In this post, I share my picks of the best preschool homeschool curriculum and what I will be using for my three year old. I will have another post just for 4 year olds and pre-K!
It’s becoming more popular to use a formal curriculum for preschoolers. It doesn’t have to take up much time at the age of three, but many tots actually want to do school.
As a formal teacher and homeschool mom, I love to research what is out there in terms of curriculum. I have seen a lot and truly believe I’ve made an excellent choice for my preschooler.
You can also see in the best Kindergarten homeschool curriculum article what options I chose for that level.
Keep in mind that there are no state requirements for teaching preschool. If you are concerned about what general developmental skills your three year old should typically be reaching, WebMd has a good post on this.
Let’s jump right into the preschool curriculum!
Best Preschool Homeschool Curriculum Options
Below you will find a list of things my upcoming preschooler will be using for her preschool curriculum at the age of 3 years old.
This is what I have planned for her, but at this age, if I see she doesn’t want to do something that day, no big deal. She will only do what she feels like doing. I do share our preschool homeschool schedule further down this post.
This post contains affiliate links.
What Your Preschooler Needs To Know Textbook AND Activity Book 1
This one book titled, What Your Preschooler Needs To Know, by Core Knowledge, will save you time and money in buying a lot of storybooks for your preschooler because there are so many stories and rich content in this one book!
This book is filled with poems, nursery rhymes, fables, and even science, history, and visual arts related content to read with your child. There are also suggestions for games. The best part about using this textbook is actually using it with the activity books 1 and 2.
Activity Book 1 is appropriate for Ages 3-4 and it is a companion to the book, What Your Preschooler Needs To Know. It contains 25 weeks of activities to help preschoolers learn the fundamentals they need to prepare for kindergarten.
This is an open and go type curriculum with awesome engaging activities. There are cutouts included in the book to complete the activities.
I know moms who have used this with their preschoolers and their kids love it so much that they are constantly asking to do more of it!
I can’t wait to start using this with my preschooler.
There is also an activity book 2, but that is designed for the following year , ages 4-5 and it also has 25 weeks of activities.
Note that sometimes you will find this for sale on amazon and other times it is not. You have to keep checking to see when it becomes available.
The textbook is quite popular and can be found on amazon but the activity books appear less frequently. You may also find them in thrift stores.
To really maximize the use of the textbook, I personally wouldn’t use it without the activity books. Together, they are rich in content as well as fun to use. This is a major part of making this one of the best preschool homeschool curriculum options.
Preschool Writing – Letters and Numbers
Created for kids ages 2-4 years old, this preschool writing workbook by Jady Alvarez, teaches how to write both capital and lowercase letters, as well as numbers 1-20.
Kids will practice their letters not in alphabetical order, but in a specific letter order that will be easier for kids to learn proper letter formation.
Preschool Literacy
This is an excellent resource that will help kids get ready for reading. It is a preschool literacy workbook that does not require actual writing. Kids circle, draw lines to the correct answers, and color.
It covers the concepts of letter recognition, beginning letter sounds, middle letter sounds, ending letter sounds, letter blends, alphabet order, and matching lowercase to uppercase letters.
I used this previously with another child. I love it so much that I repurposed it so it could be reused with other kids.
I tore out the pages and put them in sheet protectors and a binder. This way preschoolers could use markers to work through it.
If your preschooler doesn’t like coloring, having them circle instead is an alternative. It is so fun to them to use it this way with markers and sheet protectors!
Here’s a glimpse of what it looks like in the binder (my Kindergarten student did this previously so I still need to erase it for the upcoming preschooler).
Preschool Beginner Math
This preschool math workbook will prepare your preschooler for kindergarten math. It teaches number recognition, counting, patterns, position, visual discrimination, shapes, and measurement. This math book also doesn’t require actual writing.
Learning the key concepts will only require circling, drawing lines, coloring, and tracing.
These three workbooks set an excellent preschool foundation, making it one of the best preschool homeschool curriculum options.
Jady A’s Preschool Curriculum Video Review
Here’s a good video review found on youtube about the 3 resources above. All of these workbooks are from Jady A.
