Steps for How to Make a Lesson Plan for Preschool
If you’re wondering how to make a lesson plan for preschool, creating engaging and effective activities is key to fostering a love of learning and building foundational skills. Be sure to read all our preschool lesson planning resources, offering practical tools, strategies, and tips to make the process stress-free and successful.
But more importantly, we’re going to outline the details of what to do before lesson planning, during lesson planning, and how to followup on them for best results.
Lesson planning for preschool isn’t just about organizing activities—it’s about creating meaningful learning experiences that cater to the unique needs of young children. And there’s a process for lesson planning that will help make your lessons useful and effective.
To have a clear vision on how to make lesson plans for preschool, there are a few steps to take before the actual writing, and there are certainly an order of operations for the writing process. We are not just slapping a few thematic activities together and calling them plans.
But no worries! This post will outline the exact format for writing the most effective preschool lesson plans so you can do your best teaching!
Read this: What to Include in Preschool Lesson Plans.
What Is a Preschool Lesson Plan?
A preschool lesson plan is a detailed guide that outlines the goals, activities, materials, and teaching strategies for a specific period of time.
These plans ensure that teachers cover key areas of early childhood development, such as language, cognitive skills, social-emotional growth, and motor skills. It also can include specific academic skills, like letter and numbers to be introduced.
A good lesson plan is flexible enough to adapt to children’s interests while ensuring that all necessary skills are addressed throughout the year.
Why Lesson Plans Are Important in Preschool
Preschoolers are naturally curious, and their interests often guide their play and learning. However, without a structured plan, important developmental areas might be overlooked. Lesson plans act as a roadmap, helping teachers:
- Ensure a balanced focus on all key developmental domains.
- Introduce a variety of activities to engage all types of learners.
- Set clear goals and assess whether children are progressing.
- Provide consistency and structure, which are critical for young children.
By blending structured plans with children’s interests, teachers can create a dynamic and effective learning environment.
Read this: 5 Things to Do Before Preschool Lesson Planning.
What to Do Before Writing Preschool Lesson Plans
The following are some important things to consider before writing lesson plans for preschoolers.
Before you begin writing a lesson plan, take the following steps:
- Understand Developmental Milestones: Familiarize yourself with the developmental stages of preschool-aged children. This will help you set realistic goals and choose age-appropriate activities that align with what children should be proficient in by the end of the year.
- Read this post about letter recognition milestones.
- Think About the Big Picture: Establish overarching goals for the year. A carefully written scope and sequence helps ensure that monthly goals build upon each other to achieve broader developmental milestones.
- Assess Your Students: Observe the children in your class to understand their interests, strengths, and areas for growth. Conduct informal assessments or have discussions with parents to gain insights into their current skill levels across areas like oral language, math readiness, motor skills, and social-emotional development.
- Keep a preschool portfolio and do formal preschool learning assessments three times a year to track progress. Also try these editable weekly learning reports. Parents love them!
- Review Curriculum Guidelines: If your preschool follows a specific curriculum or framework, align your plans with its goals to ensure you’re meeting required standards.
Steps for How to Make a Lesson Plan for Preschool
Lesson planning can be time consuming, so finding an approach that works is important because children’s education depends on effective lesson plans with excellent execution.
Thoughtfully curated lesson plans will ensure children have fun learning in developmentally appropriate ways, all while hitting benchmarks to prepare them for kindergarten.
Step 1. Planning Activities and Structure
Once you have a solid foundation, it’s time to plan the activities and lessons.
Choose a Theme
Preschoolers thrive on thematic learning. Choose a theme that aligns with their interests or the season. Choose an umbrella theme for the month and then divide that theme into subtopics for each week.
Here are a few examples of what that could look like:
Themes provide a cohesive structure and make learning more engaging. Check out all our preschool thematic activities!
Balance Activities
Plan a variety of activities to cover different developmental domains:
- Language and Literacy: Read alouds, storytelling, and letter recognition games.
