“I see it too!” I said.

As the large truck came around the corner, its friendly tune blared.

My daughter bounced on her toes.

“It’s green and blue.” She exclaimed.

We watched eagerly as the truck rolled lazily along. He stopped near our window for a long pause, but when no customers came, he moved on. Soon he was out of sight.

As we listened to the last strains of the cheery music, I scrunched up my nose.

“What’s that stinky smell?”

I glanced over at my husband as recognition dawned. “The ice cream truck must have been diesel.”

I closed the windows on the side of the house where the truck had idled, but left the windows on the other side of the house open to allow the fresh air to push out the diesel smell. 

As the dense diesel stench continued to linger, I frowned out the window. I was rather displeased with that ice cream truck. So much for being sweet and child-friendly. It had filled our home with nasty fumes.

Eventually the stink faded and I forgot about the incident. I forgot, that is, until later that evening when I took my daughter upstairs to bed. Her room still held a distinctive diesel stench. Her window had been open when the ice cream truck went by.

So what? Why share this unpleasant story?

This moment has stuck in my head as a clear allegorical warning.

Watch out for false teachers.

Not everyone who presents themselves as a good clean wholesome instructor is good. Some may simply be sugar-coating, or in this case, ice-cream-coating toxic ideas that cause great harm.

This is true as we look at the world around us.

There are so many ideas and perspectives out there. We run into them on social media, in the news, in books, in music. Some are good and helpful. Others lead to terrible trouble.

Discernment is needed to sort through the good and the bad.

As Christians, much discernment is needed in regards to those who teach about the Bible.

Even in Bible-times there were false teachers. Those who would take Scripture and twist it in order to get across the message they wanted to share rather than honestly seeking to share what God was saying in that passage.

Peter tells us, “there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories.” (2 Peter 2:1b-3a NIV)

So how do we spot these false teachers?

Looking at how they live their life is a huge clue.

“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.” (Hebrews 13:7NIV)

Along with watching how they live their lives, we must know the Bible for ourselves.

How do I know if a Bible verse is out of context? By being familiar with the chapter it was taken from.

When was the last time you read the whole Bible?

Did you know that by reading one chapter a day you can read the entire Bible in just over three years? To help you out, I have a DIY Bible Reading chart to help track your progress. It’s free for everyone on my email list (click the subscriber freebie link in a recent email). Not on my email list? You can sign up below. 

With so many Bible teachers available to us online, how do we choose which to listen to? Here’s a link with some of my favourites when I’m looking for a short devotional to read or listen to. Like with all teachers, use your discretion.
Grow Your Faith: 5 Inspiring and Free Christian Devotionals

 

 

Grow Your Faith: 5 Inspiring and Free Christian Devotionals

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

What are Christian devotionals? A devotional is often a short piece intended to turn one’s thoughts back to God. With so many distractions and things to think about, it is valuable to set aside time to turn our eyes upon Jesus.

For me, personally, I prioritize times to read the Bible directly, verse-by-verse through a book of the Bible. When I can, on top of that, I find it helpful to read or listen to a Christian devotional from a trusted source.

With so many Christian teachers, preachers, and writers out there, it can be hard to know who to listen to. That’s why I’ve collected this short list of some of my go-to devotionals. I have included a variety of types of media (online, paper book, audio, podcast) so you can choose what best suits your current stage of life.

Of course, as with any Bible teaching, viewer discretion is required. I do not always agree with everything stated by these sources.

1. My Utmost for His Highest – Oswald Chambers

First published in 1927, this well-loved daily devotional book has been translated into 39 languages and printed more than 13 million times. It has one verse and a written reflection on that verse for every day of the year. The Modern Classic Edition of the book was released in 2023, making it easier to read for today’s audience.

2. Look At the Book (LABs) – John Piper

Read through a passage with well-known Pastor John Piper as he models how to study the Bible for yourself.

3. Enduring Words for Troubled Times – David Guzik

Short audio reflections by Pastor David Guzik as he works his way through a book of the Bible. His full-length sermons and other video, audio, and written Bible study resources, as well as his Bible Commentary, can be found here: https://enduringword.com/

4. Christian Allegories – S. J. Little

Bite-sized Christian devotionals recalling Biblical lessons learned through daily life allegories.

5. Through the Word

Audio Bible teaching, including an 8-10 minute overview of every chapter of the Bible. Their goal is to “Equip the world to read the Bible, understand it, apply it, and make it a habit.”

Bonus: Verse-By-Verse Sermons – Glen Nudd

This is not a devotional, but rather a collection of years of Sunday sermons teaching verse by verse through the entire Bible. This is a great resource if, in your own Bible reading, you come across a passage you would like to understand better. You can quickly find the sermon, teaching about any specific passage, using their search tool.