VIEW THESE 3 WORKBOOKS ON AMAZON
My First Book of Cutting by Kumon
At the age of three, it’s a great age to start learning to use scissors and developing fine motor skills. This cutting book is the best way to get started.
My First Book of Tracing by Kumon
By using this tracing book, preschoolers learn how to use a pencil. They begin tracing straight vertical lines and then doing challenging curves, zigzags, and diagonal lines.
Kumon Uppercase Letters Workbook
This will be used once my preschooler has enough practice with the tracing workbook. Three-year-olds should start with writing the uppercase letters first. They can work on the lowercase letters later on in the year or the following year.
I love this workbook because just like the Preschool writing book mentioned above, it starts with practicing the letters with straight lines first, and then curved lines, diagonals, and such. It serves as additional practice and only focuses on the uppercase letters.
Read Alouds, Songs, & Nursery Rhymes
Read some fun fiction books and non-fiction books daily. Some popular must-read fictional picture books for preschoolers include: Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Corduroy. I am using the free Brightly Beaming Resources: Letter of the Week curriculum for weekly ideas on read-alouds, songs, and nursery rhymes (only).
Alphabet Flashcards, Number Flashcards (1-20), Picture Vocabulary Flashcards
Don’t underestimate the power of flashcards in helping kids learn specific concepts. My toddler knew her letter sounds, shapes and colors before the age of one and a half, all through using flashcards daily.
I will be using alphabet flashcards (lowercase is preferable) and number flashcards to be sure she has really mastered her letter sounds and numbers. They must be learned in order and out of order.
Note that the alphabet flashcards are used for mastering letter sounds – not the alphabet.
The alphabet, in my opinion, should only be learned after the letter sounds are learned. After all, when learning to read in the near future, it is letter sounds that have to be learned.
Learning the alphabet names is important, but not nearly as important at this point.
Flashcards of various objects and animals are also helpful in increasing vocabulary skills. Animals, bugs, and pictures of commonly used items in the home is great. I suggest going through 5-7 new items per week until your child can easily identify the items.
If you are looking at flashcards, don’t worry about the recommended age of 4 or 5, it is appropriate for 3 year olds too!
Alphabet Chart and Number Chart 1-50 (In a Preschool Binder)
I use an alphabet chart to have preschoolers learn the alphabet (flashcards for learning letter sounds to distinguish the two).
After your preschooler has mastered number recognition (1-20) through flashcards, then you can start using a number chart to have them learn to count 1-50.
Basic Calendar (In a Preschool Binder)
Singing the months of the year and the days of the week is a good start at the age of 3. You may also want to go over what the actual month we are in, what day it is, as well as what numeric day we are at and the year. Touching upon the daily weather is also beneficial.
Best Preschool Curriculum Materials & Extras
Big Preschool Workbook
This is a huge fun preschool workbook that your preschooler could do when he or she is asking to do more! It has over 300 exercises teaching colors, shapes, basic phonics, the alphabet, numbers, early math and even more. Kids can start this at the age of three and it doesn’t require much writing to do the exercises. See it on amazon here.
Whiteboard and Markers
Ideal for little hands, using a whiteboard and dry-erase marker is great for preschoolers to practice letter and number formation. I like to have one too so I can model how to write first.
Basic Art and Coloring Supplies
Although not required for any curriculum used, having some basic art and coloring supplies is great to have your preschooler work on their fine-motor skills. Providing some basic coloring books, crayons, markers, colored pencils, white paper, construction paper, and glue sticks is adequate.
Fun Preschool Learning Activities
There are a few items that I like to have on hand that are great for both play and learning. These were all purchased on amazon so I will also provide you with a link for each.
My preschooler plays and loves these ones the MOST:
- Doodle Writing Board (for fine-motor and pre-writing skills)
- Alpha Pops (for letter recognition & matching)
- Preschool Learning Library (teaches so many preschool concepts!)
Other Top Preschool Homeschool Curriculum Kits & Packages For 3 Year Olds
I personally don’t use these curriculum kits/resources mentioned below because I feel what I have chosen is sufficient for my upcoming preschooler and therefore could not justify the additional expense. However, I do know that many homeschoolers do use these top homeschool curriculum packages with success.
