---
title: How to Choose a Preschool Curriculum
description: 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.
image: https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/Choosing%20the%20homeschool%20preschool%20curriculum.png
---

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    - [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)
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    - [Math worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-math-worksheets)
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    - [Cutting worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cutting-practice-worksheets)
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preschool curriculum

# How to Choose a 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](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/author/vida-mercer)

 Nov 3, 2022

---

One Google search is enough to see that there is an overwhelming amount of choices for preschool curricula. If you’ve chosen to undertake this portion of your child’s educational journey at home, you might be wondering [where to start](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/how-to-homeschool-a-preschooler) and how you will ever find the “perfect” needle in the proverbial curriculum haystack.

 

Well, no guarantees of perfection, however, here are a few tips from a seasoned veteran on how to narrow down your choices. If you apply these criteria, you’ll be a pro at spotting the quality educational resources over flash and fluff. 

## Know Your “Why”

#### Don’t do this:

If you’re like me when I was preparing to start preschool with my first, you’re excited to get out there and shop! There are *so many* adorable resources—ABCs and 123s, colors, and shapes. *And* so many of them are FREE, at least if you fork over your email. 

 But that’s also part of the problem—*everything* looks great. And before you know it, you’ve downloaded 2GB of worksheets and bought two different curricula because they both have things you think you can’t live without. This is not the way to have a [peaceful and successful preschool experience](https://kindergarten-prep.com/curriculum). Trust me, I know from experience.

 

#### Do this instead:

Before you even begin your curriculum search, take a few moments to center yourself. You’re going to get out a pen and paper and interview yourself about what is important to you for your child’s education. Here are some questions to get you started, but feel free to add any others that strike you:

- - What is my parenting style?
    - How do I want to approach structured activities with my child or situations where [my child is resistant to an activity](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/navigating-learning-resistance)?
    - What is my child’s learning style: visual, auditory, or kinesthetic? (Hint: This may not be fully developed yet, or it may be a combination of styles.)
    - Do I value child-led learning approaches? Parent-led? A combination?
    -  What are my top three goals (less is better!) for my child’s preschool experience? Here are some ideas, but these are not restrictive. They’re just to get you going!
      
          -  I want my child to be solidly on the path to reading.
          - I want my child to be ready for a traditional kindergarten experience.
          - I want my child to explore a wide range of subject matter.
          - I want to focus on life and social skills, and academics are less important.
          - I want to focus on academics. My child gets life and social skills already through daily living.
          - What does my child already know or will be likely to learn in the course of our daily lives? (In other words, if you have a relatively short amount of time to spend on structured academics each day, what topics would be a waste of your time? Extensive time spent on learning colors? What about community helper roles, like what a firefighter does?)

Armed with your answers to questions like these, you can begin your search from an informed and grounded position. Now, you’ll be much less likely to be swept off your feet by every cute workbook that comes your way!

 

## How to Weed Through The Rubbish

Now that you’re ready to start looking at preschool curricula, let’s go over some warning signs that material is more fluff than substance.

 

### Watch out for this:

#### Too many worksheets

Preschoolers are not writers. They learn through play, experience, trial and error, and repetition. It will take years of [fine-motor practice](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-skills-in-preschool) for them to be ready to write for any substantial amount of time. Preschool curricula based primarily on worksheets are attractive to *adults* but are often frustrating and ineffective in practice. Cute clipart does not make a good curriculum. Think twice about one that is solely or primarily based on worksheets.

#### Little support and explanation for parents

Now, you may be saying, “It is preschool after all. How much help do I need to teach this?” And you’re right. Everything may go quite smoothly, and you and your child may sail through the material with no struggles or difficulties. You may know exactly how you want to structure your day to get through all the material, how to incorporate activities for maximum educational effect, and how to modify objectives your child just isn’t “getting” to approach them in a different way. 

Or things might not go like that. [Quality educational resources](https://kindergarten-prep.com/curriculum) offer [teacher/parent resources to guide, support, and explain](https://kindergarten-prep.com/support-and-guidance) . . . just in case.

#### Too much busy work

This advice goes hand in hand with too many worksheets. But, here, you need to focus on the actual topics and learning objectives covered by the curriculum. Now, there is some personal preference involved here as well. I can’t give you a list of topics to look for and say, “If a curriculum covers *these* topics, they’re wasting your time!” Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. 

You should consider what your child already knows and what they are likely to learn in the course of your normal daily life. *Then*, look for a curriculum that *builds* on those things and takes them *further*. For example, curricula that spend four weeks covering which animals live on a farm might be fine for some families but fluff for you.

### Look for this instead:

#### Hands-on activities

Some worksheets that teach concepts *other than* writing—-pre-writing skills like tracing different shapes and lines, dot-to-dots, et cetera—are fine. Some little ones *love* the “real school” feel of completing a worksheet. But look for curricula that incorporate *lots* of hands-on activities. 

If you are going to download some free printables, here are some printed materials that are *better* than worksheets for preschoolers:

- - Charts
    - Maps
    - [Flashcards](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-printable-activities)
    - Posters
    - Song, poem, or nursery rhyme ideas
    - Book lists for parents
    - [Recipes](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cultural-cuisine-activity-with-your-preschooler)
    - [Activity or craft ideas with materials lists and instructions, etc.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/fun-preschool-science-projects-hands-on-learning-for-ages-3-5)

#### Parent guidance and support

Quality curricula will lay out a suggested schedule (even if you decide to chart your own course), provide a way of tracking progress, *and* provide a thorough explanation of the objectives and activities. This will allow you to cover all the material over the course of a standard school year (or less), see how your child is progressing through the objectives, and, most importantly, give you context on the *why* behind each learning activity.

Understanding the purpose and main objective behind individual learning activities will help you modify them if your child needs additional support grasping the concept, or extend them if your child is ready to take them further!

#### Foundational subjects and substantive topics

Look for a curriculum that doesn’t overreach by immediately throwing your preschooler into actual reading, writing, and math, but begins with a heavy focus on pre-reading, pre-writing, and pre-mathematics skills, then progresses from there.

Look for an introduction to real science concepts, not just crafts disguised as science. (A good curriculum will explain the science concepts that are incorporated in activities so that you can explain them to your child.) Look for topics that will be genuinely new for your preschooler, not an exhaustive study of things they may already know or will learn from other places (eg. community helpers or the sounds that animals make).

## Making a Choice You *and* Your Child Will Love

Above all, look for a curriculum that fits into the natural rhythms of your life and aligns with what you already know about your child and learning. Preschool should not take hours out of your day or require a ton of specialized equipment.

 

Play-based learning activities, hands-on activities, and short, frequent learning sessions—all these are signs of a quality preschool curriculum.

Want to learn more about creating the best possible home education experience for your little one, one that matches your values and vision? Then [learn more about Ready For Kindergarten And Beyond preschool curriculum.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/curriculum) 

[preschool curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tag/preschool-curriculum) [lesson planning](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tag/lesson-planning)

## Similar posts

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preschool curriculum

### [How to Create a DIY Preschool Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/at-home-preschool-curriculum-planning)

Learn how to plan, gather resources, and create your own preschool curriculum that's perfect for your child and fits your schedule!

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### [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

<https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/kindergarten-readiness-assessment>

kindergarten readiness

### [How You’ll Know Your Child Is Ready for Kindergarten](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/kindergarten-readiness-assessment)

Wondering if your little one is ready for the big transition? Here's what to look out for and how you can help them prepare.

 Vida Mercer  Nov 3, 2022

![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)

### 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)

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