Jump – 2.10 – Add A Little

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 10

Jump

Developmental Focus: Gross motor muscle development and hand-eye coordination

Want to learn more? Check out the Add A Little 2Y Parent / Teacher Guide

Disclaimer: All activities require adult supervision and discretion. Read more…

Muscle Moving

Obstacle Jump

Supplies:

  • Paper – coloured is more fun
  • Tape

Prep:

  • Fold the paper at the 1/3 line and at the 2/3 creating a triangle. Tape it together forming an obstacle.
  • Make three obstacles (or more if you have a large group of children).
  • Place the obstacles in the floor in a line about 1 yard or 1 meter apart.

Time to Play:

  • Show your children how to run to the first obstacle and jump over it, then run to the next one and jump over it, all the way down the line.
  • Encourage your children to try jumping over the obstacles. Cheer for them and have fun!
  • For more advanced children, get creative by making other obstacles. Consider using rolled-up blankets or pillows.

Brain Boosting

Jumping Containers

Supplies:

  • A matching set of 2-10 small sturdy cups. Plastic recyclable applesauce cups work well, or paper or plastic drinking cups.
  • Rubber bands
  • Optional: tape and scissors

Jumping Containers Preschool Activity - S J Little

Prep:

  • Wrap two rubber bands around one cup making an “x” over the top opening.
  • Turn that cup upside down. Turn another cup upside down as well.
  • Press the cup with rubber bands on top of the cup without. Let go. It should jump away.

Time to Play:

  • Show your child how to make the cup jump.
  • Invite your children to try making the cups jump by themselves.
  • Have fun and be excited.

Let’s Sing

Walking Walking


Let’s Read

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
By: Eileen Christelow

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Peter, James, and John in a Sailboat

This song retells the story in Luke 5:1–11
(A similar event but a different time from John 21)

Let’s Read

Bible Story

Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
John 21:1-14

Beginner’s Bible Chapter:
A Net Full of Fish
Page 462

Holding Me Up

Posted on by S. J. Little

 

My 3 year old daughter ducked into the large cardboard box sitting in our living room.

We had transformed it into a simple house by setting it on its side to use the top flaps as doors. Additionally, on one side, we cut a small window, leaving a flap that could open and close. On the other side, we added a small side door.

She pushed the window flap open and peeked out.

My 1 year old son saw her peeking and laughed. He pointed at her as he toddled over.

Crouching, he entered the box.

My daughter vacated through the side door.

Circling to the other side, she peeked in the window making them both laugh.

My son gripped the bottom of the window and began leaning against the side of the box as their game of peek-a-boo continued.

Sitting nearby, I noticed his leaning was beginning to tip the whole box.

Reaching out, I held tight to the opposite side of the box as he leaned even further.

I felt the pull of the box. It would have tipped had I not been stabilizing it.

My son, however, was blissfully unaware of my rescue as he laughed and peeked out the window at my daughter again.

I glanced over at my husband who sat nearby and had observed the whole thing, saying, “He has no idea someone is holding him up.”

What about me? Do I know that Someone is holding me up? Do I acknowledge and thank Him? Or do I assume it is my own efforts holding me up?

Throughout the Bible, we see God taking care of His people again and again. Sometimes it is blatantly obvious to the people involved, sometimes it is not.

Perhaps Psalm 23 is one of the most beautiful passages depicting this.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.

He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul.

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for His name’s sake.

 

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff,

they comfort me.

 

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

(Psalm 23 ESV)

God is taking care of me in the same way a shepherd cares for their sheep.

I need not worry. God is holding me up.

Does that mean my life will be trouble-free and easy? Not at all.

The following evening, as my son was again peeking out the window. He leaned against the side in the same fashion as the story above.

This time, however, I was not holding onto the box.

Over it tipped, with my 1 year old inside.

He cried as I helped him crawl out, though I suspect his tears were more from the scare than from pain.

Later, I observed him peeking out the window a third time. This time he felt the box begin to shift and pulled back from leaning on it.

He glanced at me for reassurance.

I applauded his discernment and quick learning. He has not tipped it over again.

Often in life, when hardships happen, they are not a specific result of my actions. Sometimes, however, they are a direct consequence of something I have done (like for my 1 year old in the story).

Sometimes God protects me from the consequences of my actions. Sometimes He does not.

Regardless of the cause, when I face trials, God wants to be at work in me. He wants me to be learning and growing.

If, like my 1 year old, the trial is a result of my own foolishness, God wants me to learn better wisdom and discernment.

If the trouble is not because of something I have done, God still wants to be working in me.

That is why James says:

“Consider it a great joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you experience various trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its full effect, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.” (James 1:2-4 CSB)

Am I facing great difficulties today? May I press into Jesus knowing that as I do so, He will be working to transform me from the inside out. He is holding me up.

Am I in a peaceful and seemingly easy season of life right now? May I be intentional to pursue Jesus, growing in knowledge of the truth and in healthy Biblical habits, not forgetting to thank and praise Him. He is holding me up.

Have you memorized Psalm 23? If not, I urge you to do so. Here’s a great song, by Zac Fitzsimmons, to help you memorize the chapter. You can watch it below or find it on Spotify here.