Weekly lesson plans for preschool students in Ms. Loretta and Marita’s classroom are available on our website. These plans cover the first-quarter learning period from October 1 through December 31, 2026.
🍂 PRESCHOOL TODDLER CURRICULUM
18–36 Months | October–December
Schedule: Monday–Thursday Planned Activities
Friday: Free Play, Exploration & Review
🍎 OCTOBER
WEEK 1 — APPLES
Big Idea: Explore apples through color, touch, smell, taste, and movement.
Vocabulary: apple • red • green • round • eat
Color: Red
Shape: Circle
Concept: One / More
MONDAY — Meet an Apple
Circle Time: Explore a real apple. Talk about its color and shape.
Book: Simple apple picture book
Song: “Way Up High in the Apple Tree”
Art: Red dot-painting on a large apple shape
Learning: Find red objects around the classroom
Sensory/Fine Motor: Basket of apples to touch, hold, and roll
Gross Motor: Roll red balls like apples
TUESDAY — Red & Green Apples
Circle Time: Compare red and green apples.
Book: Apple/color picture book
Song: Repeat apple-tree song with hand motions
Art: Red and green finger painting
Learning: Place red and green objects into matching containers
Sensory: Supervised apple water play
Gross Motor: Carry pretend apples to baskets
WEDNESDAY — Inside an Apple
Circle Time: Teacher cuts open an apple. Look at the skin, inside, and seeds.
Language: inside • seed • smell • apple
Art: Teacher-assisted apple stamping
Science/Sensory: Smell and safely taste apple pieces
Fine Motor: Place large red manipulative into an apple basket
Gross Motor: Bend down and “pick” pretend apples
THURSDAY — Apple Orchard
Circle Time: Review apple, red, green, and round.
Dramatic Play: Picking apples (pretend to reach up, pick an apple and take a bite)
Art: Class apple tree with children’s painted apples
Learning: One apple / more apples
Music & Movement: Pretend to be apple trees swaying in the wind
Outdoor: Apple/ball collection game
FRIDAY — FREE PLAY
Offer apple books, pretend foods, baskets, red/green toys, blocks, and favorite activities from the week.
🍁 OCTOBER WEEK 2 — FALL LEAVES
Big Idea: Notice seasonal colors and explore nature.
Vocabulary: leaf • fall • tree • yellow • brown
Colors: Yellow & Brown
Concept: Up / Down
MONDAY — Meet the Leaves
Circle: Look at real fall leaves.
Song: “Leaves Are Falling Down”
Art: Sponge-paint fall colors
Sensory: Safe leaf exploration
Gross Motor: Pretend to be falling leaves.
TUESDAY — Fall Colors
Circle: Look for yellow, orange, red, and brown.
Art: Large collaborative fall tree
Learning: Find yellow objects
Fine Motor: Place large fabric leaves into containers
Movement: Wave scarves like leaves.
WEDNESDAY — Crunchy Leaves
Science: Touch and listen to dry leaves.
Language: soft • crunchy • leaf
Art: Leaf rubbing/teacher-assisted leaf printing
Sensory: Fall nature bin
Gross Motor: Walk through supervised leaves and listen to the sounds.
THURSDAY — Leaves Up & Down
Circle: Practice “up” and “down” with leaves.
Music: Toss lightweight fabric leaves/scarves up and watch them fall.
Art: Sticker leaves on a tree picture
Learning: Up/down movement game
Outdoor: Look for leaves.
FRIDAY — FREE PLAY & REVIEW
🎃 OCTOBER WEEK 3 — PUMPKINS
Big Idea: Explore pumpkins and the color orange.
Vocabulary: pumpkin • orange • big • small • round
Color: Orange
Shape: Circle
Concept: Big / Small
MONDAY — Meet a Pumpkin
Explore real pumpkins. Roll, touch, and describe them.
Art: Orange painting
Music: Pumpkin song
Gross Motor: Roll balls/pumpkins.
