Toddler Faith-Based Homeschool Curriculum Freebie: Apple Sensory Lesson
Since I became a teacher 4 years ago, I wanted to make a difference in my students’ live (I think this goes without saying). I began to create resources, such as decorations, for my own classroom. One, as a means to save money and, two, as a creative outlet. It is there that I found my love for the creation of resources for educators! Fast forward a few years - I’m now a stay-at-home mom to my beautiful daughter as well as a business owner. I do not currently have plans to go back into the classroom, but will stay at home to homeschool! I am currently working on creating a faith-based curriculum for my daughter to use when she’s old enough, as well as for others who want to teach their children the essentials through the Word of God.
I’m super excited to announce my homeschool curriculum, currently in the works - “In His Garden: Faith-Based Learning”. I’ve always wanted to homeschool my children, as I was homeschooled, myself, when I was younger, and as I believe God calls us to use our talents to witness to others and further glorify His name, I want to use my experience in the creation of teacher resources to make a curriculum that other homeschoolers can use.
Keep reading to learn more about this curriculum, my plans for it, and to get August Week 1, Day 1 downloaded for FREE!
Freebie Info:
In this freebie, you’ll receive:
August Overview (information on what is taught during each week of August)
August Week 1 Overview (information on what is being taught during the first week of August)
August Week 1, Day 1 lesson/activity plan - this one is about an apple sensory bin
August Week 1 Bible verse
3 coloring sheets to supplement the learning
Curriculum Info:
I am currently working on a “curriculum” designed for toddlers, about 2.5 to 3 years old. I use quotation marks because “curriculum” is used very loosely here. Learning through play is THE best way for your toddlers to learn and experience the world, not by sitting down and doing worksheets. However, a lot of times, I know it’s hard thinking of things to do with our children. That being said, the curriculum I’m creating for toddlers is play-based, meaning there will be a sensory activity idea for them to play with each day. The goal is color, number, shape, and alphabet exposure (not mastery), which is something done in daycares anyways. This is done all in correlation with lessons from the Bible!
Here’s how it’s set up:
Every month has 4 weeks of lessons
3 days a week
A daily routine (morning prayer, calendar time, songs, and Bible verse of the week)
Coloring sheets based off the learning for that week
A sensory activity or whole body activity
Most of the activities will be with things most people already have in their house, such as craft supplies, paper, tape, food coloring, rice, etc. Not only this, but if you would prefer to just focus on one activity for the whole week, it will totally work that way, as well. It’s all about what you can do, as well as what your child is interested in. If you want to do the same activity over and over because they’re super into it, go for it!
The toddler curriculum will focus on pre-writing skills, which are foundational skills needed when they are of Prekindergarten and Kindergarten age. These pre-writing skills are not practiced through worksheets, but by sensory activities and other fun things to build hand muscles, hand-eye coordination, and upper body strength. On each lesson plan for the day is a list of pre-writing skills that are being focused on, so you can get a good idea of what you should help your child with.
There will also be tips to help you better teach your child, as well as information on pre-writing skills, pre-writing shapes, and great books to read to supplement your child’s learning. Ultimately, though, once all 12 months are released, I would like to offer videos to help, such as with letter pronunciation, how to read to your child to make it engaging, how to do certain activities, etc.
Interested? Grab August Week 1, Day 1 for FREE to check out the layout before you commit:
August Lesson Plans:
The August lesson plans for the toddler curriculum was recently released! Check it out below:
This curriculum is designed for 2.5-3 year-olds with the goal of helping to develop, through sensory and whole body activities, pre-writing skills, as well as exposure to phonics, number sense, shape and color recognition, and the Bible. These 4 weeks worth of lessons are centered around God, which means it is perfect for any faith-based classroom, regardless of whether you teach in a Christian or private school, a children's church program, Sunday School, or even homeschool.
Not only this, but content is included to help the adult to teach the child, with information about pre-writing skills, pre-writing shapes, letter sounds, and more.
This is designed to be 3 days a week, though the full curriculum (coming soon) will span over the course of all 12 months. It is meant to not only teach the Word of God, but to provide quality learning and sensory experiences necessary for your child’s development.
Release Date and More Curriculum:
The current expected release date for all 12 months worth of curriculum is Summer 2025, hopefully by July (God willing). However, I am releasing each month as I complete it, so you can still get the curriculum, just not all at once.
My plan is to continue upwards in age to Prekindergarten, Kindergarten, 1st grade, and so on. As my daughter grows, so will my curriculum. My certification is from Early Childhood-6th grade, so I’ll probably end the series when I reach that age range.
Along with the base curriculum, I have plans to do certain unit studies that can be combined with themes from the Bible, as well as lesson plans and activities for the holidays. For example, I could do a unit study on animal habitats alongside Noah’s Ark. Additionally, there can be lessons about thankfulness during Thanksgiving time.
Want More Homeschool Materials?
So far, as of the date of this blog post being published, I have posted several resources to help teach the alphabet using the Word of God. Check them out below if you’re interested!
