--- title: How to Create a DIY Preschool Curriculum description: Learn how to plan, gather resources, and create your own preschool curriculum that's perfect for your child and fits your schedule! image: https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/creating%20a%20DIY%20preschool%20curriculum.png --- [![Kindergarten Prep](https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/delivery%202.png)](https://kindergarten-prep.com) - [KG-READINESS TEST](https://kindergarten-prep.com/kindergarten-readiness-assessment) - [KINDY](https://kindy.kindergarten-prep.com/) - HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM - [Preschool & Pre-K Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum) - [For 3-Year-Olds](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds) - [For 4-Year-Olds (Pre-K)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-4-year-olds) - [Play-Based & Hands-On](https://kindergarten-prep.com/play-based-preschool-homeschool-curriculum) - [Secular](https://kindergarten-prep.com/secular-preschool-homeschool-curriculum) - [Autism, ADHD & Speech Delay](https://kindergarten-prep.com/homeschool-curriculum-for-autism) - FREE WORKSHEETS - [All worksheets by theme](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-printable-activities) - [Name tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/name-tracing-worksheets) - [Dot marker worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/dot-marker-printables) - [Tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tracing-worksheets) - [Math worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-math-worksheets) - [Fine motor worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-activities) - [Cutting worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cutting-practice-worksheets) - RESOURCES - [Letter activities](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/letter-activities-for-preschoolers) - [About us](https://kindergarten-prep.com/about-us) [Log in](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com/) preschool curriculum # How to Create a DIY Preschool Curriculum Learn how to plan, gather resources, and create your own preschool curriculum that's perfect for your child and fits your schedule! [Vida Mercer](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/author/vida-mercer) Nov 3, 2022 ---   When it came time to start preschool with my youngest daughter, I wanted to create the curriculum myself. No big deal, right? This is preschool, after all. How hard can it be? Then, I started researching! How many subjects are too many? How do I organize everything? Where do I get high-quality resources? How do I make a schedule? What *is* a scope and sequence?! After about an hour on Google, I was ready to just throw my hands up and buy a curriculum. But I didn’t. I got more coffee, and I persisted. I learned a thing or two along the way. Now, I know that, with a systematic approach, putting together your own preschool curriculum can be a lot easier (if a bit time-consuming) than I thought it was going to be. So, I’m sharing the best tips I have so that you can shortcut all the trial and error and get straight to learning with your little one. Alternatively, you can use the homeschool preschool curriculum I've created, which is available for free.  ## Plan the big picture first Before diving into the details, you *have* to commit to a big-picture plan. If you don’t, you will be distracted by every new resource that pops up on IG. You have to decide what general subjects you are going to teach. Subjects usually group themselves neatly into one of three categories. Here are some examples:   | #### Academic | #### Life-Skills | #### Extracurricular | | --- | --- | --- | | Math | Social/Emotional Skills | Art | | Language | Motor Skills | Music | | Phonics | Character/Habit Training | Foreign language | | Science | Religious Instruction | Dance | | Social Studies | Cognitive Skills | Sport | This is the hard part. Don’t pick them all! Here are two guiding questions to keep in your mind as you consider them:   - - What subjects does my child need structured support with in order to really progress? - What subjects are not adequately covered already in the course of our daily lives? For example, it might be tempting to include art in your curriculum. But does your child really *need* structured support for art at this age? Preschoolers tend to spend a good chunk of time making art anyway, *and* [projects](https://kindergarten-prep.com/fun-preschool-science-projects-hands-on-learning-for-ages-3-5) for other subjects will incorporate a lot of painting and crafts. So, why make it a separate thing? You’ll, likely, be doing enough of it already.   The same goes for science and social studies. If you’re [reading lots of good books](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/how-to-get-your-preschooler-excited-about-reading) to your preschooler and answering their burning questions, there is probably no reason to add these subjects, separately, to your routine. Maybe throw in a fun science-y project now and then and call it good. Think quality over quantity, because preschoolers learn best with short, frequent learning sessions. Packing in too many subjects risks:   - - overwhelm (for both of you), or - not circling back to the same subject frequently enough to have an impact. Less is more!   ## Select your resources and materials Here’s another golden nugget of advice for you that will probably seem counterintuitive—put the worksheets down and back away!   Worksheets are attractive preschool resources because they *look* fun (to us adults), make us *feel* like we are doing something educational, and give *us* a reassuring tangible record that we have accomplished something. They are misleading at best, damaging to your child’s love of learning at worst, and (most likely) distractors from more valuable learning activities.   Better options? [Hands-on materials that you can use to count (math skills), flashcards to practice letter recognition and sounds (phonics)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-printable-activities), and household items that get your child ready to conquer a stack of worksheets *one day* (fine motor skills)*.* Here’s how to know what you need: - 1. Create a scope and sequence for each subject you’ll be teaching. This fancy phrase just means a list of individual skills or learning objectives you want to cover and the order you will cover them in. (For example: letter recognition; then main sounds of consonants; then short sounds of vowels; etc.) How do you know how to do this? Try one of these techniques: -  Google “preschool scope and sequence” for each subject you want to teach. -  Google “pre-math skills”, “pre-reading skills”, “pre-writing skills”, etc. and place them in a logical order - Look at the Table of Contents for any preschool curriculum and see what is covered and what order things are placed in. 2. After placing your skills and objectives in a logical order, select a variety of learning activities that will cover each one. Try to pick activities that span different learning styles: visual, auditory, kinesthetic, etc. Consider your individual child here and choose activities you know will be appealing and engaging to *them*. 