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

Posted on August 11, 2025September 11, 2025 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.

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/

Parent / Teacher Guide – Add A Little Curriculum – 2 Year Old

Posted on August 6, 2024September 11, 2025 by S. J. Little

Add A Little – 2 Year Old Curriculum – Intro

Parent / Teacher Guide

Intro

Activities For 2 Year Olds

2 year olds need free play. They can also be learning to follow simple instructions. You’ll find a bit of both in Add A Little (AAL). Most of the activities have been kept simple with little prep needed and using supplies you may already have on hand. With one unit each month, this curriculum is designed to add a developmental boost to your child(ren)’s life without overwhelming you.

Check out the Tips for Success below.

Each Unit Includes:

Fun Theme
Developmental Focus
Muscle Moving
Brain Boosting
Let’s Sing
Let’s Read
Let’s Sing A Christian Song
Let’s Read A Bible Story

Supplies Needed

Tips For Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

Disclaimer

Units

Helpful Links

Each Unit Includes:

Fun Theme

Every unit has an engaging theme selected specifically with a 2 year old’s development in mind.

Developmental Focus

Each unit targets an area of learning and growth.

Muscle Moving

Being up and active is incredibly valuable for 2 year olds. Not only will they strengthen their muscles, but studies have shown that movement is important for overall brain development as well.

Brain Boosting

Under this heading you will find activities engaging various areas of the brain, whether that be hand-eye coordination, using the 5 senses, or more academic and STEM related activities.

Let’s Sing

Singing and music are highly beneficial for overall child development. That’s why every unit includes a simple fun song for you to sing with your child(ren).

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

Taking time to sit down and read with your child(ren) offers countless developmental benefits, sets them up with a lifelong love of reading, and is fun. Each unit includes a book suggestion that (mostly) lines up with the theme.

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

The Christian elements of each unit are optional. They have been included since many of our subscribers appreciate them. However, you are free to skip them.

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

Let’s Read a Bible Story

Developing a love for God through reading the Bible is invaluable to the Christian life. To help you begin instilling truths about who God is in your child’s heart, every month will have a suggested Bible story. More specifically, every month will include a recommended chapter from the Beginner’s Bible. The Beginner’s Bible is widely available for purchase. If you already have a different Children’s Bible, you are welcome to use it to follow along instead.

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

Supplies Needed

AAL curriculum strives to be low hastle. Part of this is accomplished by using supplies you likely already have on hand. That said, for the 2 Year Old Add A Little Curriculum, among other things, you will need:

Paper (coloured and white)
Washable children’s paint
Unused sponges
Masking tape or other tape that can cleanly peel off walls and floors
Crayons
Recyclables such as cardboard boxes and various sizes of washed plastic yogurt or margarine containers, etc.

Tips For Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

How do I get my child to participate in the activities?

Engage
- Two year olds love to play with you. If your child doesn’t immediately engage in an activity, sit down and do it yourself for a few minutes. Encourage your child to participate with you. Cheer them on when they do join in.
- If they still don’t want to join in, don’t sweat it. Put the activity aside and assess what their reason for not engaging might be (tired, hungry, feeling too wiggly, etc.). Try the activity again in a few days.
Adapt
- Every child is different. You know your circumstance and your child’s abilities and interests. Take a moment to consider the suggested activity, then adapt it to your own situation.
Repeat
- 2 year olds enjoy repeating activities until they have mastered them. While the Add A Little curriculum only provides two activities in each unit, these activities can be repeated several times throughout the month, and during the following months as well.
Less Is More
- 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.

Disclaimer

All activities require adult supervision and discretion.

Units

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

2.6 – What’s That Shape?

Want More?

Do you want to receive notification of each new unit of the Add A Little 2 Year Old Curriculum when it is released? Join S. J. Little’s preschool email list today.

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/

Clean Up – 1.9 – Add A Little

Posted on June 5, 2024May 6, 2024 by S. J. Little

Add A Little – 1 Year Old Curriculum – Unit 9

Clean Up

Vocabulary: Find, Pick Up, Container, Put In

Tent, Blanket, Build, Knock Over

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

Want to learn more about Add A Little Curriculum? Check out the Parent / Teacher Guide

Let’s Wiggle

Pick Them Up Game

Supplies:

A set of 8-15 small to medium toys. Could be almost anything. Consider:
- Bean bags
- Balls
- Pompoms
- Cars
- Stuffies
A basket or box that holds all the toys

Time to Play:

Show your child the basket of toys and explain that you are going to play a pick them up game.
Dump the toys on the floor. Work together to pick up all the toys.
Consider singing the Clean Up Song while you pick them up (see video below).
Optional: for children who have a solid grasp of colours, consider challenging them to pick up the toys by colour: “Can you pick up all the yellow ones?” “Now pick up the red ones.”

Let’s Explore

Toy Insert

Supplies:

10-20 small items. Consider:
- Plastic chain links
- Q-tips
- Standard playing cards
- Washable markers (if your child cannot open them yet)
A container to hold the items. Consider:
- A yogurt container (clean)
- A cardboard box

Prep:

Cut a slot in lid of the container that is a bit bigger than the items you are using.
If your cardboard box has a handle hole, consider using that as your slot by setting the box on its side.

Time to Play:

Model for your child how to insert the items into the container.
Encourage them to try.
Optional: Extend the fun by setting the container at one end of a hallway while you stand at the other end with the items. Hand one item to your child at a time. Encourage them to run to the container to insert the item.

