Designed for children ages 12-24 months, this easy-to-use, comprehensive curriculum is FREE for immediate family and in-home use. If you intend to use the curriculum in a preschool, church, or daycare setting, please refer to the Complete 1 Year Curriculum.
Each Online Lesson Plan includes:
To get started, choose objectives and activities that suit your child's needs and situation. Please know that the Week 1 Lesson Plan is significantly longer to help you begin. Incorporate them into your child's daily routines to create a seamless and enjoyable learning experience. This flexible approach allows you to customize the curriculum to fit your unique situation, ensuring a solid foundation for your child's growth and development.
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Objectives| The 1 Year Curriculum introduces the child to learning, and the objectives are the learning goals that you introduce to the child over one week. Don’t feel the need to cover all the focused objectives each day. Instead, spread them throughout the week. As much as possible, pull the learning from the play and activities that the child is doing. |
Bible Symbol: Animals
Bible Story: Noah's Ark
Scripture: Genesis 6-9
Read & Share Toddler Bible: pg 24
ABCJLM Interactive Bible Story
Bible Song: The B-I-B-L-E Traditional
The B-I-B-L-E (make book with hands)
Yes, that’s the book for me (nod “yes”)
I stand alone on the Word of God (pretend to stand firm)
The B-I-B-L-E
Bible! (shout)
Character Scripture: Salvation
Romans 10:9-10 (NIV) - If you declare with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved.
Poem: Row, Row, Row Your Boat (Traditional)
Row, row, row your boat, (with the child on your lap facing you, rock from side to side)
Gently down the stream.
Merrily, merrily, merrily, merrily, (pat hands on legs)
Life is but a dream. (clap four times)
Color: Black
Shape: Circle
Animal: Raccoon
Taking Care of Me: Where is my head?
Sign Language: Bye-Bye - wave
Book of the Week: 
First 100 Words: A Padded Board Book by Various Authors
Fine Motor Skill: Peek-a-boo
Gross Motor Skill: So Big
Suggested Activities| Because busy lives make it difficult to think of activities that pair well with learning objectives, I’ve provided suggestions to help you teach the week’s objectives. Choose activities that your child would enjoy and that fit into your schedule. As often as possible, achieve the learning from books, play time, craft time, and current activities. |
The goal of the 1-Year Curriculum is to introduce children to Bible stories. The "Objectives" section includes page numbers from the Read and Share Toddler Bible when available, but any age-appropriate children’s Bible can be used. For variety, you may read the same story from different Bibles. Be sure to read the Scripture yourself to understand the story's details. Another fun way to further Bible learning is to tell the story in an interactive way. The ABCJLM Interactive Bible Stories offer an age-appropriate script that is the perfect length for your active toddler. This supplemental product is available as a digital download, either included in the 1 Year Curriculum Bundle or purchased separately.
Bible Story Activities: Noah's Ark
Read and Share Toddler Bible
- Eat animal crackers while reading the story of Noah's Ark.
- Gather stuffed animals to sit with you as you read.
Tell the Story with Flannelgraph
Flannelgraph provides a beautiful visual and tactile addition to the Bible story. Discover how to use it in this video. 
ABC Book - A is for Animals
For the next 36 weeks, the child will create an Alphabet Bible Craft (ABC) book using the Bible Symbol for the week. Each week, add the alphabet worksheet to a 3-ring binder to review and for the child to show to others. Shown here is the first page in the book. Creation this by coloring the Animals worksheet with a black jumbo crayons and then glue on animal crackers.
Character Scripture: Salvation
As parents, we desire the children in our care to be like Christ. One way to bring this about is to pray Christ's character into their lives. More specifically, we can pray inspired Scriptures.
Praying Scripture is a time for you to have a conversation with God, using His own Word to ask Him to build Christlikeness into your child's life. Also, the verses you pray will remind you of character traits that you can model to your children, as well as call to mind during teachable moments and discipline. Each Lesson Plan in the 1 Year Curriculum contains a character trait and a suggested verse to pray over your child for the week.
Here is an example for this week's character (salvation) based on the Romans 10:9-10. I encourage you to find additional verses about salvation to pray over your child throughout the week. Learn more about praying the scriptures on the Parenting to Impress blog and podcast.
Heavenly Father, I pray that ______ would declare with his mouth that Jesus is Lord. That he would believe in his heart that God raised Jesus from the dead. Work in ______ heart to believe in You so that he may be justified. I pray that his mouth would profess his faith and salvation.
Complete Curriculum Addition: Available to order in the 1 Year Workbook, the Character Scripture Prayers printable contains the 36 characters and verses to pray over your child. Post in the child's room, above the changing table, or wherever you frequent to remember to pray.
Bible Song: The B-I-B-L-E
The carefully selected Bible songs are beloved classics sung in Sunday School throughout the generations. Learning these tunes helps the child memorize verses and Bible stories while connecting them to strong theological truths. If any of these songs are unfamiliar, I've created free videos of each one, complete with actions, to help you learn them easily.
Sing this song very slowly and incorporate the actions throughout the day. Create a tradition of singing it during bath time, while driving, or as part of your bedtime routine. As you sing this song to the child repeatedly, they will gradually start to join in.
Complete Curriculum Addition: Display Bible truth songs in your home or take on-the-go with the 1 Year Bible Song Packet. This 18-page digital download is the perfect way to introduce age-appropriate worship to a young child.
Color Activities: Black
In this curriculum, the child is introduced to nine different colors. It's best to keep the objective simple and use only the "color of the week" during craft and drawing times. This allows the child time to work with a given color and to improve fine motor skills.
