Teaching 2 Year Olds

I had the privilege of sharing about my homeschool at our MOMS group last week. I have received many questions about what type of curriculum and books I use with each age group. So I thought I would take some time and go through each age group and try and be as detailed as possible with regard to what I did with my kids. I am going to start with age 2.

When Joshua was two years old I looked around in vain for a curriculum that I thought would work for us. I wanted something that involved interaction, Christian principals, and some crafts. So I wrote my own curriculum. Each week contains a four-day schedule of fun activities. At the beginning of each week there is a list of items that will be needed to complete all the activities listed. This list is broken down into three categories- find on the Internet, books and materials. The items needed to find on the Internet are mostly coloring pages. I made every attempt to make the materials those that I normally had around the house.

Here is an example:

Daniel in the Lions Den

Find on Internet:
2 lion coloring pages

Books:
Children’s bible
About Daniel in the lions den

Materials:
Crayons/Markers
Construction paper
Paper plates
Glue
String
VeggieTales Movie “Daniel and the Lions Den”

Day 1
Introduce Daniel in the lion’s den using a children’s bible
Read Daniel in the lion’s den from a storybook
Color lion picture
Sing- The B-I-B-L-E

Day 2
Go over the story of Daniel in the lion’s den using a children’s bible
Read Daniel in the lion’s den from a storybook
Make lion paper plate craft
Read library books about lions
Sing- The B-I-B-L-E

Day 3
Go over the story of Daniel in the lion’s den using a children’s bible
Color lion picture
Read library books about lions
Sing- The B-I-B-L-E

Day 4
Have your child tell you the Daniel in the lion’s den story
Watch the Veggietales video- Daniel in the Lions Den”
Sing- The B-I-B-L-E

B-I-B-L-E
The bible, yes that’s the books for me. I stand alone on the word of God the B-I-B-L-E!

Lion Paper Plate Craft:
On a piece of brown construction paper draw two ears, two eyes a nose and a mouth (can use black construction if you would like). Cut out and glue these items to a paper plate. Have child color the lions face. You or your child can color a lion’s mane around the edge of the plate. Put two holes in the paper plate using a hole punch (one on the left side and one on the right side). Attach a piece of string to each hole. Use strings to attach the mask to your child (strings need to be long enough to meet and tie together).
Note: If you are feeling energetic use your mask to help you act out this bible story.


Optional Activities:
--Make a lion’s den using a blanket and chairs. Have your child wear their lion mask and pretend to be the lion in the den with Daniel. You could be the angel that the Lord sends to silence the lions. Your child must stop roaring at your command.
--Act out this bible story for family and friends.


I would be happy to email the entire curriculum to anyone who is interested (there are 21 weeks). The topics are: Jonah, Noah, Bears, Daniel in the Lions Den, Zacchaeus, Creation, Line Tracing, and The Fall of Jericho. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Baby Moses, Joseph and the Beautiful Coat, Rabbits, Whales and Dolphins, Buildings, Jesus and the Fisherman, Lost Sheep.