---
title: Preschool Homeschool Curriculum for 3-Year-Olds | Kindy
description: A gentle, complete preschool homeschool curriculum for 3-year-olds, placed by what your child can do today. It grows into pre-K on its own. 7 days free.
---

[![Kindergarten Prep](https://kindergarten-prep.com/hubfs/delivery%202.png)](https://kindergarten-prep.com?hsLang=en)

- [KG-READINESS TEST](https://kindergarten-prep.com/kindergarten-readiness-assessment?hsLang=en)
- [KINDY](https://kindy.kindergarten-prep.com/)
- HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM
  
    - [Preschool & Pre-K Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)
    - [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?hsLang=en)
    - [Play-Based & Hands-On](https://kindergarten-prep.com/play-based-preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)
    - [Secular](https://kindergarten-prep.com/secular-preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)
    - [Autism, ADHD & Speech Delay](https://kindergarten-prep.com/homeschool-curriculum-for-autism?hsLang=en)
- FREE WORKSHEETS
  
    - [All worksheets by theme](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-printable-activities?hsLang=en)
    - [Name tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/name-tracing-worksheets?hsLang=en)
    - [Dot marker worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/dot-marker-printables?hsLang=en)
    - [Tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tracing-worksheets?hsLang=en)
    - [Math worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-math-worksheets?hsLang=en)
    - [Fine motor worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-activities?hsLang=en)
    - [Cutting worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cutting-practice-worksheets?hsLang=en)
- RESOURCES
  
    - [Letter activities](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/letter-activities-for-preschoolers?hsLang=en)
    - [About us](https://kindergarten-prep.com/about-us?hsLang=en)

[Log in](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com/)

Homeschool preschool · age 3

# A preschool homeschool curriculum for 3-year-olds that starts gently and grows with your child

At three, your child is learning to hold a conversation, play make-believe, wait for their turn, snip with scissors and count the crackers on the plate. That is the curriculum. Kindy knows what 3 looks like, starts from what your child can already do, and hands you one small way forward each day, inside the moments you already have.

[Start your free week](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com/?start=quiz&utm_source=kp-curriculum&utm_campaign=preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds&utm_content=hero)

Free for 7 days, then $9.99 a month. It starts with a short check of what your child can already do. Cancel in one tap.

![Kindy on a phone, showing today's skill and activity for a child](https://kindergarten-prep.com/hs-fs/hubfs/printables/page/kindy-today-iphone17.png?width=300&height=649&name=kindy-today-iphone17.png)

The question under the search

## Is 3 too early for a curriculum? Not if the curriculum knows what 3 looks like.

Most of the worry about starting at three comes from picturing the wrong thing: a small child at a table with a worksheet. That is not what three is for, and the research agrees. At this age children learn through play, through talk, and through doing real things with a grown-up who pays attention.

Letters and numbers are part of the year. They arrive through songs, stories, cereal boxes and snack time, in the order children really learn them, when your child shows interest. A good curriculum for a 3-year-old does not push. It notices what your child is ready for next, and gives you one small way to get there.

## What a 3-year-old is working on this year

Here is what most children can do around 3, where they are heading by 4, and what Kindy works on with a child at this stage. The lines come from the CDC's developmental milestones, written in plain words.

Every child moves at their own pace. These are directions of travel, not deadlines.

💬

### Talking and listening

**Around 3:** talks well enough that people outside the family understand most of it. Holds a short back-and-forth. Asks who, what, where and why, all day.

**By 4:** says sentences of four or more words, tells you about something that happened today, answers simple questions, says some words from a favorite song or story.

**In Kindy at this age:** walk-and-talk games, retelling the story you just read, rhymes and silly word play.

📖

### Letters and early reading

**Around 3:** knows a letter or two, often from their own name. Wants the same book every night and turns the pages.

**By 4:** recognizes more letters, hears that words rhyme, knows what comes next in a well-known story, notices print on signs and boxes.

**In Kindy at this age:** the ABC song on the chart, letter hide-and-seek on a cereal box, sound play. Letter sounds arrive when your child shows they are ready.