For the first 11 weeks (9 weeks of lessons and 2 review weeks), the child will create a Color Train. Using the Black Train printable, instruct the child to color, with a jumbo crayon, one train per week (this week is black). Display the train at the child's eye level to point to and discuss the colors. If the child tends to put things in his mouth, try egg crayons or make larger crayons by recycling old ones. Also, I encourage you to not use markers or pens since, unlike crayons and pencils, they do not sharpen fine and gross motor skills.
Shape Activities: Circle
The 1 Year Curriculum introduces seven shapes to the child, beginning with the circle. Using black construction paper, cut out a large circle. Then, using minimal water, instruct your child to water paint the circle. As the child paints, talk about the shape. TIP: For little hands, jumbo paintbrushes are safer and easier to handle.
Animal Activities: Raccoon
The Curriculum introduces the child to 28 animals. This week's animal is the raccoon.
- Using the Raccoon worksheet, point to the raccoon's head.
- Using the Raccoon worksheet and jumbo crayons, color the raccoon black. (For little hands, jumbo crayons are easier to hold.)
- Find a picture of a raccoon in the books that you read.
- Explain the raccoon's distinct "mask."
- Raccoons are nocturnal animals which means they hunt for food during the night and sleep during the day.
Traditional poems and nursery rhymes help children develop rhyme, fine motor skills, and rhythm, as well as beginning reading. At first, quote the poems very slowly to help the children correctly learn the words. Also, assist the child in performing actions with the poems. Quote them throughout the day (e.g. while driving, in the bathtub, while washing hands).
Poem: Row, Row, Row Your Boat
Complete Curriculum Addition: Give your toddler a head start on pre-reading skills with age-appropriate poems that your child or students will enjoy. Colorfully created, this 1 Year Poem Packet contains recognizable images and fun actions for the pre-reading activities in the 1 Year Curriculum.
Book of the Week Ideas: First 100 Words: A Padded Board Book
Children should be read to for at least 15 minutes a day. Each week, the child will be introduced to a quality picture book to complement other learning and provide pre-reading exposure. Read the book multiple times throughout the week, discussing the illustrations and focusing on concepts related to this week's objectives (e.g. black, circle, head, raccoon).
- The First 100 Words is used several times in the 1 Year Curriculum because looking through the book allows the child to associate a word with a picture. While you might find word/pictures books monotonous, repetition is key to expanding a toddler's vocabulary. At first, work through only a few pictures at a time unless the child desires more.
- How to Teach the Child the Pictures Learn more...
1. Introduce - Begin by introducing the child to the pictures. Gently take the child's hand, point to pictures, and state the name pictured. Soon, this enables the child to randomly point, which prompts you to name the object, activity, or emotion.
2. Practice - Once you have introduced each image, ask the child to point to specific objects. "Point to the ball." If the child is unable to point to the object, move back to "Introduce" and help the child point to the object.
3. Identify - Point to a picture and ask the child to name the object.
Taking Care of Me: My Head
For the next 13 weeks, the child learns the names and places of his body parts. Be Intentional: focus on this week's body part while getting dressed, during bath time, and while looking in a mirror. Point out body parts found in books and magazines. This week's body part is the head.
Sign Language: Bye-Bye
The 1 Year Curriculum introduces the child to 28 words using sign-language. In using signs, the child acquires a language to express his needs. Introduce each sign at the beginning of the week by helping the child do the sign as you say the word. Consistency and repetition lead to the child performing the sign on her own. This week's sign is "bye-bye." When it is appropriate for the child to wave, take the child's hand, assist her in waving, and say "bye-bye" as you wave for her. Discover how to teach sign language and to see each sign performed in the video below.
Motor Skills: Fine motor skills are activities that improve one’s ability to write and manipulate small objects. Gross motor skills involve large muscle movement (e.g. running, jumping, hopping etc.). These skills are important for pencil control, balance, and coordination. Each Lesson Plan includes an activity to improve the child’s fine and gross-motor skills. Also, refrain from using markers or pens in activities as they do not strengthen fine and gross muscles as much as crayons, painting, and pencils.
Fine Motor Skill: Peek-a-boo
Fine motor skills are those activities that allow you to better do things such as writing and manipulating small objects. Each lesson plan includes an activity to help improve the child's fine-motor skills. This week, play peek-a-boo with your child by covering your eyes with your hands, removing your hands, and saying "peek-a-boo." Help the child cover his/her eyes and do the same.
Gross Motor Skill: So Big
Gross motor skills are big motor skills that require balance and coordination (e.g. running, jumping, hopping etc.). Each lesson plan includes an activity to help improve the child's gross motor skills. This week, play "So Big" by asking the child, "How big are you?". Assist the child in raising his or her arms into the air and say, "So big!" This is a great activity to do when undressing as it prompts the child to raise her arms in the air to remove their shirt.
First Day of 1 Year Curriculum:
Use the First Day of Preschool poster to create a precious photo op for remembering today. Be sure to tag #ABCJesusLovesMe or @ABCJesusLovesMe when you post the image on social media!
Warning: All information on the ABCJesusLovesMe website, on Facebook Groups under the ABCJesusLovesMe name, and on the Parenting to Impress blog is for general information purposes only. All the activities and ideas shared require adult supervision and children under the age of three should not participate in activities in which small pieces are involved. Also, what works with one child may not work with all children. ABCJesusLovesMe, as well as Parenting to Impress, contain suggestions and all should be taken simply as suggestions. Please seek the advice of a professional when questions arise.
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