Let’s Sing

The Clean Up Song

Let’s Sing

Christian Song

Jesus Loves Me

Let’s Read

Clean-Up Time

Author: Elizabeth Verdick
Illustrator: Marieka Heinlen

Coat Flip Trick

Posted on May 1, 2024May 4, 2024 by S. J. Little

Getting a toddler or preschooler ready to go outside can be quite the hassle. This is even more the case when one or two teachers must prepare a whole class of children to go outside.

Here’s a simple trick your child can learn to enable them to independently put their coat on.

How young is too young? I learned this trick from a preschooler whose parents taught him to put on his coat this way. Then, when my daughter was one and a half years old and desiring independence, I tried teaching her. Within a few days she was happily putting on her coat all by herself (though I still had to do the zipper).

The Coat Flip Trick

Place the unzipped coat on the floor or a low ottoman with the hood towards your child.
Direct your child to put their arms into the sleeves of the coat.
Help your child lift their arms straight in the air, flipping their coat over their head.
Assist your child with doing up the coat zipper or buttons as needed.

There you have it. A simple little trick to make your day go so much smoother.

Parent / Teacher Guide – Add A Little Curriculum – 1 Year Old

Posted on July 8, 2023July 30, 2024 by S. J. Little

Add A Little – 1 Year Old Curriculum – Intro

Parent / Teacher Guide

Intro

Activities For 1 Year Olds

Every 1 year old develops at a different pace. The Add A Little 1 Year Old Curriculum is designed to be easily adapted to your toddler’s developmental level and interests. Units 1-5 target children aged 12-18 months while units 6-10 focus more on activities of interest to children aged 18-23 months. Units 11-12 are optional Christmas and Easter themed units designed to hold appeal for ages 12-23 months.

Check out the Tips for Success below.

Materials

Each Unit Includes:

Theme
Vocabulary
Let’s Wiggle
Let’s Explore
Let’s Sing
Let’s Read
Let’s Sing a Christian Song

Tips For Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

Disclaimer

Units

Helpful Links

Materials

To keep things easier for you, most of the materials used in the Add A Little 1 Year Old Curriculum are things you likely already have or can access inexpensively. Some activities call for recyclables. If you don’t already, I recommend washing and collecting various recyclable items since they can make excellent toys. More specifically, recyclable materials you will need this year include:

Paper towel tube (or a couple of toilet paper tubes)
One aluminum pie tin or similar (holes in it are fine)
Several plastic containers with lids from things such as yogurt, margarine, grated parmesan cheese, or cream cheese
(Watch out for lids that are too small, thus creating a choking hazard.)
Cardboard boxes, including one big one
One clean egg carton

Each Unit Includes:

Theme

Each month, all activities will be loosely based around an age-appropriate theme.

Vocabulary

Try to find opportunities to incorporate the suggested vocabulary words throughout the month so that your child can learn to recognize them.

Let’s Wiggle

These activities involve full-body movements. Your child will strengthen their big muscles (gross motor muscles) and improve their coordination. Did you know that exercise and big movements are important for brain development too?

Let’s Explore

Here you will provide your child with an opportunity to investigate and manipulate intriguing materials. These activities often involve hand-eye coordination and smaller muscle strengthening (fine motor muscles).

Let’s Sing

Music is an important part of brain development and it’s fun! Each unit will include one suggested simple song. Sing this song often throughout the month so your child can learn it.

Want more songs or don’t like one of the suggested songs? Check out this list of songs including classics and originals: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/big-list-of-simple-preschool-songs/

Let’s Read

Being read to is an important pre-reading experience. Books also help expand your child’s vocabulary and general knowledge base. If you don’t have the book I recommend, you could check with your library or buy it. If you don’t want to buy the book, no problem. Try searching for something similar at your local library.

Here are some tips for finding good books. https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/choosing-excellent-books-for-preschoolers/

Also, check out my board of recommended books for toddlers:

Books for 12-18 month olds: https://www.pinterest.ca/sjlittleauthor/books-for-toddlers-12-18-month-olds/
Books for toddlers and preschoolers: https://www.pinterest.ca/sjlittleauthor/books-for-preschoolers-and-toddlers/

Let’s Sing a Christian Song

Each unit includes a bonus Christian song suggestion for those who are interested. Not your thing? That’s fine. Feel free to skip over this part. Want more Christian songs? Visit: https://sjlittle.ca/preschool/7-simple-christian-songs-for-preschoolers/

Tips For Success When Using Add A Little Curriculum

How do I get my child to participate in the activities?

Model Then Encourage
- One year olds love to copy. If your child doesn’t immediately engage in an activity, sit down and do it yourself for a few minutes.
- Once you’ve set an example of how to participate, encourage your child to join you. Try handing them one of the pieces. Cheer for them when they do join in.
- If they still don’t want to join in, don’t sweat it. Put the activity aside and assess what their reason for not engaging might be (tired, hungry, feeling too wiggly, etc.). Try the activity again in a few days.
Adapt
- Every child is different. That is perhaps never more true than when considering 1 year olds. Some one year olds can walk, others can’t yet. Some can talk, others just aren’t there yet. Some put everything in their mouth, others rarely put anything in their mouth. You know your circumstance and your child’s abilities and interests. Take a moment to consider the suggested activity, then adapt it to your own situation.
Repeat
- 1 year olds thrive on repeated activities with slight tweaks to give them just a little more to explore each time. While the Add A Little curriculum only provides two activities in each unit, these activities could be repeated several times throughout the month, and during the following months as well.
Less Is More
- 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.