TUESDAY — Big & Small
Compare large and small pumpkins.
Learning: Big/small sorting with safe objects
Art: Decorate paper pumpkins
Movement: Make body “BIG” and “small.”
WEDNESDAY — Inside the Pumpkin
Teacher opens a pumpkin.
Science: Observe inside, pulp, and seeds.
Sensory: Supervised pumpkin exploration
Language: inside • seed • soft
Art: Pumpkin printing.
THURSDAY — Pumpkin Patch
Create a pretend pumpkin patch.
Children collect pretend pumpkins and place them in baskets.
Art: Class pumpkin patch mural
Music & Movement: Pumpkin rolling game.
FRIDAY — FREE PLAY & REVIEW
👻 OCTOBER WEEK 4 — NOT-SO-SPOOKY HALLOWEEN
Big Idea: Enjoy friendly Halloween traditions through pretend play.
Vocabulary: costume • pumpkin • happy • silly • treat
Color: Black & Orange
Concept: Happy / Silly
MONDAY — Silly Faces
Look at happy and silly faces.
Mirror play and emotion imitation.
Create silly-face art.
TUESDAY
Halloween theme art day (Teacher’s choice)
WEDNESDAY — Friendly Halloween
Pumpkins, friendly ghosts, and seasonal music.
Art: Footprint/hand print Halloween picture
Sensory: Orange-and-black themed sensory play.
THURSDAY — Halloween Celebration
Dance party, bubbles, scarves, pumpkin play, and classroom parade.
FRIDAY — Halloween costume parade
Trick-or-treating.
🍂 NOVEMBER
WEEK 1 — FALL HARVEST & VEGETABLES
Vocabulary: corn • apple • carrot • food • eat
Colors: Yellow & Orange
Concept: In / Out
MONDAY
Explore pretend and real fall foods.
Place vegetables in and take them out of baskets.
TUESDAY
Explore corn. Touch the husk and kernels with close supervision.
Yellow collage art.
WEDNESDAY
Vegetable color exploration.
Pretend farmers market dramatic play.
Carry food to baskets.
THURSDAY
Harvest basket review.
Food songs, pretend cooking, sorting, and vegetable-print art.
FRIDAY — FREE PLAY
🐿️ NOVEMBER WEEK 2 — WOODLAND ANIMALS
Vocabulary: bear • squirrel • owl • bird • animal
Concept: Animal Sounds
MONDAY — Bears
Bear picture book, bear walking, teddy-bear play, and brown painting.
TUESDAY — Squirrels
Pretend to collect food for squirrels.
Place large safe objects into containers.
Practice “in/out.”
WEDNESDAY — School is closed (Veterans Day Holiday)
THURSDAY — Forest Adventure
Pretend classroom forest walk.
Move like bears, birds, and squirrels.
Review animal names and sounds.
FRIDAY — Owls and birds
Practice bird sounds.
Feather sensory exploration and feather painting.
🏠 NOVEMBER WEEK 3 — MY FAMILY & HOME
Vocabulary: mommy • daddy • family • home • love
Concept: Me / You
MONDAY — My Family
Talk about families using classroom family photos when available.
Song about families.
TUESDAY — My Home
Explore pictures of different homes.
Build houses using large blocks.
WEDNESDAY — People Who Love Me
Heart art project.
Practice names of important people.
THURSDAY — Helping at Home
Pretend cooking, cleaning, feeding dolls, and putting toys away.
Practice being a classroom helper.
FRIDAY — FREE PLAY
🦃 NOVEMBER WEEK 4 — THANKSGIVING & THANKFULNESS
Vocabulary: thank you • share • food • friend • family
Colors: Brown & Orange
MONDAY — Thank You
Practice saying/singing “thank you.”
Create hand-print art.
TUESDAY — Sharing
Practice rolling a ball to a friend and sharing classroom materials.
WEDNESDAY — Thanksgiving Foods
Explore pictures or safe examples of familiar foods.
Thanksgiving snacks served. Music, dancing, class friendship art, and review.