Keep in mind that all of them are religious publishers, however, the last curriculum option, Before Five In a Row, is quite secular in nature with some Biblical suggestions.
All of these best preschool homeschool curriculum options can be found on this Christianbook.com page here, with the exception of Before Five In a Row.
BJU Press Pathways For Preschool
The BJU Press Preschool Curriculum is comprised of unit themes filled with lessons on manners and healthy habits, art projects, mathematical concepts such as sorting, sequencing, patterning, nursery rhymes, songs, and more activities.
There are three separate parts to the curriculum that work together: The Pathways For Preschool Teacher’s Guide, The Pathways For Preschool Student Activity Packet, and the Pathways For Preschool CD.
Horizons for Threes
This preschool curriculum, created by Alpha Omega Publications, is a thorough and fun preschool program kit, preparing kids in language arts and reading while also integrating the bible.
The Horizons for Three’s curriculum set contains 40 weeks of lessons and activities and includes a the Horizons For Three’s Teacher’s Guide, the Student Workbook, a Student Workbook Companion, and the Horizons For Three’s Bible Reader.
Biblical Beginnings Preschool Package by Master Books
This preschool curriculum is an activity-based course that covers the subjects of science, music, art and physical education. Preschoolers will learn the alphabet, shapes, colors, numbers, opposites, biblical concepts, and other school areas.
There are 36 lessons focusing on a variety of centers, circle time, and a review.
Abeka Preschool Curriculum
Abeka is known for their Christian, traditional curriculums that emphasizes biblical character building and strong, academic textbooks.
For 2-3 year olds, they have a lesson plan guide that is easy to follow, however, additional texts are required.
Before Five In A Row
For the ages of 2-4, Before Five in a Row is a literature-based program. They provide a book list of books to read each week with your preschooler along with discussion ideas and activities that you could do along with the books. The suggested books are popular books that could often be found in your public library so you don’t have to purchase all of the books for homeschooling preschool.
Very relaxed, there is no particular book order or activity order to follow.
Daily Schedule and Curriculum Routine For Homeschooling Preschool (age 3)
This is a tentative daily schedule and routine flow. These are times I plan to homeschool my three year old. However, I will not be strict about it but offer to school at this time.
If I feel reluctance from my child, we just won’t do it that day. I will aim to work through the preschool curriculum four days a week with Friday off for errands, library visits, or field trips.
YEAR-ROUND HOMESCHOOL PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM AND SCHEDULE
| MORNING (30 minutes) | AFTERNOON (30 minutes) |
|---|---|
| 9:30-10am | 3:30-4pm |
All Year
| 1st Half Of The Year
2nd Half Of The Year
|
9:30-10am – This time is to go over the calendar, weather, numbers, and alphabet. These are all basic printables I found online and are now in the preschool binder. I also use this time for any read-alouds. This routine will be for the full year.
3:30-4pm – The first part of the year will be different than the second. During the first part of the year, the focus will be on language development, developing good listening skills, and hands-on activities which are very much included in the Activity Book 1. This is also a good time to practice those fine-motor/pre-writing skills with the tracing workbook.
I didn’t want to include any handwriting in the first part of the year until my preschooler can complete a good number of pages in the tracing workbook first.
The second part of the year is where there is a greater focus on writing, literacy and letter sounds as well as math.
It’s okay to deviate from this schedule and be flexible. That’s why I love homeschooling! As long as we do 1/2 hour to 1 hour each day, that is fine!
Final Thoughts on The Best Preschool Homeschool Curriculum
I hope this post has helped you in choosing the best preschool homeschool curriculum for your 3 year old I know there is so much out there to choose from and it can be overwhelming.
I love talking about homeschool curriculum! If you have any questions, feel free to leave them in the comment section below.
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- Hooked on Phonics Reviews – Our Experience
- Kindergarten Homeschool Schedule (With a Free Printable!)
- The 17 Best Books About Homeschooling That Made The List
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