🔢

### Numbers and early math

**Around 3:** counts a few things out loud, sometimes skipping one. Knows "more" and "less" and "same".

**By 4:** counts a small group one by one and knows the last number says how many, names a few colors and shapes, sorts by one feature.

**In Kindy at this age:** kitchen counting, dice dots and block towers, sorting at cleanup. Small numbers, real things.

✌️

### Little hands (fine motor)

**Around 3:** strings items together, turns pages one at a time, grips a crayon with the whole hand, snips with scissors, draws a circle when shown.

**By 4:** holds a crayon between fingers and thumb, unbuttons some buttons, draws a person with three or more parts, cuts along a line with help.

**In Kindy at this age:** tearing and gluing, clothespins, tweezers, pouring and scooping. The play that builds a pencil grip before there is a pencil.

❤️

### Feelings and friends

**Around 3:** notices other children and joins them. Plays next to them more than with them. Calms down within about ten minutes after you leave.

**By 4:** pretends to be something else in play, likes to be a helper, comforts a friend who is hurt or sad, changes behavior based on where they are.

**In Kindy at this age:** feelings songs, a feelings word of the day, taking turns in a game, saying goodbye and coming back.

🧩

### Thinking and problem solving

**Around 3:** does simple puzzles, matches things that go together, asks "why?" about everything.

**By 4:** names a few colors, tells what comes next in a story, sorts by shape or color, tries again when something does not work.

**In Kindy at this age:** "what happens next?" games, sorting and matching, wondering out loud together.

🎯

### Focus and self-control

**Around 3:** stays with one thing for a few minutes, then moves on. Follows a one-step direction.

**By 4:** sits for a short story, follows a two-step direction, waits a moment instead of grabbing, follows a simple routine.

**In Kindy at this age:** it grows inside every activity, because each one asks for a few minutes of calm attention with you.

Placed by ability, not by "3"

## Kindy does not start your child at "the 3-year-old level".

A short check of what your child can already do places them on every skill, and the plan starts there. A 3-year-old who already knows all the letters gets letter sounds. A 3-year-old who is not interested in letters yet gets rhymes, stories and talk, and the letters come when they are ready. Strong in numbers, still working on scissors? The plan gives exactly that mix.

No pushing. No holding back. Birthdays do not decide. Your child does.

Gently, inside your day

## At three, ten good minutes is plenty. The research says so.

A 3-year-old's guided attention runs about five to ten minutes, and the moms who have homeschooled this age say the same: a short guided activity, then free play, outdoors and read-alouds. Kindy is built for exactly that. It opens with one activity a day, most of them inside moments you already have: the walk, cleanup, snack, bathtime, the same book again.

On a big-energy morning, do more, up to five across different areas. On a hard day, one still counts. Nothing is scheduled for a Tuesday. Everything is scheduled for your child.

## A day with a 3-year-old, in Kindy

Five real Kindy activities from five areas, for a child around three. Yours will differ, because every one is picked for your child. At this age most of the plan looks like this. Letters and sounds grow as your child shows they are ready.

*little hands* 5 to 10 minSkill: Tears paper with two hands

### Rip-and-stick collage

Give your child strips of paper to tear into pieces, then glue the pieces onto a sheet to make a collage. Tearing takes two hands working against each other, which is the point.

**You need:** colored paper or an old magazine, glue, a sheet of paper

*thinking* 5 minSkill: Sorts objects by one feature

### Sort toys at cleanup

Turn cleanup into a sorting game: blocks go in one bin, stuffed animals in another. Same bins, same places, every time.

**You need:** the toys already on the floor

*numbers* 5 minSkill: Counts small groups one by one

### Kitchen counting

Let your child count along as you cook: scoops of flour, the eggs left in the carton, the cups you set on the table. Small numbers, real things, one touch per number.

**You need:** whatever you are cooking

*letters* 5 minSkill: Recognizes letters by name

### Meet the letter A on the ABC chart

Once a day, say the ABCs on your chart from start to finish, pointing to each letter as you go. Then ask your child to find one letter and trace it with a finger.

