Creative Curriculum Lesson Plan for Head Start

Head Start is a national program that aids in preparing young children, ages 3 to 6, for the academic and social expectations of school. Children enrolled in Head Start programs are offered a beneficial support system of educators along with other support services to promote health, cognitive development and social skills for kids and families. Create fun, engaging and educational lessons for Head Start children with basic materials and lots of energy.

The goal of the Head Start curriculum is to promote interaction among children, to achieve academic and social goals along with allowing for flexibility and to encourage positive behaviors within the family and community. The mixture of fun and educational activities shows young Head Start children that learning can be fun and that working together to reach goals has benefits.

Appeal to children’s enjoyment of food along with teaching them to organize, categorize, list and chart. Egg cartons can be turned into organizational cups for children along with a pair of chopsticks to assist with fine-motor skills development. Provide children with a 1/2 cup of mixed cereal, raisins, bits of dried food and chocolate chips. Children can separate the items, using the chopsticks, into individual sections of the egg carton. Once the 1/2 cup of mixed small foods has been separated, each child can use a piece of paper and pencil to create a list of the items and then count how many there are in each egg cup. When all the children have finished, a large group chart can be created to determine how many of each small food items were used to create the snack for the entire group. Once the group chart is finished, each child can enjoy eating her snack.

Learn more about different roles and jobs by using hats to engage in some imaginary play. Have the group look at the book, “Hats, Hats, Hats,” by Ken Heyman and invite children to discuss how hats are different and similar around the world. Learning about other parts of the world promotes understanding and awareness. Share with children different kinds of hats you've brought into the class with you, such as a hard hat, baseball hat, chef hat and a police hat. Talk with children about what job each hat corresponds with and the responsibilities of the position a person wearing that hat would have. Create an imaginary play area for Head Start children to explore wearing and pretending with the hats.

Create a community celebration showcasing children’s artwork by having a museum night. Along with displaying children’s artwork, the students can work together to create a song or short skit to present during the celebration. Including the community in an event showcasing children’s creations gives them a sense of accomplishment.

Invite parents to visit the classroom and read a story of their choice for a special story time. Including family in the Head Start classroom is an integral part of its success. The day after a parent has visited the class for the special story time, students can create thank you cards including a short written message, promoting language skills.