- Math: Counting games, shape sorting, and pattern activities.
- Fine and Gross Motor Skills: Crafts, cutting with scissors, and outdoor play.
- Social-Emotional Skills: Role-playing, sharing games, and group discussions.
- Science and Exploration: Hands-on experiments, nature walks, and sensory play.
Allow for Student Choices
Incorporate opportunities for children to make their own choices throughout the day, such as during free-choice centers or when selecting materials for creative projects. Providing these opportunities helps children take ownership of their learning, explore their interests, and develop decision-making skills.
Encouraging independence and critical thinking not only fosters deeper engagement but also builds self-confidence as children see the value of their choices and actions. (See this article about Building Autonomy in Children). By creating a supportive environment that celebrates autonomy, you empower children to take initiative and develop a sense of responsibility for their learning journey.
Make a Schedule
Preschoolers have short attention spans. Alternate between active and quiet activities, and ensure transitions are smooth. Include time for free play, structured learning, snacks, and rest. Maintain flexibility in the schedule to adapt to children’s needs and interests, and don’t worry too much if you’re not “on schedule”
For help in creating a preschool schedule, grab our Preschool Schedules Guidebook.
Select Developmentally Appropriate Activities
Preschoolers learn best through hands-on, interactive experiences. Prioritize games and activities over worksheets, and design tasks that cater to their shorter attention spans and need for movement and play.
If you’re looking for more information about this, read the NAEYC’s position paper on Developmentally Appropriate Practice in Early Childhood.
Gather Materials
At the top of your lesson plan, list all the materials you’ll need, from art supplies to storybooks. Having everything ready in advance minimizes disruptions.
Step 2. Writing the Lesson Plan
Organize your lesson plan into a clear and practical format. Include these sections:
- Objective: What skill or knowledge will children gain?
- Materials Needed: A checklist of supplies.
- Activity Description: Step-by-step instructions for the activity.
- Assessment: How will you evaluate whether the children achieved the goal? (e.g., observation, completed craft, or verbal responses.)
- Adaptations: Consider how you’ll modify the activity for children with different needs or abilities.
Read this: Preschool Lesson Planning Tips.
Step 3. Follow-Up and Reflection
After implementing your lesson plan, it’s crucial to reflect on its effectiveness:
Evaluate Engagement
Assess whether the children were actively engaged during the activities. Look for signs of excitement, participation, and sustained interest. Note if certain activities sparked more enthusiasm than others, and consider why they were successful.
Assess Learning Outcomes
Determine if the children achieved the lesson’s objectives. For example, if the goal was for children to identify three shapes, observe whether they can recognize and name those shapes consistently. Record both group progress and individual achievements.
Gather Feedback
Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal cues from the children about their enjoyment or challenges with the activities. Keep a journal of this feedback. Discuss with co-teachers or aides to get their observations and insights.
Adjust Future Plans
Use your observations to refine and improve future lesson plans. If an activity didn’t work as expected, identify the reasons—was it too challenging, not engaging enough, or poorly timed? Modify or replace such activities with alternatives that better suit your students’ needs and interests.
Track Trends
Over time, look for patterns in what works well and what doesn’t. This can change as children mature throughout the year, and it can vary from year to year. Use this data to inform long-term planning, ensuring consistent progress across all developmental areas.
Read this: How to Create Toddler Lesson Plans.
Get a Free Preschool Lesson Plans Sample
Still wondering how to make a lesson plan for preschool and thinking it’s helpful to have a an actual example? Grab a free sample below.
I’m Sarah, an educator turned stay-at-home-mama of five! I’m the owner and creator of Stay At Home Educator, a website about intentional teaching and purposeful learning in the early childhood years. I’ve taught a range of levels, from preschool to college and a little bit of everything in between. Right now my focus is teaching my children and running a preschool from my home. Credentials include: Bachelors in Art, Masters in Curriculum and Instruction.
