How to select the best curriculum for your preschooler

Not all preschools follow the same curriculum for teaching!
As a parent, you must keep hearing about different kinds of preschool curriculums for homeschooling or while picking a preschool program for your child.
It can be quite overwhelming when deciding which curriculum is best for your child when they are in kindergarten.
Before deciding which curriculum is the best option for your child, it is important to understand what curriculum means and why it is important.

How to select the best curriculum for your child

In simple terms, a curriculum is a plan based on which a learning program or institution develops its learning materials.
There are various different curriculum programs that learning programs can follow.
As a parent, you can expect consistency in the teaching format based on the curriculum program you choose for your child.

Why is choosing the right curriculum important?

Choosing the right curriculum program for your child is especially important if you are intending on online homeschooling for your child because different curriculum methods have different styles of teaching.

Children have their own unique style of learning, so as a parent, it is important to choose a curriculum that fits best with your child’s needs.

When choosing a curriculum for your child, here are some questions that you must ask yourself:

Does this curriculum address my child’s unique needs?
Is the curriculum engaging for my child?
Do I agree with the assessment system that the curriculum has?
Is this curriculum design fit for my child’s linguistic and cultural background?

Let’s understand the different curricula!

7 popular curricula that most preschools follow

Montessori

The Montessori curriculum was started by the Italian physician and educator, Maria Montessori.

This preschool program undertakes a developmental approach to learning.The students are encouraged to master life skills at their own pace.

If your child is accustomed to a more rigorous and guided style of learning, then Montessori might not be for them.

A lot of learning occurs through special Montessori toys/tools called manipulatives, such as puzzles and blocks.

There is a lot of emphasis placed on teamwork and learning with hands-on experiences, instead of memorizing.

Waldorf

This curriculum style was designed by the Austrian educator, Rudolf Steiner.

This curriculum provides students with hands-on, play-based learning that happens in a home-like setting with predictable routines.

A conscious effort is made to keep the children away from electronic devices.

Such schools ensure that their pupils are involved in creative, hands-on group learning with a focus on rhythmic repetition in a supportive environment.

They follow a set routine which includes different activities like drawing, painting, singing, dancing, cleaning, cooking, stories, etc.

Emilia

This methodology was developed by Loris Malaguzzi in the mid 20th century in Italy.

This curriculum emphasizes learning based on feelings of respect, community, and responsibility and gives freedom to the children to make their own choices one learning.

Teachers are expected to play the role of facilitators who set up toys and tools to be explored by the children.

Students learn through art, projects, and activities that reflect their ideas and interests.

HighScope/ play-based

The HighScope curriculum adopts the approach of active participatory learning. A tenet of this method is the “plan-do-review” sequence.

Before beginning an activity, students actively create and express a plan for what they are setting out to do, who they’ll do it with, how it will go.

Once an activity is completed, they review how it went, taking ownership in the learning process.

It is argued that when children are learning through things using play instead of sitting and memorizing, they learn without even realizing it.

Bank Street/ Dewyn

This curriculum was designed by the philosopher and educator John Dewyn. It focuses on the child’s mental, physical, emotional, and social growth.

It is very much comparable to the play-based learning curriculum. The curriculum teaches lessons through hands-on activities like building blocks, puzzles, clay, and dramatic play.

Classroom-based curriculum

This methodology of teaching treats preschoolers as younger versions of school students and teaches them in a way that is very similar to how grade-schoolers study. Memorization and writing are the biggest emphases in this methodology.

Common curricular elements include recitation of the alphabet, memorization of elements such as animal names and sounds, names of fruits and vegetables, names of colors, names of states and capitals, etc.

Ideally, parents should opt for a learning program that is inspired by all of the above methodologies mentioned above.

This will ensure that the child is exposed to the benefits of all of the methodologies. Eg: Some elements of education are best-taught play-based, while others would require some degree of memorization.

The Flintoclass@HOME curriculum

Flintoclass is a research-based learning program that provides hands-on activities and pre-recorded guidance sessions to children between the ages of 1.5 to 6 years old.

Flintoclass@HOME curriculum is research-driven, child-centric, and aims to ensure that every child is provided with the best resources during the vital stages of development.

The curriculum is a culmination of methodologies including Playway, John Dewey, Waldorf, and Multiple Intelligence.

Children absorb concepts better through contextual learning.

Therefore, Flintoclass follows a theme-based curriculum that allows children to develop skills — such as literacy, numeracy, social-emotional, and physical — through relevant and meaningful content.

Watch this video to learn more about Flintoclass@HOME!

Conclusion

Early childhood is the most important phase of development.

Healthy early child development, which includes physical, social/emotional, and linguistic/cognitive development (each equally important), strongly affects the adulthood of children.

Early education plays a very influential role during this crucial period. Hence, as a parent, one should never compromise on the quality of education their child receives.

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