Toddler Curriculum: Playing with a plan

       My daughter is a clever little two-year-old.  Kind, witty, and adorable, if I do say so myself.  That being said, she IS only two, which means there are countless things she needs to practice and learn.  Add to that the endless list of possibilities for activities (think Pinterest).... it can get very overwhelming, leaving you feeling not good enough and resulting in not as much fun or learning.  When I began feeling this way, the teacher in me screamed, "Get organized, woman!"  I started googling toddler curriculums and couldn't find any that met my wishes, so I made my own.

12 months

10 categories

 

Intended to introduce or incorporate specific practice of various concepts and skills.

 

All topics are very easily differentiated for various skill levels.

To download the full easier-to-read toddler plan for FREE through google docs, click on https://docs.google.com/document/d/1HXPAPfEHcI8P6oTGuYdUqGIX-WiZ23swLzc2No9Yoy0/edit?usp=drive_web

       Above is my plan for September through August.  One wonderful year of toddlerhood!  As you can see, each month consists of ten categories: Physical, Math, Letters, Language, Science, Social Studies, Art, Music, Life Skills, and Faith.  I pulled ideas from Montessori curriculums, kindergarten readiness lists, and just skills we use in our everyday lives, then adjusted to fit a two-year-old's realistic abilities and interests.  Some of the topics follow a logical flow of order month-to-month, while others are simply things I want to address at some point.       

       Now, I know what some of you are thinking.  "Curriculum" sounds advanced for a two-year-old and way too much work for you, but don't be detered!  Here's what I figure: I started doing this when my daughter was not even 2 1/2 years old yet.  I am not a delusional person - SHE'S 2!  I do not expect her to master these skills by the end of each month.  Sometimes she'll love it and sometimes she won't be interested yet.  But really, who cares?  My daughter is intelligent and likes to learn, but she can also be laid back and moves very much at her own pace (which is sometimes impressively fast and other times, like at her gymnastics class, more of a "Hey maaan" kind of slow).  Again, who cares?  At the very least, certain skills and concepts are being introduced.  That's the main goal here.  Not expertise, but introduction.

Implementation
       Here is how I use this toddler plan in real, everyday life: At the beginning of the month I jot down the month's ten categories and focuses.  It's not cute, it's not fancy... currently it's written in one of Claire's markers on a regular piece of paper taped to the wall in my tiny dining room that my usual chair faces.  This way I end up looking at it at least once a day and reviewing the list.  Some topics, like potty training or table manners, I will address frequently throughout the day.  Other topics, like living versus nonliving, I only end up addressing once or twice a week ([cough] or less).  It always varies because life is fun and things happen and oh well - she's 2.  As far as how I address a topic, that varies, too.  Sometimes I try to come up with a fun activity, and other times it's simply a one minute conversation on the post office and why we go there and where else we go in our town.  See?  Easy.

You Can Do It!
      In my opinion, the only hard part about following this curriculum (or another one) is our own expectations we set for ourselves.  Just keep telling yourself that you're making more of an effort than many, have fun with it, and play!  Oh, and keep reminding yourself of your kid's age.  That helps.  My personal goals for using this curriculum with my own daughter are simply to incorporate these topics into our play sometimes, so that she at least has had some exposure. 

       After this year is up, I plan on using this same curriculum (with a few tweaks) next year with more structure, because she will be able to grasp concepts and perform skills on a whole different level.  I spent a lot of time making this toddler curriculum and I am so pleased with how it turned out.  I hope my ideas help you in some way, too!