This product features a Bible alphabet poster for your classroom, whether you teach in a Christian or private school, a children's church program, Sunday School, or even homeschool. The poster shows all 26 letters of the alphabet, which is a great way to save space. The pastel rainbow color is appealing, yet not overstimulating, and the font encourages and demonstrates proper letter formation. Not only this, but correct letter sounds are demonstrated, so your students will start off learning the alphabet on the right foot.
Why are these word representations better than other Bible alphabet posters?
It is VERY important to teach our students how to properly pronounce their letters, or they may have difficulty in the future with reading and writing. When you first learn the alphabet, it is best to learn the most common letter sounds first, which is why I chose these particular word representations.
Examples:
“A” sounds like “Adam”, not “Abraham”.
“E” sounds like “Exodus”, not “Egypt”.
“I” sounds like “Israelite”, not “Isaac”.
“S” sounds like “Serpent”, not “Shepherd”. (Shepherd says /sh/ at the beginning.)
“X” makes a /ks/ sound, not a /z/ sound, which is why I put “Ox” (/ŏ//ks/). I could have put Xerxes, but that starts with a /z/ sound! There are no native English words that begin with the letter X and make a /ks/ sound (we borrow them all from other languages), which is why, when teaching the letter “x”, it’s best to show a word where it ends in the /ks/ sound.
So, stay away from the posters and flashcards and other alphabet resources that have the WRONG letter sounds. Instead, download this one to start your students off on the right foot!
This product features ABC Bible alphabet flashcards for your classroom, whether you teach in a Christian or private school, a children's church program, Sunday School, or even homeschool. It goes through all 26 letters of the alphabet and gives a Bible verse that matches with the word representation. Also included are flashcards with no verses.
Why are these word representations better than other Bible alphabet posters?
It is VERY important to teach our students how to properly pronounce their letters, or they may have difficulty in the future with reading and writing. When you first learn the alphabet, it is best to learn the most common letter sounds first, which is why I chose these particular word representations.
Examples:
“A” sounds like “Adam”, not “Abraham”.
“E” sounds like “Exodus”, not “Egypt”.
“I” sounds like “Israelite”, not “Isaac”.
“S” sounds like “Serpent”, not “Shepherd”. (Shepherd says /sh/ at the beginning.)
“X” makes a /ks/ sound, not a /z/ sound, which is why I put “Ox” (/ŏ//ks/). I could have put Xerxes, but that starts with a /z/ sound! There are no native English words that begin with the letter X and make a /ks/ sound (we borrow them all from other languages), which is why, when teaching the letter “x”, it’s best to show a word where it ends in the /ks/ sound.
So, stay away from the posters and flashcards and other alphabet resources that have the WRONG letter sounds. Instead, download this one to start your students off on the right foot!
This product features individual ABC Bible alphabet posters for your classroom, whether you teach in a Christian or private school, a children's church program, Sunday School, or even homeschool. It goes through all 26 letters of the alphabet, giving THREE different font options so you can decide how best to teach your students how to properly form their letters. Additionally, each style of poster comes with a version with and without a Bible verse that matches the word. That's 156 posters!
Why are these word representations better than other Bible alphabet posters?
It is VERY important to teach our students how to properly pronounce their letters, or they may have difficulty in the future with reading and writing. When you first learn the alphabet, it is best to learn the most common letter sounds first, which is why I chose these particular word representations.
Examples:
“A” sounds like “Adam”, not “Abraham”.
“E” sounds like “Exodus”, not “Egypt”.
“I” sounds like “Israelite”, not “Isaac”.
“S” sounds like “Serpent”, not “Shepherd”. (Shepherd says /sh/ at the beginning.)
“X” makes a /ks/ sound, not a /z/ sound, which is why I put “Ox” (/ŏ//ks/). I could have put Xerxes, but that starts with a /z/ sound! There are no native English words that begin with the letter X and make a /ks/ sound (we borrow them all from other languages), which is why, when teaching the letter “x”, it’s best to show a word where it ends in the /ks/ sound.
So, stay away from the posters and flashcards and other alphabet resources that have the WRONG letter sounds. Instead, download this one to start your students off on the right foot!
Teach your students about their identity in Christ with these coloring and letter tracing sheets, whether you teach in a Christian or private school, a children's church program, Sunday School, or even homeschool. Each page features a Bible verse that goes along with that affirmation. With the letter tracing sheets, your students can practice both uppercase and lowercase letters.
While the coloring sheets can be appropriate for any age, the letter tracing sheets are more appropriate for children of Pre-kindergarten age and older. However, nothing is wrong with letter exposure. Just don’t expect a toddler to trace the letters correctly (and you shouldn’t force them to, either).
Want JUST the coloring sheets? Click here!
Want JUST the letter tracing? Click here!
Enjoy!
I hope you love your freebie!
Questions, comments, or concerns? Drop any of those below, or tag me on TikTok, Instagram, or Pinterest! My handle is @teachandachieve on all platforms. You can also fill out a form on the FAQ Page. I’ll get back to you as quickly as possible.
Until next time!
-Aimee ♡