**You need:** an ABC chart, or the printable

*talking* 10 minSkill: Takes turns in a back-and-forth conversation

### Walk and talk together

Talk about what your child looks at. Follow their eyes, name it, add one word, and leave room for them to answer. New words stick to things you spotted together.

**You need:** a walk, any walk

🌟 Nailed it🙂 Almost🌱 Not yet

After each one, you tap how it went. "Not yet" brings the skill back another day, often through a different activity. Three "Nailed it"s and it is mastered, and it returns now and then for a quick review, so it sticks.

[Start your free week](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com/?start=quiz&utm_source=kp-curriculum&utm_campaign=preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds&utm_content=day)

The whole two years, already mapped

## Start here. It grows into pre-k on its own.

Kindy is one curriculum for the year you start and the year before kindergarten: 218 skills across 7 areas, sequenced by early childhood specialists and mapped to the CDC's developmental milestones. You start where your child is. It moves into pre-k skill by skill, without switching programs or buying the next book.

Kindy works out your child's kindergarten start from their birthday and paces the plan to that first day, so the skills that matter most get the most time, and the gentle year is never a wasted one. The early skills are the ones the later skills are built on.

What you can stop worrying about

## You do not have to figure out the order. That part is done.

You do not have to choose a letter of the week. You do not have to know which skill comes first, or wonder whether you are covering enough, or too much. The map is built, the order is set, and every activity tells you what to do, what to say, and why it matters.

Your part is the part only you can do: being the person your child wants to show things to. Bring your own ideas and materials too. Log them, tie them to the skill, and they count toward the same plan.

## Who designed the curriculum

![Vida Mercer](https://kindergarten-prep.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Vida%20Mercer%20Kindergarten%20Prep.png?width=200&height=200&name=Vida%20Mercer%20Kindergarten%20Prep.png)

### Vida Mercer

Lead curriculum designer · early childhood consultant since 2005

Kindy's curriculum is written and sequenced by early childhood specialists, led by Vida Mercer, working from research on how three, four and five year olds develop. Every skill is mapped to the CDC's developmental milestones and placed in the order children really learn it, so nothing important is skipped and nothing is asked before your child is ready. Each skill comes with several hands-on activities, and the same skill comes back in different ways until it sticks. That is how children this age learn best: one good thing, many times, with you. [Read more about us](https://kindergarten-prep.com/about-us?hsLang=en)

## Price

**7 days free, then $9.99 a month.**  
Each additional child: $4.99 a month, with their own plan.  
We email you before your card is charged. Cancel anytime in the app.

[Start your free week](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com/?start=quiz&utm_source=kp-curriculum&utm_campaign=preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds&utm_content=price)

## Questions moms of 3-year-olds ask us

Is 3 too early to start a preschool curriculum?

Not if the curriculum knows what 3 looks like. At three, the work is talking, pretend play, feelings, small hands and small numbers, with letters entering through interest. Kindy is built that way, and it starts from what your child can already do, so nothing is asked before they are ready. If your child is not into an activity today, you skip it or swap it, and it comes back another time.

How long should we do school each day with a 3-year-old?

About ten minutes of guided play is plenty at this age, and that is what the research and experienced homeschool moms both say. Kindy opens with one activity a day. On a big-energy morning, do more, up to five across different areas. On a hard day, one still counts. The rest of the day is free play, outdoors and read-alouds, and that is learning too.

My 3-year-old will not sit still. Will this work?

Yes. Almost nothing in Kindy at this age happens sitting down. Activities live inside cleanup, snack, the walk, the bath and the same book again. Sitting still is not required at three, and it is not the point.

Should we be doing letter of the week?

Not necessarily. At three, most children are learning letter names through songs, their own name and print they notice around them. Kindy introduces letters one at a time when your child shows they are ready, and sounds come after names. A child who already knows the letters moves straight on to sounds.

Should my 3-year-old be writing?