THURSDAY — School Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
FRIDAY — School Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday
❄️ DECEMBER
WEEK 1 — WINTER WEATHER
Vocabulary: winter • cold • coat • hat • warm
Concept: Cold / Warm
Color: Blue
MONDAY — Winter
Introduce winter pictures and vocabulary.
Blue-and-white painting.
TUESDAY — Winter Clothes
Explore hats, mittens, scarves, and coats.
Dress dolls for winter.
WEDNESDAY — Cold & Warm
Supervised sensory exploration of cool versus comfortably warm objects.
Practice saying “cold” and “warm.”
THURSDAY — Winter Day
Pretend winter walk.
Wear scarves and hats.
Dance to winter songs.
FRIDAY — FREE PLAY
⛄ DECEMBER WEEK 2 — SNOW & ICE
Vocabulary: snow • ice • cold • white • melt
Color: White
Shape: Circle
MONDAY — Snow
Explore cotton-ball/fabric “snow.”
White painting and snow songs.
TUESDAY — Ice
Supervised ice exploration.
Touch briefly and describe “cold.”
WEDNESDAY — Melting
Watch ice melt in a clear container.
Teacher language: “Ice…water!”
THURSDAY — Snowman
Explore circles and build a large classroom snowman using paper circles.
Snowball movement game using soft white balls.
FRIDAY — FREE PLAY
🎄 DECEMBER WEEK 3 — HOLIDAYS & TRADITIONS
Big Idea: Families may celebrate the season in different ways.
Vocabulary: family • light • music • gift • celebrate
Concept: Same / Different
Social-Emotional: Family traditions & belonging
MONDAY — Lights
Explore safe classroom lights and bright colors.
Create light-inspired dot art.
TUESDAY — Holiday Music
Listen and move to different seasonal songs.
Use bells or classroom instruments.
WEDNESDAY — Giving
Practice giving objects to friends and teachers.
Create a simple gift/artwork for families.
THURSDAY — Family Traditions and Cookie Decorating
Look at family/celebration pictures.
Talk simply about how families celebrate in different ways.
FRIDAY — Visit from Santa!
🎉 DECEMBER WEEK 4 — WINTER CELEBRATION & REVIEW
Vocabulary: happy • friend • play • music • winter
Concept: Review
MONDAY — Favorite Songs
Repeat children’s favorite songs and finger plays from October–December.
TUESDAY — Favorite Sensory Experiences
Bring back your favorite safe sensory activity.
WEDNESDAY — Favorite Art
Repeat or expand my favorite art experience.
Music, bubbles, dancing, favorite books, group art, and movement.
THURSDAY — School Closed for Christmas Holiday
FRIDAY — School Closed for Christmas Holiday
🎊 DECEMBER WEEK 5 — NEW YEAR & NEW BEGINNINGS
Big Idea: Celebrate a new year through music, movement, colors, and simple experiences about growing and trying new things.
Vocabulary: new • year • happy • baby • grow
Concept: New / Old
Colors: Gold, Silver & Bright Colors
MONDAY — Happy New Year 🎉
Circle Time: Introduce “New Year” in a very simple way. Talk about celebrating and being happy together.
Language: new • year • happy
Music: Play cheerful music and practice clapping to the beat.
Art: Dot-paint a colorful New Year picture.
Fine Motor: Place colorful large manipulatives into containers.
Gross Motor: Dance with scarves and ribbons.
TUESDAY — New Year Dance and Celebration Party!
WEDNESDAY — New Year Celebration 🥳
Circle Time: Review favorite songs, words, and activities.
Art: Create a simple classroom New Year mural.
Music: Favorite classroom songs and instruments
Movement: Dance party, bubbles, scarves, and movement games
Social-Emotional: Practice clapping for friends and celebrating together.
Class Activity: Take a class photo or create a simple keepsake for families.
THURSDAY — School Closed for New Year Celebration; FRIDAY — School Closed for New Year’s Day