3. Gather the materials necessary to complete your activities. The good thing about preschool is that you probably already have a ton of the materials around your home or in your child’s toy box. Other items, like flashcards or charts, can be easily found as free downloads. So, here’s the caveat. *Some* worksheets can be beneficial if used sparingly and for objectives *other than* writing. This is why you’re Googling *pre-writing* skills—because your preschooler is, more than likely, not ready to write for any length of time yet. This is, also, why those workbooks where your child is copying letter after letter are not age-appropriate and will likely [lead to frustration](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/navigating-learning-resistance).  However, a well-timed connect-the-dots page for number recognition or circle-the-items-that-are-the-same page can help reinforce other concepts *and* give a little fine motor skills practice.  Here’s your guiding principle: Use worksheets sparingly and never as an attempt to elicit a great deal of *writing*. If you want a [record of what your child is learning and doing in preschool](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/how-to-create-a-preschool-portfolio), keep a journal and/or photo diary instead. ## Plan your schedule As I mentioned, short, frequent learning sessions are key, but this doesn’t need to take a lot of dedicated time out of your day. This is another wonderful part of teaching your preschooler at home, learning activities can be worked into daily activities more often than not. Recite your ABCs in the car. Count the eating utensils while you empty the dishwasher together.   One approach is to make a list of objectives or activities you would like to cover during the day and look for opportunities to work them in. If you feel like you need a little more structure than this, try scheduling 10- to 15-minute blocks of time three to four times a day where you focus on a different subject. Regardless of how structured you are or are not, it *is* a good idea to develop a reading [routine](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/5-daily-routines-that-help-your-child-transition-smoothly-into-kindergarten): first thing in the morning over cereal, at naptime, before bedtime, and all of the above! Find a time that works for you to make [sharing a book a regular part of your day](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/how-to-get-your-preschooler-excited-about-reading). Here is the single most important tip I have for you about scheduling . . . stay flexible! Know that whatever incredible plan you make at the outset is untested. Your child may have very different ideas about when and how they are ready to engage with learning. Don’t try to swim upstream. Be open to shifting and adjusting when and how you approach the learning process in order to make it work for both you and your child. The result will be more learning and, most importantly, a better experience for you both. If you would like to learn more, consider our comprehensive, done-for-you holistic preschool curriculum, which guides you through all aspects of preschooling your child at home.   [preschool curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tag/preschool-curriculum) [lesson planning](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tag/lesson-planning) ## Similar posts preschool curriculum ### [How to Choose a Preschool Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/homeschool-preschool-curriculum) Are you looking for the best homeschool preschool curriculum? Here's how to pick a high-quality curriculum that will fit your child and your goals. Vida Mercer Nov 3, 2022 Curriculum Mindset Session ### [How to Praise Your Preschooler: Boost Confidence and Nurture Growth (Week 11)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/how-to-praise-your-preschooler) Master the art of praising young children with intention. These tips help you boost confidence, support emotional development, and nurture curiosity. Vida Mercer Oct 21, 2025 Curriculum Mindset Session ### [Is Your Child Emotionally Ready for Kindergarten? How to Know + What to Do (Week 19)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/is-your-child-emotionally-ready-for-kindergarten) Wondering how to emotionally prepare your preschooler for kindergarten? Discover signs of readiness, practical tips, and when to consider waiting a... Vida Mercer Oct 21, 2025 ![Untitled design (66)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/Untitled%20design%20(66).png) Kindergarten Prep helps parents give their three to five year olds a strong start at home: through play, conversation and hands-on moments, guided with intention. ### Menu - [Kindy](https://kindy.kindergarten-prep.com/) - [Log in](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com) - [KG-readiness quiz](https://kindergarten-prep.com/kindergarten-readiness-assessment) - [About us](https://kindergarten-prep.com/about-us) ### Compare - [Kindy vs ABCmouse](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-abcmouse) - [Kindy vs Khan Academy Kids](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-khan-academy-kids) - [Kindy vs Time4Learning](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-time4learning) - [Kindy vs The Good and the Beautiful](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-the-good-and-the-beautiful) - [Kindy vs The Peaceful Preschool](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-the-peaceful-preschool) - [Kindy vs Blossom and Root](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-blossom-and-root) - [See all comparisons](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare) ### Free worksheets - [Name tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/name-tracing-worksheets) - [Dot marker worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/dot-marker-printables) - [Tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tracing-worksheets) - [Math worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-math-worksheets) - [Fine motor worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-activities) - [Cutting worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cutting-practice-worksheets) ### Homeschool curriculum - [Preschool & Pre-K Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum) - [For 3-Year-Olds](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds) - [For 4-Year-Olds (Pre-K)](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-4-year-olds) - [Play-Based & Hands-On](https://kindergarten-prep.com/play-based-preschool-homeschool-curriculum) - [Secular](https://kindergarten-prep.com/secular-preschool-homeschool-curriculum) - [Autism, ADHD & Speech Delay](https://kindergarten-prep.com/homeschool-curriculum-for-autism) © 2023+ Kindergarten Prep All rights reserved      [Privacy Policy](https://kindergarten-prep.com/privacy-policy) | [Refund Policy](https://kindergarten-prep.com/refund-policy) | [Terms and Conditions](https://kindergarten-prep.com/terms-of-service) [Powered by Atlas - a B2B SaaS HubSpot theme](https://www.kalungi.com/atlas-hubspot-theme-for-b2b-saas-software) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Vida Mercer", "url" : "https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/author/vida-mercer" }, "dateModified" : "2025-11-09T08:20:09.273Z", "datePublished" : "2022-11-03T06:09:49.000Z", "headline" : "How to Create a DIY Preschool Curriculum", "image" : [ "https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/creating%20a%20DIY%20preschool%20curriculum.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/at-home-preschool-curriculum-planning", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/delivery%202-2.png" }, "name" : "Import Group OÜ" } } ```