No. At three the pencil grip is still forming, and children this age usually hold a crayon with the whole hand. Kindy builds the hand first: tearing, clothespins, tweezers, pouring and scooping. Tracing and writing come later, when the grip is ready.

What if my child already knows their letters or counts to 20?

Then Kindy skips what they know. The placement check finds where your child is on every skill, so a 3-year-old who knows the letters gets letter sounds, and a strong counter gets "how many" and simple patterns. Nothing is held back because of age.

What about my 2-year-old?

Kindy is built for the two years before kindergarten, roughly ages 3 to 5, but it works from ability, not age. You can take the placement check for a younger child. It will show honestly what they can do now and whether the plan fits yet. Many children close to 3 fit already.

Do I need to buy anything?

Mostly no. Activities use what you already have: paper, crayons, blocks, snacks, books, the toys on the floor. Some activities come with an optional printable.

Does it grow into pre-k, or do we switch programs?

It grows. Kindy is one curriculum for the whole two years before kindergarten, 218 skills across 7 areas in the order children learn them. You start where your child is, and it moves into pre-k skill by skill, without switching or buying the next book.

How does the free week work?

Start with the short check of what your child can already do, then begin your free week. You get the full curriculum for 7 days. We email you before your card is charged, and you can cancel anytime in the app.

## More for your situation

The same curriculum, explained for where you are starting from.

[**The complete curriculum**Every skill for the two years before kindergarten, built around your child.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)[**For 4-year-olds (pre-k)**Paced to the first day of kindergarten, with what teachers hope for at the door.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-curriculum-for-4-year-olds?hsLang=en)[**Play-based and hands-on**A skill under every game, for the child who will not sit still.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/play-based-preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)[**Secular**No religious content, compared side by side with other secular options.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/secular-preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)[**Autism, ADHD and speech delay**A curriculum that moves at your child's pace, whatever that pace is.](https://kindergarten-prep.com/homeschool-curriculum-for-autism?hsLang=en)

Looking ahead

## Two years from now, your child walks into kindergarten ready.

It starts this year, with ten gentle minutes and the two of you. See where your child is today, for free, and what the first small step would be.

[Start your free week](https://app.kindergarten-prep.com/?start=quiz&utm_source=kp-curriculum&utm_campaign=preschool-curriculum-for-3-year-olds&utm_content=end)

Free for 7 days, then $9.99 a month. It starts with a short check of what your child can already do.

![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)
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- [About us](https://kindergarten-prep.com/about-us?hsLang=en)

### Compare

- [Kindy vs ABCmouse](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-abcmouse?hsLang=en)
- [Kindy vs Khan Academy Kids](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-khan-academy-kids?hsLang=en)
- [Kindy vs Time4Learning](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-time4learning?hsLang=en)
- [Kindy vs The Good and the Beautiful](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-the-good-and-the-beautiful?hsLang=en)
- [Kindy vs The Peaceful Preschool](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-the-peaceful-preschool?hsLang=en)
- [Kindy vs Blossom and Root](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare/kindy-vs-blossom-and-root?hsLang=en)
- [See all comparisons](https://kindergarten-prep.com/compare?hsLang=en)

### Free worksheets

- [Name tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/name-tracing-worksheets?hsLang=en)
- [Dot marker worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/dot-marker-printables?hsLang=en)
- [Tracing worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/tracing-worksheets?hsLang=en)
- [Math worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/preschool-math-worksheets?hsLang=en)
- [Fine motor worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/fine-motor-activities?hsLang=en)
- [Cutting worksheets](https://kindergarten-prep.com/blog/cutting-practice-worksheets?hsLang=en)

### Homeschool curriculum

- [Preschool & Pre-K Curriculum](https://kindergarten-prep.com/preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)
- [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?hsLang=en)
- [Play-Based & Hands-On](https://kindergarten-prep.com/play-based-preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)
- [Secular](https://kindergarten-prep.com/secular-preschool-homeschool-curriculum?hsLang=en)
- [Autism, ADHD & Speech Delay](https://kindergarten-prep.com/homeschool-curriculum-for-autism?hsLang=en)

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